First Look at Utah from a South African

Good Afternoon!!! From Utah :) I know its about Midnight for most of you ;P

Just to start I got my MTC postal address:

Sister Karen Marie Hollander
SEP18  UT-STG
2009 N 900 E Unit 142
Provo UT 84602

If you would like to send me a letter or something please use dearelder.com it's FREE. I will only be able to reply probably once I'm out in the field or I will post a reply because of limited time in the MTC - PLEASE INCLUDE YOUR POSTAL address if I decide to post a letter back. (Postal time approx 2 weeks)

So just to give you a breakdown of my tome here in Utah so far (Which might turn more into a journal entry - might be the last of it's kind since I have the time now I will use it)

The flight to the States was a long one!!! Think I finally arrived in Utah at 10 45 SLC Time after missing my connecting flight from Dallas to Salt Lake. I'm Soooooo grateful that Elder and Sister Leavett were there and also missed the same connecting flight!! (They a Couple missionary returning home from working in the mission office in jhb - returning to St George side of all places) - shame they bought me dinner and everything though I still have left overs from that meal!! - we had the same flight from JHB but a different flight from London, and the same flight from Dallas. Crazy how we BOTH missed it! They were lucky to have fast track passes to get through immigration, customs and TSA quickly - but their flight landed an hour after mine. I had 3 LOOOONG ques to get through it was just madness!! Part of the maddness was because about 6 flights all landed at the same time. about 3 from London and one from Mexico one from Tokyo and another smaller one.

It was so great to eventually see the Porters (For those of you who don't know the Porters served their mission at our institute building and so have become second parents to me, they are absolutely incredible! It was just too fun talking to them about South Africa on the drive home. I really could talk to them for days - which has been happening so I am not home sick, though I think they are a bit. I only got about 3.5 hours in after I got to the Porters. 

It's great to be in Mormonville and see saints everywhere - you cannot believe how cool it is to see people dress modestly in this heat. Also to see all the Temples in a half-hour trip through the valley they really are beacons here.

Friday we went to the Salt Lake Temple. It was just wonderful!! Live sessions are not weird, they actually give more insight and more symbolism that I didn't think about before which was great. For those of you who don't know what Mormon Temples are and what happens inside have a look at this link & video:

It really describes it better than I ever could.

After the temple we had lunch at the lion house and had my fist taste of honey butter - it's quite awesome. Also had a go at the american creme soda. and well it's definitely NOTHING like our green ambulance back home but I had to try it :) anyway the food was great!

We then headed to the beehive house which was the home of the Prophet Brigham Young. What was crazy here was as I walked in one of the sisters asked if I was going on a mission. - It was possible that I could have been a non member (I guess highly unlikely since we all had just come from the temple in Church attire but still) Was great to meet them and have them take us on the tour - It is just amazing the spirit you feel around these sisters - I think they have a tough time having to take people on tours and keep the same spirit through the repetitiveness of it throughout their time there. But they do. It was also incredible to see how much Brigham young did with his hands. How he found the time for it I have no clue.

We then started on Temple Square with the Assembly hall and the Tabernacle Both have amazing architecture and the acoustics in the Tabernacle are impressive - would love to be there when they have a performance or something of that kind. 

The North Visitors Center have too many buttons I just wanted to push all of them! But the day was ending and i was pretty exhausted so we called it a day.

Saturday: we went to a Mountian Man Rendezvous in Wyoming (YAY now I can say I have been in another State beside Utah! haha) It was lots of fun! We went with a couple that The Porters served with in JHB, the Bakers were the PEF couple. They are so much fun and Sister baker is so adventurous  she dressed up and everything. Google it if you want to know more. I have posted some Pics on Picssa web albums and commented on each of the pictures the link is below.

After a long day I went and met the Sister Missionary who found and converted my parents to this amazing gospel. Sister Jill Hadley Neilson. 

Such an amazing women with an equally amazing family! they were just so wonderful and fun. She took me around BUY campus (which is HUGE by the way) and we stopped at the creamery for some ice cream while waiting for a man to get out his car so we could get in ours we were busy talking about South Africa and all of a sudden he starts joining in! Turns out he is the Son-in Law to Elder and Sister Bricknel (Adams is his last name) It was so amazing to just randomly meet someone and immediately be able to make a connection to home. (with Natalie and Cuen Bibb in My home ward)

Sunday: was privileged enough to watch music and the spoken word live with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir  It was absolutely incredible! Breathtaking musical talent in the orchestra as well as the choir.

We only had sacrament at 1. There was a police officer that got killed Sunday morning in Draper (where I'm staying) so almost all church meetings got canceled in the area. And it was in lock down pretty much. interesting how this are affected in different areas in the world.

We went to Jill for dinner and had a South African Reunion. Had Luke and his wife over and later on the missionaries came for desert - one of which is an Elder from SOUTH AFRICA (Bedfordview) Elder Ramos serving in Salt lake South Mission. I had never before met or seen him before. But we still had a good long chat about South Africa. Funny is though how Elder John Eppel is currently serving with his brother in Birmingham mission! How crazy is that!? all happening over the same weekend pretty much. Well we had a good time.

Interesting Story: Sister Jill Hadley (at the Time) Found my Parents and taught them - they eventually got baptized  Elder Neilson (at the time) found and converted Lukes dad. Now about 23 years later Luke served his mission in Utah, Ogden and I'm about to embark on m journey to Utah St George Mission. Luke and I are 6 Days apart in age. What a rejoices time for the Neilson's, Hollander's and Mockes.

Ok So I'm sure you would love to know about all the differences I have found and how I'm adjusting.

• So far I have still got my accent!!!!! =D I am however picking up the tone that they agree to everything with. Some phrases that seem to be the norm atm for the younger generation is after anything you say they say "gotcha" Its interesting to say the least haha.
• Automatic flushing toilets!! Yes they catch me like everytime!!! It's a strange one but it's so funny - I get a fright. It doesn't seem to be all public toilets but most of them.
• Heat is very dry! I tried wearing contacts on Friday and my contacts were so dry when I took them out at the end of the day.
• Number plates - They don't make logical sense like in jhb. Every State has it's own number plate but seems like if you don't like the look of the new number plate you can just keep your old one with your new car... hmmm...
• Some of the Cars have red indicators - no one seems to know what I'm talking about lol Never saw that in JHB.
• YES driving on the right side of the road freaks me out a bit!! I have been here a few days and I still get caught once we turn from a one way into a two way! :| But according to Elder Ramos he still gets into the car on the left side being the designated driver out of habbit so It might stick for a while still haha. Eish.
• Food is too much EVERYWHERE. Portion sizes are rediculaous and rather expensive I would say.
• Street address and roads are confusing me but I will get the hang of it. (100 South, 300 West - those are road names... and they are actually spelled 1000 South and 3000 West... go look at a map of salt lake. There is method in the naming it like that, starting with main street anything west starts with 1st west (10 west) etc.
• No one is worried about safety. I left something in Jills car and asked if she could quickly open it I could get it and she was like "Oh I never lock my Car" and coming home to the porters the front door was open but I would still knock to get inside, expecting it to be locked.

All my photos can be viewed here

Hope all is well back home and congrats if you made it to the end of this email ;)

All My Best,

Sister Hollander

St. George, Utah Mission

Preparing to Pack

 

One of the biggest worries so far has been PACKING!!!

So I have tried to prepare something for anyone who is moving to another country for a long period of time and has to live out of a suitcase and move around, or others who are preparing to go on a mission (which technically is the same thing). I will be going to St. George Utah and the rest of Southern Utah. I will be going for 2 winters and will probably see snow which does not happen here in Johannesburg, so I have a lot of things to consider going abroad. I have jam packed all my research from Pinterest Google and YouTube in one post.

My first dilemma has been the actual bag to take. As far as I know I have a limit of 23Kg Check-in and 7Kg Carry-on. I don't WANT to pack my bag full but if I must I must.

BAG TIPS

1. Terrain & Weather - What are you going to put your bag through?

• If you are in rough terrain and wet weather it will probably be best to take a Trolley, Hard cover bag
• If you are going to the city where you will be taking planes and cars for transfers, it will be easy to take more delicate bags - I say delicate but don't get me wrong they can brutally throw your bag around in the airport. 
• I have been advised to take a soft cover/duffel bag (depending on preference). Just remember you can STUFF a duffel bag like no ones business.
• I still prefer a hardish cover and four wheels that can rotate 360. My sister who traveled a bit to Aus and Bali said that her bag (Trolley style) did not hold up as easy as her fellow traveler with 4 wheels (360 rotating ability), even in tough terrain and trekking on trains and buses. So heads up.

2. Weight & Volume of the Bag.

Dark blue - Mine, Light blue - Christine's

• When I went window shopping every bag had a pro and con. It was either Light & Too Expensive, or Had lots of space, was cheap, but heavy and not durable, or Light with little space and on special. There were too many options - I think I will end up going for the one on special though - SAVE WHERE YOU CAN!!
• I took my Sister's bag to Thailand - I did not do research on bags (wish I did) but I struggled from train to train station & walking on the streets between stations. It was big and bulky, Top heavy and the stopper feet were totally too short for the wheels. I thought I was just being petty, but my friends' bag was lighter, smaller and easier to move around. I weighed the bag now and it came out to 8.4KG!!!! No way!! No wonder I struggled to get to 23KG on the way home after all my shopping!! I don't know if it is just because it is an old bag or what but I was over it by the end! I had a great amount of volume which I packed to the brim, but my packing methods could have been better to avoid that.

3. Durability and Warranty - Some bags have 10 Year warranties like Antler. Others only 3. I have been tempted to buy a bag from china mall... NO!! Don't do it!

4. Colour - Although it is a minor thing to look at, It is a good idea to get a brightly coloured bag so it's easy to spot.

5.  Wheels - As mentioned before my sister suggested I go for 4 wheels because they are easier to wheel around without heaving it everywhere. I will admit there were times I wish I had four wheels in Thailand - like in the trains.. But here you definitely need to check the terrain of WHERE you are going. Here is a great link that answers the 4 vs 2 wheels pretty well :)

6. TSA Approved Locks - (Transportation security association) So apparently you need one of these if you are going to the States or Europe... I don't know how safe it is exactly but oh well it's that or they cut your locks off.


At the end of the day here in SA my choices were between Cellini, Gino De Vinci and Antler. My price range is between R1000 and R1500 ($100-$150) for check in luggage and obviously less for carry-on.

I have tried to read up as much as I can before heading out, in doing so I found this AWESOME youtube channel She has some amazing travel tips! Here is her video about choosing a carry on bag. You could honestly get any bag but I guess all the small things are stressing me out at the moment.

DECIDING WHAT TO TAKE

Sister Missionary In a Nutshell

Next step is being ruthless and deciding what to take. Being a missionary there are some general guides of what a missionary should wear.

In the Missionary Packet you receive with your call it gives further guidelines on what you should take specific to your mission.

Here is my list:

•  Outfits (6-8) - Wash & wear fabric for both warm & cold weather.
• Garments (10-12)
• Shoes x 2 
• Water-resistant boots x1
• Exercise clothes x 1 pair (But remember you have 6 days to exercise and 1 P-Day - I will take more)
• Other activities outfit x1
• Winter Coat - Will get in the field, South Africa does NOT cater for Snow. This year we didn't even have frost!
• Cold Weather Accessories (Gloves/scarves/ear-bands/hats etc)
• Cardigan (1-2)
• Pjs x 1 (Robe and Slippers as needed.
• Shower sandals

Personal Items:

• Umbrella x1 - Sturdy, Dark in colour
• Clothes hangers
• CAmera
• Bath Towels x 2
• Hand Towel & wash cloths
• Bedding: 1x Twin-size sheets, 1x Pillowcase, 1x pillow, 1x Blanket
• Toiletries (Make-up; Toothbrush & paste; floss; shampoo; deoderant; cream, etc)
• First-aid Kit
• Sun screen & lip balm with at least 30 SPF. And ointment for heat rash.
• Misc: Sewing kit, shoe-shine kit, battery alarm, laundry bag, torch, watch, glasses etc.
• Prescription glasses/contacts if needed
• Drivers Licence (International)
• Electronics to comply with 110V

PACKING

1. Follow the 3-1-1 rule - LIQUIDS!!
"All liquids brought onto planes must be in 3.4-ounce bottles or smaller and inside a single, clear, quart-size zip-top bag." - They really mean it - in Thailand in the smallest cutest airport I have EVER seen they TOOK my After sun because it was 120ml!! not 100ml... I had even clearly used more than 40ml. I was really burnt. I needed that stuff!

2. Use your personal item wisely
Most airlines allow one big carry-on and one personal item. The personal item is generally considered a handbag or backpack. My advice? Stuff it!! Stuff it with anything and everything (that is allowed - of course).

3. Layer - found this quite interesting:
"This advice is twofold: Wear layers and pack in layers. First, your on-the-road wardrobe should feature plenty of layers, which will help you jetset through multiple climates in style and comfort. Second, the items in your bag should be packed in neat layers for easy screening. According to the TSA, 'Pack items in layers (shoes one layer, clothes one layer, electronics one layer, etc.)' so that the security agent screening your bag can get a clear picture of what's inside. The faster the TSA agent can screen your stuff, the faster you'll get through the security line.'

4. Roll vs. Bundle Clothes.  I roll rather than fold clothes in order to create more space. Rolling makes items more compact and can reduce wrinkles. I have not yet tried the bundle method yet, but here are two videos that use BOTH methods:
 

 How to Bundle:

How to Roll:

Another Blogger who believes in Rolling - pretty neat blog

5. Zip-lock bags/Packing Cubes

A number of Blogs and Vlogs have mentioned that they prefer to use either a zip lock bag. packing cubes to keep their clothes seperate and organised. The nice thing about the zip lock is you can push all the air out of them saving you even more space. I would suggest you roll clothes and pack them inside though. This is also a neat trick if Customs have to search  your bag - then it's easy to re-pack. The clear bags also make it easier to find things and I'm sure easier to re-pack. Though I'm not sure if that is VERY practical for mission, but will see how it goes.

6. Lists???

Oh I have like 10 already, but here are some I found that could be of use:

Online Packing list here

The ULTIMATE female packing list - Litterally for anywhere

http://herpackinglist.com/2011/12/ultimate-female-travel-packing-lists/

Hope this helped someone. If you have more tips you think I will need or can add, please drop a comment and I will add it :)

Never give up. Never surrender.

Happy packing!

100 Days!!!

YES 100 DAYS TODAY!!!! Till I report to the Provo MTC.

Time is going quite quickly, but still not fast enough. Mission Prep tonight was quite something. We had Pres Mocke teach us as if we were in the MTC and we had to practice talking to our assigned companion as if they were a non-member who had invited us into their home. So this was practice of how to strike up conversation and gain trust in the investigator. And trust me it is harder than it looks!!

Tips to become the best Missionary

My preparation has been going well considering that I have not had mission prep class since I got my call and it will have to wait another 3 weeks. I have a few Stake YSA things to attend to instead. Since that is my CURRENT calling I will do as much as I can in that capacity. I still have approximately another 122 Days in this calling so I might as well do a good job of it :) {My countdown is at 124 Days but there are travel days and all sorts you know)

The Missionary Portal

All I can think about lately is my Mission! About the type of people I am going to serve the places I will be serving in, If I will see snow (have a white Christmas even?)

In my mission pack they gave me a pin to access the "Missionary Portal"!!! It really is awesome!!! (missionary.lds.org - FYI, But you do need a PIN to access it, which you will only receive with your call package) 

So they have shortened the time in the MTC to 2 week now instead of 3, they are now encouraging that you do a lot more prep before you leave. 

The Mission Call!!!!

Papers were a difficult story I eventually got everything together saw Bishop, same week saw President (Wednesday) and then I waited...

Turns out President only sent it 3 weeks later (busy man)... then they were waiting for official police clearance (cause I got another police clearance through a company - the process is the same but they didnt want it) - I thought that might be the case so went to Police station on 14/02/2013 and applied. Area Office then only sent my Bishop an email two weeks after saying they cant send it in, asked president to phone them about it - they said they just needed proof that I applied for it. So I had to go back to police station and get a letter saying I applied...... GASP.

The Decision to be an LDS Full-time Missionary

I thought it would be appropriate to start off this blog with how I came to the decision to actually go on mission.

1. Liezel (Sister)

 For those of you who don't know when I was 13, my sister Liezel set the bar and decided (very spur of the moment) that she wanted to serve a full-time mission. This was my first inspiration, she set the example and her stories and love for the Gospel was really contagious. Though I didn't think I would ever serve a mission, It wasn't something I prepared for my whole life. But because of Liezel's Example it was an option - I always said I would think about it when I turned 21.