Mamma!

Hiii mommy!!

I was soo happy to get to talk to you! It was so fun to see everyone's faces, besides Lizzy's and Tytons :(

Looks and sounds like everyone had a great Christmas! Christmas was a million times better than I expected it to be! I expected to be depressed all day haha but we had enough stuff to do that made it a good day!

Happy Birthday to Danny on Sunday! Don't know how old you are..and don't care..haha jk. All the pictures of the family look great! Classic nativity scene..haha.

So, mother I will try to answer the questions that you asked! We don't knock doors too much, basically we want to find all our investigators through members but that doesn't work as well as planned.  We have a lot of referrals from other missionaries and so that is usually how we find our fabulous Latinos! Yes, Maria speaks Spanish; in fact she speaks no English. Hahah. I don't know if people just play dumb but a lot of the Hispanics say they speak absolutely no English.  It’s good for me because the more I get to learn!

Usually, if we teach a family we talk to the parents in Spanish and the kids in English.  Since we are white, the kids only talk to us in English (for the most part).  We always ask people how we can help them when we leave but they usually say nothing. We go to a food bank every Tuesday for a few hours and do service there. I don't know if that is a world wide missionary rule or just our mission.

I know you're the best nurse in the world momma!  All those kids are loving to have such a rock star nurse!  There are a lot of polygamists in Primary children's...Looks like you should start preaching ;)

Well not too much has happened since I got to talk to you just a few days ago but we had a family come with us to church!  Yay, the first investigators to come to church since I've been out!  The dad kept telling us that he wouldn't be able to wake up on time so we said okay, we will come and wake you up haha.  So, we went over there at 10 to make sure everyone was awake and starting to get ready, and then they came! Pray for Javier and Adrianna, I think that they have a lot of potential.

Our sacrament meeting has started at 11 and about 3/4's of the people get there at 11:30.  Starting the New Year our ward will start at 9.  We're hoping for the best! hahah..  Overall it was a great week and I know that I am blessed to get to be serving the Lord!

Have a fabulous week.   I love you!

Hermana Gifford

Hermana Meise's mom sent this to me.  Super cute!!!

Our apartment parking lots floods every time it rains...so like every day!  Epic picture!  haha!

It's Almost Christmas!

Hello Family!

Just two days and I will get to see your fabulous faces!

It was a good week. We have one progressing investigator right now named Maria.  We visited with her this last week and she had a ton of great questions! And she answered all the questions in the back of the pamphlets (my companions said that never happens).  We are really hoping that she will get baptized! (We asked her and she said she will once she receives an answer). So pray for Maria and her sister Laura that they will read and pray to receive answers.

We had our ward Christmas party on Saturday! Hahaha Oh man that was a hoot.   They were doing a skit of the nativity, and suddenly they would just stop what they were doing and start dancing and doing the salsa  It made no sense but everyone was loving it. We had THREE investigating families show up!  It was super awesome. Unfortunately our ward members aren't fans of branching out.  Not a single member talked to any of the investigators there. That is where a lot our work needs to go in! But I know that over time it will get better :)

Yesterday we had our Christmas conference!  It was in Forest Grove so about an hour and a half away.  President and Sister Samuelian spoke to us about how we can spread the light of Christ.  They talked about how the greatest gift that we can give to the Lord is spreading the light and always trying to become more like him. We had a big family home evening with members and investigators that came to listen to the missionaries sing. The spirit was awesome! The Christmas hymns are awesome.

Well I am just super excited to talk to the fam! And nothing else too big happened this week!  But! Lets all try to be a little more Christ-like and share the light! There is no other greater gift that we can receive than the Savior's Atonement!

I love you all!

Hermana Gifford

P.s....They handed out everyone’s packages at the conference.  Both of my companions got 6 packages, and I got nothing.  So maybe one day you will all love me. hahah (I still have the package from you though mom :) )

P.s.s...Christmas isn't about gifts, so I am trying to not be bitter about it. hahah

I have all your notes up on my wall :)

I Am In Oregon!

Holy Canole!

Hello Momma!! That’s crazy that you had to speak in church! My companions are totally fluent...and then there’s me...haha.  I try to say at least a couple things every lesson but being in Oregon has made me realize that I actually don't know any Spanish haha.

Now was that great or what to get to hear your voice! When my mission president goes, well should we call your mom I got so happy! haha i didn't say much on the phone because I started crying...Hahah you were giggling at everything he was saying you little cutie!

So the flight here was a little rough.  I was feeling super sick...and they didn't have barf bags...and we were going through terrible turbulence.  Like I didn't know it was possible to fly when it was so bad we were bouncing everywhere! Soooo...The seat next to me was the toilet.  Yes I got to throw up in the seat next to me the whole flight.  So nasty!  But I will probably never see those people again…so yolo.

Thank you for the packages mom!!  I was so happy that I had a pillow to sleep with!  And I almost opened my Christmas package...but then I pulled myself together. haha  So I will see what that is on Christmas!  

One of the mission rules here is to take a strength test! So I got to take that today.  My top two strengths are competition and woo...who would've guessed hahah.

My companions are awesome! They are also the Sister trainer leaders of the zone so they are the best of the best!  Hermana Meise is from Philadelphia (blonde) and Hermana Cardon is from Orem! They are super genuine girls! They are also super quiet so we haven't had lots of joking.  But when I can get them to laugh it makes my day haha!  They have already helped me a lot being here!

Oh momma, can you send me the recipe for Swedish pancakes please? :) If anyone wants to send me a letter like you said Sarah or Kenzie just send it to the mission office!  Then they forward it to our apartment! I don't think that I am allowed to send out the apartment address.

We get fed by members almost every night!  It’s super awesome but these wonderful Latinos fry all their food.  I am going to be so fat.  Some of the girls here have gained 20 to 30 pounds...but my companions have been here for 10 and 15 months so they're trying to lose it all so they like to wake up at 6 to get extra exercise. Its tricky waking up those extra 30 minutes but I will get used to it!

Yesterday someone let us in!  This last week no one let us in their house until yesterday. One of my companions felt prompted to go tracking in a certain area and we met a lady named Laura.  She is going through some problems and she is super interested in hearing about the church, so I hope things keeping going well! It was super cool to see how an actual lesson works!

Quick story, the first night I went out with two sisters (that aren't my trainers). We went to a couple houses and then they said, “Okay Hermana Gifford, you are in charge of this one”.  A man opened the door and starts yelling.  Like bad, saying he hated Mormons and that he never wants to see us again.  Then he comes up to me and yells, “So what you're one of them”? “What a Jehovah Witness too?”  And I said courageously as possible said,  “Actually no, we are missionaries of the church of Jesus Christ of Latter day saints”.   And then......they all started laughing....it was a joke!!  He was a member and just messing with me.  I wanted to start crying.  I was like holy cow my first night and I get yelled at??  But it was a joke.  And I guess it helped me learned what to say when that really happens!

Oh and my area is North Salem! We are in a Spanish area that covers a huge area...There are 11 missionaries in the ward! Pretty crazy. A LOT of work that needs to be done!

I love you mom! Have a great week! Oh by the way we have a Christmas party next week so it’s possible that I don’t have p-day on Monday so you might not get an email from me til later in the week!

Hermana Gifford

There was a fire our last night in Mexico!

This was Hermana Webber for the MTC.  She was supposed to be our teacher but got moved so she was our teacher for only a week.

​The rock- This is our "moto" the scripture is D&C 6:34. we got to have a experience at the ocean

Another rock Picture

This is in the atrium in the temple.  Don't worry, pictures are allowed :)

Thanks for the decorations, mommy  :0 

​This is Hermana Meise and a family that is a potential investigator. I took the picture because it was Hermanas birthday and the moms birthday so they had us over for cake

This is our companion Christmas card lol

This is our zone

President and Sister Samuelain

Dear Brother & Sister Gifford, 

Sister Samuelian and I were so pleased to greet your missionary at the Portland airport!  Upon her arrival we had the opportunity to take her to the beautiful Portland Temple.  (Attached you will find a photo)  Your missionary will have the opportunity to attend the Portland Temple while serving here in the Oregon Salem Mission 

All letters and packages for your missionary should be sent to the Mission office listed below.  We encourage you to correspond weekly via e-mail or letter with your missionary.  We will ask that they also send you an e-mail every week on their preparation day, which typically is on Monday. If you feel there is an emergency which requires you to speak with myself or a member of our office staff, you can contact us at the address and phone number below. 

  

Oregon Salem Mission Office

700 Deborah Road

Suite 260

Newberg, Oregon 97132

(503) 487-6387

E-mail: 1986376@ldschurch.org

We thank you once again for sending your missionary to us.  We will take good care of her and know the sacred trust you place in ourselves and in the Lord.

Kind Regards,

President Michael Samuelian

Sister LuAnn Samuelian

Oregon Salem Mission

Sister Samuelian, Hermana Gifford, President Samuelian

All Missionaries arriving 12/10/14.

Hermana Gifford arrives in Oregon!

1st Trainers:  Sister Meise, Sister Gifford, Sister Cardon