#BecauseHeLives

Well here we are again. This week has been really good. Especially with Easter :) We had a fun p-day last week. We did a 5K as couple zones because our mission is getting fat...haha. However, my comp has bad asthma so we had to leave to get her inhaler and mostly walked...and we may or may have not finished. haha. Anyway needless to say, I need to get back in shape. Then we had a fun activity later in the day just having a picnic and coloring easter eggs. It was fun to relax and just chat with everyone. 

This week we taught quite a few members. The Elders Quorum President in one of the wards wants us to teach active members so they will know what they are inviting their friends to hear. So that has been really good and has helped us fill our schedule. We also taught a lady this week. She was already in our area book and what we heard about her was that she was a "social investigator" and not really interested in the gospel. She is from China so she doesn't really believe in God. So we went back to check on her and see if she read the Plan of Salvation pamphlet we had left. She said she could understand the words individually but had a hard time understanding what it meant as a whole. So we talked about how God is our Loving Heavenly Father and how he created the world for us because he loves us. We also talked about the pre-earth life and what the purpose of life is. It was a few points from two lessons, but it actually worked really well. We asked her to pray for herself to see if there really was a God and she even said the closing prayer! In her prayer she said that she wanted to give this a try and to find out for herself if he was really there. It was awesome :) I have such high hopes for her! 

This week I also found out that I am kind of related to the people I live with! So I found out that Sister P's maiden name is Child. So I told her I had a great, great, great, great, grandma with the last name of Child! Turns out, her line comes from Polly Ann Child's brother. So we share the same great, great, great, great, great grandparents. haha she was so excited. So that was fun :) 

This week we also went to the Easter Pageant with Sister P! We had a fun little girls' night. President wanted each of us to go and we couldn't find anyone to take so we all went together. It was really fun. I love Sister P. She is so funny. :) She is a great example of motherhood too. 

Easter Day was so fun too! The Easter Bunny visited us and we had dinner with the family we live with and a bunch of their family. I loved being able to watch Conference and to think about how much the gospel has blessed my life.

 Anyway I loved General Conference!!!!! It was so good! :) I don't even know which one of the talks was my favorite because there were so many good ones! One of the things that made me so sad, is when the people opposed the prophet and the apostles. If there is one thing I have such a STRONG testimony of, it's that the men who are apostles and prophets are called of God. I KNOW that President Monson is called of God. I've had the spirit witness that to me. I hope you all were able to have your questions answered by the spirit! Conference is such an amazing opportunity for us to learn and grown and find out personally what the Lord wants us to focus on and how we can improve. I can't wait to be able to re-read all the talks and study them more :) I hope that you are all able to gain testimonies of the prophet because that will help keep you on the straight and narrow throughout your entire life. So if you feel like you haven't received that witness, then ask! :) I promise that God will answer you because He loves you and wants you to be happy. The prophet is the Lord's spokesman here on Earth and when he speaks, it's as if God is speaking directly to YOU. And He IS. 

I love you all! Thanks for all the support. 

D&C 1:38

Did That Just Happen?

So this week was really good! We had a couple really awesome things take place. It has been crazy trying to learn all three wards and balance all the meetings between all three wards.It's an adventure for sure! Anyway, last Monday we were able to welcome one of our sister missionaries back to the mission! (She had returned home to be with her mother as she passed away). So we decorated her apartment and made posters to welcome her home. She was so cute about it. We are very glad to have her back! 

We have helped set up quite a few family mission plans this week too. We got to help the family we are living with set theirs up during family home evening. It was really fun. Since we live with them they try so much to do missionary work so that we have more people to teach! They are really awesome missionaries. So we discussed plans while we roasted marshmallows and had s'mores. Super fun :) 

We had a REALLY good meeting this week as a zone. I haven't received training that was that good in a long time. It was awesome! It was all about attitude. I think this zone definitely needs that because it tends to be a slower area. But we are going to change that!!! This area has SO much potential and it makes me really excited to see that. 

This week we had a rough day where we went through our plans really fast. So instead of biking or driving, we decided to walk so it would take longer, and so we could better street contact. WELL, summer is here my friends. It's been in the 90's so people aren't outside during the hottest part of the day...which is when we are outside. So we were walking to find a house. We walked a mile one way and found out that the house number we had, did not exist. Bummer. So we headed back and didn't see anyone outside to talk to either. However, as we were walking back, this car of two teenage girls rolled down their window and pulled over. They said, "Oh my gosh! Are you missionaries!? There is no way you can be missionaries. You dress way too cute for that!" Sister Graham and I are like whaaa? Neither of us felt cute and we were real sweaty. But hey, whatever works. One of them then asked for a Book of Mormon! We asked if we could come by and explain it to her. She said yes! whoooooo! Her friend said she had had it explained many times and they both know quite a few Mormons...probably from school. But woo! After they left, Sister Graham and I looked at each other like...uh, did that really just happen? Since when do people pull over to talk to US! haha it was awesome. So we are hoping to go back and teach her this week :) Miracles! 

We had a sisters conference this weekend and it was really good! We had a brunch and then we had all read four talks about womenhood and such. They had a few sisters picked out previously to lead discussions about the talks and they were really good. They also had a few testimonies. One of the testimonies was given by one of my previous companions. She talked about how she didn't have much longer to wear her name tag and all of us going home just broke down. haha it was the worst. I'm on the verge of tears like allll the time. My curse of crying is coming back unfortunately. So we had our conference and a little dinner and then we all got to watch the Women's Broadcast together. President was so sweet. He wanted our moms to know that we wished we could be with them to watch the Conference. SO he gave all of us permission to text our moms and tell them we missed them if we wanted to. That was really cool :) It's just been a super great week filled with many spiritual experiences. I wish I could explain fully! 

We had a great ward council this week with one of the wards and it was fully about missionary work. FULLY. That never happens. We had such a good discussion on how to be a member missionary and such. I am trying to take good notes since I'll be in that same boat soon. So my spiritual thought....I feel like everything I want to say is just inside me and all about women since we've had such a good week learning about women and what not. So I've learned a lot about self confidence, a woman's role, and being comfortable with who you are and what role Heavenly Father wants you to play. So I read a little bit about for ordination and how God has a purpose for each of us. We were all taught and tutored in heaven and we accepted our Heavenly Father's plan. I think it is amazing that we are all children of God and we all said yes. We all have testimonies. EVERY single one of us on the Earth, has a testimony because we all said yes to come to earth. WE just have to help others find their testimonies again. So whatever your testimony is, big or small, cherish it, because it is from God. I'm excited for Easter and Conference! I hope you all are too. One of my favorite things to do is to have a few questions in mind and be praying about those this week. I promise that whatever questions you have can be answered!    D&C 1:38. Have a great week!!

Seed Planters

Well here we are again!! I can't believe I only have 1 month left. ONE! It's becoming real with all the little things I have to do to prepare to come home. And, since I'm in a new area, everyone asks how long I've been out and then they always say, "oh wow! So you're going home really soon! This will probably be your last area huh?" Always. Anyway so that's a lovely reminder about how the time is slipping away so quickly. 

This week has been good. A lot of knocking doors and trying to meet members. We have been trying to contact people the ward leaders have given us but people haven't been answering their doors and such. It's still spring break though so hopefully we can contact more people soon. But the ward mission leaders and bishops are really great in all of our wards! So that is awesome. One of the bishops has us over every week for lunch and to discuss the work! So that is really nice of him. I enjoy having support from the leaders. 

So we finally met one of our investigators. She has had some hard things happen in her life and she can't move past them. She believes in God and has faith, but part of her is angry at God for all the bad things that have happened to her throughout her life. So we have very long lessons with her...she talks so much and really wants to be understood so she always explains how hard everything is for her. She just had a surgery that will take a year to recover from so she is struggling. So we are trying to help her put those hard things aside and just feel gods help to get through it, not to take it all away. So we had some good conversations with her. But she just doesn't understand why God lets bad things happen to good people. So we are working slowly, ever so slowly, with her. She is a very sweet and giving lady though. She made us a little brunch the other day because she loves to cook! She's sweet.

GUESS WHO IS GETTING BAPTIZED!!!!! I got word the other day that one of the investigators from my previous area, the one who didn't want to get baptized until November, is getting baptized on April 7th!!!!!!! I'm so excited! So that is a miracle and tender mercy :) I hope I can go back for it. 

We also had another cool miracle this week. A non member called us looking for the previous sisters from a few months ago. She had met them and wanted to feed them dinner sometime but had been super busy, so she called and asked if she could feed them dinner. We told her they were gone but she said would like to feed us dinner then. So that's the first miracle. The second miracle is that was the one night that we didn't have a dinner! (That never happens in this stake, you are always fed really well). So we were able to have dinner with her! She is devout catholic but loves missionaries and respects what we do. We didn't push too much because she said multiple times that people warned her not to have us over because we would try to convert her. But she mentioned something about the godhead and wasn't sure what we believed in so we told her we would come back and talk about it with her and she really wants us to come back. She doesn't want to convert but she is more prepared than she realizes. She's super nice. So that is a miracle!! It also shows how important it is to plant seeds sometimes. The sister before us left a good impression and she must have felt the spirit. So we don't always get to see the fruits of our labors, and you never know whose life you will touch. They touched their lives and they only met once! Crazy. 

Also, I finished the Book of Mormon again! It's so crazy how much I've learned just from reading it this last time. The Book of Mormon really is a springboard to personal revelation. I absolutely love reading the scriptures and learning about the gospel. It makes me so happy :) 

Anyway I'm running out of time. So my spiritual though... I have been thinking a lot about our struggling investigator we just met and how to help her; I am also reading in the Doctrine of Covenants. So I came across the sections where Joseph Smith is in Liberty Jail and these verses stuck out to me. 

"My son, peace be unto thy soul; thine adversity and thine afflictions shall be but a small moment; And then, if thou endure it well, God shall exalt thee on high; thou shalt triumph over all thy foes." D&C 121:7-8 

"If thou art called to pass through tribulation; if thou art in perils among false brethren; if thou art in perils among robbers; if thou art in perils by land or by sea; If thou art accused with all manner of false accusations; if thine enemies fall upon thee; if they tear thee from the society of thy father and mother and brethren and sisters; and if with a drawn sword thine enemies tear thee from the bosom of thy wife, and of thine offspring, and thine elder son, although but six years of age, shall cling to thy garments, and shall say, My father, my father, why can’t you stay with us? O, my father, what are the men going to do with you? and if then he shall be thrust from thee by the sword, and thou be dragged to prison, and thine enemies prowl around thee like wolves for the blood of the lamb; And if thou shouldst be cast into the pit, or into the hands of murderers, and the sentence of death passed upon thee; if thou be cast into the deep; if the billowing surge conspire against thee; if fierce winds become thine enemy; if the heavens gather blackness, and all the elements combine to hedge up the way; and above all, if the very jaws of hell shall gape open the mouth wide after thee, know thou, my son, that all these things shall give thee experience, and shall be for thy good." D&C 122:5-7 

Even Joseph Smith questioned where God was and why all these bad things were happening. But when we understand that God knows and is fully aware of what is going on in our lives, and know that he wants us to be happy and become the person he knows we can become, then we can trust in him and know that all things we go through really will work together for our good. When this life is over we really will see how short our trials are. So hang on, keep fighting and pushing through the hard things because someday you will see the benefits and ways you have grown. We might not even know why in this life, but someday we will. So trust God and look to him for strength in all things. 

"For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts." Isaiah 55:8-9

District Leader

So SURPRISE...I got transferred. Ya...I wasn't happy about it, but hey, God had other plans so I can't complain. I was sad to leave my because I didn't even get to tell anyone I was leaving. We got transfer calls Tuesday night and then we had a full day Wednesday so I didn't get to warn anyone! I just up and left. I was sad because I wanted to stay for all the fun things we had planned, and I love our district! It was so fun and we were really close. But, I got called to be a sister district leader. Weird. Did not see that coming and I feel totally inadequate for that. I don't know what God's plan is but he fooled me! I thought for sure I'd be staying. So I'm back in my first area in the same stake I was in except I cover three different wards. Last year I was in this stake and covered only one ward. Crazy.

So I have a new companion! She is sweet and has been out for a little over a year. We are both new to the area though so it's been crazy trying to learn all the new faces and get all the people straight! Haha. 

Also, I sold my bike and I'm now back in a biking area. So I'm borrowing a bike! I was kinda sad that I don't get to use my own bike for my last transfer. I didn't think I'd be sad about selling my bike, but part of me wishes that I hadn't. Oh well. 

So this week was good. Before I left, we taught an investigator about the Book of Mormon and it went really well. This guy loves the Bible but we were able to show him how the bible and Book of Mormon work together and compliment, expound, and clarify each other. He really is looking for truth and even though he has a hard time wrapping his head around it, he says if that was all true that it would bring a lot of peace. So he truly has a desire and I know that he will get baptized someday. He is humble and realizes that he has to find answers for himself and that we can't get them for him. We were able to download gospel library on his phone so the text could be bigger and I'm sure he will read it. He's awesome. 

Anyway I'm on the iPad today because we don't have a library card and it takes longer to type! Haha so we haven't done much here anyways because it's a richer area so not as many investigators. We have just been trying to meet people in the Ward and the bishops and stuff. It's good. It's been an adjustment! I live with members and it is a young family. They have three little boys. I think God is preparing me to come home. Haha. 

So that is my thought for today, just do what God wants you to do. I was sad to leave for a minute, but I was calm and peaceful about it. I knew that God had other reasons and plans. Who knows what they are, but just go with it and you will find out! I'm excited for this transfer. :) so when God makes changes in your life or allows you to go through a trial, just know that he can see the big picture and have faith in his design. He knows what we need to learn and how we can grow. So embrace it! I read about faith today and when we act on the "seed" or anything that God gives us, we can see that it is good and as we work hard, we can see the fruits and our reward and we will have taken advantage of the opportunity God has given us to grow. Anyway I love you all! Have a great week and remember who is in charge :)

13 of 13

So today I officially started my 13th transfer. The final one. It's too weird. I say it every single week but it remains true...time goes by so fast! Anyway this week has been a pretty good one.
We had a really good lesson with our investigator about the gift of the Holy Ghost and
why he would want that and such. He is so funny. He still thinks he was baptized by the proper authority, but he recognizes that he never received the gift of the Holy Ghost. Silly guy. So we talked about that and tried to help him see that he needs that gift and all the blessings that come from
having that gift. So it went really well. We got the calendar down and had him write down some days that stood out to him so that he can pray about them to see if there is a day earlier than November 1st that he would be baptized. However, he did make one commitment at least. He said that he
would get baptized no later than November 1st, but that it could be earlier. So that is good :) He has been coming to church and staying for all three hours so that is great also. He also fed us dinner this week. It was the cutest thing. He stared at the signup sheet in church for like 20 minutes and then wanted to take us to Denny's. Cutest thing ever. 

This week we have continued to knock on many doors. We are trying to clean out the area book and also help the ward by cleaning up the records. We have 1200 people in the ward and not even 200 come. Soooo we are trying to find out if people still live there and if not, send their records off. So
that keeps us busy as well. We have found a few less active people that are willing to have us come
back and would like to come to church...however, they don't have a vehicle.Story of this area. Everyone needs a ride. Anyway so we are trying to help them the best we can. 

We also were able to teach a lesson yesterday to a guy we helped move at the beginning of this last transfer. We were finally able to have a good lesson with him. It went really well! He texted us earlier this week about Joseph Smith because he had been researching him on the internet...so that made us really nervous, but when we taught the Restoration, it went really well and he accepted things rather well! He truly wants to find answers. He is a little older and has a hard time accepting a modern day
prophet, but he has a desire to find out. So that is what matters! He is super nice and can relate to Joseph Smith a lot about trying to find truth and answers. It went really well :) 

On Sunday I did an impromptu musical number. Well, I accompanied someone. A girl had a talk and her fiance came and they both sang a song as part of her talk. So she asked me right before sacrament if I could play....good thing it was just "As I Have Loved You". They switched few things up a little bit so I just had to make a copy of the song so I could write on it and not forget the things they were switching up! But it went well :) 

Lastly, we had a huge meeting this week with Brother Randall (from the missionary department) and Elder Malm (from the Second Quorum of the Seventy). It was about how we are restarting the online proselyting and finding better ways to use our "devices" (ipads). So the trial missions are over and they are producing books and rules for how to use these things efficiently. It was a really good meeting. In case you didn't notice, I won't use Facebook on my mission ever again because from now one, when missionaries come in they will be doing a 12 week preparation/training before they use facebook and such. So because of that, we all have to receive that training and "restart". So I will be home before that training is finished. So that was a bummer because I was learning how to use it so
effectively and was always busy! haha. Oh well. It was a great meeting and they honestly didn't talk much about how we can better use facebook or our ipads. It was mostly on the Plan of Salvation and also about how this is going to prepare this generation and teach them how to be "sin-resistant" and know how to use technology effectively and so that the plague of pornography can be ended. It was all about preparing to have transparency and honesty in your marriage and such. It was really good. 

So my two spiritual thoughts come from the last two paragraphs above this. First...cultivate your "talents" or things you have learned. Man, I wish I was better at the piano because I seem to always have to stretch myself and it freaks me out every time because I don't feel prepared. Second, YOU were sent here at this time because God can trust you. He knew that his work would be hastening and he put us on the team and chose us to come at this time so that we could be a part of that. He trusts us to help build up his kingdom and to use the tools he has given us in the right way. Elder Malm
talked about how we don't need devices to hasten the work. The work would hasten without it, but we are able to use this to better help ourselves as well. You are sent to the mission you are sent to, in order to become the men and women of integrity that God wants you to be. You could apply that
to anything really. You are sent to this earth, or this family, or this town, or this job..etc...to become the person that God wants you to be. This life is short and the decisions we make now will affect our
eternities. So be wise! Work hard to do what God wants you to do and to help others. It will all be worth it in the end. 

Today I was reading in Ether about the Jaredites and when they crossed the ocean. They were in barges for nearly a YEAR! A YEAR!!! Can you imagine being in an enclosed barge with food, animals, and people for nearly a year...being tossed back and forth, not having fresh air all the time, and not being able to cook food? Ya that would be a huge TRIAL. So many trials probably came just from the one initial trial of traveling across the ocean for that long. Yet, they praised God day and night the whole time. And when they reached the promised land, they fell to their knees in humility and poured out their hearts to God in GRATITUDE for the many TENDER MERCIES he had bestowed upon then. Are you kidding me!? Tender mercies! If it was me I would probably say, "man! Thank you so much! It's about time I get to this land!" I mean, I would hope that I could respond as they did, but that really just impressed me at how much faith they had. They found the positives always and were grateful for the little blessings and tender mercies that God gave them each day. So when you are stuck in a trial for what seems like FOREVER, just remember Jaredites and follow their example. I mean hey, it could be worse. You could be stuck in a smelly barge with limited food for a year with sicknesses, diseases, and such. You can make it through anything with God's help. And what impressed me the most was the verse that talks about how God made the winds blow furiously toward the promised land continuously. So no matter what you encounter or go through,
though it may be stormy and windy, you can trust that God is continually "blowing you toward the promised land" and leading you. No matter what happens, everything will work together for your good. I loved that. Anyway, I hope you all have a great week! :)

The First of My Lasts

Hey! It's been a great week filled with the spirit and many finding opportunities. We are on the hunt for new investigators and have been trying to clean out the area book as well. We have contacted quit a few people said we could come back so that is good news :) We also got a call from a guy this week who said he was visiting from Utah and wasn't a member but had been taking the discussions. He will be here for two months and wants to continue taking the discussions! So that is cool and we will get to meet him this week :) 

We have really been praying and fasting to find new investigators and work more closely with the ward. So we have finally been receiving names from people to go visit and some people are asking us to do their visiting teaching with them so that is progress! It's coming along well. We teach a lot of recent converts and less actives as well, so we are having lessons, just not as many to non members as we would like. But hey, it doesn't matter who you are helping as long as you are inviting others to come unto Christ :) And as we help those people, then they will want to share it with their friends! So it all works out. The biggest miracle and focus right now has been just working together better. 

This week I also had my last zone conference ever....sad day. It was the worst because President made those of us going home stand up and then bear our testimonies at the end. So I hardly ever cry when I bear testimony or speak anymore (you know I used to all the time) and I feel that that is a blessing that God gave me while I am a missionary so that I wouldn't look like a drowned rat all the time with a puffy face! haha He knew that no one would let me in if I cried everytime I felt the spirit...which is like all the time. SO, he blessed me that I wouldn't cry so much. But the closer I get to the end of my mission, the more I feel that being taken away and it's the worst! haha I hate crying! But it's ok, it's going to happen a lot here in the next few weeks. So zone conference was really good and it was focused on being better teachers and really teaching by the spirit. There is an emphasis on Preach My Gospel. Elders tend to get caught up in a lot of deep doctrine and studying that while they are missionaries, and President feels that is causing us to not be as good of teachers as we should because in general we aren't focused on the basics and fundamentals of the gospel. So it was good to discuss getting back to the basics. I love just studying from the scriptures and doing the exercises in Preach my Gospel. It's something I will continue to do even when I get home :) (well i hope). So that was a really good meeting. We also talked a lot about technology. That is the future of the church and it is crazy to hear all the things that are happening! We are having a meeting this week that will explain more, but technology is the future my friends! So ya, it's been really good. 

We had a good lesson with one of our investigators on temples. He said he had been thinking of November 1st for his baptism, but he wasn't sure because it was so far away. He then said it had to be a special occasion so that he would remember it. I mentioned Easter and he said, "No!" I asked why and his response, "Cause I didn't think of it." haha. what a stubborn old man! I then told him that he would forget I mentioned it and then remember and it would be his idea anyway! haha. Super funny. But he came to church this weekend and stayed for all three hours! The Elders said he seemed to enjoy the lesson this week in priesthood much better than last time so that's really good! He signed up to feed us this week so we are excited for that. He's so adorable. 

Side note: we had dinner at someones house this week and we had hamburgers. We usually eat with the Elders too and one of the elders insisted that hamburgers with peanut butter and jelly is delicious! So we tried it. Peanut butter on one bun, jelly on the other, and then the hamburger patty in the middle! It was actually SUPER good. haha it tasted completely natural! It was crazy! I had never heard of that before, but it was super good :)

Anyway for my spiritual thought this week....I have been studying chapter 5 of PMG a lot this week and it is all about the Book of Mormon. I am also close to finishing the BOM again soon. I love it so much and have learned a lot from it. I get so much out of it, more than I even have before! I also read a talk by Elder Anderson called Trial of your Faith. They worked together really well for me this morning. I read a quote by President Ezra Taft Benson that said, "Every man eventually is backed up to the wall of faith, and there he must make his stand." It had been talking about how the Book of Mormon can overcome any concerns that we or others may have. If we read the Book of Mormon with a sincere heart, we can know that it is true. When we know that is true, we know the church is true, that Christ is real and our Savior, and that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints is the Lord's church restored to the Earth. Then I read the talk about faith and it used that exact same quote. It talked about how we all have different trials and how something easy for one person, is a fiery trial for another. It's all because we have different weaknesses and personalities. So when we are going through hard times, we need to turn to the Book of Mormon to find strength, testimony, faith, and answers. We all are going to reach our breaking point sometime, where we question God or the church or our struggles, but then we have to decide whether we will continue to press forward and endure to the end, or if we will let that trial or question destroy us spiritually. I know how important the Book of Mormon is and I know that it is true with my whole heart. I promise that as you seek to for answers and strength form it's pages, that it can solve any concern or problem you have and help you get through any trial that comes your way.

"Like the intense fire that transforms iron into steel, as we remain faithful during the fiery trial of our faith, we are spiritually refined and strengthened." -Elder Anderson

Faith Leads to Action

Well, it's been another fast week. I seriously can't believe how fast the time is flying. I know, I know. I say that every time! But it really is picking up even more...if that is even possible. This week is a blur to me so forgive this terrible email...plus, I forgot my little sticky note that reminds me of what I did this week! There were a few cool things that I can remember off the top of my head though :) 

So last Monday I had been thinking during my personal study that I need to do better at using the scriptures to solve problems. When people ask me a question I need to do better at saying, "Well, lets look in the scriptures to see what these people did, etc" and help them find the answer for themselves instead of just giving them advice and talking at them. Well I prayed at the end of my studies that I would be able to do that better. Well, we went to a less actives home and were talking to them about the family proclamation and how they can come closer together as a family when they base their home on the teachings of Christ. Well at the end when we were about to leave, the father asked if we had any advice on what they could do in a certain situation with extended family. It wasn't really anything that I could answer as a missionary..it would have been more like advice and just being a good friend. However, I knew immediately that God was giving me an opportunity to practice what I had wanted to get better at and what I had prayed for that morning. Haha God works in mysterious ways! I tried to relate it to the scriptures...not sure what I said or how I did it, but it probably wasn't that great. However, it doesn't matter because I tried and I had an opportunity to apply something that I had wanted to work on :)

On Monday we also had a super fun zone activity. Last week we all made district shirts and we wore them to our activity. We went to a park and had a picnic as well as played party games! It was really fun and a great opportunity to get to know our zone better. I really enjoyed it. Plus our shirts are awesome! They are maroon with gold letters. On the front it says District Three in a Chinese looking font, written Japanese with English words. haha kinda funny. Then on the back it has our names and on a sleeve it has a phoenix. Super fun :) 

This week we have spent quite some time trying to organize our ward party that we will be having to focus on missionary work. However, the bishop doesn't want us to advertise it as a missionary workshop because then people won't come. So we are going to be having a luau! We are going to have dinner and some entertainment and then the workshops. It is going to be really fun hopefully. So we were going over our plans with the ward mission leader on Saturday morning. Every Saturday we go help clean the church, so we were having a quick meeting right after that. So we had a little miracle while we were there! As missionaries we had no idea where we could find entertainment...we have some Samoan families in our ward that we were planning on asking. Well we also were hoping the primary could sing a song to a ukulele to transition to the missionary stuff but we had no idea where or who could play a ukulele either (hence where the ward comes in). Anyway as we were leaving our meeting we look in the gym and there are some girls dancing the hula...haha then the Primary President walks in and says they are doing a performance in a couple weeks and that she is kind of over them and does it with them! Um...perfect!? Then while we are talking to her, in walks a girl with a ukulele! haha miracles! So, it might seem like a silly thing, but as missionaries we have been brainstorming and praying to know how we can make this a good experience and how it can all come together. So when all that worked out, we all just kinda sat with our mouths open...um yes! It was great and we were able to talk to the Primary President and see if that would be possible for them to perform! So slowly things are coming together. We hope the ward gets excited about it and that it all goes well! 

It was super awesome this week too because the lady who gave the lesson in Relief Society this week did it all about missionary work and had us go up to the front and she had everyone raise their hands who had inactive people on their visiting teaching list. Then she basically told all of them that they should be utilizing us and taking us out with them so that we can all be more effective and work together. It was super good. So we are really excited for this missionary training/party that will be coming up! It will be on April 11th, so I won't really be here to see the benefits of it, but I'm really excited for it nonetheless. 

My thought for this week...just have faith! Yup, it's that simple. God is aware of your goals and desires to grow. Just like when I was thinking that I need to be better about answering questions through the scriptures. I prayed that I would be able to get better at that and God gave me an opportunity to exercise my faith and grow. It can be the same with anything! If you want to be a better member missionary, pray for help and an opportunity to practice and become better, and if you have faith in yourself and in God, that he will help you, then you will receive an opportunity and you will grow and become better! The principle can be applied to anything. It just takes action on our part. Which the action comes when we have true faith. Faith leads to action. So, my invitation this week is to pray for a growing experience in whatever capacity that might be for you. Then, have faith that God will help you accomplish it. I know this church is true and that as we apply and live the principles of the gospel we can become more like Jesus Christ and our Father in Heaven. :)  

ps that reminds me...We had a huge lesson with one of our investigators about how he  needs to have faith and take action and pick a day to be baptized because God won't just all the sudden tell him a day to be baptized because that doesn't take faith! So later this week he told us that he was thinking of a day! He had the thought that he should maybe do it on his anniversary! yay!!!!!! He is making progress! He said he is still going to think about it, but even then, that is progress! Plus we are hoping he will actually pick another day, because his anniversary isn't until November...haha but either way he is taking the things we said and starting to apply it! It's the best! :)

Spirit of Love and Service

Happy late Valentine's Day! This week was really good for us. We had a really fun district activity last week. I love my district this transfer. We are all like siblings and it's really fun to work together. Also, our district leader is Japanese, so he can have a hard time understanding sometimes and he says funny things :) we played uno and I played a power card on him. His reply, "ohh. You are so aggressive." Haha or the other day when I said something that "blew his mind" he said, "oh. You shake my brain." Haha it's hilarious and super fun! We went to a store down here and made shirts for our district! Each district made shirts and then we are all going to wear them for our zone activity today. So that should be fun! 

We have still been trying to find people that are really prepared! We had a lady drop us the other day which was really sad because she hadn't even really given it a chance and she really would have loved it and benefited from it if she has just done what we had asked her to. But, people have their agency. 

We did have a little miracle of finding a family this week. We are trying to clean up the area book so we were going to houses all in the same general area. We knocked on a door looking for a particular person. A lady opened the door with her newborn son and was super friendly and made small talk, which is super unusual when knocking on someone's door. Normally people want to know why you are there. Anyway we asked if she was the lady we were looking for and she said no, but we were able to talk to her and found out she had always seen missionaries around, but had never talked with them. I think she had a friend who gave her a Book of Mormon because she has read parts of that too. So we set up a time to go visit with her and family and get to know her better! It was a fun miracle to have happen!!! She seems really awesome. 

We also have spent a lot of time this week trying to think of ways to help the ward get more involved in missionary work. We need referrals because that is how you find prepared people who will remain active in the church! So, as missionaries we consulted with the ward mission leader and decided we want to have a ward activity and have workshops that we teach from the book "The Power of an Everyday Missionary". We are still working out the kinks, but we presented it in PEC and the bishop is behind it. We are trying to think of ways to make it fun so people will come, but we have some good ideas that we are excited to present to the council! It should be really good! Luckily, we were able to fit it into the schedule before I go home :) 

We haven't been able to meet with our church headquarters referral this week :/ We had several appointments set, but then she got out of work late most of those times. She works far away, and then with traffic, she doesn't get home in time. But we were able to stop by for a few minutes last night and explain the Book of Mormon too her. 

Last night, we were actually able to teach our couple investigators about the Book of Mormon as well, and they are super excited to read it. Sad news though, they decided not to get married so soon after all. They want to involve their families more. Anyway we had some powerful lessons on the Book of Mormon last night that I really enjoyed. Antonia's daughter seemed really excited about it :) she is awesome. She actually came to activity days this week and she LOVED it. Plus, while her mom waited for her, she was able to talk to another member sister and they clicked so well, so I think that really helped her :) 

Lastly, we heart attacked people on Saturday and of course made them treats to go with it as well. It was really fun to door bell ditch a few of them and to see the reactions. Especially this one guy. He looked so happy and he shouted into the dark, "hello!?...it looks pretty!" Haha adorable. And the mother/daughters we are trying to teach were having a rough day, and when they got home they were so happy and excited. The daughter said it was the best thing that happened all weekend :) so even though we didn't have any lessons, we felt so good and happy for making others feel loved. It was really fun and the spirit of service always makes you feel good :) 

So my thought for the week... I have been reading the Book of Mormon and also studying its importance in PMG. We also had an emphasis on it in zone meeting this week too. Then we were able to have those powerful lessons his week. So I've just been thinking about how important the Book of Mormon is. I read in 3 Nephi 11:14-15 and it is when Christ appeared to the Nephites and told them to "come unto him and feel the nail prints in his hands and feet so they would know for a surety of who he was" and so forth. So then it made me think of "how can we metaphorically come unto christ and what can we do so that we may know of him with as much surety as those Nephites who actually got to see and touch him?" In verse 15 it tells us that we have to do it "one by one" or in other words, individually. So, what are the things that we can do to better know him individually? You got it, it's those primary answers. Pray, read, and go to church, etc. when we do those things, the spirit is there to touch each of our hearts individually. The most important one I could think of, is to read the Book of Mormon. It is another witness of Jesus Christ. More of his words and more knowledge of him so we can know him better. I am hoping to finish the Book of Mormon now, and read it again once more before I come home because I have recovered so much knowledge and understanding and answers from its pages and I know you can too! Reading the word of God everyday and praying, will bring more peace, answers, direction, and happiness than anything else. Thanks for all you love and support! I love and miss you all.

Grand Theft Auto

Soooo this week has been so, so crazy. As you can tell by the title of this post, you are in for a crazy story. So once upon a time, the Spanish speaking sisters were at the library doing their online proselyting time. One of them had started at a table on her Ipad because there wasn't another computer open. Well when one opened, she left both of their purses on the table behind them....bad news. After they were done, they discovered that their purses were gone. Bummer deal. So then they go outside and find....yup, their car was gone! dun, dun, dun. The keys to the car had been in their purses. So meanwhile, we had just gotten out of a lesson when the zone leaders called us and told us what had happened. They told us not to go into the church for a while because since the man had their keys, he also had the keys to the church! Bad news. A few minutes later, the assistants to the president (APs) call us and tell us that we can't go home either because he also has the key to our apartment. So we were to go home and pack an overnight back and anything that was valuable and find a member's house to stay at. So the zone leaders had been sitting around our apartment guarding it and waiting for us to pack bags. We stowed our bikes at their apartment so that if the guy broke in, he couldn't steal those. We packed our bags and while we were there the other sisters got home to pack as well. Then the Ap's came. We were waiting for the other sisters so we could drive them to their dinner and such but the Ap's told us we could get going to our dinner appointment and they could take them. So off we go to dinner and the hopes of finding a member's house to stay in that night. 

Meanwhile, the Elders hadn't thought that through too well because the other sisters no longer had a key to lock our apartment. So they texted us and asked us to go home after dinner and lock up the place. We weren't TOO worried about someone breaking in because there are a billion apartment complex's here and there is no way he could find OUR one apartment. So, after dinner we went home to lock up, but I wasn't feeling well so I went to use the restroom while we were there. While I was in the restroom, my new companion was just waiting in our room. Our room is directly straight from the front door. So I'm just washing up when I hear a little tapping on my door. I think she is just telling me to hurry so I am about to open the door and tell her I'm coming. However, as I open the door she shushes me and shoves me back into the bathroom. She said, "shhh, he's here!" A million things just start running through my mind and my reaction, "Are you SERIOUS!?" She had heard someone messing with the doorknob and so she saw him walk in, took a quick profile of him, and then locked our bedroom door. Then she had started to tap on the door quietly saying, "Sister! Sister! call the police!" Then she realized she already had the phone. So she got in the bathroom with me and we locked the door. She handed the phone to me and said she couldn't do this, and dropped to her knees in prayer. The police department answers and I tried to quietly explain that someone was in our apartment. However, they couldn't hear me so they hung up. THEY HUNG UP! At this point I'm shaking and extremely nervous, but at the same time,surprisingly calm. I then called the zone leaders. Elder W answered and I said, "Listen, the AP's told us to come back and lock the doors and a man came while we were here. We are locked in the bathroom!" Elder W said, "Wait what?" So I try to quietly explain it to him again. His response, "Wait, slow down and say that all one more time." By this point I'm a little frustrated. I said, "Elder, LISTEN. There is a man in our apartment and we are locked in the bathroom!!!" Finally it clicked and you could hear his breath catch in his throat. "uhhh, ok just hold on! we'll be right there!" Then in the background as they are hanging up you can hear Elder T say, "Why did they go back!?" So I get off the phone and I'm trying to think of what we are going to do when the man finds us. We thought we could hear him in our room going through drawers and our bathroom is in our bedroom, which means he had unlocked our bedroom door. Then we hear him talking to someone. So now I think that he has friends and they are in our house. It was a terrifying thought! I had my bag on me which was pretty heavy that I thought I could probably use to throw him off guard and my companion was planning things too. (By the way, she is a black belt in Taekwondo). So, we are preparing ourselves for the worst, but then we hear banging on our bedroom door and the Elders yelling, "HERMANAS!!! HERRRMANAAASSS!!!" So we go out, and we find the Elders and the member they were with, standing in a defensive pose, and.....Elder C. Elder C is our housing coordinator for this area. He had been told to come lock the door as well! So poor Sister Wright has never met him before and thought he was the burglar. So, it was actually a tender mercy that the police didn't show up, although a little frightening because they didn't even call us back like they usually do to make sure everything is really ok (we have pocket dialed the police before and they always call back). So, it actually turned out to be a pretty funny story! But it must have happened for a reason, because it was way too ironic that it all worked out like that in the 3 minutes we were home. And it turns out, Elder C hadn't been in our bedroom, but had been opening and closing the sliding door which is right outside our bedroom and it only sounded like he was going through drawers. So ya, pretty scary situation. I have never been in a situation like that so I was surprised how calm I was able to be. So we all learned something from the situation. And luckily, the member that had the Elders, wasn't carrying his gun that day either! It just worked out too well in so many ways. So my poor companion went into shock after that. Crazy. 

So ya, they still haven't found the guy, and he unplugged Tiwi (the monitoring system we have to make sure we aren't crazy drivers...and it can also be tracked) like right after he stole the car so they are a little worried that he knew too well what to do. But they re-keyed our apartment the next day so we were good to go home after that! We stayed at a member's house that night and it was very kind of them to let us stay there. So yes! We are all glad that we are safe and everything is ok. I mean mostly. The other sisters had to call their parents and close all their bank cards and stuff and also get a bunch of new stuff like bank cards, car, tiwi card, etc. So that is a very big bummer, but everyone is safe. But I feel so bad for my companion because she is already trying to adjust to missionary life and she's had people tell her that she is going to get murdered, seen a helicopter flying around the church searching for someone, the sister's car got stolen, then we had our little scare, and the Elders told us to still be cautious cause he could still come back. She had a little break down, but I would too! Talk about adjusting to missionary life. None of us have ever experienced anything like this! But hey, it's a funny story now right? Other than that we had a pretty good week. 

We have been doing a lot of finding and knocking on doors. We had a really good lesson with our church referral and her daughters. We taught the Restoration and she seemed to accept it pretty well. We will be going with her ten year old daughter to activity days tomorrow so that should be fun. 

Our male investigator also came to church this week and he stayed for all three hours! Woo! He's never done that. We didn't even have to ask him either. He had a meeting with the bishop this week and he told the bishop he would get baptized when he was ready. I think he is one of those people who wants it to be his own idea, so we are just going to stop talking about baptism for a few times and see what happens. He is making progress on his own so that is good :) Thanks for all the prayers! 

Also, we taught our less active couple about repentance with the Bishop last night and he invited them to get married to help them fully repent. The girl was a little sad about it because she has always wanted a big wedding, but they don't have the money for it, which is why they have been waiting. But Bishop convinced them to have a little wedding just to make it legal, and then have a big celebration and reception when they get sealed in the temple. They agreed and will be getting married on March 8! We are so excited for them :) So it has been really good! 

We helped a man and his family move this week. He is older and disabled and was a church headquarters referral. So we told him we could help and luckily the Elders could come because we did it all by ourselves. Even luckier, Elder M worked for a moving company for a few years so he was able to play "tetris" in the uhaul. So hopefully we can start teaching this man soon. They moved within our area so that is nice. 

So my thought this week is about the Savior. I am reading about when the Savior came to the Earth and when Samuel the Lamanite is giving the signs of his birth and death. I am slow, so I have never made this connection before...but I love the symbolism that goes into the signs. When He is born, there is added light in the world. A night with no darkness and also a new star. Then, when he dies, there is NO light. The light is gone for three days. So to me, that then made me think of the scripture in John 8:12. "...I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life." When He was born, the light entered into the world. He IS the light. And when he was crucified, the light was taken from the world for those days while he was dead. It was something new to me and I really liked it! What a beautiful thing. We need to turn to Christ to get rid of the darkness in our lives. The darkness will surround us sometimes, but as we turn to the Savior, he can dispel any darkness that is around us. Thank you for all the love and support that you give me! I am so grateful to be a missionary. It is one of the biggest blessings in and for my life. I've learned a lot and I'm excited to be able to keep growing.

Giving "Birth" in my "old age"

Sooo, we finally got transfer calls last Tuesday night super late. I was called to be a trainer again! So I'm going to have another daughter! I'm assuming that I will just do her full training until I go home, but you never know what might happen. But I'm really excited because she will hopefully help me not get trunky! So she is super cute. She is from Arkansas. She is the youngest of 5 kids. I picked her up on Thursday and sent my mom/trainer, home. That was a sad day though. She has always been here my whole mission! And I thought I would have one more transfer with her here since the beginning, but she went home a transfer early rather than late. So that was hard to say goodbye to her. 

I feel very privileged and trusted to be called to be a trainer at this time. Only 2 English sisters came in this transfer and I was called to be one of them! Sister W was called to be the other trainer too so that was fun for us to be together for that again. It was interested to see how our trainees fit our personalities too. Sister W is outgoing and crazy (of course in a good way) and I'm a little more reserved. We both got trainees that seemed to fit with the way we are too. So I feel privileged, but I'm also nervous and feel the pressure coming from President and of course, the Lord. 

So this week we taught most of our recent converts at the beginning of the week so Sister K could say goodbye to them. I was super nervous about her leaving because everyone loves her, and also I still don't know the area super well. Sister K has a photographic memory so we never had to look at a map or anything! So this weekend we have been using a lot of maps. haha I know the major streets and it uses the grid system mostly, so that is nice, but I still struggle with all the small streets in between sometimes. I'm learning quickly though. Plus, its good for my new companion to have to look at the map and direct me so that she can learn the area too so that when I leave she will be prepared to take over. 

So one of our new convert families taught US the Restoration this week and I was actually really, really impressed. The mom was like a natural missionary. I felt like she had been studying from Preach My Gospel for months and had applied the teaching skills and the patterns that we use to give commitments and promises and such. It was amazing! haha she loved doing it too so that was really good for them to relay the information to us and bear testimony of the truths that they have in their hearts now. They need to be ward missionaries! They are awesome and the gospel really has changed their lives. We also watched "The Testaments" with them for family home evening this week. They LOVED it and watched it a second time after we left. They wanted us to bring all the church movies we had so we got a huge bag of them at transfers. They were so happy. 

This week I also studied chapter 8 of Preach My Gospel (using time wisely) so that we could have an awesome planning session and help my new companion learn how to set goals and such. So I was really excited about our weekly planning, but when we showed up, our area book had been all messed up with the other elders in our ward...so we spent all 2 and a half hours of weekly planning reassigning all the people that were theirs, back to them. We had to do it one by one and there were over 400 of them. It was ridiculous! Sometimes the iPads are a huge blessing, and sometimes they are a huge pain. That was one of the moments they were a huge pain. We didn't get to plan ANYTHING for this week. Not only did we not get to plan anything, but we NEED new investigators. So we did so much finding this weekend. We knocked on a lot of doors and most of the time they didn't answer. So I felt bad for my new companion, but hey, might as well introduce her with realistic things. haha. 

We did have a couple good lessons within the first day though so that was good. So since we needed new investigators, our district goal for the week was for each of us to find one new investigator. We knocked quite a few doors and were able to meet a few people and set appointments to come back, but they weren't there when we came back. However, at the very end of Sunday night, we were trying to contact a referral from church headquarters that we had tried earlier in the week. She was home! When she opened the door and we told her who we were, she was so excited and let us in! We were able to give her a Book of Mormon. She has a friend who recently joined the church and she is going through a hard time so she invited her to have the missionaries over. She accepted and she is sooo solid! She is a single parent and has a 10 and 4 year old, both daughters. They are adorable! We established expectations and set up a time to come back, so she became a new investigator! Miracles! 

We also are going to start teaching a part member family. The wife is a convert and the husband doesn't know anything about the church. We went over the Family Proclamation this week and we set up a time to go back and start teaching him more about the church because they want the gospel in their lives more :)

Lastly, we are hopefully going to start teaching another woman. She is a snowbird. She loves Native Americans/aborigines because her father is part native,so we gave her a Book of Mormon and set up a time to come back and go over more of it with her. She has a cousin who is a member and has loved what she has learned about genealogy from her so I think she will be really solid too! She was very kind to us and said she isn't sure why she is here per say, but I think this is why :) 

Our less active couple is doing good as well! They want to move to Utah eventually so that would probably be good for them. We went over the family proclamation and looking to God to know how to be a good parent. That was one of the things they had wanted to talk about and it went really well. They have been saying family prayer and the husband gave examples of blessings that he has already noticed and been given just from doing that. They are so awesome as well. I love them. So we have a lot of awesome potential being built up! I'm so excited! 

We also taught one of our male investigators this week and tried to uncover his concerns. He has decided he doesn't want to be baptized "yet" or pick a date. It's hard because I know he has been getting answers, he just is too stubborn to recognize them and also forgets about the experiences he has. Hopefully he comes around. He says he doesn't want to get baptized, yet he still reads the Book of Mormon and believes it is true, believes in Joseph Smith "because the Book says he was a prophet", and he was going to come to church but he got the flu and couldn't. So we still have yet to uncover the real reason. He says he still doesn't feel he has received an answer that he wasn't already baptized by the proper authority. 

Anyway, it has been a really good week! I'm really focusing on the fundamentals this past week and trying to be the best trainer I can. I want to get her started on all the right habits now so she can be going strong when I leave! haha this time feels a lot more like parenthood since the last sisters I trained. Probably because that is going to be one of the next big steps in my life. Which is super weird to think about, so I just won't think about it right now. haha. So this week I would say I have learned mostly about the importance of goals. If we don't have goals to work towards, then we aren't progressing. And many times when we aren't progressing, we start to go backwards. We need to continually make goals for ourselves so we can keep growing spiritually. It is so important! So I invite each of you to make a goal for yourselves in an area that you want to work on the most. For example, I am working on studying the Christlike attributes right now and also the fundamentals. Then I make little goals that help me focus on them. Maybe you want to be more outgoing with the gospel and open your mouth, so make a goal to talk to 1 person that week about the gospel, whether you just mention it or invite them to do something, as you prayerfully set a goal and stick to it; God will help you reach your goals if you do everything you can! Just like our new investigator for the week! We didn't reach that goal until the very end of the night on the last day. Yet, we pushed forward in faith and did all that we could, and God helped us with the rest. Blessings and miracles occur when we have set goals prayerfully. Also, setting the time when you want to accomplish the goal is so important as well, or else we will all procrastinate! I hope you all set goals this week to help you keep progressing! :) Thanks for your love and support! Have a great week!

D&C 58:26-27

So this week was pretty good! We went on exchanges and Sister G came to my area with me. It is going to be a sad day when Sis K leaves because she knows where everyone lives and she has a photographic memory. So we never have to look at a map. Well, we had to use a map the whole day. haha. I'm really going to have to learn the area. I know where some stuff is but I tend to get confused here. Sister W left me her gps, but our car charger doesn't work...so it's dead. That's unfortunate. 

So transfers are a mystery because we receive transfer calls tomorrow, but I'm sure I'll be staying in this area. 

We did a lot of work with our older male investigator this week. We had a really good lesson about the Book of Mormon the day we were on exchanges. He believes everything we tell him, because it is in the book. We keep trying to tell him that he needs to get an answer for himself, but he says he has no reason to not believe us. So we really hammered into him that he needs to gain a testimony for himself. He still doesn't think he needs to get baptized because he already was baptized. He understands authority, so we are trying to many different things. We told him to pray about Joseph Smith and to know if this is God's church that night, because we went to the visitors center with him the next day to watch the Restoration movie. His grand daughter took all of us and asked him if he was going to get baptized. She straight up told him that his baptism wasn't valid and it was like her just dunking him in a bathtub. We did the family walk through at the visitors center and she bore testimony that in order for them to be a family, he needs to be baptized. He thinks that he will be with his wife anyway. So we talked about temples and he cried. He is the cutest thing when he cries and he cries all the time. So then we watched them movie and he cried when they restored the priesthood, and when they talked about the Book of Mormon. I know that he received an answer that this is true. He agreed to pray about being baptized on Valentines Day. However, we then took him to a baptism this weekend and when we asked him, he said he's not getting baptized because he has already been, and that he is comfortable being Baptist. AHHH, LEO! Darn it. So we need to figure out what is not working for him and help him have an actual DESIRE to find out for himself. I feel like he's avoiding the answers he is getting because he is scared and he doesn't want to change. He said he wasn't going to get baptized but he still came to church the next day and we are still going over this week. So hopefully we can figure out what he needs and help him understand. It's hard to teach old people. They are so stubborn. But man, I love him. He's the cutest. His birthday was this week and he turned 87. So pray for this man to have his heart softened and for him to understand. 

We had another great opportunity to teach a couple this week. We were so excited because the girl is less active and wants to come back, and her boyfriend thought it would be good to learn more about the church. So when we started we asked a question that somehow led to the boyfriend telling us that he had been baptized when he was 8....what? Darn. haha but it's ok! He wants his daughter to be raised with God, and he is willing to give this a try because he is basically an investigator. He doesn't know really anything about the church. So even though there won't be a baptism, we are so excited to help them become active and gain their own testimonies :) 

So random side story. I was ACTUALLY getting ready one day this week. I put effort into it and was actually curling my hair. Unfortunately as I went to unplug the curling iron, it was a little bit off the counter so my hip bumped it, turned it around, and cause it to rest on along my thumb. It took me a second to realize what happened and then to move the curling iron. Man, I burned myself so good. So good that the burn was white, not red. Needless to say, I have a second degree burn from a curling iron...I have never done that before. Ridiculous. So now my thumb is blistering. No fun. haha luckily Sis K. has some tea tree oil that I have been putting on it, so that has helped. I am such a klutz now. 

Anyway! I had another blessing of being able to go back to my last area this week! One of the young woman I helped teach was baptized and I was able to go. Bishop drove us down because he has family there so that was fun :) He took us out to eat and we had a fun evening. The baptism was super good and I was really excited to see them again. I sure do love them. This young woman is such an amazing girl and I was able to feel of the spirit at the baptism and know that this was the right step for her (obviously), but it's always nice to get that confirmation from the spirit. 

Also, since we were with the Bishop, he asked us to speak tomorrow because the other speakers had a family emergency. Luckily, I had a talk written in the past about listening to the spirit, and the topic is the Godhead. There is only so much you can say about the Godhead in general, so I decided to just use most of that talk and discuss one member of the Godhead and why he is so important. So I didn't have to prepare much. Sis K prepared a little talk on real intent, and when we were going over it in sacrament right before we spoke, we realized our talks go together so perfectly. So she went before I did and talked about real intent and then I talked about how to listen to the Holy Ghost and find answers. It went SO well. There were so many people who came up to us after and thanked us and asked for the references we had used and told us that was just what they needed. The Bishop even said that is exactly what he had been trying to get across to people lately. So that was really cool.

I think that is what stood out to me most this week. God does inspire people and prepares things. I don't know if that talk really helped anyone last time I gave it, hopefully it did, but I think maybe God prepared me to give that talk in this ward at this time. He inspired Sis. K to know what to talk on and we had no idea that it would work together so perfectly. It made me continue to realize that we don't always know why things happen in our lives or sometimes we think we did something for nothing, yet God knows those things and can use them to our advantage. It was very nice to be able to hear that it helped someone, because I felt that it maybe didn't go so well at first, but it did :) So we were grateful for that opportunity.

I am so grateful for the gospel and for God being in the details of our lives. I know that He has a plan for us, and sometimes its hard to find that plan or have the faith to push on and hope that you are making the right choices to be in line with that plan. I was refreshed by the talks I had read a few months ago when I was preparing the talk I gave in church. God doesn't make it easy for us to receive guidance from him or else we wouldn't learn. I think that has been one of the hardest things for me. I just want to do what he wants me to do. However, also as I have been reading the Doctrine and Covenants, many times the Lord tells them that he isn't going to command them in all things. Or he will tell them they need to do something, but he doesn't care how they do it. They have to put the work into it and learn to make wise choices and that can be SO hard sometimes. It is a scary thing for me to do. But if we have faith and do our best to make right choices. I believe God will make it all work out. So I'm grateful for that! I encourage each of you to look through Preach My Gospel chapter 4 and ponder on ways the spirit has spoken to each of you in your lives, because it is different for everyone and it is something we have to learn. It takes practice and action, and as we do those things, we will receive more promptings and answers, and God will know that he can trust us to follow them. I hope you all have a great week! Love you!

Manuia lou aso fanau

Happy Martin Luther King Day Ya'll. Forgive me for misspellings or odd sentences because we are emailing from our iPads today and the auto correct is stupid sometimes. 

So you are probably wondering what the title means....well this week was President's birthday! We had interviews this week and he was coming to our zone on his birthday so we wanted to make it special for him. Sooooo, not too long ago he told us a really cool story about his mission in Samoa and how they were able to establish a church on an island that missionaries had been banned to go to. (The chief said the next missionary to set foot there, would be killed). Long story short, President was able to get past that and ended up building a shack as a church there. Someday I'll tell you the full story. But we were ordering a cake a couple weeks ago from Walmart and we found this awesome beach cake that had a shack on it! So we asked to change it a little bit and add some things he had talked about in his story and we made it HIS shack. So we were really excited about that. We decided to have the theme of how much his mission had affected him and made him who he is, and show our gratitude for the role he plays in our missions and help making us who we are. So we each wrote a little note to him about that and Sister K and I laminated it and made it look all nice. Well, we also know a family that is Samoan so we also wrote a note in Samoan on it and then we learned how to sing happy birthday in Samoan!!! So the title is how you say happy birthday :) It is actually pronounced "mon-o-wee-uh low ah-so fu-now." Haha so we were able to get everything prepared and teach the zone how to sing it. It turned out so good! He wasn't expecting it at all and kept telling us we weren't even supposed to know about his birthday. Also one of the elders had a member make a piñata of  Phoenix for president so that was also fun :) It turned out really good and his wife texted us later and thanked us for putting that together for President. It was fun because he ended his last interview and walked past the kitchen to go make closing remarks. Well, Sister K and I hid in the kitchen and then when he walked past, we wheeled the cake out behind him and followed him in and then started singing. It worked really well :) it was fun to be able to do something for him like that. 

We met with a lot of less actives and recent converts this week so there isn't much news for the week. We met with one of our investigators though. He sure is the cutest old man I've ever seen, he's also a little sassy pants so we get along well :) haha. We went over the restoration with him again because he doesn't understand why he has to pick a church. It's weird though because he understands that Jesus went to John the Baptist because he had the authority to baptize. But somehow it still doesn't click for him when we teach authority. However we finally got him to pray! It went well and he usually says no because he will get embarrassed or something.

I've been reading the war chapters lately and I've learned a lot from them. There is an older lady that we are teaching the lessons to. She has been a member of almost every church, and she is very old, so she gets confused sometimes as to what is true. So we are trying to help her. Well she says it's hard for her to read the scriptures, so I retold one of the stories for her that I had recently read, but I modernized it a bit. So that was fun to help her understand that she can learn from the scriptures and make it so she can understand it too. So anyway, the things I have been thinking about this week are how we need to fortify ourselves. Captain Moroni is continually helping the Nephites fortify their cities and be prepared for when the Lamanites attack them again. So my thoughts have been lately, "How do we fortify ourselves? How can we make those weaknesses we have, strong?" Obviously it is through the gospel and the savior, but sometimes it is hard to apply and know. Because I read my scriptures and pray all the time, but what more could I be doing to fortify myself against the adversary and the natural man? So I invite each of you to pray and ask Heavenly Father what it is you can individually be doing to fortify yourself so that when temptations or trials come, you are spiritually prepared to fight. I love you all and hope you have a great week!

Lessons I've Learned

Hey! Happy.....Monday? haha I feel like for the past 4 months I've been saying something that had to do with the holidays. However, they are now over, so I guess I don't have to say that anymore, that is until Valentines day rolls around. 

Anyway this week has been good. I feel like this week has been pretty routine and we had a lot of random things that we did that interfered with just normal proselyting. This week was ward conference so this week we did some "rescue visits" with the auxiliary leaders and their stake counterparts. That was good to be involved in. We went with the Primary President to visit some people which turned out to be a very inspired visit on her part. So that was cool to be a part of. We visited a very active family that has callings in the primary. The Primary President said she thought sometimes we pay too much attention to the inactives and forget about the active people and strengthening them. So we went on Tuesday and the message we were sharing with people was about hope. So we shared the message and we found out that the family we were visiting had found out they were pregnant! So they were really excited and it was a lovely visit. Well the next day, the family found out that she had a miscarriage. They were having a really hard time because they had also recently just had another sad death in the family during the holiday season. So they have been struggling. But it turned out to be very inspired to visit her and share that message of hope as they are now holding on to that message that was shared, even though when we came the night before, she was wondering why we had visited her and that she didn't really need that much hope in her life at the time. So it was very cool to see that and to see how in tune we need to be with the spirit at all times so that we an act on promptings such as those and be an instrument in the Lord's hands. 

This week we also did some good service. We went as a zone to a food bank and assembled bags of foods for families. It was really fun. We were in an assembly line and we all had to keep up the pace and it was GO time the whole time. It was really fun. This is the second time they have done this in this zone and both times we have finished an hour early. haha last time the workers were telling them that they needed to slow down because they were going too fast. So I guess we just work really hard and fast and they don't usually expect that. So that was really fun. Then we also went to the senior center again. The old people really enjoy it when we come. There was an old lady doing a food demonstration and she loved to use us as her little puppets. haha they are seriously so funny. But also it makes me realize.....I never want to get old... haha. :) Seriously though. It is fun to get to visit with them. However an old lady was very cranky with me because there was a broadcast of Obama on and a lot of us were talking and not watching. So apparently Obama was just a few miles down the road at a high school in our area. Not sure why. So she was very angry that I was not watching "OUR PRESIDENT." haha. She gave me a good chewing out because I was the only person who was nice enough to acknowledge her. 

This week we also went on exchanges. That was a different experience for me because this was the first time I have been on an exchange where one of us was not a sister training leader. Both of us were just normal missionaries so we didn't have to evaluate really or anything. I mean, of course we still learn from each other and such,but neither of us really had to "give advice" or find out if there are any problems and such. It was fun though. I went to the Spanish area and had to crack out my bike for the first time in 6 months. Luckily, it was a beautiful/perfect day that day. The weather has been all over the place lately. The past few days have been rainy. Anyway we got to teach a family that they recently put on date. The mom wasn't there but the boys and the dad were. The kids understand English and the dad understands Spanish. We were reading from the Book of Mormon so we read verse by verse, first in Spanish and then in English. It was really nice for me because prior to that I mostly just sat there because I couldn't understand anything. So I was able to explain what was going on to the boys. They were 9 and 7. They were really smart though and remembered a lot of what the sisters taught them last time and caught on pretty well. They even had questions and comments that all connected well. They seem to be a very prepared family so that is very exciting for them! 

We also had an interesting experience that day. We visited a less active lady. She is married and has two kids and her husband. She is the only member. So there is an 11 year old boy and a 9 year old girl. The boy, is extremely smart. Very, very, very book smart. He knows probably way more than I do. He was rattling things off about other religions and science and stuff. It was crazy. Anyway we were introducing the Book of Mormon and reading from the introduction (luckily this was all in English) and came to the part where it says that reading the Book of Mormon will bring us closer to God. I asked him how it would make him feel to have a better relationship with God. Well that turned out to be an inspired question because he confessed that he is atheist. What!? An 11 year old atheist! I was able to address his concern and explain and promise to him that he can know there is a God and that He loves him. His mom gave us more of his concern and told us that he felt there was no God because of some of the hard things he has gone through in his life. We invited him to read the Book of Mormon and he said he wasn't sure he would because he didn't have that "sincere heart or real intent" that we need to have. So we committed him to read at least the testimonies of the witnesses and the prophet Joseph Smith. He agreed. Well the next day the mom texted the sisters and said after we left her son tried to go to sleep but couldn't. He went to his mom and said they all needed to read the part we assigned together. They did so and he still couldn't sleep. He later told his mom, "I don't know what it is about the Book of Mormon, but I've GOT to read it." He just really felt like he needed to read it! How amazing. It was really cool. It was a really good experience for me too because I was talking and addressing his concern, I felt the spirit working through me. Lately I've had a bit of a harder time feeling guided and directed because my companion knows the people and what they need better than I do, so usually it is easy to just follow her lead. But while I was there, I could feel the spirit as I testified and found out that there was a concern that we needed to know in order to help him. And now he is reading the Book of Mormon! 

This week we also had a relief society activity and compared to my last ward, so many people came! It was all about emergency preparedness as well as food storage. I was able to learn a few things. But the best part was that we had two less actives come! So this week a lady and her husband
came into church one night and asked what time church started. They had been inactive for a long time and wanted to come back to church! We invited her to the activity and she came :) We also invited another less active. This lady lives with her boyfriend and they have a one year old daughter. Anyway, she came also and had a good time as well. 

This weekend we were also able to go to the visitors center with a couple to watch "Meet the Mormons". The guy said it really touched him and he seems very prepared, so we hope to start teaching him soon! 

This weekend we also had a baptism!:) This girl's family was baptized about a month ago and now she was able to follow their examples. It went really well. She is very happy. So many people came too. It was great. And while we waited for her to change, we opened it up for testimonies after our presentation and there was never a silent moment. It is so different from the other wards I have served in. I'm beginning to love it and to love the people. 

So my thought for this week is to really be in tune with the spirit and be worthy of the spirit to guide you at all times. The spirit is so important when it comes to serving in the church and also in raising a family and being a disciple of Christ. I had my first ward council meeting in this ward and the stake was there also. Like I said, this ward is different from any ward I have ever served in. They are each so on top of things and each auxiliary had a detailed report of at least one family they were working with. In my past experience, not every auxiliary does that or has something to report. But in this ward, every single auxiliary had something to report and it all related back to missionary work. It was amazing and the spirit was definitely strong. The Bishop is so involved and has a very strong testimony of missionary work and that it is what makes the difference. He really cares about the people and because each of those auxiliary leaders is in tune with the spirit, they each had been able to act on promptings to help those families they were working with. It was amazing. I also have such a testimony now of the importance of home teaching and visiting teaching. It is so crucial and essential in lifting everyone in the ward up. The leaders can't do everything and it is our job as disciples of Christ to care for one another and uplift each other. Home teaching and visiting teaching isn't something we should do once a month and be done, it is something that we need to take seriously. We need to be a true friend to those we visit and be there for them always. We can bless their lives and do things for them all month that are simple and easy for us, but means a lot to the recipient. (phone calls, texts, facebook message, plates of cookies, etc). As I've seen people who just need help and someone to reach out to them, those little things make a difference. They even make a difference in the lives of active people who we think might not need it. But they do. Anyway, I invite all of you to pray for a "missionary" or spiritual experience this week. Be an instrument and tool in God's hands for him to help one of his children. It could be at school, within your own family, or ward, or the grocery store. Try to recognize those promptings and then act on them. As you do this, you will get more because God will know he can trust you to do his will and take care of his children. I love you all and hope you have a great week!