Return to Florida

Well this week we officially arrived back in Florida. It was 95 degrees and super humid! All the natives have been telling us how harsh this winter was... I'm pretty sure it didn't even ever hit freezing. Apparently they are now expecting a crazy summer though so that should be fun!

The beginning of this week was a blast! We spent the first 3 days in Tampa street contacting! They are taking small groups up there at various times so we get more comfortable with talking to everyone! To make it even better, Sister Ormsby (my MTC comp was there) We were staying in the same apartment so that was a good time. I just love her! We are plotting to be put back together within the next couple transfers! ;P 

okay so something cool I learned this week. How dang important studying is! I heard once that when we need to talk to God we pray, when we want to know what He has to say, we read the scriptures. That is so dang true! I have had so many experiences on my mission of needing an answer and then I open the scriptures and it is EXACTLY what I need! Last week I read something that was like, "come on Timothy... You had to have written that JUST for me!" It was word for word a direct answer to my prayer! Goodness I am so grateful for the experiences we have that remind us how real God is. He is always there for us and He loves us so much! It is truly incredible. I love you all so much! Have an amazing week!

Love, Sister Upshaw

 

Her letter home was short this week because she was uploading pictures.  At least I finally got some from her.

 

She is still a dare devil

That is a baby alligator

Sis. Calder and Chelsea with their Metro pass

Baby alligator

They were given pepper spray when they went into Tampa. 

Chelsea and Sis Ormsby were MTC companions and Sis. Calder and Sis Ormsby's companion were MTC companions

 

I have ZERO musical ability!

Who is 5' 4, wearing a skirt, drowning as she breaths and currently emailing on her iPAD!? THIS GIRL!! The whole drowning as I breathe thing is due to the 80% humidity! (I know I am a little baby) WE GOT iPADS!! Seriously it is the greatest thing ever! Finally we can show people videos WHENEVER and WHEREVER we want! It is AWESOME! One of the weirdest things ya ever did see was a room full of missionaries having an iPad put in their hands. We had to drive 2 hours to the conference on Thursday. Once we got there President welcomed us all out and announces that I will be leading the music.... The convo went as follows:

Pres: Sister Calder will be playing the piano and Sister Upshaw will lead

Me: Uhh... I don't know how...

Pres: That's okay

Me: This is what your going to get (Me making a check mark with my arm in the air)

Pres: That's fine... I don't watch the chorister anyway.

Me: Are you being serious?? I barely know how to SING the hymns, let alone lead them! 

Pres: Yes I'm serious! 

I don't think he believed me that I didn't know how, but I'd be willing to bet that is the LAST time he ever asks me to do it! It was actually pretty funny. I really have no idea why he didn't ask one of the other 30 people there that probably ALL know how to lead, but whatevs. I seriously have ZERO musical talent.... Ask any of my comps. poor things have to hear me sing every day! 

On the real though this week was AWESOME! I LOVE this place! I know that is like polar opposite to what I was saying 3 weeks ago, but it for sure has grown on me! We are starting to get really busy, which makes any missionary pretty darn happy! President Cusick has been really focusing on the blessings that come from being exactly obedient. Quite frankly I thought he had lost his marbles after last week... The ZL's came in and put blue tape on everything in the apartment that we had to get rid of. They put tape on our COUCH! We were like what the heck pres! Anyway then I was reading in Joshua about the children of Israel and the people of Jericho. The israelites were given some pretty ridiculous instruction from the Lord. Essentially they had to walk in circles for 7 days without saying a word and then shout at just the right moment. They had no idea what would happen when they completed this just that they would prevail against the people of Jericho. Well the walls of the city came crumbling down. I'm sure that far exceeded what they thought would happen. It wasn't the physical act of what they did that made the wall fall. It was because they had faith and were obedient that the Lord blessed them! 

How often are we asked to do something that we don't do because we don't understand the purpose behind it? If it comes from God then there is probably a pretty good reason behind it. Maybe all that reason is, is to to test our faith and give us an opportunity to be obedient. Who knows? All I know is that he is bound when we do what he says and he has made us some pretty sweet promises so it's kind of a no brainer! 

I love ya'll so much! I hope you have a great week full of dry air and warm sun! 

Love always, 

Sister Upshaw

p.s. That wasn't facetious! Humidity kills!

Chelsea and Sis. Calder

Instead of doing pull ups she decided to hang upside down

In their apartment

Crazy girls

They have to get rid of the couch

Mon, 10 Feb 2014 Post

As you can see, she has adjusted well to her new area.  She is resisting the 
temptation of the beach.  Boy has she grown up.  As a child, if there was a body 
of water any where in site, she was in it.  I'm glad she is being obedient and 
staying focused on the reason she is there.  She will have plenty of time in her 
life to play on the beach.  
 
Regarding the Ipads, I thought she already had them because she was made a 
Facebook Missionary.  Evidently, the only time she could post anything was when 
she was at the library or at the business center in the apartment complex.  
Since time was limited, she hasn't posted very many things.  We'll see if that 
changes once she has the Ipad. 
 
 

 
quote of the week: "Good friends are like bacon bits in the salad of life" 
I have never heard a more true statement in my life! Except like.... That 
the gospel is true... That totes tops it! haha 
 
This week was pretty stellar! I LOVE MY WARD HERE! Monday night we had 
dinner with a family who is in the circus! Crazy right? We went in their 
backyard and they have a huge cage thing back there! Their act is riding 
motor cycles in the cage while she hangs by her neck in the middle. Super 
cool! We also have a Par-olympian (sp) basketball player and remember that 
one year I went to EFY? Well one of the teachers there that kind of changed 
my life... Is in my ward! Unreal right? His name is Justin Su'a and he is 
pretty much the greatest! Someone else here is on Broadway and one of the 
people we are teaching is a pro Ballerina! Sarasota is Crazy! 
 
Fun fact! The beach is in our area and I see it EVERYDAY! It's sad though 
because I just want to go lay in the sand like all day! It is kind of 
torture, but I suppose I will live. I am starting to LOVE this area! We 
have been working really hard the last couple of weeks and finally our 
teaching pool is growing! haha Last week we hardly had to plan at night 
because we had so many appointments! I LOVE it! MAn I feel lame today, but 
I just can't think of anything cool to share with ya... 
 
I love you all so much! We are going to head out to the boardwalk today and 
go to a circus museum! Seriously I am currently living in the coolest city 
in the US! 
 
Have an awesome week! 
 
-Love, Sista Upshaw! 
 
p.s. We are getting iPads this week! 

Hola! Como Estas?

... If you didn't read that like Elder Callughn then go read it again. If 
 you don't know who that is then go watch "The best two years" Like right 
 now! For realz! It is the beeze neeze and ridiculously accurate! 
 
 This week was a pretty good week! I am absolutely exhausted though! Fun 
 fact! We have to bike about 10 miles before we get to anyone! We have a few 
 people closer than that, but not many... We biked SO MUCH last week! Our 
 area is huge! Oh and we left Florida for a solid week and landed in 
 Washington apparently... It was overcast and rainy for FOUR days straight! 
 and it was cold rain! Luckily we arrived back in Florida yesterday though 
 so no worries! I am such a baby when it comes to the cold. I remember 
 everyone telling me how the humidity makes it like a 10000x worse, but I 
 didn't really believe them. SORRY Jeremiah! It gets in your bones and you 
 can not get warm! You all will laugh when you go look at the weather and 
 see the lowest it got last week was like 45, but whatevs I was freezing my 
 buns off! 
 
 Okay so basically I love this area! My ward is awesome and the people are 
 great! The only challenge is that it is a pretty wealthy area. I can't tell 
 you how many times this week I ran into people who flat out do not believe 
 in God. One man told me Jesus Christ was a political statement. What does 
 that even mean!? I was pretty much devastated... I can't comprehend how you 
 could not believe in God and be happy. What would be the point of this 
 life? Anyway so I was starting to be hesitant to talk to people. I didn't 
 want to have another person reject something that means everything to me. 
 So Saturday I was feeling this way and we had been biking for hours with no 
 success. We finally called a member to see if we could swing by to get some 
 water. We headed over, but this lady lives in like Narnia! Seriously it is 
 so hard to find the turn off to her street! We biked back and forth for 30 
 minutes on the same quarter mile! It was crazy. Finally I found a dirt road 
 that I thought was it. Sister Calder was like that's not it, but we can try 
 it. Long story short we go down and find a woman who had been praying for 
 direction in her life and here we come riding down a weird dirt road that 
 lead to nowhere! Crazy right!? 
 
 The Lord is definitely proving me here, but I can honestly say I love it! 
 Sometimes I am a total baby about it, but luckily he still loves me and 
 provides little miracles along the way! Look for the little miracles in 
 your lives. I promise they're there! I love you all so much! 
 
 HAPPY EARLY BIRTHDAY NAE-NAE!!!! I love you so stinkn' much!!! MUAH! 
 
 -Love Sister Upshaw 

How we get people to church in the FTM

These kids challenged me to a soccer game... SO I told them if I won then they had to come to church. They said if they won then I had to bring them brownies at our next lesson. So I got all muddy and ruined a pair of shoes, but I won and they totes are coming to church! haha

 Typical Chelsea, She won't back down from a challenge