Happy New Year!!

The holidays are a great time of year! Hope all of you enjoyed Christmas and got some of the best memories in the world. I definitely know that I had lots of fun!

Enjoy the new year and make some good goals! But make sure they're achievable! I don't think a goal of going to the moon this year will pan out too well. But who knows, I could be lacking faith in your ability and resources.

Love you all!
Have fun adventures!

~Sister Martineau/Marty/Aronora/Kaitlyn

PS. This missionary mama stole some pics from the Mission December Conference (supposedly NOT focused on Christmas but it looked like they did that fun anyway).

That Awkward Moment When...

That awkward moment when your companion is talking about how many baptisms she's had and you reply, "Well....um...this is my first."

That awkward moment when members of the ward are talking about Christmas and you don't want to tell them that your family is delaying Christmas until you get home because you don't want them to know how long you've been out.

That awkward, yet fabulous, moment when you find pants that fit really well in the pile of left behind clothing.

That awkward moment when it starts snowing before you realize that you left all your scarves, hats, and gloves in your last area ... (don't worry, I got them back the next day).

That awkward moment when your Mission President calls to just say Hi and tell you that you've come a long way, and that your companion thinks the world is going to end.

That awkward moment when you reach the end of the week and realize that you've been wearing the same pair of tights since Monday...

That awkward moment when you put on a pair of boots to look cut, step into the snow, and they get flooded... (don't worry, I got them fixed).

Life is full of awkward moments...more so as a missionary than anything else I swear! But it's fun! Love you all and hope you enjoyed this email of awkwardness!

~Sister Martineau

Indiana!!

Well, I am now at the top of the mission!

Woot! Woot!

I do miss the baby mountains and everyone I met down there but now is the time for a new adventure! And I'm going to make it one.

 

It still has it's charm. I'm just back in the city. Lots of people, lots of roads, busy, busy, busy.

Sister Gessel is my companion and she's fabulous!!

That's all for this week! Love you lots!

~Sister Martineau

It's transfer day!

Another great transfer day when wonderful members feed this Missionary Mom super secret information.

Here is a wonderful text I got not long ago:

Hi Marlene. I was at transfer meeting and today and guess what? 

Yep, she's on the move again! She decided to take a selfie to send to you. I adore your daughter. She's collecting people again. I think it is equally fascinating and entertaining to watch her collect her little "band of campers." 

So, here's here new address:
5491 N. Clinton Street
Fort Wayne, IN 46825

And, of course...the selfie...

She also got to hang for a minute with Sister Low, the Sister Missionary with whom she worked in the office. Sister Low is heading back to Scotland (home!!) tomorrow. What a blessing to connect one more time. 

I also got the following text from an, as yet, unknown source. 

New Companions! Sister Giesel and Sister Martineau already love each other so much. 

I do love that I am also able to connect with people that mean so much to Sister Martineau. It has been a fun afternoon. 

Goodbye Kentucky!

Well if you can't tell by the Title, I'm getting transferred. To be honest, it doesn't feel like I've only been here a month and a half. I've made too many friends to be here that short a time. But hey, life is life right?

Some of my favorite moments in Kentucky...

Horseback Riding

The moments that remind me of home

And Sister Langitao

This transfer has been great and lots of fun! But now it's time to pack and continue the adventure! Who knows what's in store right? 

Hope you are all having lots of fun and can't wait to hear about all your adventures! 

~Sister Martineau

Another week in Kentucky!

There's not really much to say besides the fact that the trees are turning colors! That makes me happy!!

I've also thought that I should think about looking into photography when I get home...

But I have to say that my favorite part of it all is the fact that I'm driving a truck!

I realized that I forgot to send my address last week! Here it is for all you great people. 

62 Summit St Unit C

Flemingsburg KY 41041

I hope all of you are having adventures like I am! 

~Sister Martineau

Guess where I ended up?

Green wasteland, farms, cows, hills. It can only be one place KENTUCKY!! This is the view from our front porch looking towards town. 

The members out here are great. So far I've been loved on by their dogs, given a quilt for winter, and been loved by everyone we meet. 

(I found Hoagie!!!) 

And Muffy! 

But I think my favorite part is the fresh air. I forgot what that smelled like! Oh well, being in cities for a year will do that to you I guess. 

Hope you're all having adventures of your own! 

~ Sister Martineau

Life as an Office Sister

Well, I haven't been too clear about what life is like as an Office Sister. So, I'm going to clear things up...We are still required to proselyte like other missionaries. But we also have 6 reports due each month for the various stakes (the information of which is completely dependent upon the Zone leaders) and 1 report for the phones as well as anything else that gets thrown at us.

Yeah...I'm learning how to deal with stress in an organized manner. Which is REALLY great for school/work/kids. Kinda soaking up everything I can right now.

My camera just got a charge so you can start expecting pictures again but for this week that's it...Sorry I still didn't explain much of what we do...

~Sister Martineau

Mama's NOTE: I found the following pictures posted as part of transfers last week. Just call her Sister Super Woman!! :)

Wait! It's August?

This week we've done a lot more Visiting than in the past. And it was THE BEST! We went to visit some Members (who's entire back yard is a garden) and they gave us some veggies. Zucchini, squash and cucumbers. Needless to say, we'll be eating healthy the next little while.

I was also surprised when I cam in from going on splits with Sister Wimmer (member) with a Package!! 

Christmas in July! Sister Low thought it was just really late....But no...It was just a fun surprise. 

Hope all of you had an eventful week with fun surprises! 

~Sister Martineau

This week!

Well, I've officially decided that a desk job later in life wouldn't be completely horrible. I'm surviving the Office. Granted, I'm missing proselyting as much as I used to...But that's alright. We're changing things. Honestly, I don't think we need as many office hours as we're putting into it...Things will be changing.

This week we helped keep Sister Kahles with Keira's Baptism. We've been working a lot with them and it was SO much fun playing little helper to make sure everything ran smoothly. And we had lots of fun!

Hope you all had a great week!

~Sister Martineau

PICTURES

All the Pictures I Promised are here! I finally remembered my Camera! Don't worry... captions are included.

Sister Rose and I found tractor tires and I lifted them up and rolled them across the field. SUPER HUMAN STRENGTH! (Sister Rose couldn't do it) 

My temporary trio for a day. Me, Sister Cleveland, Sister Neilson

So we tried to use the cart from the kitchen to take package into the church. We broke the cart. 

I found my Prince!

He's just a little Guy... 

My hair and Sister Low's Cucumber...

YUP that's what we've been up to...The Crazy American and the Silent Scott...We make it work. 

Hope you all enjoyed the pictures! Hopefully I'll have more to say next week. 

LOVE

~Sister Martineau

The Transfer... and the Emergency Transfer

So transfers, I was told I was going to Cincinnati with Sister Neilson and Sister Cleveland. TRIO! EXCITING! YAY! I was happy to get to work. And I survived my first trio I could handle another! We got to Cincinnati, I unpacked my clothes and my desk, and went to work and I was super excited to help motivate the ward to be better missionaries. I've done that  before too, I could totally do it again! But then, 24 hours after transfers President Porter called and said he made a mistake, I was needed elsewhere. So I packed in 45 minutes, Sister Cleveland made some lunch, we ate, and we lft. An hour later I was loading my things into a different car said goodbye to my previously assigned companions and said hello to Sister Lagitao and Sister Low in the Office.

That's right everyone! I'm in office sister! So my new address is the mission office address.
PO Box 11971
Cincinnati, OH 45211
I'm excited to be here. Sister Low says that this ward is my kind of people and I would agree. EVERYONE is into Renaissance/Doctor Who/Sewing/Essential Oils (or some combination of those things). Seriously...I haven't left a home yet where I don't feel adopted. It's great. I love it here. and I'm praying it is not just a one transfer thing. Granted, office sisters tend to stick around a while. So I shouldn't be worried....Right?

There are also a lot of stone churches EVERYWHERE. It makes me really happy. I TOTALLY plan on coming back here with a tripod, my dresses, and just spending a day taking EPIC pictures. All SCAdians back home will be jealous.

I did forget my camera again today. But I'll email pictures I promise!

~ Sister Martineau

Transfers

Well, three months in Springboro and I'm getting transferred. I don't want to leave! But you know what? You go where the Lord sends you. And that's a fact. There's so much good going on here and I'm excited for my new adventure.

Sorry this isn't a long email and about it's lack of pictures. I packed my Camera and study materials this morning when we got the transfer call. :( I promise lots of pictures next week!

I'm excite to let you all know about my new grand adventure!

~Sister Martineau

BEANS!

You just can't tell me that things that are built after 1850 as those built before. Sorry. Not going to happen. That's my favorite thing about serving here in Ohio. Clock towers. Stain glass windows in old churches, brick sidewalks...yup. I might never live in the west again. It doesn't have as much character to it. Yes "Historic Downtown Logan" has some character in it. But that's one street. I'm talking towns here...

But on the other side, we have a lot of fields.

Bean fields, corn fields, flooded fields, you name it we got it. And it amazes me we drive through these part of our area how green they really are! Gah. Not a big fan of the rain but if it makes it this green I'll keep it. Mostly  it just reminds me of Ireland...Yup I could spend eternity out here in the land of green!

But Like I said, we've been getting a lot of rain. We went to a tractor show in this park not 3 weeks ago. Now it's the overflow for the river. I wanted to go play in it but there's some rule about missionaries not allowed to go swimming. And knowing my balance, that's probably what would have ended up happening. But we saw a lot of cool things from the edge of the pond. Like fish and skeeters and all those other fun things you expect to see when you go to a pond.

Those are our adventures! Hope you're having some great ones too!

~Sister Martineau

RAIN! RAIN!!

Holy Heavens the rain...It's insane. I thought we had crazy storms in Utah. Nope. They don't hold a candle to Ohio! It's been raining every day almost. Typically when one of us decides to walk because it doesn't look like it'll be too horribly bad. The Rain comes.

But you know... it all works out. We ring out our clothes, pull up our hair....

Dry out our planners. And get back to work. After all, we don't melt.




















We've also been having lots of adventures this week! We've been going down old roads and places we've never been. We've found beautiful views, new friends, and had lots of fun!

I hope you're all having as great as week as we are! Love you all lots and hope you all have many adventures!

~Sister Martineau

PICTURES!!

I thought it was about time for another picture filled email and worked VERY hard this week to make it happen! Hope you all enjoy!

Taking a break in some shade

 A little bit of Geeking out! 

We found a Corn Field. 

SELFIE!! 

Obviously we've been having a lot of fun and hope all of you are too! The weather is nice, we haven't died of dehydration and the grace is pouring down! Hope all of you have a FANTASTIC week and enjoy all your summer plans! 

~Sister Martineau

Weekly Report

This week was great!
We saw a Gigantour Moth.

We read scriptures in a Gondola.


















We wore crazy headbands!

















And we're having adventures. We met a lot of our goals this week which made it even better. Sister Rose said that we've exceeded what she's experienced in her mission thus far. It's amazing what Heavenly Father can do with two crazy young adults on a mission.

Yup, that's right, we're doing awesome.

~Sister Martineau

WHERE ARE THE MOUNTAINS?!?!?!

Yet again I am put with someone fantastic! Sister Rose and I came out together! When the plane landed Sis R looked out the window, then turned to me and said, "Sister Martineau, where are the mountains?" I solemnly shook my head, worried about finding my way around as I replied, "Sister Rose, there are no mountains."

Ever since then that's been our greeting. Every time we see each other it gets yelled. Across parking lots, in church buildings, through car windows...and about five transfers ago we made up our minds that if were ever put together as companions that would be shouted.

So we're sitting in the chapel and the assistant gets up to announce who's going where. I know I'm staying in Springboro and starting to get excited to see who my new companion is. He goes through the rest of the zone and goest to us and says that I'm receiving Sis R and I stand up kinda stunned. "Did he really say that?" I wonder. Then behind me I hear, "WHERE ARE THE MOUNTAINS?" I squeal my reply. "There are no mountains!" And run to give her a hug.

Yup that's my Story from transfers. And this is the two of us.

Don't let your companions find your camera while you're taking a power nap...

We would also like to give a shout out to whoever Chris Householder is... We're sorry you moved and didn't tell your friends but we're glad we got these on your doorstep! It made our day. Especially since I had to drive through the worse rain I've ever seen. Midwestern rain storms are only fun if you don't have to get out of them.

Anyways, that's all the adventures of this week! Hope all of you are doing great things and having lots of fun!

~Sister Martineau