week 42: biking 20 miles for the LORD

another wonderful week for the books. here is how it all began, im about as good at budgeting our car miles as i am money. so we are over on miles and so we decided to borrow the STL's bikes to save miles. RIP. we had an appointment in a town that was approximately 8.6 miles away, we dont have the miles for that. so we decided we would bike. worst! idea! ever! we thought it would be super easy cuz ya know illinois is as flat as a pancake. but the wind was against and i swear we weren't moving and cars were zooming past us. so what our area book told us would be a 40 minute bike ride turned into 1 1/2 hour bike ride. and then we finally get there and our appointment isnt home. *tear rolls down face* BUT we decided to make the most of it and go knock some doors. we met two amazing ladies who were so kind and interested in the gospel! stay tuned. it all works out how its is supposed to. Heavenly Father knows what he is doing, so we dont regret the bike ride at all. except waking up the next day wow my butt hurt and i was exhausted all day. so shout out to all you missionaries without a car, keep chugging along. Heavenly Father knew i needed the car. Our appointment this week with Nora Audrey and Dayshawn sadly didn't happen because Nora Audrey got sick :( but they were both at church yesterday so that was the best ever!!! I also got to go on exchanges with Sister Jones my old comp and it was a party. Literally it was like hanging out with an old friend all day. not much else exciting happened this week. "Sometimes His power heals an infirmity, but the scriptures and our experiences teach that sometimes He succors or helps by giving us the strength or patience to endure our infirmities" -Pres. Oaks. i love this quote! our Savior isn't going to always just automatically solve our problems and relieve us from our trails! we would not learn that way! but he will ALWAYS give us the strength to endure, the key is that we reach out to Him. i love you all to the Mississippi River and back. approx 257 miles. thats a lot of love. sis folk 

pics: 1. sleepy bird on our bike ride 2. no problem a shake from arbys cant solve 3. biking through the pain and agony 4. sista jones <3 5. bumper to bumper! gotta love those elders =)

Week 41: never give up even if its chicken liver

as i have been reflecting on last weeks email, i realized i made myself look like a high key loser with nothing in control in my life. so this week i decided i should spice it up a bit and brag about how together i really do have it DISCLAIMER: im honestly a hot mess but like a controlled hot mess does that make sense? anyway BUCKLE UP for the longest email ill probably ever send because this has been one of my favorite weeks on my mission thus far:we found 5 new people to teach this week!!!! Heavenly Father is letting us see so many little miracles and i feel #blessed. We started teaching a family. we have been meeting with kelly the past three weeks and this week jackson and dan sat in while we discussed Moroni 10:3-5 and invited them to read and pray to know of the truthfulness. jackson who is 11 said "only if we read it as a family". wow i loved that! we are going back this week to teach them as a family. kelly has told us how much more peace has been in her home as she has read the Book of Mormon. wow that book is SO cool . i would recommend to a friend. I recommend it to everyone actually even if they arent a friend! is my job! wahoo what a cool job! we started teaching a man name skyler this past tuesday...... then the elders who we share a ward with sent into our zone chat a miracle of them picking up someone new to teach named skyler.... we thought that was kind of interesting so we texted them and said " is skyler black and where does he live?" and lo and behold its the except same dude. he ran into missionaries 2x in one day but didnt tell the elders he met us and he is actually a pretty suspicious and it actually isnt going to go anywhere but it was a fun time figuring out that us and the elder picked up the same new person hours apart LOL Heavenly Father has a sense of humor ;). we were at an apartment complex and we were trying a lady who had been taught in the past and she wasnt home. s0 we start walking back and i look up and see apt 27 and it was really weird because i saw it and i just had the strongest impression to go over there. i said to sister van amen "lets go try 27 and why not 26 too". no one was home in 27 but in apt 26 we met kyle, and he was so open to the gospel and was searching for truth #minimiracles. we have an appointment with him tomorrow. and last but least angela. she had requested a bible so we gave her a BOM as well. she had never heard of it... YES i love it when that happens. we are going to go see her this weekend! HEAVENLY BLESSED SIS VAN AMEN AND I THIS WEEK. also heavenly father just blessed me with her in general. she has taught me so much and is a champ for putting up with me and my uniqueness ;-). im not even done yet please keep reading. Dayshawn and Nora Audrey are probably my highlight of the week. and i feel like i need to explain a little bit about who they are because its been a minute and my fans may be confused. so they Nora Audrey is 9 and a returning members daughter and Dayshawn is the returning members boyfriend. BUT this is what is SO SO exciting they are getting married before April 27th so that Dayshawn can get baptized!!!!! (they were already planning on it but they just pushed it up so he could get baptized, no false motives here). they just are amazing people and teaching them has been such a blessing. they are so prepared for the gospel and they just want to do what is right and get back on the right path. THE GOSPEL BLESSES FAMILIES BIG TIME. they told us we were the best missionaries ever and then Nora Audrey and her 7 yr old brother asked for our autographs. am i famous yet? but thats not even what it is about. I LOVE being a missionary. i am so LUCKY to have this calling. anyways sister van amen and I are so excited for their baptism in April! okay last story then ill wrap up. we went with the elders to the hospital yesterday to visit a couple who had an accident while traveling form texas to ohio. the elders were able to bless the sacrament for her and give them both blessings. it was such an amazing experience and again just another reason i love being a missionary. the priesthood power is so amazing and i love the experiences im having. okay you have approached the end of a novel...almost... more proof i have my life together: - i drove to st louis and back, no accident. im not that bad after all. - i ate chicken liver like a champ (and i thought i wouldnt try exotic foods in the mid west) wrongo this is a foreign country. i just LOVE LOVE LOVE being a missionary. im pretty sure im on cloud 9 right now so either im boutta fall off and this next week is gunna be rough or its gunna be another fab week, its all up to me and my attitude in the end really, so cloud 9 it is. here is the quote that got me to cloud 9 though, cuz it wasnt all rainbows and butterflys to this point. Never give up kids, thats what i have learned. "Perseverance is demonstrated by those who keep going when the going gets tough, who don't give up even when others say, "It can't be done." -James E. Faust. all my love + some more, sis folk

pics!!!! 1-4 really cute murals in springfield so enjoy some pics of me, 5. when you block the elders in and then the other elders roll up and block you in even better and you played yourself because you are then stuck in the malibu RIP 6. nothing a 89 cents dr pepper cant solve 7&8. new missionary orientations - me an my baby. and me and my trainer. wore the same outfit on purpose. sadly forgot to take pic of me and sis van amen until 9pm so this will do 9. the beautiful lake springfield!!! with the classy factory behind it. so pretty!!!! wow!!!10. me and my gurl

Addendum:
this was my email to president this week just thought i would share. :)

This week has been so great! We have been able to see so many miracles and it has been one of my favorite weeks of my mission this far. I know it is because I have truly done all I could this week to serve the Lord. I was so grateful to learn more ways to daily contact and since Wednesday we have been teaching principles through daily contact and it has been so amazing, Dayshawn came to church and I know it is because we were able to contact him each day and pray about what he needed to hear. It has been such a blessing to feel Heavenly Father's love and Jesus Christ love for them. I loved your email this week because I recently came to a amazing understand of their love. I sometimes wondered how could Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ love me individually when there are so many other people on this earth. As Sister Van Amen and I were studying last night I realized that the really do love us individually. I realized throughout my life looking back how many people I have grown to truly love and especially on my mission how many people I grown to absolutely love. I really didn't understand how it was possible to continuing to have more and more love and last night is when I finally really understand that their love is infinite and I get to feel it for all the people I am serving in my mission. I knew they loved me before but now because of the love I have felt for others from them, I really truly KNOW they love me. It was an eye opening experience. I am so grateful to continue to love and serve the people in Chatham/Springfield! -Sister Folkman

Week 40: young, dumb, and pork chops

Let me explain why I am young and dumb...
YOUNG:
1. a man whose wife we were teaching "can you drive?" ***me in my head*** "no our mom dropped us off at this lesson"
2. getting called 17 more times then i cant count
3. this one is a doosey. We went to chickfila for a nice simple lunch. We sat in the corner and minded our own business when a man approaches us and starts to tell us everything we dont know about our religion (so kind of him i know) he goes "your young they havent taught you this yet" i personally wanted to use my kung fu and punch him in the face but i remembered i represent Jesus Christ so sis van amem and i kindly took a beating while enjoying some nugs. dont worry he didnt convince us of anything. What doesnt kill u makes you stronger. nice try dude i know whats true and you cant get me.
DUMB:
1. forgot to get gas saturday night... yep sunday was a fun day calculating how far we could go! Yay! I think i inhaled too much helium as a kid, Im lackin brain cells.
2. thought i was driving on a one way road so i was driving in the left lane and then sister van amen goes "i dont think this is a one way" im just waiting to get my driving privileges revoked.
BUT this week has been fantastic nonetheless!! had lunch with a member ... ate pork chops, had dinner 3 hours later with Nora Audrey and Dayshawn. Kelli (Nora's mom) made us the best mashed potatoes ive had in my entire life. wow i need that recipe. and she also made us fried pork chops, which i was nervous for but they were JUST AS GOOD AS THE TATERS. wow those were too good. we taught them the Gospel of Jesus Christ and they are just so prepared. I am starting to love it here in Chatham. gotta go through the hard to see the good. and i mean thats really true, if i didnt have last transfer i would be who i am right now. i love that Heavenly Father is in charge of my life not me because i would mess it up, but i also love that he gives us the chance to learn and choose for ourselves but that he hasnt left us alone. i am truly so grateful for the knowledge of my Savior and that i get to share his gospel with these amazing people. I am grateful for trials. girl scout cookie update: they knock on our door now. we were getting ready to leave and a little girl knocks on our door. I JUST CANT SAY NO !!! I LOVE YOU ALL A LOT! sis folk :))

pictures! Most the sistas i came out with at zone conference, Girl scouts, Ronnie pass off to Elders,  Snow one day 50 degrees the next 👍👍,  driving??, A sleepy racoon who loves drinking cherry koolaid! 

                                                           

Week 39: 9 months in the MSLM womb, 9 to go

I hit my 9 month mark on February 30th (best day of the year) so that was exciting!! I can't believe im halfway done, honestly time has FLOWN BY. Picked up my new companion on Wednesday. Sister Van Amen from SLC UT. We are having a party already.
I think she likes me other than i've:
1. Almost ran a stop sign and got us T-Boned (good thing she was paying attention)
2. Almost slid off the road on the way to church #snowsfaultnotmine
3. Not almost, DID run into the median, the malibu is luckily A-okay.
Best mom award 🖐
But hey can ya blame me? I learned how to drive from Kim Folkman #roasted #srrymom
We had an amazing lesson with Nora, Audrey, and Dayshawn last night teaching them the Plan of Salvation. We invited them to be baptized on April 27th and they accepted!!! I am so excited to keep teaching them. Heavenly Father is blessing us so much already. Hard work pays off. i told you i would have more things to say this week but i dont, so sorry. here are some Illinois updates: -its still cold but its growing on me. praying for charity WORKS. -girl scout update: we knock on their doors now and they still get us to buy their cookies- they are too good. But got a return apt. so win win? been reading about Abinadi this week in Mosiah. I LOVE THAT GUY. he has taught me so much. that repenting is the best thing we can do, and that we can only repent because of Christ. he is the way to salvation. I am so grateful for my savior! I love you all! -sis folk

Pics: 1. HUMP DAY 2. sis norton (a sister in my district and me n her are so alike so we have fun together) 3. Girl scouts got us 4. Sister van amen 5. Sis shaffer!! 6. Pic from member