blog email (4.21.14)

HAPPY LATE EASTER!!! Oh my goodness have yall seen the Because of Him video on youtube??? its ammmmmazing!! we've been showing it at all of our dinners up to Easter! It gives me the chills! I LOVE MY SAVIOR!!! and also william hopoate was in there too so we had that video on repeat... lol 

buuuuuuuut i didnt wanna worry yall before but this whole transfer we werent living in our area, we were living in a different stake...while we were doing that, my comp and i have been sleeping on the floor. i never unpacked.... ha and we would walk or ride our bikes 2 miles up AND downhill each way to our area....it would be hard sometimes when we had early morning meetings on sunday bc we would start walking at like 7 in the morning in the snow when it was colder...but we FINALLY GOT HOUSING!!! in our own stake! so we are excited!! it will be so much easier to work aaaand we can work more!! this past month we contacted 67 people! maybe next month we will double;)

haha but i cant believe its already been a yr since me and elenas lil moped accident.... i always think bout that uhh special day whenever i hop on my bike..talking about bikes, i ripped ANOTHER skirt this past week... thank goodness mama sent me the package with a sewing kit!! the other day during personal study we were upstairs and the kids are on spring break so they were watching tv and the song dark horse came on sooo obviii i had to bust dat juicy j flo and my companion and the other sisters enjoyed....i think...haha 

this past week we were on exchanges with the sister training leaders. i went to a different stake and it was a great experience! i was able to learn a lot and it was also a very humbling experience. Herriman area is a lil nicer than the one i went to exchanges to and it was just a great experience to meet other people and teach them. it was funny because while the other sister training leader was in my area people would go up to her and say "youre not supposed to be here?? wheres the other one??" even people that we've never met before! thats what my companion said! i was crackin uppppp! 

we went to a family's home for dinner and it was so funny bc my comp is from arizona and the dad was like do u know where kingston is? and i was like thats a place in arizona?? i just know of sean kingston! and his wife was crackin up so we were talkin bout sean kingston(shes popolo) and her husband and my comp had no idea what we were talknig about! we were also talking bout beyonce and my favvvv song countdown too..it was soo funny! but of course we left their home with a spiritual messge too!

we picked up a new investigator and she is soo awesome!! she asks some intense questions but we were there for the first time for about 2 hrs and we taught her like the first 4 lessons bc of the questions she asked! it was a really cool experience!

in honor of Easter, my companion and i taught sharing time in primary for junior and senior primary. it was sooo fuuuun being in primary again! they sang, He Sent His Son and it reminded me of that one time i was in primary with Nat and she taught that song! so cool! Yesterday was just amazing!! The talks and musical numbers were just beautiful! Focusing on the Atonement and it was just a spiritual sunday! its sundays like yesterday where i dont mind going to 3 different wards. haha but It just increased my gratitude for my Savior for all that he has done for us. He is truly amazing. An example of pure love. He gives me hope when things go wrong. He gives me hope that we will one day be resurrected as well. Yesterday was a reminder for me to always remember him and not just on special holidays. He makes me want to be better. WATCH THE VIDEO IF YOU HAVENT SEEN IT! IT GIVES ME CHILLS EVERY TIME!! hope all is well! love you all<3

hiiii (4.14.14)

hiiiiiiiiii!!!

So this week was pretty crazy...i got sick but im feeling better!! we taught a lesson to 1 of our investigators and i was joking around that i was gonna sing i am a child of God to him bc its his favorite song but he actually made me do it...TALK ABOUT EMBARRASSING!!! he wants me to sing it to him again this tuesday when we see him and umm we made another verse just for him so itll be interesting...my comp just gotta drop dat beat and ill bust dat flo! ha 

well on bikes this past week i ripped my skirt... bc those hills are struggles! idk why ppl ride bikes for fun...the STRUGGLE IS TOO REAL!!! especially bc this past week it was pretty hot so it was an intense ride.... i got some sexy tan lines that be bringing all the investigators to the yard... NOT!#ratchet but its crazy to see these tan lines and my comp is getting pretty sunburned...ill have to take pictures and send them to yall.... 

although i was sick we were able to pick up 3 new investigators! talk about exciting!!!!

one of them is a 9 yr old girl and she is so cute! we invited her to be baptized in the 1st lesson and she said YES! i was so nervous bc it was my first time to say the invitation on the mish and it was cray! but soo great!!! also, her fam was able to come to church yesterday and theyve been inactive and ppl invite them to come every sunday but they havent for the past 2 yrs til yesterday! it was soo amazing!! they even brought cousins with them too!

yesterday we were able to help teach primary with the 6 yr olds and theres the cutest lil boy, Siaki (prolly one of hina's long lost cousins) and he just knew all the answers and was soo cute!! 

this past week we were able to go downtown for an appointment and it was so weird to be outta mission boundaries...but it was an adventure! got to see the Salt Lake Temple for a hot minute! it was so exciting!!

i also had transfer training this past week bc im still GREEEEN and it was so great! i was able to see my mtc comps who i MISSED SOOO MUCH!! our mission president was talking about how we are responsible for EVERYONE in our stake boundaries..talk about no pressure! but also i was reading this past week in Mosiah 2 about serving others and it just related so much with what President Chambers said! because King Benjamin was talking bout how he served the people with all that he had so he will stand blameless before God, and it made me want to do the same. Serve the people of the Mountain View Stake with ALL that I have so I can follow his example. It was just a motivating experience. 

Sorry this is kinda short, buuuuuuut it was a great week!! 

HOLY FRIJOLES!!! (4.7.14)

One of my favorite songs back home has been stuck in my head and i cant stop thinkin bout it so i thought id remix it a lil bit.... ITS GOIN DOWN... IM YELLIN BAPTISM!...You better pray, you better repent... lets make a baptismal date you will remember! ill be the one you wont forget... #timber hahahha 

oh my goodness gracious where do i even begin??? GENERAL CONFERENCE WAS OFF DA CHAIIIIIIN! but ill go in order...

the other pday we had we went to this senior couple's home and played in their backyard, we threw thomahawks? however you spell them and apparently im the "champ" #nbd..... it was a great way to relieve stress haha

being on the mission ive been asked some interesting questions, liiiiiiiike "if youre from texas why dont u have an accent?" were you disappointed to come to utah?" " do you have a boyfriend at home?" " are you 19 or 21 bc of the age change?" and the awkwardness goes on and on....just had to share... ha 

it was a lil chilly this past week so i was able to use handwarmers for the first time! it was crazy!!! never used those before EVER! but they came in handy, but its warming up so hopefully i wont have to use them anytime soon...  

on the mission i deffff miss having gps on the phone... bc im still kinda getting used to the area we just have maps! talk about #OLDSCHOOL! but at least we have em right???

we had a funny dinner experience the other night bc we never met this family before but we called in advance to confirm the dinner and she said we were having chicken enchiladas so i was like #winning! but while we were walking up the hill i was like uhh i think its this house?? then my comp was like nahh thats not the address itll be embarrassing if we went to the wrong house... so we went to this house with the address and she let us in and i was like "man it smells good in here!" (bc i was expecting enchiladas) but she was like uhh thanks?? and then she kept on complaining that the house was messy and there was no food on the table so we were like hmm..... and we were just sitting awkwardly with her on the couch and she asked us "so are u sisters just out contacting?" and THATS WHEN IT CLICKED! sis judd wrote on her planner "i think we're in the wrong house!" so we ask her what her name was and it was NOT the name of the family we were supposed to have dinner with so we shared a quick message and left.. we were there 20 MINUTES before we realized we were at the wrong house... apparently dinner was at her neighbor's house! funny right? oh and the funny doesnt end... we go to dinner and their daughter says to me, "you have a pretty ring, is that from your husband?" and i was like oh no no no not yet (it was the ring mama and daddy got me for my 16th bday) but then my comp kept saying, " yah its from her husband" she kept going off about that... and i was like smh... ha 

BUT WHAT DID YOU THINK OF GENERAL CONFERENCE????! all the talks were my favorite! i especially liked President Uchtdorf's talk about gratitude. it really stood out to me!! also, i LOVE how elder scott always talks about his wife! so adorbs! and of course gotta love elder ballard's talk about missionary work! WHAAAAAT! i was so proud of the fam when he talked about how its great when families share missionary experiences with full time missionaries bc i know thats what yall are already doing and i love it! makes me cry! ha and omg gotta love elder teh's talk! SHOUTOUT TO THE PHILIPPINES!! #HOMELAND haha #represent gotta love those Filipinos and their strong faith!!! we were able to watch general conference at the home we are staying at. i was soo bummed bc on the saturday morning sesh our zone leaders called us and said they had an extra ticket to go for that afternoon sesh but it was only 1 and we had to leave right then and there! but we didnt go bc it was only 1 and it was late notice..:(

after GC we were walking to dinner yesterday and this guy approached us asking if we were mormons, long story short he used to be FLDS( Fundamental lds) and he was asking about religion but idk how sincere he was... and then we went our separate ways and while we were walking away he said laughing, "you almost enlightened me." LIKE WHAT?????!!! what is that supposed to mean?? HE IS SO LUCKY we JUST had GC and Pres Monson talked about loving everyone bc i was bout to go back and give him a piece of my mind! like WHAT?! oh man HE WAS TOUCHED BY AN ANGEL! bc ooo that made me a lil upset... 

but on a more happier note, we taught the Plan of Salvation to this less active family last night and holy cow it went greater than we expected! after we taught the lesson, the dad bore his testimony about the plan and how we can see our loved ones again to his daughter and he was about to cry bc apparently his bro in law passed away this past week and we didnt even know- we were just planning on teaching that lesson but then i was about to cry and it was just an amazing experience! i just love the work and seeing people apply it in their lives! we've been teaching a lot of children which i love bc they are just so awesome and the best! 

buuuuut just wanna let you know that i love my Savior and i love you all and hope yall enjoyed conference!!! :) 

eeeeeeeeeeeeep (3.31.14)

so today is pday again! THANK GOODNESS!! 

I've realized that while being in Utah, lotion and chap stick have become my new bffs....holy canoliiiii its cray ova heaaaa!!! So its been snowing randomly on some days in MARCH! like say whaaaat?! i was not expecting that! i learned its sometimes called "snail" a mixture of snow and hail and you would think that snow would be nice and soft like olaf from frozen but ohhh heeeermp it hurts sometimes when its comin at chu! 

Apparently in utah its common for like errrrryone to own dogs! it just gets kinda difficult when im carrying my snacks in my bag and sometimes they come at me! even the small ones come at you too! SMH!!!! 

this past wednesday, my comp and i taught a mutual about missionary work and guess who showed up to talk too..... MY MISSION PRESIDENT! talk about INTIMIDATING!!! but it was good tho! i was heckaaaa nervous but survived...ive realized that bc i havent been out that long, that i have chokeeeeee weaknesses!! its a struggle every day.... but one of my favorite scriptures in the Book of Mormon Ether 12:27..definitely helps me to get thru my day! really love that verse!! 

its been a busy week tho fo sho.... this past friday we had a mission conference and it was soo good to see my old MTC companions! freakin crackin me upp the whole time!! i missed them so much!!! it was cool to see everyone in the whole mission! idk if thatll ever happen again... but it was really cool, we had a speaker who climbed mount everest and got us pumped and motivated! one of his quotes that i like was, "ascending is mandatory, going down is optional" and i was like STARTED FROM THE BOTTOM NOW WE HEAAAA! haha jk but i really liked it! 

Saturday i WEEDED FOR 3 HRS! im kinda sore actually...it was so good tho to do some service! brought out mah roots if ya know what i mean...;) literally.... hahahaa 

this past sunday was the 5th sunday and remember, my comp and i are over 7 wards so ya know, we taught at 3! it was a busy sunday! pretty intense to teach combined relief society and priesthood in 2 wards and then we had to split for a ward and i taught the youth and she taught the adults...but WOW! i was so nervous!!! and we also went to ward council for a different ward..sundays are defff our busiest days... not the day of rest... hahah  in one of them we were role playing missionary work and i was pretending to be the investigator and made a reference to the miami heat...lets just say, its pretty cold up hea.... no heat fans in utah... it got awkward.... lol

but ooo so yesterday we ate at an investigator's home and he made beef ribs! i was like HOLLAAA! i was soo excited! they know im from texas so ya know i had to rep my home right... i ATE 3 OF THEM! he just kept putting them on my plate and i couldnt be rude and say no, ya know??? didnt want to offend my investigator.. ha so im glad im on bike... lol 

but one thing that really stood out to me this week was that "obedience brings blessings, exact obedience brings miracles." lets just say the struggle is real but i need all the miracles i can get!! haha but hope all is well! update me tooo por favor! miss and love you all so much!!! 

wooooooOOO! (3.25.14)

Soo sorry for the late email, today is actually our pday because we were able to go to the Oquirrh Mountain Temple(I dont know how to spell it)!!! It was so fun and beautiful of course! Things have been getting kinda busy, so it was good to escape for a little bit....

but lemme just say that if i had to express how i feel right now is if u remixed arianda grande's song and change it to "I love the way the gospel makes me feel, i love it...i love it..." bahahah ive just been singing that lately because ya know the struggle is too real with no radio so whenever we go to the store i try to jam out when i can...like for instance we were at a member's home the other day and their son was playing demons on the piano and i was just like WHAAAAAAAAAAAAT?! are u kiddin me right now?! thats da kuuuuuuut! And also i heard beyonce's halo and i was tryin to compare it to how it relates to the gospel but it didnt really work... 

so remember when i said that we had a pro photographer take our pic for the flyers?? weeeel one of the members who was in charge of it sent it to her son because of me... bc she wants to set me up with him... uhhh i meaaaan im honored but kinda like aca awkward at the same time...like u know how i was ALWAYS awkward around the brothaaas growing up?? i feel like im EEEEVEN more awkward every day on the mission...like for instance this brothaa around my age sat by me in sacrament meeting and i was like uhh this is weird...i wasnt used to it... but yah so after the mish should be interesting.... 

so as u can tell, so far i have survived riding on the bike and its a MIRACLE!!!! realk talk doe, like wow i survived! 

so apparently i have a problem with saying too many slang words, so my companion and i decided to help me stop saying things by each term i say, i have to do a push up in the mornings..lets just say, im getting pretty fit.... bahaha but omggg i realllllly miss eating rice..:( its not the same... im like in rice withdrawls.... 

and do u know what else is killin me?? the ppl we are staying with have cheetah girls 1 and 2 and its SUCH a temptation to watch!!! but its okay just a trial of faith right???? 

haha so in personal study, ive been reading in 1 nephi and i wonder if he was a rapper naww mean??? just check out 1 nephi 17:45....ya feel me?? lmk what u think lol 

but i had my first lesson last week too! it was INTENSE! the brother we were teaching isnt a member and he is known for kicking missionaries outta his home but we stayed for 2 hrs and made another appt for today and a dinner appt this sunday! i was SOO NERVOUS but it sounded like it worked out! aaaaand it was soo cute bc at dinner last night, they had this 5 yr old son and he was just the cutest! he asked if i could sit by him at dinner and he made coloring books and drawings for me and told me that i was his favorite...i was soo honored but my companion wasnt too happy..haha ill send u a pic lataaa! 

so ive realized that i need to learn spanish! ppl automatically think i speak spanish and im like lo siento!! BUT AFTER THE MISSION IM DETERMINED TO LEARN SOME ESPANOL! 

omg so the other day byu had a big bball game apparently and this brother asked me if i knew what byu was??? I WAS LIKE UHHH IM AMERICAN??? i know im brown but lets be real.... lol it was funny.... 

so this past saturday was our first baptism and it was just amazing! ill send u a pic! she is just the cutest girl and already decided that she wants to serve a mission and go to the temple! it was just an amazing experience bc she had so many ppl there and most werent members that we had to move to the chapel! it was just off da chain!! #baptism lol 

but everything has been amazing! but ive also noticed that as missionaries, you SPEAK A BUNCH! we are responsible for 7 wards and its just crazy busy with ppl wanting us to teach and speak! i dont eeeeven know what im doing still lol 

whenever its cold, it makes me miss hawaii even more but i know that my home is utah for now...like some ppl think that theres no work to do in utah but THERES SO MUCH! its just so awesome to see how the gospel changes lives. I know that each day it is changing mine and i love every minute of it! update me!!! tell me EVERYTHING! i love and miss you!!!! tell everyone hi for me! eats some rice for me! :) 

ahhhh!!!

So remember when i said that at the mtc it got real?? nah nah nah! here in the field it JUST GOT REAL! i dont eeeeven know where to begin!!! 

well last week it snowed during one of our last days at the mtc and it was just soo much fun!! me and my comps were freeeeakin out!! so we were just playin in the snow and were late to class...oops but it was just soo sad to leave the mtc..i freakin LOVED every moment of it!!! met lots of awesome ppl and it was just seriously amazing!!! 

so on wednesday we woke up at 4 to take a train down to the mish and lemme tell u, i was DEAD on my first day! my trainer is sis judd from arizona and shes soo funny! shes really nice. we get to our area which is btw, a new stake that was just made 2 weeks ago, so me and sis judd cover 7 wards and the funny thing is that we are whitewashing the area! so ya know, im REALLLLLLY confused on whats going on.... i actually have no idea whats going on...ha we are just tryin to get around finding new info but its hard bc its a new stake so itll be an adventure...

u may ask how are we "getting around?" oh thats funny bc on my first day, i said i dont have a bike, nekkkk minnut the zone leaders drop off a bike bc WE ARE IN A BIKING ZONE! like say waaaaaaaa?! its funny bc my comp and i arent all that great at bikes..and another funny thing is that our area is kinda hilly, the stake we are over is called herriman mountain view stake... did u see that word "mountain??" IMMA BE BIKING UP A MOUNTAIN!!!!!!! can u eeeven pic that??? so mama, if u get a call from an 801 number its probzzzz the hospital...jokes jokes! nahh but farreal doe! lol like we've been walking for the past few days bc my comp left her bike in her old ward and lemme just say wallking up to one of our areas the struggle is TOO REAL!! like i be huffin and puffin by the time we get to the top, but ya know by the time we get to the top i be singin, "STARTED FROM THE BOTTOM NOW WE HEAAA!" like real talk! and then my comp tells me to stop..bahaha but the song that seriously gets me thru my days is kanyes "that that that that dont kill me, can only make me stronger" thats how ive been feeling lately.... 

but the members are so nice!! we get fed dinner EVERY NIGHT!! good thing im exercising right?? haha but its nice! 

so i thought that sundays were the days of rest right?? weeeell i feel like sundays are our busiest days!! we woke up at 5:55 bc we had a stake PEC meeting at 730 (i didnt even know what it was) and maaaan i was strugglin..but its all worth it!! :) we went to 3 different wards yesterday and ppl were coming up to me but i seriously didnt remember ANYONE bc ive been meeting so many ppl that its confusing to keep up with everyone...like the wards are so big that they go thru the cultural hall...and its funny bc we went to 3 different wards and apparently the topic for each class in those wards was marriage so i learned a lot about that yesterday ha 

but OMG LEMME TELL U...IM LIKE THE DARKEST person here!!! even after i lost my hawaii tan...(rip sunkissed skin) its funny bc like no one can pronounce my last name..haha 

but the ppl we have met are just awesome! we have a baptism this saturday bc of the elders that left the area set it up but itll be exciting to attend! but theres definitely a lot of work to do so itll be an adventure!! the ppl here are so nice!! im just so glad today is pday so we can relax... every night when i get home i just wanna crash but nekk minnut we gotta do our daily planning! lol

today we are getting our pics taken by a pro photographer to make flyers for our ward about missionary work, ill be sure to mail one home...lol 

but the work out here is going! slowly but surely! its exciting and cray at the same time! i still cant believe im here! its soo beautiful in my area bc theres this spot where  i can stand and i can see all 3 temples! truly amazing! the CHURCH IS TRUE! haha nahh but real talk! bc if it wasnt, i wouldnt be heaaa! lol 

but i love my Savior and the work that is gonna get done here in the Herriman Mountain View Stake! #oookillem (my companion doesnt know what that means...smh) 

i love and miss you all!!! thanks for the support!! means so much to me!! oh and btw, i can only receive mail thru my mission address not my actual address...lo siento...:( but hope yall have a good week! enjoy the warmth!! 

love you more than u know<3

-Sister Gariby :)

Sister Gariby Mission Arrival

Dear Brother and Sister Gariby,

What a pleasure it was to welcome Sister Stefanie Celine Gariby into the Utah Salt Lake City South Mission.  Her first day with us included breakfast and orientation at the mission office, a training session, lunch, and of course, meeting her first companion. I am impressed by her desire to serve.  She is well and in high spirits as she anticipates the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead.  Please be assured that we will be watching over her while she is here.  I'm attaching photographs taken as we welcomed her at the mission office.

After prayerful consideration, an excellent missionary, Sister Judd, has been assigned as her trainer and first companion.  I am attaching our Family Guidelines which we urge you to follow.  We have learned from experience the importance of family and friends following these guidelines.  Please share the guidelines with those who may write to her.  Your compliance of these guidelines can reinforce your missionary's willingness to follow the guidelines in the Missionary Handbook.

Please email your daughter each week and send any hard-copy letters and packages to the mission, addressed to your daughter at the address listed above. 

Thank you for raising such an outstanding young person, worthy and willing to serve the Lord full time in our mission.  I know you will be blessed for the sacrifices that make her service possible.  May the Lord's choicest blessings be yours.

week dos!

okay so i know this will be my last pday before hittin the field so ill try to make it as long as i can..just waitin on my laundry here but HOLY COW IM FUHHHREEEEZING!! Its like sunny but cold...i dont get it?? ha but omg thanks soo much for my dear elder letters and packages! u guys are off da chaiiin! it was funny bc we met with our branch presidency the other day and i got all this mail from my district leader(bc hes in charge of mail) and president mangum was like uhhh sis gariby do u have a significant other??? and i was like umm u mean my mom? bahaha so salamat mama!! all the missionaries in my district were like a lil jelly bc i get mail from yall but what do ya do ya know?? #hatersgonhate

 

soo its funny bc the other night at 1115 pm they paged me to go to the front desk on the intercom and i was like OMG is everything okay with my family?!! so me and my comps run over to the front desk in our pjs and lil did we know is that we had to pick up our new sis in the zone from england. so it was a nice adventure...we also became bffs with the security guard that night bradley and he said hed hook us up with some ice cream before we leave lol

 

but umm not much is goin on heaaa....just class...class....and MORE CLASS! Im seriously soo physically, spirituallu, and emotionally EXHAUSTED! but the good kind of course if that makes sense...like having a good workout and then being sore the next day but in my case its being sore for 2 weeks lol its crayy to think that ill be chunkin up the deuces in a few days..

 

but ooo one funny thing is that the other day, the new sis from england has been hanging out with me too long i think...the other day she said "holla at me" and sis osa also has been sayin "the struggle is too real" and "ratchet" and "real talk" bahahah i guess i gotta watch what i say bc i dont wanna be corrupting these new international sisters now... lol

but aww man this past sunday bc it was fast sunday, it was a lil different bc it was mission conference. it was really cool. i really liked the fireside we had that night and we joined with the west campus as well and omg we sang the song "as sisters in zion" and "army of helaman" but it was like a remix bc it was catered to missionaries, like the lyrics were different and while we were all singing it was just soo POWERFUL! while i was singing i just broke out in tears! EMBUR! but it was only the beginning...the MTC is just soo spiritual! just amazing! that night we watched this talk by elder bednar called the Character of Christ and OMG! it was EXACTLY what i needed! it was about putting off the natural man and instead of turning in to turn out and it was just soo good! bc lets be real errbody and their mamas know that i get selfish sometimes and so it was just perfect!!

omg so one of the funniest and craziest sisters i know is sis manumua from tonga and she freakin cracks me upppp! shes smaller than i am but she like randomly picks me up even tho shes so tiny! shes so funny..guess one of those things u gotta be there kinda moments.. lol

so its funny bc we have been role playing and we have these 2 investigators and as we pray and prepare for them its weird bc i just like fall in love with them even tho theyre just acting which is funny... ha my teachers are freakin OFF DA CHAIIIN! they really make me think and i like that...

and umm i know youve been asking about the food so to answer your questions about the mtc food here just look up in the Bible, Jeremiah 4:19-20..it describes that experience pretty well...lol

so today i was able to go to the Provo Temple and funny thing is that bc both of my companions are international they were able to go to slc and do a session there.. BUT im the only girl in my district going to the Provo temple so the elders in my district had to walk with me everywhere and when we got to the temple i was like uhh where are they?? APPARENTLY WE WENT INTO 2 DIFFERENT SESSIONS!! it was just crazy bc i didnt know which one they weere in or if i should wait for them or where so it was hectic... one of the ppl in the temple said i should just walk to the mtc by myself bc it should be okay and try to page them when i get there but THANKFULLY i waited 30 min for them in the front and they came...they went into a later session than i did... but yah it was weird bc im gettin used to get having a companion and nekk min they leave me... today i deff wish i was international..lol

but umm idk what else to say other than goin to sleep at 1030 is FOREVER difficult! the struggle is too real! bc me and sis arthur just stay up and talk bout hawaii sometimes and how we miss it..we also just eat food from the vending machines...baha like we eat soo early here! at 5 so of course im starving by like 8! haha

but OMG i learned my lesson the other day..we were in gym and me and my companions started playing volleyball with these elders from samoa and tonga and OMG I ALMOST DIED! it was soo much fun but freaaaak i saw my life flash before my eyes a couple of times..they were soo good!!! ha and oh btw, sorry i cant send pics until i get into the field..for some reason the computers at the MTC wont let us send pics from here... but ill deff send some when i get to the mission!!

 umm really cool thing is that my companions and i are singing on sunday bc its our last sunday..we're doing a musical number to the hymn Brightly Beams..have u heard of it?? we're singing a verse in Maori so that should be interesting! we've been practicing and its like soo awesome!!! we leave wednesday EARLY IN THE MORNING to get onto a train to take the field so we'll see how that goes!!

but on a more serious note... im just loving it here. i learn so much every day. the feelings i experience here are just so amazing! Not only in Church and devotionals and firesides but also in class and spending time with my companions. it was so funny the other day bc my companions and i were studying on what to teach for our investigator so we were doing personal stufy and met up after about 10 min and the CRAZY thing is that we all came up with the same topic! like WAAAAAT?! its soo cool to see us be in such unity and that when we really let the Spirit guide, he will take us there if we're doing the right things. I have learned so much about my Savior and its just amazing. I learned a lot about how the gospel blesses families and its so true! makes me so grateful for the one i have both in TEXAS AND HAWAII:) it makes me soo stoked to have a fam of my own one day! well after the mish of course.. ha BUT i love you all so much and am thinking of u always! thanks for the support! it really gets me thru my days! means a lot!! give James a big kiss for me!!! miss yall more than yall know! catch me up with errrthang:)

Love,
Sistah Gariby

February 28, 2014: I SURVIVED!!!

HOLY COW! ITS A MIRACLE! THE GOSPEL IS TRUE! I SURVIVED MY FIRST COUPLE DAYS OF THE MTC!!! It is seriously mind boggling and overwhelming! I dont have too much time but i thoguht id send yall some love! so umm MY PRAYERS HAVE BEEN ANSWERED! I am in a trio and BOTH OF MY COMPANIONS ARE POLY! HALLELUJAH!  It is beautiful! We are seriously the loudest room on our floor...one of my companions is from Australia and we recognized each other bc we went to byuh together and my other companion is from American Samoa so it is just soo much fun! HALLELUJAH! So no need worry, im in good hands! The Lord was deff lookin out for me! 

I was soo stoked bc today in the caf we had ONION RINGS! Thats like my favorite food here so far... they had eggrolls too but it wasnt the same as mamas...(MAMAS ARE OFF DA CHAIIIIN!) 

So apparently it is obvious that im filipino bc ppl just come up to me and start talking in their language to me and im just like uhh MAHAL KITA! hahaha it is soo cute bc theres this companionship that is this filipino sister and this tongan sister and it reminded me of ME AND HINA freshman yr! theyre so cute! i feel bad bc whenever we talk to them i just talk to sis otuafi and not the filpino one so umm sorry mama.....haha so im just practicing my tongan here at the mtc with the polys..nbd... lol 

but my experience so far is just WHOA! like its crazy to study a certain gospel principle but then go more in depth! like my classes are just soo deep and intense! the teachers really make u think! sometimes the struggle is too real and im like uhh can i go to the bathroom so me and my companions get to leave class and i just need a break! ha but its soo rewarding at the same time! its crazy to think its only been a few days but i can already see my life changing! its amazing how much we as missionaries are able to learn so much! I know that we wouldnt be able to get this far without the help and guidance of the Holy Ghost. It is just so cool to learn to listen and learn by the Spirit! just so amazing! its only been a few days, can u imagine a whole 18 MONTHS?! just ahh amazing! 

one word to descrbe MTC is AMAZING! But real talk doe, this waking up at 630 and goin to sleep at 1030 is so NOT the business.... I AM DYING! THE STRUGGLE IS TOO REAL! 

One thing i definitely learned from the MTC is EXACT obedience! I wont be able to receive all the help i can get without EXACT OBEDIENCE! and lets be real, i NEED ALL THE HELP I CAN GET! 

haha so yah um friday is our pday and next week we are goin to the temple for pday so im deff stoked! but uhh this cold weather is soo NOT the buznasss either! im glad that my companions arent used to it either bc we're struggling together! lol theyre seriously so amazing and im so blessed to have them as my companions! i wouldnt be able to survive the MTC without them! we are already planning a mish reunion together in hawaii haha and oh no worries bout the elders here, in my district theyre palangi and younger than me but even if they werent, AINT NOBODY GOT TIME FO DAT! 

but real talk on a more serious note, no worries bout me! its overwhelming at times but i enjoy it bc during those struggling times i am able to rely more on the Lord and my relationship with him can be better. It is crazy to learn so much about him and how the gospel is CENTERED on him and the Atonement. just AMAZING! Well i dont know what else to say, but I LOVE AND MISS YOU ALL SO MUCH! Thank you for everything and making it possible for me to serve a mission! This such an amazing work! HIS work! Yall are always in my prayers! not only my prayers but Sis Osa, and Sis Arthur. Whenever we have companionship prayer we NEVER FORGET to pray for our families. Enjoy being warm in the TEXAS sun for me! 

Here are a few pictures from when we took Sister Gariby to the MTC: