Leap Frog: Life or Death Edition

People in Virginia crack me up. They literally just jaywalk in the middle of the highway across all lanes of traffic! Like what? No! That can't be safe. It's real life Leap Frog: Life or Death Edition, except this week was Life or Death Christmas Edition because everyone was carrying at least 7 shopping bags and wearing a Santa hat, hahah. This is where I'm meant to be. I can just feel it. ;) Christmas was WONDERFUL but I will never forget Christmas Eve! We had a sweet Puerto Rican sister in our ward make a straight feast to feed at least 2000 grown men. We walked in and there were 7 huge trays of Puerto Rican food so we asked who else would be with us for dinner and she said no one. We were required to have at least three plates of pickled green bananas, pickled casava, veal rice and cherry turkey, woot woot!! Best experience of my life. I love my ward.

Our cute friend Danielle is getting so close to her baptism and we are so excited for her!! Another one of our friends, Jennifer, told us this week that she's going to come contacting with us. She said she's gonna bring her bull horn so get ready for some miracles. EVERYONE'S about to hear about the gospel this week. (whether or not they want to hah..) 

I was able to finish the Book of Mormon today for President Nelson's challenge and I am PUMPED! Guys, the Book of Mormon is so true it's amazing. I can honestly say that every single time I read from it, one of the scriptures said something that I specifically needed to hear that day. We speak to God through prayer and He speaks to us through the scriptures!! I'm grateful to have another testament that Jesus Christ lives and loves us! Happy New Year! WOOT WOOT!! 

Love,

Sister Mod

A missionary Christmas. :) Thanks to everyone who sent Paige gifts!

MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!

Neither George Washington nor Trump came to church this week, but we've got some high hopes for New Year, no worries guys. Resolutions amiright?

So remember that Bing Crosby song I'm Dreaming of a White Christmas? Well, same Bing, cuz it's like 85 degrees and sunny outside at the moment, lol. (Okay, exaggeration. It's like 50, but still you get the point.) This is the warmest December I've had in a hot minute and I'm not mad at alllllll. Tender mercies. And because it's so warm, there have been so many people walking around outside and talking with us!! This past week we had 8 lessons in one day (which is insane to me because I forgot so many people actually live in Virginia...subtweet Ham/Cat)! It was way cool because all of the people we had lessons with were from different countries! I am so blessed to be here in this mission!!

Paige and her cute companion, Sister Atkinson. :)

I just wanted to bear my testimony that I know that Christ is our Savior. I know that He loves us and knows exactly what we are going through. He is ready and willing to help us in exactly the way that we need. We just need to reach out to Him and allow ourselves to be healed through His perfect atonement. I know that this is Christ's restored church on the earth and that He is the one leading us. I am forever grateful for the peace I have because of my Savior and his gospel. We can be with our families forever because of Him, we can make it through our hardest times because of Him and most importantly we can find joy and hope during those hard times because of Him. Because of Jesus Christ, life can be enjoyed, not just endured. MERRY CHRISTMAS!! love you all!

Love,

Sister Mod 

How Many Founding Fathers are in Your Ward?

Paige and her new companion, Sister Atkinson

 We made it to Mt. Vernon and we have only gotten lost about 8000 times so far, so I'd say it was a successful week for us! I have survived another week in the mission but Sister Atkinson, my cute new comp, however has not. We are pretty sure she has the plague (RIP) so she was sick in bed for her first 4 days in Virginia, bless her sweet soul. :'( Sister Atkinson is already my BFF, plus she's from Idaho (shout out to Gma and Gpa woot woot) so we automatically had mashed potatoes in common. I love her (and potatoes) so much! 

 Not only is Sister Atkinson sick but SO IS MT VERNON. (different kind of sick tho, like the good sick get it? hahah) We are lovin' life here so far. :) Our District Leader told us that George Washington's childhood home and gravesite is in our ward boundaries, so for all of you who think you have the best ward, I'm here to ask you one question. How many Founding Fathers are in your ward? Take a hot second and ponder on that one. Pray about it and let me know. ;) The elders who we share a ward with left us SO many amazing people to teach so we have been busy out here. Once we get oriented I'll update y'all on all of our amazing friends. 

 I am so grateful to be a representative of Jesus Christ at this special time of the year!! I know I talk about this all the time but there really is no better time to be inviting people to learn about Christ and helping them to follow Him. This week in church we talked a lot about the name Savior and I thought of this scripture that makes me happy. It's John 3:17, "For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved." I'm grateful for a loving Savior who lives to turn us toward our Father in Heaven. We are just so blessed! 

Have a good week!! 

 Love, Sister Mod

feel the VERN

Last week serving with cute Sister Bourgeous. So sad!

Ok, ok. I know all of you are wondering, what is a Vern? Why are we feelin' it? How did Sister Mod come up with such a solid email subject? What does it even mean? And why is she asking so many rhetorical questions right now? Well, I have the answers to all of those questions. No worries guys. Transfer calls came on Saturday and I am training in Mt. Vernon!!! (and I stole my email subject from my STL who served there already. Oops #notoriginal lol.) I'm super excited but WOWZA extra prayers for us cuz I'm coming from the backwoods and she's coming from missionary heaven which means there's gonna be a whole lot of culture shock. Also, I am so sad to be leaving Ham/Cat and cute Sister B, but adventure is out there, am I right?

This week we went on exchanges to the area that's known as little El Salvador in the mission, so naturally everyone spoke Spanish except for little (big) Sister Mod. We went to go teach a pass off lesson with the Spanish-speaking elders and Sister Merritt and I would talk to everyone along the way in English. We'd say "hey" in English and they'd say "IDK what you are talking about, cya," in Spanish, so we'd say, "K cya" in English, and then the elders would pounce from behind and say, "Heyo what's up! Here's the gospel" in Spanish and the people were shook. We were the dream team for sure. Not weird at all. 

Last night we were able to go to a fireside and hear some people who recently joined the church speak! One of the brothers who got up bore his testimony that God knows him and I thought it was just beautiful. It was so simple but you could tell that he knew that with his whole heart. There's a quote in Preach My Gospel that says, "Powerful testimony is not dependent on eloquence or the volume of your voice but on the conviction of your heart." What matters to the Lord is the conviction of our hearts and I am so grateful for that because I'm for sure not eloquent, haha! Love you all!!

Love,

Sister Mod

The crew

The crew pt. 2

Finding My Long Lost Relative.....(almost)

When we looked at the weather and it said 31* but feels like 18.

One thing that I really love about my mission is how many people from different countries there are! In the 6 months that I've been out, I have met people from 31 different countries, which is just the coolest thing. God bless America am I right? The world comes to us in DC South!!

So this week we were just driving down the street and we saw this sick guy in a jumpsuit so obviously we pulled over to say hey. He had a super thick Polish accent and I asked him his name, and he said something to the effect of jfisiwdkdzki and instantly I knew it was the start of a beautiful friendship. Modersitzki, jfisiwdkdzki, gotta be related, right? haha! So I asked where he was from and he said Poland! I was SO excited that I grabbed my name tag and basically screamed, "I'M A MODERSITZKI" at the man. Hahah he was like k? Turns out he didn't care that I was a Modersitzki, but I was really feelin' the connection! No friendship bracelet for him I guess lol. 

Just kidding. Friendship bracelets for everyone cuz IT'S CHRISTMAS (kinda). Sister Bourgeous always shares the cutest little poem that I think goes along perfectly with the happy Christmas season. "I have wept in the night for the shortness of sight that to somebody's need made me blind, but I never have yet felt a tinge of regret for being a little too kind." Tis the season to be kind, true?? Hope y'all have a happy week!!

Love, 

Sister Mod

Fake Mary and a wise woman at the ward Christmas party