Words from Sister Elese Hauser in Illinois

"This has been the most random week. So prepare yourself to have your
mind blown!!!!!

To start off, when we got home last night our power was out. But no
biggey, because we live in the more ghetto-ish part of town that
happens a lot. Now even though I grew up in the most Boy Scout
environment possible for a young women, i was not prepared. Sorry to
disappoint Grandma and Dad, this Sister missionary tuned you out
somewhere along the way. So because I was so unprepared we had no
flash lights, no candles, nothing whatsoever to illuminate light,
except our iPads:) Let's just say that I can now find the roll of
toilet paper in complete and utter darkness. Maybe I can put that on
my resume when I get home! But anyways, it's a good thing our phone
was charged or else we wouldn't have had an alarm or anything. This
morning it still wasn't on. We get up to do our exercises on my new
fancy work out DVD (thanks Mom!) and the DVD player ran out of battery
half way through exercises. So then i go to climb in the shower, no
hot water. Our day was off to a great start! Now I know you all South
American missionaries would tell me to man up and take a cold shower
because you didn't have warm water for 2 years. Well you know what,
it's cold outside today! And our heater wasn't working this morning so
don't judge me! Of course it's cloudy outside so even though it's day
time it's still not very bright. We heard them talking outside saying
they'd have the power on tonight or tomorrow. Geez, that's great! You
know, sometimes I really do feel like I'm serving in a 3rd world
country. I mean really, no electricity, no hot water, no car, and most
importantly, we were out of chocolate. But the really stinky thing
about all this is we spent a bunch if money last week and stocked up
on food because we knew we wouldn't have the car for 2 preparation
days in a row. Our fridge and freezer were full, and now it's all gone
bad:( You know they say that you really don't appreciate something
until it's gone. That's kinda how I felt about my parents when I got
out here.... Mom and Dad, you're like my electricity. Always there,
until you're not. Then I really miss you! Maybe I'll write a poem
about that someday:)
So our next random adventure for the week happened yesterday when we
were teaching Taylor. Now she has been coming to seminary for a month
now and she's not even a member! Mind you, seminary starts at 5:40 am!
She's friends with one of the youth so yesterday we taught her for the
first time and it was so great! The spirit was strong, she had already
started reading the Book of Mormon, it was the perfect lesson. And
then the members dog starts chocking in the corner and the member
start freaking out! So she tries to grab the dog and drag her outside
and in the process the dog throws up all over Sister Draney's nice
white carpet!!!!! I debated in my mind whether I was going to be the
mature one in the situation but it was too funny so I just busted up
laughing! Poor Sister Draney was so embarrassed and the spirit was
gone so fast, but it makes a good story. And so they couldn't just
leave this throw up there so they pull out the pet vacuum and clean it
up. We're all just sitting awkwardly on the couch while they're
cleaning it up. Then we go back to teaching the lesson and it still
ended in a good note and we invited her to be baptized and she said
yes!! Hallelujah!
And the next random event: we were at a members house this week and my
companion started petting their cat. Well after a few minutes I
thought I was going to die. My nose itched so bad, my eyes started
burning, I got all stuffy, and I was like Oh no! I think I'm allergic
to cats. But I didn't say anything about it because that's never
happened before so I decided to wait and see. So the next day we had
another cat sit on our laps and sure enough after a few minutes my
nose itches so bad, my eyes start itch, and i feel the effects of it
for a few hours afterwards. So can anyone diagnose me? I think I
developed an allergy to cats!!!!! This would happen to me. With 8 more
months on my mission. And Illinois people are big cats and dogs
people. I always tell them they should just get pigs and lambs,
they're much cuter and you get money and a lot more meet than you can
get from a cat or a dog. But everyone just looks at me appalled that
my favorite animal is a pig because I like to kill it and eat the
meat. There's a lot of softies out here. But anyways, someone should
do the research and let me know if there's anything I can do about it.
Seriously, help me!
Well to end this email on a more spiritual note, we had a great
mission conference this last Friday. All 180 missionaries in the
Illinois Chicago West Mission gathered for a Sacred Grove experience.
We met in a forest preserve and it was actually pretty close looking
to a "spring morning in the year of 1820." As I'm sure I've mentioned,
Sister Fenns grandpa is Joseph Fielding Smith, whose father is Joseph
F. Smith, whose father is Hyrum Smith, who is brothers to the Prophet
Joseph Smith. So President and Sister Fenn make Joseph Smith a big
focus of our mission. They talked to us about different accounts of
the first vision and all the things that we learn from that single
event. For instance, we know that God the Father, His Son Jesus
Christ, and the Holy Ghost are 3 separate beings. We know that God
answers prayers, even those of a 14 year old farm boy. We know that
God has not forgotten about us. That He loves all of His children and
will call a prophet on earth to lead and guide us. We learn that when
light is present darkness cannot be and will flee from the light. I
know with all of my heart that Joseph Smith is a prophet of God. He
truly died for this work. He layed down his life because he knew that
the Book of Mormon was true. And just like Joseph Smith defended what
he knew to be true, I as well take my place in defending my Savior
Jesus Christ, as well as the prophet Joseph Smith. I would lay down my
life for a book, because it is the most correct of any book and it
changes lives. It is simply true. At some point in our lives we will
all be backed up to the wall of faith. I hope that each of you would
defend the Prophet Joseph Smith as well. Whether it be in your Sunday
school class and someone needs to be put in line, or in the grocery
store if you hear anti-Mormon literature. DEFEND THE PROPHET JOSEPH
SMITH AND DEFEND OUR SAVIOR JESUS CHRIST. I hope and pray you all have
a testimony strong enough to do that. "A valid and binding testimony
of Christ grows out of a sound understanding of the Restoration. You
cannot get to Gethsemane without going through the Sacred Grove." -a
Elder Bruce R. McConkie. At this conference we had the ability to bear
our testimonies as well. About 60 missionaries bore their testimony.
That's about a 3 hour testimony meeting in the hot sun, yes I got
sunburned and more freckles, but it was all worth it. I felt the
spirit so strongly and my testimony grew of the Prophet Joseph Smith.
Which an increased testimony of the Prophet Joseph leads us to know
that the Book of Mormon is true, which leads to the Church if Jesus
Christ of Latter-day Saints is the only true church on the earth.
That's why it's important to gain a testimony of him.
Well I got all of my birthday packages this week! I got 3 from Mom,
and thanks for all the clothes and everything else. I love it all! And
I got an awesome package from Mellica and Stephanie. And Aunt Dian
sent me some really cool Sister missionary stuff! So thanks everybody
for thinking of me! I hope Garret had a good birthday as well! Thanks
for everything, I love you all!

P.s. Don't forget to read Preach My Gospel! It changes lives, and it
can change yours:)"