Midwest Missionary: Oh-Hi-o {7/29/13}

People that I love!!!

Hello from Ohio! I'm finally here!! I'm serving in the Eastgate ward in the Cincinnati East stake. Most of my ward lives in Cincinnati and some of our ward is in a little suburb called Batavia--where I live. It is BEAUTIFUL here! Seriously, I can't get over it. It's so green everywhere and there are so many trees and hills and fields. I feel like we're driving through a jungle sometimes. Sister Parker, my companion, probably gets so sick of my constantly saying how green and beautiful it is. I wish you could all see my area!! Anyway, I have so little time so this email is going to be so short and probably all over the place, so bear with me.

Wednesday morning we left the MTC at about 5 am and drove to the SLC airport. There was 30 of us traveling together--all going to Cincy. They dropped us off at the airport and we were on our own in the real world! The flight was only a few hours and somehow I was not nervous at all. Which is so not me, as you all know. I have had so many tender mercies on this journey. The guy I sat next to on the plane ordered 6 bottles of vodka so that was fun. Haha. We landed in Cincy and met the church media director of Ohio. He explained to us how we were to be presented to the press and put us into formation (I was in the front row!!!) Then we marched through the airport, in formation, and came out into baggage claim where we were greeted by a camera crew and reporters! It was pretty exciting, as you can imagine. We got to meet President Porter and his wife and they recorded a few of us singing Come come ye saints. So go look up Cincy news from the 24th of July! I saw the online article and I'm in the picture!! They did the report on us because of it being pioneer day and we were the first new missionaries to be transferred into the new Cincy mission--I didn't get to read or watch it but it sounds pretty cool. Then we drove to Ohio to the mission home (The airport is in Kentucky). We were interviewed by the president and we had Cafe Rio for dinner!! Like I said, tender mercies :) That night President and Sister Porter did a little devotional for us--very inspirational and powerful. They are a pretty incredible couple. I love them already! We had a big slumber party and all of us slept in the mission home. Bright and early the next morning we headed to transfers! I was the second transfer to be read and as soon as they announced the area and the trainer and just had this thought in my head and knew it was going to be me. Sure enough--- Eastgate Ward, Sis. Parker, and... Sister Rolfe!! I was in a bit of a daze for the rest of the transfer, but when we pulled up to our house afterward I thought it looked familiar--like the one I saw on Sis. Allen's blog (a sister who served in Cincy and I blog stalked her before I came). I figured there was no way though. Well, we walk in and there's a picture of none other than... SISTER ALLEN!! I am living in the house that she lived in that Mom and I talked about countless times how cool it would be for me to live here because it's so beautiful. Yep. The Lord is in the details of our lives!!! I still can't even believe it. There are 60 areas in our mission and this is where I am called my first transfer. What?! Life is so crazy like that. There are no coincidences, though, so I know I'm supposed to be here and I know that God knows what he's doing! He was probably the reason I found Sister Allen's blog! Crazy crazy. I live with 3 other Sisters and we live with the Blackhams. Basically the sweetest people in this world. I love love love them. They do SO much for us. They're even finishing their basement to make more room for missionaries! They have a married daughter who lives is Utah and a son on a mission in Cali. Bro. Blackham actually just got home yesterday from a motorcycle trip to Alaska to raise money for some organization. He cooked Sis. Parker and I steaks last night and Sis Blackham made us peach cobbler. Like I said, I love them.

As for our investigators and teaching and all that good stuff.

Where to start?! I don't even know so I'll just share a couple stories.

We have an investigator getting baptized this Saturday!!! I've been able to teach her a couple times and I'm so so excited for her. I've also been able to teach her little sister who is really struggling. She has had a lot of challenges and struggles with evil spirits. We had an emergency meeting with her the other night and were actually able to get her to pray out loud with us at the end-- something she has never done before!

My first night here we finished an appointment at 8:20 and were trying to decide what to do with our last 40 minutes. We knelt and prayed at the church and decided to go to a certain apartment complex. We pulled up and saw a guy walking down the sidewalk and decided to park and talk to him. After we got out of the car he was completely gone--seriously nowhere in sight-- but there was a group of boys smoking on a balcony right behind where he had been. So we talked to them! Two of them actually were interested in what we were saying and we have a lesson with them this week!! We made it home right at 9. Wow, already seeing miracles on the first day.

This one's for you, Dad. We had a lesson with a recent convert yesterday. His name is Tony, he's about 20, and he has such a strong testimony but he doesn't even realize it. He was telling us how he's been trying to put God first and how he keeps this book of inspirational quotes in his car and reads them every day. So of course I had to share a few of your quotes with him :) He really enjoyed the one about turning challenges into opportunities.

Mom--I love the cover you made for my bedding!!! SO CUTE!!! Please send me the CD called The Work that's part of the Nashville series. Thank you :)

The other morning we did a service project at another church. It was a mobile food pantry. They drive around to all the grocery stores and pick up there leftover food at the end of the day then they donate it all to homeless shelters. We got to unpack the food onto tables and help people "shop" for it (get bags for their family). It was the coolest experience. We met so many amazing people. They also let us take home a few boxes of fresh peaches!!! We've been living off them the past couple days and delivered a ton to investigators! Sis Blackham also made us peach jam and cobbler :)

Oh one cool thing! I've been making most of our phone calls (we have a phone but don't use the internet or FB or anything yet) because Sis. Parker drives and the other day I was talking to a member and when she found out I was knew she said "wow! You sound like a seasoned missionary!!" Then we met a recent convert/investigator family the missionaries have been working with forever and at the end they told me they were worried about getting a new missionary but were so happy that I'm not shy because then I just would not work for them! But they approved of me, so that was good :) I love all of our investigators SO much! Even though some of them have bed bugs and we have to spray ourselves with alcohol after we visit them.. the joys of living in the backwoods right? ;) Don't freak out Mom, I'm taking EVERY precaution, trust me.

Ah, I could go on and on but just know that I love being a missionary and I'm working so so hard and I LOVE YOU ALL SO MUCH!!!

xoxo
Sister Rolfe

Oh, one more cool thing. Sis Parker and I were talking after we got home the first day and she told me she had been talking to new members the day before I came and they were worried about getting a new missionary and she told them not to worry because I was... (and totally started describing me!! blond, tall, friendly, and on and on) Then she stopped and realized she had never met me or heard of me! Then she came to transfers and saw me and knew it was me! Also, the Sister AP, Sister Ward travels during the week training Sisters and lives with us on the weekends. When she was here she told me how protective she is of Eastgate because she was here practically her whole mission and when she saw me at transfers she knew I was the missionary she wanted here. Family, I am EXACTLY where I'm supposed to be!! This ward and this whole area are incredible!