California Sister Entrikin: The mosquitoes are ravenous 🦟😱

Sister Entrikin and Sister Jenkins at the Feather River Temple

The mosquitoes are ravenous 🦟😱

August 24, 2023

Hey everybody! Now before you ask, my P-day has been moved to Thursday for this week and the next two weeks. Why? I'm working the temple open house Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday this week and the next two weeks. Because I got transferred! I'm in Gridley! Which is a 15-minute drive from the temple in Yuba City, so you already know they're putting me to work *saluting emoji*.

We got transfer news on Wednesday and..... drum roll please... I'm training! And whitewashing! And still an STL! And have only 2 full proselytizing days a week (bc of the temple)! In other words: AhHHGGGggGGGGghhhhhhhhhHh

But really it's not going too terribly. Although I was VERY stressed for a bit there. I'm still kind of stressed, but that's pretty normal for me, haha. My new companion is super sweet! Her name is Sister Jenkins and we've been getting along pretty well 😁 Hopefully I don't mess her up too bad.

6 of the 10 days since I last spoke to you all were spent helping at the temple open house. 3 last week and 3 this week. Working the open house is very long. And rather boring. And I imagine I've seen the video we show probably 100 times. I've gotten quite good at spacing out while it's playing 😌

While we were working the VIP tours (which isn't as impressive as it sounds--we were still just pressing play on the video, a monkey could do it) we got to stay in a hotel 😏 (this was when I was still in Roseville). The first night, we locked the TV remotes in the safe because they were tempting us too much. The second night, we decided that we were allowed to watch "the Chosen." Better to ask forgiveness than permission, if ya know what I mean 😇

The biggest thing that happened because of staying in a hotel is that I remember how much I miss my job... as a housekeeper.. cleaning rooms. That was an interesting side effect that I wasn't necessarily expecting 😅 I tipped the cleaner 4 whole dollars because that was all the cash in my wallet. Next time I'll be better prepared.

Of course we got transfer news last Wednesday, but we were in Yuba City until Friday morning. Friday is the day that transfers happen. Meaning we woke up, ate, drove back to Roseville, packed, shoved everything into our car, drove to the mission office, switched cars, and I was barely on time for my training for trainers. Oh boy. That was a LOT. Then of course we had a ridiculous training on how we need to be exemplar missionaries who follow the rules with exactness so we don't mess up the experience of the new missionaries coming in. Yikes. I couldn't stop thinking about "Shawshank Redemption." If you haven't watched it, this is kind of a big spoiler just FYI. But the main dude escapes the prison using a rock pick to dig a tunnel over years and years. Rock picks are tiny, and the tunnel was big, so it took time. That's how I feel self-improvement is. It takes little efforts everyday and then farrrrrr in the future you get to look back at this tunnel you dug. It is not a big explosion of rock and dust. So I shared that in the meeting. President Abinante said that he liked the edited version of that movie. I have no idea if I watched the edited version or not, but the movie I watched was straight fire, so I guess it doesn't really matter 🙃

Then I met my new comp! She's very sweet, and also deathly allergic to peanuts. I may or may not have been calling her my "little peanut" in the 3 days leading up to meeting her. I think I'm pretty funny 😌

Then we had some hiccups, so we got to Gridley later than I thought we would, so we had to cancel our dinner. Then we get to our house and it's locked. And we don't have keys. And none of the sisters who live with us answered their phones. So on Sister Jenkins' first day in the Mission, a couple hours after meeting me, I broke into our house using my old student ID card. Now she either thinks I'm crazy or really cool. Along with everyone else we live with who asked how we got in. Although they are definitely leaning towards the thinking I'm crazy side because I told them and they go "oh..." And didn't mention it after that 🤷‍♀️ Hey, I'm not the one who didn't make an extra key for the new roommates. And I quite enjoy being able to break into places.

I'm excited to work with Sister Jenkins. We planned a lesson together and it was super fire. The lesson fell through, but the plan slaps. It'll be a good transfer.

Sunday I had sooooo many meetings. It was all meetings. We are trying to get to know our new ward and teaching pool, and still work 3 day 12-hour shifts at the temple, so it might be a little touch and go for a while.

Then Monday was back to the temple. That was a bit rough. Everybody wants to be in charge, even though none of us know what we're doing and it was pretty slow, so we had a lots of time to do a whole lotta nothing. RIP. But THEN Sister Saturnino and her new companion stayed at our house overnight because we have our big mission leadership meeting the next day. From the minute she walked in to the minute she drove back south, I was hanging out with the absolute love of my life. She was a life saver. She always makes me feel so much better and we talked until almost midnight Monday night 😬 Starting off strong with being a good example to my new comp 💪

But Sister Saturnino bought me a shot glass for my 21st birthday, so we had to take shots together. All we had was sparkling water, so that's what we used. I am terrible at taking shots, surprise surprise. So she insisted we do it until I got it right. I never got it right, and I drank two cans of sparkling water. I'm never drinking again 😔 But we had a blast! So that was fun.

Of course then we actually had to have our big leadership meeting. Which actually wasn't too bad. I adore President Basha and I would die for him. He is officially adopted into my found family *family emoji*. And he got rid of Zone action plans and zone councils which means wayyyy less meetings for me. 10 points to the mission presidency! Fun times. After that meeting our zone had interviews with President. He is only slightly concerned about me. He said "I'll check back with you in 2 days" 💀 Whoops. Got a little too open in that interview apparently. But he gave me a blessing which was super fire, so hopefully I'll actually apply the advice given to me 👍

He also keeps complimenting me which I don't know how to deal with because compliments make me uncomfortable (specifically when they're about my personal strengths). He told me that I need to start accepting compliments better 😠 -5 points. Haha, but it was good, and I like talking with him 🤷‍♀️

So fun fact about Gridley: 90% of this place is orchards and rice fields. Fun fact about rice fields: they are full of stagnant water because that's how rice likes to grow. Fun fact about stagnant water: mosquitoes LOVE it. Fun fact about mosquitoes: they love Aysha. Fun fact about Aysha: She is 50% bug bites and 50% rage. Also she is never wearing sandals in Gridley ever again.

To compensate for me being eaten alive in one day, God made the stars align so Sister Hermana Nickerson was working the temple yesterday. I miss that girl. And I talked to her for an hour instead of talking to people at the open house 😈

And THAT was my week. (And a half). Congratulations if you made it to the end, so have I.

As always, I love you all. Til next time,

Love, Sister Aysha May Entrikin

Spiritual Thought:

Philippians 4:13 "I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me."

Been putting this one to the test, and I'm still here 😁

Addresses:

House - 2421 Melton Cir, Live Oak, CA 95953

Mission office - 8583 Watt Avenue, Antelope, CA 95843

Pictures:

1) the aftermath of the mosquitoes (feet pic warning)

2) olive trees on the temple grounds

3) parasol queens ft my new bday dress

4) S Maughan and I @the temple

5&6) S Jenkins and I @the temple

7&8) Hotel mirror pics

9) yeah I'm pretty strong

10) S Maughan put 20 pounds of sour cream on my baked potato 🤬 it was soup

Also, forgot it was my birthday last Monday. The Elders got me a cake, and Sister Maughan got me Martinelli's sparkling apple cider. And I wore my "wine country California" shirt. Let's go 21 🤘