In Case you're wondering...I'm in Kansas!

Oh hello there :) So this week was pretty darn awesome! Sister Phadnis and I have officially bonded. We're super great friends. I keep getting these awesome companions and I know it's going to catch up with me someday! Or maybe I just like everyone, which is also cool :) But We got a gym membership and have been working out EVERY MORNING at 5:30 AM. It'll just be on the weeks we don't bike, but Sister Phadnis is an exercise and fitness major, so we go all out. I'm totally lifting weights and stuff!!! Whhaaat? It's fun and perfect for bonding. But this week was one of the Elder's in our ward's birthday. Elder Hudrlik. So we got a bunch of candy bars and went over to their apartment and post it noted their door. We then knocked on the door, chucked the candy bars at the Elder as hard as we could, and booked it! It was pretty great. Missionaries can have fun :) We've been spending most of our time with Stephanie. She's really struggling with her divorce, and her husband's suing her on her daughter's behalf. It's really horrible. All of her legal issues are sure bringing back some memories, and I just can't imagine what it must be like for her. I really love her though! She's so quirky and fun and I want to be just like her! haha! But we spent a good five hours at her house trying to organize it. We barely made a dent. She just can't bring herself to throw stuff away and is holding on to a lot of garbage. It's really a reflection of her life right now. It's chaotic and all of her feelings and emotions are scattered everywhere but she's unwilling to let them go. But we're still working :) We saw her late last night and the Elder's came over to give her a blessing. They also blessed the house because she believes that there are evil spirits in there. It's definitely hard to bring the spirit in sometimes, and her house is pretty creepy. She going to borrow one of my dresses for her court appearance and Sister Phadnis is going to do her hair. We can't do a lot, but it's the small and simple things that help. Hannah, her daughter really doesn't know what's going on, and hears different things from both parents. She's only ten and it's a pretty sad situation over all. But heavenly father loves these two girls so so much :) They're both getting baptized on December 21st. I know it will be so good for them :) Karen's doing fantastic! She's flippen getting baptized this SATURDAY!! She's excited, and really wants to take this next step in her life. She wants me to do a musical number, so I'm singing Come Home :) We're still working out all of the small details, but so far so good! :) We love her, and I know Heavenly Father is so proud of her!! We have a new family that we're teaching! The mom's name is Janeth, and she's from Mexico. But her husband's from Washington D.C. Her accent is so thick and it's hard to understand sometimes, but she is so sweet! and really wants to take her children to church. She has three kids: Gustavo 11, Joesph 3 and joseoline 1 :) the kids are really loud, and it's hard to teach a lesson, but we're doing our best. The two younger ones are always trying to climb on my lap, which is cute, but not missionary ok, so I have to pick them up and sit them next to me :) I really hope they embrace and love the Gospel! Well I'm running out of fun things to talk about. But I guess that's ok. This week's bike week again, so just pray for me that I'll survive especially since it just gets colder and colder ;) I love you all and Hope life's going great! :) Keep working and keep writing me! :)

Love at first site!

November 18, 2015 - LETTER FROM SISTER HERRIN: WOW! I can't believe it, but I'm actually in KANSAS!! it's really the best place ever. Everyone should live in Kansas ;) haha! Really though, I love it so much! The Skies go on forever, making the sunsets even more beautiful. And here in good ol' Wichita (which is my first area) all of the houses are old German design, because, correct me if I'm wrong, but the area I'm in was settled by Germans so most the houses are really old and really cool. It's beautiful! I'll have to send you some pictures later because I haven't had time to take any yet! But we landed Tuesday and had a quick orientation. Oh, Back up. Ok last few days of MTC were sad, because I'd grown to love my sweet Sister Barlocker, and district Elders, that it was really sad to leave them :( but I pulled an allnighter packing for the plane right out of provo. We had to be at the travel office at 3:00 AM and I so I just didn't even try to sleep :) but we were all so tried arriving in Kansas. President Bell and his lovely wife met us at the airport in Wichita, and flip elder I love them! They are so sweet, and hard working. They genuinely love us and you can so feel it! :) So, we had an orientation that I mostly slept through :/ and then we had dinner with the Bells at the mission home. Delish! :) But the next morning I Said goodbye to Sister Barlocker :( but got to go home with my new companion SISTER PHADNIS!!! :) She's wonderful! and has only just barely finished training herself before becoming a Trainer. But it's pronounced fud-ness not fad nis just so you know :) she's half indian. Cool right? I super love her and we get along pretty well. Wednesday was basically just getting to know each other and her explaining investigators and other necessary missionary things. But Thursday was really the first day in the field! WOO! I was feeling a little overwhelmed with everything. We went to get me some groceries and I forgot my pin to my new missionary debit card. So I had to use my personal funds. Sorry mom. But I can live within my missionary funds I promise! :) haha! but yeah, that really made me feel dumb because it's one of those little things, that of course I would forget. Whatever :) But we met with one of our investigators on date, Karen. Karen is an amazing lady. She has severe depression. So much so that she can't work and has the government pay for her because of her illness. She used to just sleep all day, smoke, sit at the computer and so on. Her house was undescribable and you could barely walk in the front door. But she has made such a change in her life! The sisters helped clean her house, and it has been two weeks and two days since she last smoked. She reads from the Book of Mormon, and in giving up coffee and tea! Because of her progress last night Sister Phadnis and I were able to move her baptism date form december 14 to November 30th! But you can feel heavenly father's love for her so strongly! So my 1st lesson with her Sister Phadnis cut her hair while a member from the ward and I taught her about the 10 commandments. After Karen we taught a less active named Deb on her front porch which I thought was pretty awesome :) Oh, quick side story, In our area (College Hill) we share the ward with some Elders, and share a car. So They'll have it one week and we'll have it the next week. Well the Elders had the car this week and I had to bike. WHAT??? Oh my gosh. That has been my prime struggle this week. For real. haha! I swear whoever designed the bike seats did not know how a bottom was shaped. because mine KILLS!! haha! really like when I first get on it I try to stand and peddle as long as I can before sucking it up and sitting on the darn thing. haha! I swear if I had a giant pillow it would be fine, but it's cool. Saturday we had to ride six miles out and I prayed soo hard. But I did pretty well! It's embarrassing though because I end up at the investigators house all red and sweaty :) My legs are gonna be in the best shape of my life!!! haha! I love biking! and I think I like it when it's farther because then my bum has more time getting used to the seat ;) haha! I'm so glad that this week's car week!!! :D I just hope it doesn't snow anytime soon... ANYWAYS. Lots has happened, and I'm running out of email time! So I'm just gonna tell you about our other two investigators on date that are AWESOME!!! So Stephanie. She is soo funny! she's in her 40's and is currently going through a really rough divorce. She's got a 10 year old daughter named Hannah that wants to get baptized too. Stephanie is very sweet. She gets off topic a lot but I love it so much! She's got this beautiful house that has just gone to clutter. Mom you would have a hay day! ;) But the sisters and elders in the area are gonna do a service project to help her get it together so that she can have full custody of her daughter. I love her! And then Griz. Griz's real name is Ray but he's just like a big old grizzly bear! I love him! his wife is a member and is very ill. She wants so badly to be married in the temple before she passes, and griz is really trying. He's just stubborn and doesn't like the book of mormon. He says it's too confusing. But he knows that he has to have a testimony of it before anything else can make sense really. (he made that connection himself) But we committed him to baptism friday night!! WOO! granted the date's set for August 19th 2014. It's the 231st day of the year and it's his favorite number. But he is so sweet and loves us sisters very much :) He'll get there soon! AHHH I'm running out of time! Family I love you soo much! I'm responding to your emails individulally through letter so except somthing soon!!! I LOVE YOU and I love my savior! I am growing each day! I love my mission and I can't wait to continue serving him!!! :) :) I LOVE YOU!!!!!!! Love, Sister Herrin

It has been verified and confirmed! Sister Herrin is in Kansas! I got the wonderful news via Facebook from her new companion's mother. Sister Padnis seems like a wonderful sister and trainer - so glad that she got to welcome Becca to Kansas. I also learned that Becca had a dinner appointment this Sunday with Sister Beth Hawkins, who took this picture. She also sent me a quick little video clip of Becca saying hello. What a PRE-P-DAY letter treat! I will try to include that on this post as well. Can't wait for tomorrows letter and to hear of all of her adventures landing in the great state of Kansas.

I was so fortunate to connect with Sister Herrin's MTC companion's mom. Sister Barlocker took many pictures in the MTC, and thankfully sent them to her mom. As you can see, they had an awesome district. Becca loved her companion Sister Barlocker so much! They are definitely both goof-balls, no wonder they got along so well. Becca mentioned what a beautiful spirit her companion had, that her testimony was strong and she is very enthusiastic about the work. Three hoorays' for great companions!

Watch out Wichita!

Watch out Wichita! Sister Becca Marynn Herrin will leave the MTC tomorrow, 11/12/13 - a very lucky day indeed! Her flight will leave at 3:30 am, which should be interesting since I know she will want to make a good impression and will start the "getting ready" process around midnight in true Becca fashion. We hope to hear from her in the early morning as she waits to board her flight in the Salt Lake City airport. I sure hope they let her send us an "all is well" email when she arrives. For her last letter in the MTC I sent her a MST which I do at the end of all my letters. For you not in the know, a MST is a Mom's scripture trick where I close my eyes and flip through my quad and point to a random scripture, which so far, has had helpful counsel and insight. Last nights MST was: Jacob 6:12: “Oh be wise, what can I say more?” AMEN!

The MTC and ME

11/07/13 - LETTER FROM BECCA HELLO FAMILY!!!! Ah I miss you all so much! really! MTC life is the best life to live! I love my mission! I love my companion! I love my district! I love my zone! I love my teachers! I love my life!!! :D Seriously. I LOVE EVERYTHING! :) So I loved getting your letters! Please send more! Even if it's just a short hello, I love just getting letters! At the end of everyday when we check the mail the district leader hands out everyone's letters, and packages and there's one Elder who seriously gets four letters a night and a package every other day. So write me! :D haha! I can get letters everyday but I can only rely on P-days. This is my only P-day while in the MTC so I don't know when exactly I'll get to email you again. I leave for Kansas Tuesday morning at 3:30 AM and we have a lay over in Denver. So parents I will be calling you sometime then :) in the middle of the night or early in the morning! WOOO! I bought a phone card. It was five dollars. I don't want to have it wasted. But I should be fine about making my plane mom, we have like 14 missionaries traveling with us, so I think I'll be just fine :) Well let me tell you about my week! because it's officially been a week since I entered MTC and I leave in four and a half days! :( I don't want to go yet. My time had been too short! But I'm trying to live it up and get as much out of it as I can :) So my first few days were a little rough. My beautiful wonderful and hot companion Sister Barlocker is not the most enthusiastic sister in the world :) When I first walked into my classroom and they told me she was my companion I flipped out and cried a little :) I was just so excited to finally meet her!!! She just looked at me like I was insane and didn't stand up to hug me. hahah! She doesn't like hugs, but I'm slowly winning her over ;) She just told me how glad she was that I wasn't a quiet upiddy tight wad. Which I'm taking as a complement ;) She's so funny! and we're always doing goofy things! She complements me in a lot of ways, and at the same time, we are sooo similar! it's also given me a chance to kind of step up and be more responsible. She sleeps in and we've been late for personal study everyday, but I always try to make sure that I'm ready by 7:00 so that if she needs help I can be there for her. The beginning of this week we had the HARDEST time focusing. We just had the giggles all day and were really distracting. I felt so bad because I love my teachers and my district and don't want to disappoint them. I felt like I was going back to how I was in high school and it was really discouraging. But Sister Barlocker loves me and noticed how it was affecting us and the work. So she tried harder, and even asked for a blessing to help her focus! It was so spiritual! Also on a side note, I'm not crying as much as I did back home :) I still am the biggest baby in our district, but I'm not as bad as I was ;) So the past few days have been AWESOME an d Sister Barlocker and I are doing fantastic! She still has a really hard time with all the rules, and I'm still trying to stand my ground but it's hard because I want to pick my battles. Our lessons have been so awesome! the things I'm learning are seriously life changing! Our teachers have investigators that they role play as, and right now my favorite is Andy. He is so prepared. In our last lesson we introduced the Book of Mormon, and read the intro. I could feel the spirit so strongly! and I was like, "don't you feel that?" We followed up with a scripture about the Holy Ghost, and I know he was feeling it, and that he had a stirring in his heart that would change his life! wooo!!! We want to committ him to baptism next lesson :) Our district is so funny and awesome and great and wonderful and spiritual, and I love them :) The elders remind me of my brothers so much and I sure wish my Joseph were here. I keep thinking about him and how great of a missionary he'll be :) But we have so much fun together. Our favorite things include: Tic Tacs, Talking in Canadian accents, Playing four square in the gym, and laughing :) I'm going to be so sad to leave them. I don't ever want to leave them :( But I'm so glad that we are all brothers and sisters in the gospel. so maybe we'll have time in heaven ;) I love you so much and hope your week is as great as mine!!! I love the Gospel! I love the Church! I love being a missionary and I can't wait to be in Kansas! I love my savior, and am so grateful for what he's done for me, and helping me to become the best missionary I can be!!! I LOVE YOU!!!! Love forever and always, Sister Herrin

Introducing Sister Rebecca Marynn Herrin

Introducing Sister Rebecca Herrin. Entered the MTC on a beautiful Wednesday morning; October 30, 2013 at 1:00 pm. We stopped in Sandy and had lunch with Grandma and Grandpa Herrin at dad's favorite spot, Pei Wei. Emily and Christian were there for the big day. Becca was so excited to get to the MTC and start Missionary-ing, she was lit up like the sun all morning. We dropped her off at the curb where whatever tears were shed were drowned out by Sister Herrin's squeals and giggles. She does that when she is excited, and she was so excited to meet Sister Little, her escort for the day. Sister Little will be joining us here in Idaho Falls shortly. Two weeks will fly by and soon Sister Herrin will be making the flight over the rainbow. If only she had a balloon, or a broom; at least she packed her ruby slipper.