"Slimming world. You two should try" -sister batjargal @ me and sis Soulier

I think it's getting boring to say it's been the greatest week but it has simply been the greatest week!!!!!!!!!!!!! 

Things I learned:

Jenga is actually super fun (who knew?!)
You can buy £3 pizza naan right next to the church and it is SUPERB
Ask for no onions on said pizza naan
Wash your sheets and your hair and your dishes and suddenly life seems a lot better
The more effort you put into preparing for meetings the more you get out of them
I CANT HANDLE SRI LANKEN FOOD!!!!!! This is a real thing that happened on Wednesday. "Sister Ramesh, is this spicy?" "No no sister, no". And then I cried. Real tears flowed from my eyeballs.
I can fall asleep in three minutes. This week I fell asleep on two buses, in a lesson, in church, and while I was sitting up straight.
I talk in my sleep. This week apparently I sat bolt upright and said "OUR PURPOSE IS TO INVITE OTHERS TO COME UNTO CHRIST" and then rolled over and went back to sleep hahahah.

Man what another great week. We had another exchange on Tuesday with the sisters from Canterbury, the area that I started my mission!! Woohoo. They are so great and so much better than I was when I was there haha.

Hahaha, oh my heck.  Sister Batjargal, from Mongolia, is one of the funniest people I have ever met in my life.  She also eats SO many apples a day.  Like, on average, 4 apples a day.  EVERY day.  What?!?  Who does that?  haha, I love her.  Peep my sushi jumper.  I love it so much and it was only 4 pounds.  I also saw one of my mission BFF's, Sister Phillips, while she was in Ilford for like a second.  It was so fun.

"I'm takin a selfie!!!!!"  we went out to Nando's with this awesome family that goes teaching with us all the time. Bless them. This is also a plug to GO TEACHING WITH THE MISSIONARIES IN YOUR WARD!!!!! They need you.

Oh my gosh this lady made us "Christmas dinner" and it was so good I died. She only joined the church three months ago but she is far and away one of my favourite members in the ward, possibly the whole world. I seriously love her so much. Haha she only knows like 10 words in English so I'm learning Portuguese to tell her how much I love her. 

Had dinner with our fav Welshman again. Seriously those two are my relationship goals. OH MY HECK. He found us this song called "Annie Laurie" cause both our names are Annie and I love it so much. I want it played at my wedding and my funeral and everything in between. It's so great. I'll attach a vid.

Also sister Soulier started practicing new hairstyles on me and hello I'm in love. (With myself, of course. Heart = locked) 

Our Ward mission leader!  Love him!

My fav little girl, Ioa. 

Her cutest little sister, Teowo. Seriously you have no idea how much I love this ward.

                                                          frizzy hair post being rained on haha. 

 

You guys. This is for sure he happiest I've been in my life. I love my mission so much. I was telling Clara today that I can't believe I almost didn't go on a mission because I would be missing out so much!!!

I love you all!!! Merry New Years!!! My New Years resolutions are to be nicer and eat more carrots. Hahah. Love you!!!!

Xoxoxoxoxoxoxooxoxxooxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxooxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo

WHAT UP WHAT UP WHAT UP WHAT UPPPPPPPPP!!!

You guys. Last week I said it was the best week ever but I lied! This week was the greatest!! Ever ever!! Oh man it made me smile so huge to be able to talk to you guys. It's good to know that you are all still as hilarious and absurd as ever-- I hope I wasn't too awkward😉😉😉😉😉😉

God really blessed us this week and I'm not quite sure why but I'm just accepting it and saying thank you a lot. A few examples:

On Wednesday night we were finding and I had a feeling that we should call our recent convert, Ben, and try to teach him. So we called him and he goes yeah, I'll be at the church in 10. So before we even say the opening prayer with him, this guy that I met the day before comes waltzing in and goes "I would never break my appointment!! Here I am!!!" Hahah I totally forgot about our appointment because our new area Book planner app sometimes deletes things. It was such a major blessing that we were there AND with a member. Heyo!

Then he proceeds to tell us how he wasn't going to come to his appointment but then something told him this was a good thing and how he couldn't pass up a good thing from God so he ignored everything telling him not to and came anyway. AND also a week and a half ago he quit drinking and smoking all of his own volition. Miracle. He's working toward baptism for the 29th. Here's a pic of him with his Swahili Book of Mormon. (Other miracle: we just had a Swahili BoM lying around the chapel)


(Hahahahahahahahah)

We found 10 new investigators this week and that almost never happens
We had so many people come to church on Christmas which was just basically the greatest feeling ever and made us so thankful!
We almost had to walk home from Dagenham on Christmas (like a 1.5 hour walk) but a member came and picked us up and then invited us to her house to Skype you guys which is 5 minutes from our house instead of a 20 minute walk to the chapel
A whole lot of other things that I don't remember right now.

Anyway it was just a great week and I am so happy and I love you all and I hope you had the best Christmas EVER!!!!!! thank you for all of the cards, notes, money, presents, and prayers. I love you guys you are the BEST!!! Here is an absurd amount of pictures.

Me when all our inv come to church 😇

I went on exchange with sister Cobabe, my old companion! Such a cutie.


Thanks mom!!!! We loved it!!!!!!!

We watched tangled on Christmas Eve!!! Bless!!!!!! Except it made my eyes hurt halfway though and I realised I am not used to TV

The real Christmas present: James came to church in a full white suit....... even better Christmas present............

OUR WARD MISSION LEADER WAS MATCHING HIM. check out brother osaghyies shoes



Then we went to the old guys house for Christmas dinner and it was max delicious

Love you guys SO MUCH!!!!!! My New Years resolution is to try to exemplify this quote from President Gordon B. Hinckley. I just want to be the epitome of this quote (which is basically aunt Michelle lol)

"I come . . . with a plea that we stop seeking out the storms and enjoy more fully the sunlight. I am suggesting that we “accentuate the positive.” I am asking that we look a little deeper for the good, that we still our voices of insult and sarcasm, that we more generously compliment virtue and effort. I am not asking that all criticism be silenced . . . . I am not suggesting that our conversation be all honey and blossoms. . . . What I am . . . asking is that we turn from the negativism that so permeates our society and look for the remarkable good in the land and times in which we live, that we speak of one another’s  virtues more than we speak of one another’s  faults, that optimism replace pessimism, that our faith exceed our fears."

So good huh???  I'm tying to be more like it. Love you all!!!!!!!

Xoxoxoxoxoxoxooxoxxooxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxooxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo

"Why are you so ugly" -a recent convert to me

Haha just kidding he said why are you so early but he's Indian so it sounded like why are you so ugly. Haha lolz had a good old laugh with that one.

ANYWAY. YOU GUYS. HOW ARE YOU ALL?!?!?! Man I am still loving my life so stinking much. Ok I have decided to tell you some crazy miracles that happened this week.
-it hasn't rained at all. AT ALL!!! How amazing is that. It has been so warm and not rainy seriously God loves me. The other day it was 8 degrees which apparently is super warm for December (still sounds max freezing to me but what can ya do)!
-this guy walked into the chapel one day and asked us to teach him English and teach him about Jesus. Lolz yeah we can do that!!
-EVERYONE who is on date to be baptised came to church. For two weeks in a row!!! Seriously what the heck so blessed. That never happens.
-we found the cutest tiniest Christmas tree in a janky cupboard in our flat. Which doesn't sound like a miracle but it is!!!! Cause it's so cute and I LOVE CHRISTMAS.

This week I got to go on an exchange with this sister from Malaysia who I love SO MUCH. She is so good and sweet and just awesome. 

 (Our investigator bought us lucozades. Bless.) 

Then we woke up super early and went to MLC!!  Man it was so good. I learned so much. I really am focusing now on how I can constructively help sister missionaries and investigators progress spiritually, and it is helping me progress so much in the process!! 

(This is where we all met up and talked about nail varnish. SIKE WE TALKED ABOUT HOW TO BE BEAST- MODE SISTER MISSIONARIES). Man this was my favourite part. Seriously this is where I learned soooooo much about how to improve and how to help others improve. This meeting only lasted for like an hour but it was so constructive. 

Then we went home and I was so exhausted I just wanted to sleep for 3 days. But what can ya do. 

 Man this is one of my fav inv. she is from Brazil and she is SO normal and SO beautiful and has the sweetest little baby boy that she always brings to church über wrapped up in like this big fuzzy onesie thing it's so cute. But her house is SO CLEAN and organised!!! Seriously if you knew the people we teach you would realise what a miracle that is. Ahhh I just love her. She lives all of the commandments and loves the Book of Mormon and is great. Our only problem now is helping her get her answer that this is the one true church. That's what a lot of our inv. struggle with. I think it's something we all struggle with. Sometimes we just want to KNOW. We are doing the right things and asking with sincerity and trying so hard to know what God wants us to do and it feels like He isn't answering. But something that I'm learning is that He does answer, we just need to make sure we can hear it when He does. So I am working on that as well--- recognising how God answers me. 

 Then we had zone meeting and sister soulier and i had to give trainings but I wasn't even nervous! Blessed!! 

 OH MY GOODNESS THIS WOMAN IS MY FAV. Taiwo joined the church when she was 16 and then went on a mission 3 years later. What a beast. she gave the best talk in church. Seriously I love her so much. Man church was so powerful this week. I think it was my favourite block of meetings that I have had on my whole mission. The talks were all incredible and I only fell asleep twice! (That's how you know it's real). 

Then to wrap up the best week we had dinner with this old Welsh man who made us Welsh cakes with the Welsh flag in the middle. Naturally it has a dragon on it. Duh. Hahah who even knew that was a thing?? Not me. We talked about dragons for a good 20 minutes of this dinner.  He was so cool.

This is the name of his town!!!! Not even joking!!!! That is a real name!!! Hahha he is just so funny and sassy and hilarious. 

He and his wife are the best. 

Also this African member made us Jollof rice and I spilled so much of it on the floor lols whoops can't take me anywhere

Getting Called To Be an STL.........

ILFORD CHILLFORD

Oh my goodness. You guys. Welcome to my favourite area hands DOWN. hahah I cannot tell you how much I love Ilford!!! East London is just a gigantic party. Let me tell you how many white people I have seen since I've been here.... my companion, (sister soulier from Utah aka the nicest person I have ever met in my entire life), one guy from Australia, and two people born in England. TWO. ok like I might be exaggerating a little bit but maybe not. Everyone is from Portugal or Africa or India. Man I love it SO MUCH!!!! I have learned how to say hello in like 5 new languages and I meet so many people from Ghana and I love it so much. We are teaching so many people that we have no time to eat but that's ok because we have so many cool people preparing for baptism/ progressing so well/ families we are meeting.

Here are some pictures from the week

This poor woman has to deal with her craziest companion yet!

OH MY GOODNESS THIS WAS OUR WARD RELIEF SOCIETY PARTY!!!!! I have never laughed so hard in my life these women are so incredible. The one in the back with the furry coat was a prosecutor for the royal court but now she designs handbags. WHAT. hahaha seriously I love these guys so much. Oh my days.

THIS IS NDIAYE (the tall one in the coat) and HE IS SO GOOD!!!!! He is the nicest man I've ever met. He's from Senegal and he is getting baptised on the 18 of December (please please PLEASE pray for him. Seriously). He calls us his angels. And he just says the most profound comments in gospel principles class and he is just sooo good. 

The little boy on the left is getting baptised soon. He's so funny. His mom is from Sri Lanka and cooks us the SPICIEST food every single time we go over to teach them. Oh my goodness. Literal tears. 

Man you guys I am so happy. God is so good. I have been amazed how much he qualifies us and helps us to do the really hard things that we need to do (like waking up on time or talking to scary people or not punching your zone leaders in the face) (hahah just kidding love our new zone leaders). 

I have really seen Heavenly Father helping me so much this week. Not only with actually qualifying me, but with helping me to feel calm and qualified and just ok with everything. Life is so good. I love you guys so so much and want you to know how thankful I am for you!!! Have the BEST CHRISTMAS SEASON EVER. 

funniest quote from this week: sister soulier on the phone to our CRAZY recent convert  "Ben no. Ben. Ben you cannot walk home from Leeds. That will take you five days." 

Love you all!!! 

xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxooxoxoxox

Sister Daines 

YOU GUYS!!!! i seriously am SO excited about Clara. my heart cannot even contain how excited and proud i am for what will most likely be the cutest and funniest sister missionary in the world. I cant wait to find out where she goes!!! ahh!!!!

This guy got us AMERICAN chocolate.  He was so excited to show it to us. (Little does he know Cadbury is 1000X better lolzies.)  But he was so nice and excited about the Baby Ruth's he got us!! He was even more excited when I told him my moms name is Ruth.

ok this week in church this really cool funny lady comes up to me and basically i cant remember her exact quote but she is a professor at oxford i think (her sister is in my ward so she was just visiting) and she was like you arent related to Robert Daines are you??? and i was like yeah thats my dad doi! and she was like (essentially) hes so legit and famous and im very familiar with his work and blah blah so basically dad is just a big deal on the INTERNATIONAL level. so good on ya dad. haha it made my whole day! except not because ALSO that day our recent convert got the Priesthood. he was so so so excited about it it was the best thing. seriously it made me so happy to see him progressing so well. he is so cool! 

(LOVE)

ok also i hit 8 months on my mission last week. what the heck!! who would have thought it would have made it this far (not me kids) i just really really really love everything im learning. dad asked me what im learning or working on, and i feel like theyre one in the same. im learning that we never are really ''good'' or done on something. like even when i think that im ok in one aspect, i never am. i just need to keep striving to be better, kinder, more diligent, more christlike, because if im not then i just turn into this big lame-o lump. so something that my mission is really teaching me is how to keep improving and not become complacent.

highlight of the week: all the delicious food we ate.
also our investigators cooked us pulled pork and it was SO GOOD. i love them so much they are basically members already.

Our investigators who cooked us pulled pork!  All of the glasses in their house were pint glasses hahaha.  She was like "don't worry guys!!! These are from a long time ago.  

lowlight of the week: (is that a word? oh well im making it one): sister benson told me that when im on the phone with our zone leaders my eyes roll so far back into my head that she feels like she needs to pinch them so that they stay put. hahhahahhahahahaha love myself

The most wonderful time of the year!!!!!!!The Christmas lights went on last week because we don't have Thanksgiving to get in the way of Christmas-time.  HEYO

ok you guys seriously i dont know if you know how excited i am for Christmas and how lucky i feel to be here for it. i love you guys all and i am SO HAPPY!! I LOVE MY LIFE LOVE MY MISSION LOVE MY COMP LOVE YOU ALL

xoxooxoxoxoxo

sister daines (the OG sister daines tho... lets not forget who was number one) (haha just kidding clara youre better than me ok over it)

LOVE YOU!!!

OFFICIALLY FALL IN NORWICH

YOU GUYS!!!! i have been so remiss in writing you and I am so sorry! Seriously i need to step my game up!! so this is gonna be a very wordy email..

these past few weeks in norwich have been SO GOOD. I AM DOING SO WELL AND AM SO HAPPY.



we are teaching some really really really cool people.. here are my faves:

-this couple that referred themselves online, they are so cool and i just love them and really want them to get married so they can get baptised so that they can get sealed in the temple to their super cute kids . we taught the daughter, Gracie, (love that name) this week and it was SO GOOD. she is so cute and just has so many questions and said the sweetest prayer at the end of the lesson. she whispered it in my ear first to make sure that it was ok to say. love her.

-the crazy ginger guy that belives in Thor. worst moment of my whole mission--- having to teach the Law of Chastity to him. oh my goodness. it was such a mess and at one point i accidentally made eye contact with sister benson and we both laughed so hard its not even real. i could not stop laughing. it was so bad.

-our chinese friend martin who bought us chinese food so that was the DREAM. it was authentic aka not as  good as panda express but what can ya do ;)
he is trying to get baptised in the next two weeks so everyone just keep martin in your prayers. side note: all the university students from china pick english names for themselves but they are all kind of weird english names.. like fergus and yolanda. lolzies. love em.

This is Martin!  We taught him about the word of wisdom while we watched fireworks!! Lolz!! Good thing we're such good missionaries

ok also this week whenever we hit the streets and try to find people to teach they ALWAYS ask us about donald trump. its a mess. i looked on facebook and literally thought it was a joke that he won. unreal. but what can ya do besides move to the UK for a year and a half am i right kids??

The aforementioned fireworks.  5 November y'all

i have been thinking so much about why some people are just happy and good and positive and why some people complain and are sad and miserable. for example:: this week we went to a members house for dinner. she basically is my idol. she has two sons and one has downs syndrome and she and her husband both work to try to be able to support their family and she is SO AMAZING. like... she is just so positive and happy and CALM. and so funny! she and her husband are SO funny. she is calm and composed and kind and sweet and ah i just love her!!!  and then the next day we went to another persons house and i wont go into too much detail but they are super blessed and basically, from my point of view, don't have that many trials at all. but the mom just complained the entire time!! and every other time that we talk to her!! and i was thinking about how its not just being religious or knowing about the restored gospel that makes or breaks it. its the way that you CHOOSE to be. does that make sense? its all about the attitude that you choose to have and the things that you choose to be happy about. so this week  (and hopefully every week from now on) i want to choose to be happy and choose to love every person that crosses my path.

This is our fav fellowshipper.  I always tell her how beautiful she is, and she goes "I know" 

This is Martin.  Also my wellies have holes in them.  rip my feet 

The sweetest little girl in the world.  She loved primary!!! So do I.  Wish I could still go to primary instead of RS hah

i love you guys so much!!! i am doing so well and seriously feel so blessed to be here! aside from when it gets dark at 3pm and everyone that we talk to is homeless. what can ya do.

i am so thankful for you guys and for my Father in Heaven and for my actual father and for this ward that i am serving in and for my adorable companion and for my sweet leaders and just for all of the amazing blessings HF has blessed me with.

love lvoe love love love love love,
sister daines

ALSO!!! this week i ran into a pole. that was not clutch. and i fell asleep IN A LESSON. it was so embarrassing. my poor greenie had to teach the whole thing to this sweet older less active lady and then when she asked a question my comp tried to wake me up and i responded with ''Abraham is older than Isaac'' AND THEN FELL BACK ASLEEP. hahhaahahah i am the worst. but that night i walked into the pole so i think that it was comeuppance.  anyway! love you lots!! ill send pics in like 3 minutes!