Last Email of 2013!!!

Hello Family and Friends! Can you believe it? We have almost made it through 2013! I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas. We had a great Christmas here in Chicago.

Me at the Navy Pier

Hermana Toney and I with
the Chicago Christmas Tree
at the German Christmas Fair

Me with the CHICAGO
sign in Downtown Chicago

Recreated picture on Navy Pier,
just a little different and a lot colder
this time then it was this past summer
when I was at this spot with my family.

Last Monday after emailing, for the rest of our P-day we headed into the city. We took the trains which become the subways once you get downtown and it was so fun. The city was incredible! I fell in love instantly! It was soooooo cold but was just filled with the feeling of Christmas! We went to the German Christmas Fair. It was super neat. There were tons of little booths with people selling things from all over the world. A lot of knick-knacks and ornaments. I found one shop from Nepal that had some amazing stuff. I ended up buying a neat backpack, a yak bone bracelet and some prayer flags, all from Nepal! We also went to a shop that had Nativity Ornaments made from Olive Trees from the Holy Land and got some of those. We had crepes, Nutella and banana of course, from France. We also met some people who were LDS and they were like "Missionaries!" and said hi and wished us Merry Christmas, it was neat. We then walked to Navy Pier. As were were walking down the streets of Downtown Chicago, some people driving past rolled down their windows and yelled, "Missionaries! We are LDS too! Merry Christmas!". It was so fun! We were walking down another street and all of the sudden, someone yelled out, "Hermana Toney, Hi!". We were so confused because who in downtown Chicago knew her? It was her MTC teacher who was in Chicago for Christmas where her family lives! It was such a fun tender mercy from the Lord to see so many people down there that recognized us and wished us Merry Christmas! The Navy Pier was fun. We just walked along it, inside, and enjoyed looking at everything. At the end of the pier we ran outside just long enough, it was so cold especially on the lake with the wind, and then hurried back inside. We then got back on the trains and went home. We had a Noche de Hogar that night and two investigators came and some other non-members that a member invited, so that was great!

My neat backpack from Nepal

My neat turtle bracelet
made from yak bones in Nepal

Tuesday was a very busy Christmas Eve! We had District Meeting where we watched Joseph Smith: The Prophet of the Restoration movie. It is such a powerful movie. Afterwards Elder Johnson, our District Leader, asked a few missionaries to share their feelings and thoughts and bear testimony. The Spirit was so strong, it was wonderful! We then had a District lunch and all went to a Hibachi Grill. It was a lot of fun to be with everyone and we ate a lot of food. Us Hermanas then went to our Church building and did Facebook contacting and worked on getting our Area Books updated on the iPads. We then went to the a member's home. They invited us over for Christmas Eve Dinner. Everyone here celebrates everything Christmas on the 24th. Not much happens on the 25th. It was great, a Mexican  Christmas dinner! We then went to our investigator's house who had also invited us over for Christmas Eve dinner. We shared a Bible Video about the Savior's birth and then ate Pasole. By the end of the day, I never wanted to see food again!

Chicago Squirrels beat us to a package
of Rolo Christmas Treats from home
before we got back to our apartment!

Wednesday was a very Merry Christmas! We got up and did our studies. Then we opened our gifts. Boy were we both spoiled! It was such an incredible feeling to be encircled about by all of that love and support. After opening our gifts, we walked to a member's home to use their WiFi internet. Calling home was such a wonderful experience. I got to talk to and see my amazing family and hear their voices! After being online with my family for forty minutes it was really hard to hang up.  But I was able to do it because I know that we receive blessings for being obedient. The family that let us use their internet, had some food they made for us. They were such a tender mercy from the Lord. After I hung up I was, of course, pretty sad, so was Hermana Toney. But, the mom hugged me and cried with me. After that, the entire rest of the day, I felt joyful and peaceful inside. It was such a blessing from our loving Heavenly Father! We went home and had lunch and then went out caroling with the other missionaries in our ward. It was the perfect end to a Missionary Christmas!

Our Christmas morning
after an Elf came in the night!

Me and my Christmas blessings

Me in my Christmas Pajamas
that Hna Toney's Grandma
made for me!

Thursday was right back to work. It was a weekly planning day. Weekly planning pretty much takes all day. But it is good because now we have good plans for next week.

Friday was a very busy day and we had the car and were able to get a lot done. We saw some less-actives and also found an investigator that we hadn't been able to contact for several weeks. We talked with her and she mentioned she needed help setting up Skype on her

Our district on Christmas Eve

computer so she could talk with family in Mexico. So we helped her with that and it was quite and undertaking because everything was in Spanish! 

Saturday we had MCM, Missionary Correlation Meeting, with our ward mission leader. We also were finally able to catch our investigators who were supposed to have been baptized that day at home. They hadn't answered our calls or been home when we tried to stop by. We were able to go in and teach them el Evangelio, The Gospel of Jesus Christ. We talked with them about their baptisms. Their daughter turns 8 on January 21 so now we are going to wait until then so the mother, son, and daughter can all be baptized together. It will be for the better so that we can make sure they are prepared. We also had a lesson with some other investigators. It went really well. We really talked with them and helped them feel comfortable. We taught the Restoration again and they asked questions and seemed to understand better.

Us with some investigators and members
(not a great picture)

Sunday was great. Church was good. Two of our investigators showed up so that always makes us happy. The others who we met with the night before, and they had said they were coming, didn't come which made us sad. We tried to stop by them again but they weren't home. So we will just have to continue trying with them.

At our Christmas activity last week with President Woodbury, he gave us each a new copy of the Book of Mormon, a highlighter, and a challenge. He asked us to read the entire Book of Mormon, highlighting each mention of Jesus Christ and the Atonement (in different colors) before April General Conference. He promised us that we would become better people and better missionaries, also that we would receive revelation in conference. I want to extend this same challenge to all of you. Already as I have been doing this, I have noticed my reading is more focused as I am searching for these things. Also, I am thinking so much more about the Savior and the Atonement in my life. I invite all of you to join me in this. I know we will receive blessings and come closer to our Savior.

In one of my new Christmas outfits!

It was another busy, crazy week! I love being a missionary and it such an amazing time to be out here! Thank you all so much for your love and support of me and my family! My Spanish is getting better all the time and I am loving the people and the area. Yo se que esta Iglesia es verdadera. Somos hijos de nuestro Padre Celestial y El nos ama mucho! El Evangelio nos da mucho gozo y paz en nuestras vidas. Cuando seguimos el ejemplo de Jesucristo y aplicamos su Expiacion, podemos supercar todas cosas. I love you all so much! Happy New Year! 

Prospero Ano Nuevo!

Eternal Love,

Hermana Allyse Meanea

Merry Christmas from Chicago!!!

My Mom required weekly selfie

Hello Dear Family and Friends!

Can you all believe it is Christmas? It seems like just yesterday that I started on this incredible adventure. At the same time it seems like it has been years though! Isn't it funny how time can mess like that? This was a crazy and busy week, the life of a missionary!

On Monday at our Noche de Hogar we had Chicharron, that is fried pig skin.  It was interesting but pretty good. Also, one of the Hermanas who is the Relief Society President, asked for ideas on what to feed the sisters of the ward for the activity on Wednesday. I remembered an email from my Mom of how they did baked potatoes as a part of the ward Christmas Dinner back home. We explained it to her in broken Spanish and English and she thought it was a very different and interesting idea.

Tuesday and Wednesday were big walking days because our bus passes expired and we had to wait for Hermana Toney to get some more money on her church debit card to be able to buy bus passes again. On Tuesday we had a lesson scheduled at the Church with one of the couples we have on date for baptism. Unfortunately, they never showed up. They didn't answer their phones and didn't say why, which is really unlike them. It was really sad but that just happens sometimes. That night we had the Noche de Hogar and one of our investigator families hosted it. We taught the Plan of Salvation with the Zone Leaders. There was a lot of people there and it went pretty well, they had a lot of questions which we love. They made Tinga! It was so good!

Hermana's Meanea & Toney
at the Chicago Temple

That night we had exchanges with the Sister Training Leaders. Hermana Savage came down to our area and stayed with me. I was really nervous for this because it meant that I was in charge of the area! But Wednesday went really good. We contacted a lot of people! We also were able to find a Lost Sheep, an investigator that dropped off of the map, and teach her! She was very humble and accepting. I invited her to be baptized! She said yes but wants to talk to her husband about the date first. We then went to a Relief Society activity at the Church. Guess what? They tried the baked potato thing! They didn't understand it all, but they sure tried! Everyone was like, "I have never had a papa (potato) like this before!" It was so fun to see. Also, one of our less actives who is coming back really well was there and she gave us each a Christmas gift! It was some chocolate and earrings! She is so sweet! We then exchanged back to our companionships.

Hermana Meanea at the Chicago Temple

The Chicago Midway Zone
at the Chicago Temple

Thursday was our Christmas party at the Mission Home and our Temple Session. The mission home was so fun. We had some lessons from President and Sister Woodbury, sang Christmas Carols, and had a White Elephant exchange. We then went to the Temple. It was so wonderful. peaceful and beautiful, I love it! We then went home. All of that is in Wilmette (north of Chicago) which takes around and hour of driving, without traffic, through Downtown Chicago to get to. I drove the whole way, there and back, rush hour each way! If you know me, you know what a huge accomplishment that is! Coming back traffic was really bad, it took about 3 hours to get home. But I loved it! I am now an official Chicago driver!

The Chicago Midway Ward Missionaries
at the Ward Christmas Party

Friday I got to use my graphic design skills! Who knew that they would be useful out here on a mission? Our Zone Leaders asked us to design invitations for the ward party the next day. So I used the computers in the library and designed a little thing. It was so neat to use one of my talents as a missionary! We then went Caroling and it was such a neat experience. It brought joy and the Christmas Spirit to so many, including myself.

Saturday we had a lesson with the lost sheep I found earlier while on exchanges. It went really good and she is progressing well. That night we had our ward Christmas party. They had a Pastorela, a play about the story of Jesus' birth. It was so cute and funny. We had some investigators come and they enjoyed it too. It was such a fun night. Everyone here is so loving and kind, especially to us missionaries!

Sunday was a little sad because no one, investigators or less actives, came to Church :-(  That is OK though because we will continue to work with them and help them understand the incredible blessings that come from this Gospel!

When I run with my Ragnar team, we always take a
photo of just the girls on the team and call it
"Girl Power". This picture is similar, except it is
"Sister Missionary Power"!

It was a great, busy, fast, crazy week! It is so incredible to be a missionary during the Christmas season! I am so grateful to be serving during this season, even though it is really hard! People are more focused on Christ right now and so being able to share that message of hope and joy with others makes this a very special Christmas! I know that what we are sharing is so important and will help people so much! Yo se que esta iglesia es verdadera con toda de mi Corazon! Jesucristo es nuestro Salvador y El entiende todos desafios que tenemos. Somos hijos de Nuestro Padre Celestial y El nos ama mucho! I love you all so incredibly much! Thank you for all that you do! Let the Spirit of CHRISTmas into your hearts and I know it will help us through all things! Feliz Navidad!

Eternal Love,

Hermana Allyse Meanea

Let it Snow, Chicago Style!!!

Hello Everyone! Isn't this just such a wonderful time of year? It just has such an excitement about it. It is finally winter here in Chicago. It snows every few days and the high is typically around 6 degrees! I LOVE it! I am Chicago, IL at Christmas time, sharing the knowledge and joy of the Restored Gospel with everyone that I possibly can!

Real Christmas Tree from Utah in a box!

Monday I got a wonderful package at my apartment! A beautiful Christmas tree, a REAL one! We decorated it and it brightens up our apartment so much! We also went to a discount mall. It is a huge building with a ton of little Mexican shops. You could find anything there! it was really fun and we even ended up teaching a lesson to one of the shop owners who asked us about polygamy! We also had a Noche de Hogar and I am finding myself able to talk and interact more and more!

Tuesday was a good day. We went looking for a referral but didn't find him because he gave us an address that doesn't exist. :) Instead we visited a family we had found tracting a couple weeks ago. This time the Dad was there. We started to explain who we were and he was like, "Yeah, I know. I am a Mormon." With out jaws on the floor, we were like, "Uhhhh. What?!?!?!?". Appearantly he was baptized when he was 8 in Mexico but he stopped going to Church when he was 11 or 12. So this family that had invited us in to teach the Restoration a couple weeks ago has a dad who is a long lost member! Right now he says they are more interested in being Christian, not Mormon. We explained we are Christian and just want to add to his faith. We will definitely be working with them!

The Real Christmas Tree decorated up

Wednesday we went tracting and it was COLD! But, it was good. The only problem is that no one really wants to open their doors and listen to you give "your spill". But that is OK, we are showing our diligence and obedience and know we will be blessed, even if it isn't necessarily by having people there right then to listen to us. We went to Institute that night at the Church because hopefully we were going to have some investigators there. But, no one ever showed up for the class. So, I was able to use the time to practice the piano. Because Hermana Felt is no longer in our ward, she did pretty much all of the playing for the ward, I realized that I might need to play occasionally!

Thursday was a great day because they released an update for our Area Book app on the iPad and now we are able to sync our data again so that we can see what each other has been working on. I was also able to practice the piano some more. We went tracting a little later. At the first house we knocked they practically dragged us inside. We ended up giving a hour and a half lesson to them! They were pretty interested. The only problem is that they left for Mexico the next day and won't be back until January 3.

Friday we had a lunch appointment with a member. She is from Cuba and made us a TON of really good Cuban food. We then went and saw one of our investigators that is on date. She is doing well and we were able to talk about a number of things, including the Law of Chastity. She actually took it really well and agreed to live it but needs to talk with her boyfriend first. We also stopped by some investigators that we lost track of because they went on vacation for over 6 weeks, I hadn't even met them yet! The husband basically told us that they weren't going to come to Church anymore and they dropped us. It was really sad. But, I understand that is just wasn't their time yet. How long their teaching record is though will definitely be a flag to missionaries in the future to teach them.

Let it snow! (again...)

Saturday it snowed a ton, several inches all day. So, we shoveled our walks and steps. It was neat and nice to have a little break from studies to serve others. We were able to go caroling with the 6 other missionaries in our ward. It was so much fun and really brought the Christmas Spirit, I loved it! We also went to a Neurotics Anonymous meeting. Now before you all get confused and worried, let me explain. A member invited us because it was her anniversary there, she is a really good missionary, and she said it would be a free dinner. So we went to support her. It really was like the scene from Finding Nemo, except in Spanish! "Hi my name is______. I am a ______" and then everyone responds, "Hi_____"!!! When we walked in we had to say, "Hi, I am Hermana Meanea/Toney" and everyone said "Hi Hermana Meanea/Toney"! It was quite an experience, but it was good food. :-)

Winter Sunset in Chicago

Sunday was a very busy, crazy day! Church was good. Our 4 investigators came, so that is great! I ended up playing the piano in Relief Society, Sunday School, and the Sacrament Hymn in Sacrament Meeting! I was scared to death and it wasn't incredible, but I was able to do it and everyone appreciated it. The Hermana that we went to the meeting for last night told us this morning that she had set up an appointment at 5:00 with some of the people from last night. So we went there and taught the Restoration. It went pretty well and they accepted the invitation to be baptized on the third Saturday in January! So that was wonderful!

Overall it was a very good week. I am loving being out here and being a missionary! It is hard sometimes, but the Lord is always there. Yo se que esta Iglesia es verdadera! Jose Smith fue llamado por Dios ser un profeta y restauro el Evangelio. Nosotros somos hijos de Dios y El nos ama mucho! Jesucristo fue nacio y fue un ejemplo perfecto por nosotros. El es nuestro Salvador.  I love you all so much and cannot thank you enough for EVERYTHING you all do for me and my family! I hope you have a wonderful week! Bye!!!

Not for lack of trying!

My $4 Black Skirt

What a week! The title that Hermana Toney and I gave to this week is, "Not for lack of trying!". Honestly. We planned really well, that is something we have been working on. We had some great appointments set up and back up plans upon back up plans. Then, when it all came down to it, everything fell through! That is OK though, that is wonderful missionary life and I love it!

The rest of P-Day was good. We did our weekly shopping at Walmart and then went to a thrift store just for fun. I found a wonderful long black skirt for $4.00 and a "like new" condition Chicago Cubs t-shirt for $1.00. It was a lot of fun!

Tuesday we went and saw a recent convert and her five daughters because it was one of their birthdays. We knew that they didn't have enough money for presents or parties so Hermana Toney and I got the little girl that turned 9 some little presents and took them to her family. We also shared a Christmas message with them. It is so fun to be in this time of year so we can do that! At our Noche de Hogar there were a lot of investigators and non-members so that was great. Us and the Zone Leaders were able to teach about the Sacrament and Baptism and the Gift of the Holy Ghost. We also had arroz con leche which is really good!

My mom requires me to send
a "selfie" photo each week 

Wednesday was good because we had a Zone Training Meeting, which is basically a Zone Conference Meeting. We just talked about acting with urgency, kindness and respect, and following up on commitments. The best part was after though. President Woodbury wanted to have interviews with all of the new missionaries. I had kind of been having a really hard time and I was really struggling with homesickness. In my interview, President Woodbury received an impression to give me a Priesthood Blessing. It was one of the most powerful blessings I have received. It was such a testimony to me that Heavenly Father is there and was giving those words to me because President Woodbury doesn't know me enough that he could have just said those things that I needed so desperately to hear. He blessed me that over the next few weeks, these feelings of homesickness would leave! He blessed me that when the time came for me to come home, I would not want to leave. I would, in fact, be homesick for Chicago! He blessed me with so much more too. Words cannot express what comfort and strength this brought to me. I wish you all could have been there but I know that we can do this, that I can do this! Throughout the rest of the week, I did not have any feelings of homesickness!

Wednesday night we had dinner with a member family. They made us Hawaiian Tortas. Tortas are basically sandwiches, but so much more. They were really good. It is so fun to try all of this fun food!

Hermana Toney and I proselyting in the snow

Thursday we had an...interesting lesson with a recent convert. When we got there he was on the phone. He let us in and then just continued talking. He was obviously talking/flirting with a woman. It was very sappy, even in Spanish, talk and I was glad I couldn't understand most of it! He continued talking/flirting on the phone with us just sitting there for almost a half hour. And, we had a member with us too! He wasn't trying to wrap up the conversation or anything. He finally hung up, after trying to just leave her on the line to listen to us, and we started the lesson. This is a recent convert that Hermana Toney has known forever. She asked him about the woman he was speaking to and he doesn't know her name, he just got her number at work that day! So, we just reminded him of the covenants he has made and how he needs to respect her. We then started into our lesson about temples. Later in the conversation he was talking about her again. He said, "There is just one problem, she is married.". Our jaws dropped to the floor and we were speechless. He talked about how he is going to get her divorced so he can marry her. Awkward! But, that is just how he is, he is extremely innocent and doesn't understand or see how that is bad! We quickly told him that he could be her friend but that he had to help her and himself keep the law of chastity. Needless to say, it was a very interesting lesson! The things you see and do as a missionary in Chicago!

A cute little penguin we
found in a yard Sunday night

Friday we had an extra companion for the day. Hermana Felt, one of the Hermanas in the area next to ours that we share the car with, has been called as a Sister Training Leader. So, while she went to Mission Council, we got her companion, Hermana Hammond, for the day. She is a greenie the same mission age as me. It was fun to have her. We tried to have a lesson with some of our investigators. But, their car broke down on the North side and they weren't able to make it. Saturday was a COLD day! The high was about 16 degrees! We did some tracting and then we were able to get some great, golden referrals for the English Elders. We also had some great Tamales!

Sometimes we find random houses with great
 Christmas Lights and take photos in front of them 

Sunday was the day that the storm everyone

has been talking about and waiting for finally hit. It started snowing in the morning and didn't stop until well after we went to bed that night. It is so beautiful and fun! We were finally able to meet with part of our family
that is on date. We moved their date to December 24 so we have more time to teach them. We read 1 Nephi 1 together. We also were able to have a little lesson with a less active member. We shared a Christmas message and talked for a while. She was really able to feel the Spirit and wants to change her life and come back to Church.

A lot of people really get into
decorating for the holidays

It was a wonderful week! Ups and Downs like always, but so good! I love you all so much and can't thank you enough for your incredible love and support. Yo se que nosotros somos hijos de Dios. El es nuestro Padre Celestial y nos ama mucho! Jesucristo es nuestro Salvador y entiende todos los desafios tenemos. Me amo este Evangelio! Have a great week and go have some adventures!

Hermana Meanea

My Thanksgiving in Chicago

Hana Toney and I at La Viajita

Hello Everyone! I hope everyone had an amazing Thanksgiving! Everything is going well here in Chicago. It was kind of a crazy, busy week, but that is good. The busier, the better!

Real Mexican Bag from La Viajita

Last P-Day we went to La Viajita, which is kind of like little Mexico. It was fun and really cold! There are just a lot of fun dollar stores and it was just neat to wander around. I was able to get a real Mexican bag and it is really neat. The rest of the week was good. We had an appointment with a less-active. She had called the day before and invited us over so she could cook real Mexican food for us! It was really good Mole chicken and she had homemade Flan, it was all really good. I taught her a lesson about Scripture Study and it went well.

Dulcelandia, a huge Candy Shop 

Huge Amazing Pinatas in a candy store 

After some miss-communication we had an appointment with one of our newer investigators who is on date. She texted us and wondered if we could come over so she could just talk. We did and she told us about all of the really hard things she is going through. She really trusted us and enjoyed talking to us. She enjoys what she is learning and has a true desire to have a better life for her and her kids. She wants to learn about "the rules" in the Church so that she can follow them. She says it feel so good when we teach and she wants to feel that more!

Thanksgiving with the G Family

Thanksgiving was great! It was so different but really wonderful! We had an appointment at 12:30. It went really well. We talked about the Book of Mormon and then committed him to baptism on December 28. We then had Thanksgiving Dinner at a member's house. They just sent their daughter to the Provo MTC a few weeks ago and wanted to have all of the missionaries in the ward over for dinner because of that. It was fun. They had a total mix of American and Mexican food, so that was neat! We talked a lot and just enjoyed the evening.

On Friday the Ward Mission Leader had a special dinner for the missionaries to show their appreciation and for Thanksgiving. It was traditional Mexican food and was really fun.

The Chicago Temple

On Saturday we were able to go to the Temple! We had an Hermana in the ward who helps us a ton with missionary work who was receiving her Endowments. She invited us and President gave us permission to go. It was so wonderful. The inside of the Temple is sooooo beautiful! The session was in Spanish and it was so wonderful to be there. It is always so refreshing and rejuvenating.

It was a rough week for our family on date. We called them and the mom said they would be in Church the next day. We planned to go over after Church and teach a lesson about the Gospel. But, they never came to Church. That isn't at all like them and normally even if they end up not able to do something, they call us and let us know. But they didn't. We tried to call after Church and no answer. So, we hope everything is OK and will continue to try and make contact with them. This means we will have to push their date back though. :(

When we went tracting on Sunday we ran into a couple of guys who were really interested. They kept asking tons of questions and we gave them a whole lesson right there in the cold! They want to know more so that was exciting!

It is hard out here but I truly can feel your prayers and the strength of our Heavenly Father supporting me! This is a marvelous work!

Goodbye for another week! I love you all so incredibly much. I know that our Heavenly Father is with us. He is taking care of us! Have an incredible week. Enjoy this incredible Christmas season! I love you all! Nos Vemos!

Hermana Allyse Meanea

Chicago Skyline

There was an exchange between Alice and Allyse about the Mexican Candy Store photo.  I thought I would share that with you as well because it sheds some light on what the Spanish members tell new missionaries like Allyse who can't speak Spanish very well yet:

Alice Meanea wrote:

I love how in the picture with the candy shop there is a display of hot sauce:)

Allyse Meanea wrote:

They have some really weird candy!

Alice Meanea wrote:

Did you try any of it? Do you think your taste buds have gotten used to hotter foods since you have been out or are you still a "gringo", is that right? 

Allyse Meanea wrote:

I bought a little but haven't tried much yet. A little bit. That is the joke around here. Drinking Coke plus eating spicy stuff helps you speak Spanish better. So all of the members tease me about it and offer chilis and peppers :)

Alice Meanea wrote:

Thank you so much for sharing with us. I love to hear that the members tease you and that you are going to come home addicted to coke 'bubbles'-don't worry I will help you kick the habit!