Only a Few Days Left....

March 23, 2011


Yesterday was the departing missionaries temple trip to Salt Lake City. We went to the temple (Wow -- that place is unlike any other temple!) We spent from 9 - 5 and took every tour imaginable. I w as the only sister missionary on the trip, so it was a little wierd. There was one elder there that I have NEVER seen before. What? A year and a half- and I have never seen him and we are both leaving together. Kind of funny. I guess he has never served around sister before. He didn't know ANY of them. There were a few of the elders on the trip that I knew really well from USU, or Ogden or Syracuse. So it was a fun trip.

I really enjoyed the temple yesterday. SLC is like a giant maze. There were little temple workers everywhere telling me I was going in the wrong direction. If I wasn't the only sister I could have found my way to the dressing rooms easier -- but oh well. I made it through. I had a really amazing experience in the celestial room. Made this transition that I am about to go through seem better!

Happy New Year!

December 28, 2010

Well Ladies and Gents!

The time has come for 2010 to go away and 2011 to come screeching in faster than I can imagine. I have spent all of the year 2010 as a missionary. We nicknamed it the "Holy Year." I am sure that 2011 will be just as good.

It is now after the holidays, so we are back and running with the work. Which is good. Sometimes it's hard to work during the holidays, and let me tell you December 26th was a hard day -- but we survived! The next day we had some really cool miracles. We tracted these apartments. We got up to the 4th floor with no one answering, or not being interested, until one door flew open and this woman was standing there. We noticed the hospital wristbands and asked her if she felt okay. She laughed and said, "I'm fine. I just had a baby. Wanna meet her?" NOTE -- We are three RANDOM strangers knocking on what we found out to be her back door and she welcomed us right in to meet a two-day old Jalissa. This happens to be my companions first name as well. We took it as a sign we were suppose to be there :) But we sat with the mom and her family for a little while and the mom wants to take the lessons! Pretty Sweet! I love Ogden!

PS We did make a gingerbread house. I told somebody that we were teaching about our competitions and she bought us a kit to build a house. The kit was not a whole lot of fun though. It limited our creativity telling us play by play what we should do and which candies we should put where. What is America coming to? Kids are not going to know how to invent anymore....Sad Day.... :)

LOVE YOU!!!

"There's a snake in my boots..."

September 14, 2010

First off -- a few weeks ago, like two, I get this call from the Pleasant View Sisters and they say, "Hey Sister Meldrum, do you want to have an adventure on P-Day?" And well, me, being me -- I definitely say YES! So...

I went to Pleasant View for a few hours. When we pulled up to the house, there was a 17 foot BOA in the yard...LOOSE- just snaking along and slithering in the grass like a giant worm on the sidewalk!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! WOAH-- I didn't sign up for this!! Yes, the monthly feeding of the snake was happening and I got to be an eye witness. Meal time was the brown fluffy bunny/full grown rabbit. Don't you fret -- snakes have to eat too!

Anyways, all the sisters held the snake, and even I got up the guts to do so as well. For the first few seconds it was ok, but then I realized I had a HUGE SNAKE around my neck and I think the picture explains it all...

So a little about Weber State...It's a rough area. It's hard OPENING an area up...nothing to go off of , etc. But the Lord has completely humbled me and I know that this is where he wants me. We have been praying SO SO SO hard to find those that are ready, and we have been working so hard and its been amazing to see how as we do so, the Lord puts us in the right path to meet those that are ready. We have several new investigator lessons this week! I am so excited! I feel the growth changing areas. I fall in love with my mission the more I am here. How greatful I am that it was within the will of God to allow me to serve.

Breanna the Brave!

"This last week has been a riot and a half. It's been crazy too. Let's just start it off with a bang...I went to the hospital on Wednesday. :)

I wish I was lying, but I really am not. I totally (and when I say totally, I mean TOTALLY) crashed on my bike...Right in front of Denny's. We are running late to a lesson, and I went to move from the bike lane, on the road, to the sidewalk, and I hit the edge of the sidewalk just right so that my bike went one way and I went the other. I flew far and fast straight into the concrete. Skirt and legs in the air -- chin first. It's a miracle that my bike helmet (held together by duct tape) did its job and saved my skull. I kinda just sat there for a second and Sister Graves was freaking out -- looking for a bandaid or something. But, a bandaid wouldn't do its job on this little number. So she gave me a receipt to hold to my bloody chin and we hobbled into the Denny's bathroom. It's kind a gross, blood and black skid marks on me. I just sat down with Sister Graves on the phone, changing our appointment, calling the doctor who said to go to the hospital, and a ride to get us there. If I am ever really dying, I definitely DO NOT want it to be in a Denny's Bathroom!

I've now got some stitches. They x-rayed my hand to make sure it wasn't broken (they thought it might be, but it wasn't) and every doctor that sees me says, 'Oh they are letting sisters on bikes now?' Haha. Since it was proslyting hours, Sister Graves was contacing the nurse that was cleaning off my face. Kinda funny. I had to go to the dentist too to make sure the collision didn't move my jaw, or bite. It didn't, thank goodness.

So the moral of the story...make sure you pray before you leave the house, wear a helmet, and say lots grateful prayers. :) ALL IS WELL. And I am back on the bike. I didn't even cry through the WHOLE thing! I get the stitches out sometime this week, I think. Enjoy the pictures..."

Humility...

"So, some things I have recently learned...HUMILITY. It is so much more than saying, 'I am dirt, and I can't do this on my own.' That was my ignorant view of it before. This last transfer has taught me in a whole new light. I was reading Preach My Gospel one day during personal study and it hit me like a rock. (Some angel from heaven has a good arm, let me tell ya!) Anyways, as I read it, I realized that as we FOLLOW the will of the Lord we are showing him that we are humble. Submitting to the will of the Lord means that as I walk down the street and feel prompted to talk to someone, that I am being prideful if I don't When I do, I am showing the Lord that I trust His plan. Then the Lord is able to to provide us with more miracles. How incredible is that? Trusting on the Lord takes a lot. You really have to put aside personal fear, laziness, and lack of confidence. Turn those things over to the Lord. That is how he strengthens us. Like in Esther 12:27...that concept and idea helps me work a lot harder and better.

So in other news, Utah gardens are in full harvesting! We have enough squash to feed a small army. We really only have time to cut them up and stir fry them. But let me tell you, IT IS GOOD! Sister Graves saw a sign in the grocery store last Tuesday that made her think of me. It said, 'I don't even butter my bread because I consider that cooking!' HAHA I promise I can cook, just not on a mission. Too crazy -- no time. Don't worry, I surprisingly eat healthy. Lots of veggies, sandwiches, etc. oh and don't forget my Flintstone vitamins!

I am loving life...seriously. Mission life is the best!"

Tuesday, July 27, 2010

Sisters Meldrum & Martin...Both from Texas... :)
"Arise Spectacular" in Ogden

Hiking Ben Lomond

Ogden District

"So Pioneer day has come and gone. The Ogden Pioneer Days Rodeo was in our area! Holla! But yes, Pioneer day with the flags and fireworks was nuts! Bigger than the 4th! But a whole lot of fun. It was pretty sweet because one of our recent converts (from TEXAS) wanted to cook us "real Texan food" for the two Texas sisters and oh boy oh boy, I have never had slow cooked pulled pork like THAT before. I was salivating from the start of dinner to the end of it. So scrumptous!!

I was listening to my music the other day and we have an "EFY" style version of "Be Still My Soul." I think that is going to be the transfer theme song. I have never really paid attention to the words in that song, yet how profound they are:

'Be still my soul, the Lord is on thy side. With patience bear the cross of grief and pain. Lean to they God to order and provide. In every change, He faithful will remain.'

What a testimony that is, no matter what we are going through, no matter how we feel, in EVERY change, He (the Lord) will faithfully be there for us. He can help us and provide, He is on our side to help us out. Yes, it's true, I love that song! I need that song this transfer."

The pictures are from the Ben Lomond hike. It took us 7 hours! It was 16 miles and I don't even know how high we climbed, but it was intense. This is the mountain that Paramount Pictures uses as their logo. The other pictures are from the "Arise Spectacular." 33 Stakes of youth got together for a half-time show-- Olympics style. We got to participate. We also got to march in the 24th July Parade. President and Sister Olson rode in a car! It was all good!

Recent pictures of Sister Breanna Meldrum...