HoWdY YaLL 12/07/2015

Hello!!!!

So these past few weeks have been AMAZING!!!! I love being a missionary and teaching everyone I see about the gospel of Jesus Christ! Especially around Christmas time! 

Antonio and Manuel were confirmed 2 weeks ago and they are soo happy! They come teaching with us all the time!!! It's the happiest thing in the whole world! 

I went to the temple for the "departing missionary temple trip", it was Great! But it was also kind of sad... I'm excited to see my family but I don't want leave! Haha but it'll be good and I'm excited for what life has in store for me (#traveling) ;) 

A lot happened these past few weeks but I can't remember everything.... we had a Great thankgiving with AMAZING food! haha and I just love spending  the holidays here with these people I love! 

I have a lot of pictures so you guys can just look at all the fun we had and how happy we are and I don't even need to say anything more:) 

-Alma 37:36- (I have been loving this scripture this week!!!)

-pray to Heavenly Father for help

-do what He would want you to do 

-go where He would want you to go

-think what He would have you think

-give Him all your sadness and pain and in return He will give you peace and joy

Everyone needs to watch the new christmas vid! 

christmas.mormon.org

It's amazing!

Love you all so much! Have a FANTASTIC week!

-Hermana Ihrke

Mexico krew :)

We like to take the bus just to practice our patience:)

Love this girl!

Pday in the park <3

My girls

Antonio filled with the spirit! haha

Departing missionaries

Thanksgiving got crazy:)

LOL Antonio fell asleep haha

Thanksgiving selfi 

BEST WEEK OF MY WHOLE ENTIRE LIFE!!!!!!! NOV. 16, 2015

HOLA! COMO ESTAN???

I don't even have the words to describe how much joy I feel right now!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! This week has been one of the best weeks ever and I am the happiest person alive! 

First off this week we got a new companion, she is a temple square sister!!! Her name is Sister Rivas and she is from PANAMA!!! How cool is that!!!! She speaks spanish fluently! So we are going to learn soo much!! She is the cutest and funnest girl ever!!!! So happy to have her with us!

The next day we had zone conference and learned so much great stuff! I LOVE LEARNING!! 

Then the next day we got FOOD POISONING!! Not the highlight of the week.... we were all fighting over the bathroom haha... nothing says comp unity more than throwing up in the same toilet! LOL Sorry if that was TMI :) haha 

THEN THE BEST DAY CAME AND THAT DAY WAS SUNDAY... and you want to know why it was the best day? 

BECAUSE MANUEL AND ANTONIO GOT BAPTIZED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I HAVE NEVER BEEN MORE EXCITED IN MY WHOLE ENTIRE LIFE!!!!!!!!!!!

I can't even explain how much joy I felt and how much joy I still feel knowing that they have started on the path to eternal life!! They are going to be able to live in the Celestial Kingdom!!! And we are going to have a huge party up there in heaven:) 

My heart feels like it's about to explode just talking about how happy I am so I think I'll give it a break:) But I want you all to know that our heavenly father loves each of us sooo much more than we can even imagine! So we should do what he asks us to do, cause he has our best interest at heart:) 

I was reading a conference talk today that was just UNREAL! In it there were 2 invitations and I would like to invite you to do these same things:

The First Invitation

The first invitation is simple: I invite you to save money each week. The amount you save is not particularly significant; that is up to you. As you develop a habit of saving, you will benefit personally. And you may also have opportunities to assist others financially as a result of your diligence. Imagine the positive outcome of saving money weekly for six months, a year, 10 years,or more. Small efforts sustained over time can produce significant results.

The Second Invitation

My second invitation is quite different from and much more important than the first. It is this: I invite you to“ponderize”  one verse of scripture each week. The word ponderize is not found in the dictionary, but it has found a place in my heart. So what does it mean to ponderize? I like to say it’s a combination of 80 percent extended pondering and 20 percent memorization.

First, choose a verse of scripture each week and place it where you will see it every day.

Second, read or think of the verse several times each day and ponder the meaning of its words and key phrases throughout the week.

 I hope you will decide to save money each week. Exercise your faith, discipline yourself, and do it. I also sincerely pray you will choose to ponder God’s words in an extended and deeper manner on a weekly basis. Exercise your faith, discipline yourself, and do it.

Unlike the first money-saving invitation, all the benefits of the second soul-saving invitation will be yours to keep forever—free from the moths and rust of this world.   (side note from her mom....... pretty sure this was a cut and past from Oct. 2015 Gen Conf because there were no spelling errors haha!!)

EXERCISE YOUR FAITH, DISCIPLINE YOURSELF, AND DO IT!

I love you guys soo much! I hope and pray you all have the happiest week! 

xoxo Hermana Ihrke

So happy!!!

And the pics keep coming!

This is gonna be a FUN transfer! woohoo

​My cute new comp!!! HNA RIVAS!!!

This is where I spent a lot of my time this week! lol

Ok ignore how sick I look.... but look at how funny this baby looks!!!! AHHHHH

Sunday selfies!

pj selfies!

BEST DAY OF MY LIFE!

Ahhhh

Got some cake on my face....

GET OUT OF MY JACKET! haha

My second family! Oh how I love them!!!!

H1 crew! 

I've never laughed so hard before in my whole life!!!! 10-9-2015

Oh my goodness I hope you are all ready for the absolute funniest story you will ever hear! 

So we are teaching this Cuban family and they are amazing! And we were about to start the lesson with the prayer when one of them started laughing uncontrollably. So naturally we all started laughing uncontrollably and then we started laughing so hard that all of a sudden one of the ladies stops laughing and runs to the bathroom... leaving behind a HUGE puddle of pee in her chair!!!!! 

WE STARTED LAUGHING EVEN HARDER AND I LITERALLY ALMOST PEED MY PANTS TOO!!! It was the funniest thing in the whole planet! We laughed for a good 40 min strait!!!!! They are the best people ever!!!

WE SERIOUSLY HAVE THE BEST INVESTIGATORS EVER!!! I  will tell you more about all of them next week:)

I love this place sooo much!!!

Oh and we are getting ready for a BIG baptism next week! So stay tuned! 

We had a really awesome conference yesterday and one of the things that I loved was that simplicity is sophisticated. If we can simplify our lives and focus only on the things that really matter most we will find more joy and a deeper appreciation for the simple moments:) So slow down and think about what you are doing... and make sure that you are filling your time with things that matter :)

Love you all so much! Have the best week ever:)

-Hermana Ihrke

This is my home away from home! This is my Mexican family:) So much love for these sweet boys I can't even explain!

​Cheesecake Factory!!!! 

My district! They love going shopping with the Hermanas... #NOT

Got to see some old friends! I love being in the same stake my whole mission!!! Woohoo!!

Gerardo got baptized this week!!! He is so amazing!!!!

Love these cute girls!

HAPPY HALLOWEEN :) 10/2/2015

GOOD MORNING!!!

This week was a huge party!!!! And you all know how much I love to party;) So it was a pretty awesome week! 

First I just want to say that I have been so blessed to teach some of the most amazing people in the whole entire world. 

We have a family we are teaching and they just moved into a little apartment and they have practically nothing, but on sunday they signed up on the meal calender to feed us and when we went over they had set up a little table with the only two chairs they have and a little table cloth and gave us all the food they had:) It was such a humbling experience! I have never felt so much love in my whole life! 

Then we have Manuel and his fam! THEY MOVED!!!! But they now live right next to us:) haha they are our new neighbors! It's the best thing that has ever happened!!!! 

I fell on my bike this week... both of my tires were flat and I turned a corner and made a slow motion fall onto the pavement... it was really really funny cause I was seriously going like .02 miles per hour.... oh and all the cars at the intersection were laughing sooo hard! But maybe they will feel bad for us and listen to what we have to say some day:) Hahaha 

We also went to the temple this week! Hermana Tovilla and Jenny went through for the first time:) I LOVE THE TEMPLE WITH MY WHOLE HEART!!!!

Then Elder Corbridge came and spoke to us!!! lets just say my mind was blown!!!! He talked a lot about "what matters most". 

I definitely learned what matters most! If you want to know what I learned shoot me an email or come talk to me in 2 months:)

I'M SOOOO HAPPY!!!! I CAN'T EVEN TELL YOU HOW AWESOME IT IS TO BE A MISSIONARY!!!! Everyone said that it would be hard... but really it's way more fun than it is hard:) So if you can I would highly consider a mission, it'll be one of the best decisions you will make:)

ok well I hope you all have an awesome week! Love you so much! ttyl! 

-Hermana ihrke

​This is Jaqulyn and this is the cutest/sweetest dinner I have ever had! They are the kindest people in the whole world! Love them sooo much!

Our investigators give us ski masks so we don't get cold:) But then we look like we are going to rob a bank... What are they doing with ski masks? They have never even seen the snow....???? haha

DO YOU KNOW WHERE YOU ARE???" -Houston police 10/19/2015

OH MY GOODNESS GRACIOUS!! THIS WEEK HAS BEEN CRAZY!!!! 

FRIST of all great news: I'M NOT GETTING TRANSFERED!!! I get to stay in Houston! and I think I will stay here the rest of my mission! How lucky am I? I couldn't have asked for anything better!!

Second this week was one of the best:

Monday we went with Manuel and his fam to Kemah boardwalk! We rode on all the roller coasters and had the best time! I got a nice sunburn:) haha but it was amazing!

Thursday we went to the temple and it was beautiful! I love knowing that I can go to the temple and come closer to my Heavenly Father every time I go:) We are so blessed to have a temple so close!!

Saturday WAS CRAZY!!! Ok so my bike had some technical difficulties.. and so we decided to take the bus all day! It was awesome! Then around like 7pm we were waiting at a bus stop and everyone was staring at us.. a lot of creepy guys were trying to talk to us and yelling at us and everyone in their cars were asking to give us a ride... and then the police drove by and looked at us then turned around to come talk to us... they said

"what are you doing here?"

me- "waiting for the bus." my brain thinking-(like duh we are at a bus stop!) 

police- "dont you have a car?"

me-"nope"

police-"do you even know where you are?"

me-"yeah"

police- "well you ladies shouldn't be here... this is a really bad place for the two of you to be"

me-"ok thanks. we'll be fine:)"

Then they parked on the other side of the street and waited for us to catch our bus:) hahaha I was dying!!!

Then at our next appointment some guy tried to kiss me... super super awkward!! 

Then we left and he wanted to give us a ride but we said no way! And we started to walk home.. but then this car drives by and sees us and then stops... and starts to back up... I WAS PEEING MY PANTS FREEKING OUT! haha but it was a lady in the car and she was yelling at us to get in the car! 

lady- "do you girls even know where you are right now!"

Me-"yeah"

lady - "get in the car and I'll take you home! I will not let two young white girls with purses walk around this part of town! Did you know that these apartment complexes are known for having the highest number of gang activity in Houston?"

me- "yeah:)" haha too funny!!!

Then she gave us a ride home:) What a sweet lady:)

THIS WEEK HAS BEEN AWESOME! I LOVE BEING IN HOUSTON!!! I'M SO HAPPY I GET TO STAY!!! 

I'm beyond happy and I get happier and happier everyday! I know it's because I'm doing what Heavenly Father wants me to do and I'm becoming more like him with every decision I make:) 

Love you all so much! Have a great week! ttyl!

-Hermana Ihrke

Day at Kemah!!!

BALLOON HATS!!! 

This coaster was cray!

up so high we can touch the sky!!!!

I look super scary! But look at our future missionary with her name tag! What a QT

THE KREW!!!! Best day eva!

Off to the Temple!

​5 am temple!! woohoo!!!!

Awesome district!

​NO SAGGING PANTS!!! AHAHAHAHA

​Love this girl!

​BRENT EVENT 2015 5k!!!

Early Halloween dressin' up:)

Coconut fish soup!!! OCT. 12 2015

Hello!!! 

This week has been amazing!!! We have seen soooo many people this week and we have been working sooo hard!!! It's the best:) 

We woke up this morning at about 4 because today we are going to GALVISTON!!! Woohoo!! We are going with some investigators!! I'm so pumped! We are going to ride the roller coasters!!! I'm so excited! AND I get to wear PANTS!!!!! It should be a fabulous day:) haha

So this week we had lunch with Stephani, the wife of a convert. She is so amazing! She is just a happy person and loves to serve others! We made coconut fish soup with her and it was soo fun! Next week she wants to teach us how to do water color roses:) She is adorable! But yeah, I know how to make coconut fish soup now! 

Then we went to visit a referral we recieved and a guy came out and asked if we were married... we said no! And started teaching him about the restoration of the gospel. Then another guy came out and started to listen, then another, then another, then another.. until we had 7 guys outside listening to the message of the restoration:) IT WAS AWESOME!!! 3 of the seven left to go back to Mexico :( But the other 4 came to church yesterday!! woohoo!! They are great!

There was so much great stuff that happened but I can't honestly remember it all:) haha I hope you all have a great week!!! Love you:)

-Hermana Ihrke

Family history is the only kind of history I like to do:)

I LOVE MY WATER BOTTLE!!! 

We love doing weekly planning!!! 

Desire to Inspire 10/5/2015

Hello everyone!!!

I hope you all had an amazing week! Because I did:) Missions are sooo fun!!!! I can't even tell you how much I love being here!!! 

This week we had the opportunity to go to the temple with Arturo! It was amazing!!! We got to go through a session in spanish! It was one of the coolest experiences ever!!! 

Then, of course, we watched conference and it was life changing!!! It's like the super bowl for missionaries!!! I received so many answers to my questions!!! I'm so excited to apply what I've learned into my life! I hope those of you who watched conference found some thing that you want to improve on or implement more into your life, dont waste time, go and DO IT! It will be the start of an even happier life:) For those of you who haven't watched it .. GO WATCH IT!!! It will change your life for the better! 

Well I hope you all have the best week and I'll talk to you next monday:)

-Hermana Ihrke


"These things which make us different from most of the world also provide us with that light and that spirit which will shine in an increasingly dark world." -Thomas S. Monson

It's ok to be different :)