Keep On and Listen Up :)

Hello everyone!

The mission in Mississippi is doing very well!  This last week was a little bit slower with adjusting to four people in the apartment, not having a car for half of the week, and trying to figure out our new areas since we have two sets of sisters.  That has been one of the hardest things this week.  Most of you know how I am with decisions, and President has basically left this decision up to us four, along with the guidance of our zone leaders and district leader.  It has been tough!  FYI, our area is a diagonal oval shape going from NW to SE.  It's about 50 miles from the NW to the SE tip and about 20-30 miles wide going down.  It's pretty large!  So it's been an emotional roller coaster considering all of our current investigators and thinking of having to stop teaching some of them so that the other sisters can teach them, but I know that is part of missionary work.  For that reason especially, it has been slow - because we don't have our areas officially decided yet.  So we haven't done much tracting this week, but it was still a really good week!

First of all, [our 12 yr old investigator] was baptized this Saturday!  And he was confirmed and received the Aaronic priesthood on Sunday.  We were so happy for him!  I do feel bad because his baptism wasn't very well attended, and I ended up having to play the piano, plus I was asked to give the talk on baptism, but I think he still enjoyed it because he was the most energetic I've ever seen him.  And I could see in his Mom's eyes how happy she was that he wanted to be baptized and was taking that step.  [This young man] is being such a great example for his 2 older brothers, and his mom.  They hadn't been to church in a while, but his mom has started bringing him since we started teaching him and they are a great family.  I hope that we can help them out as we continue to visit with them!

Also, I need to tell you about one of our neighbors that we have started teaching.  Sister Walker had the courage to walk up to [some] guys who were outside of an apartment in our complex a couple weeks ago.  One of them has become interested in finding out more about the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.  We have visited with him about 4 times now and he has done some reading in the Book of Mormon, was going to come to church but for good reasons wasn't able to make it, and wants so much to watch general conference this weekend.  . . . He is a great guy . . . with 2 sweet, cute kids.  He lives with them and their mother.  He's also a great cook and has cooked dinner for us twice.  Anyways, he has so much potential and I really hope that he finds some answers as he watches conference this weekend.  He agrees with a lot of the things we're telling him, but gets hung up on a few things - mainly the prophet.  So here's praying and hoping!  Also, fun happy moment with [this investigator] - he was asking about being sealed and asked if it was possible to be sealed to people who weren't your family.  We explained how technically we are all related, so if everyone got sealed to their families than we would all technically be sealed, then we asked why.  He said because I would want to be sealed to you four because you are all the definition of what good friends are.  That really melted my heart to see that he always wanted to be around us because of how good, kind, fun, and happy we are compared to a lot of the friends he has had.  He even scheduled to meet with us on a Friday night because he knew that his friends would be drinking and he wanted to start getting away from that.  Like I said, a great guy with a lot of potential!

We also had fun going to Richland days on Saturday and passing out a few cards to people as we went around the park and checked out different booths.  It was a much more fun way of talking to people and getting our faces out there than tracting and knocking on people's doors.

The Relief Society General Broadcast was also very good!  It was a lot different in the church though because the four of us misisonaries and one other sister in the ward were the only ones who came to the church to watch it.  Hopefully all of you sisters out there were able to watch it!

Well I am so excited for General Conference this weekend!  Please please please give some time to listen to our prophets and apostles this weekend!  It is SO important.  A lot of people out here - including members - don't realize or understand the great importanct and blessing of having a modern day living prophet and apostles to give us the guidance from the Lord.  The Lord lives and will be speaking to us this weekend if we will listen - listen Up.  I can promise you that.  I love you all so much!  Don't ever forget who you are and that you are loved!

May THE force be with you all!  And don't forget to listen Up :)

Transfer 3

So we have four sisters in Florence now!  Sister Ray is joining us and will be Sister Meek's companion.  She has been in Shreveport, Louisiana since she got here, and she has been out 1 transfer more than me (3 complete transfers).  All four of us will be staying in the same apartment, but we will be split into 2 companionships.  So Sister Walker and I will be companions!  I'm REALLY excited!!  We will be able to do so much more work now!  It's awesome!  And yes, we all fit very comfortably.  Our apartment is really pretty nice and has 2 bedrooms (each with a closet) and 2 bathrooms (each with a shower), plus a good size living room and kitchen.  Sister Ray is from South Jordan, Utah and is super nice and sweet.  I love her already!

Talking about our apartment, we are going to have it ozoned in about 2 weeks - probably conference weekend - to try to get all of the smoke smell out.  That means we will be out of our apartment and staying with some members for 2 days, but it will work out great if it's conference weekend!  We're also super excited because we got 2 new beds!!  No more air mattress! Haha that thing really has treated us well, but it is super nice to have a bed for all of us now. :)  AND we were told that we should be getting a washer and dryer in our apartment in the next two weeks!!  WAHOO!!  That will help us out so much!  Especially now that we will have four sisters to do laundry.  Laundry is half of our p-day right now because we have to go to members homes to do it.  Thankfully we have 4 members really close to each other so we can usually use at least two of them at the same time, but it still takes a good 3 hours at least to get it all done.  Then we go grocery shopping together (like I did in college ;).  And then we try to head to the library to email.  So there's a little typical p-day run-down for ya'll! :)

Now about the car. :) The car share is ending with the elders.  Poor elders....I really do feel bad.  They only got it for one week and now they aren't going to get it anymore because President decided to make them a biking area and have a car share with the four sisters.  However, at the moment none of us have a car.  It's in the shop because the transmission was slipping.  We have no idea how long it will be there, but it's been there since Friday morning, and they hadn't even looked at it when the senior missionary who is the vehicle coordinator checked with them on Saturday.  So we're using our bikes and a lot of members right now - the members are great!

We've been getting a lot more referrals from members in the past 2 weeks, which has been awesome.  We've also received 2 media referrals!  People talk about the commercials on TV quite a bit.  It's great!  We haven't been able to contact all of the referrals yet, but it's been exciting to have so many come in when we were lucky to get 1 in a week.  There is some potential with some of them and I'll keep you posted as we continue teaching them.  As far as the people we're already teaching, we're plannning on [a young man] being baptized this Saturday!  I hope it goes through, but I am just a little hesitant that it may not.  He's been doing really well with not drinking tea though, and his mom did bring him to sacrament meeting on Sunday, so we'll see.  He's a great kid, but watching both him and [another young man] with their families has made me realize how important families are and how important the small things are - which I think I talked about in my last letter.  Those really are what make the difference!  I've seen people out here who were very active, strong in the gospel, had callings of leadership, in some cases return missionaries, and had good lives, yet now they are no longer active, and some don't even believe the gospel is true anymore.  I've asked myself how this can happen - how is it possible?  Right and wrong really do become blurry when you are not in your scriptures everyday, not praying everyday, and not going to church every week.  "By small and simple things are great things brought to pass." (Alma 37:6)  So keep going!  Keep reading!  And keep praying!  I'd also add that you bear your testimony often.  And that doesn't have to be in sacrament meeting in front of a large crowd.  That can be in a conversation with a family member or friend, in a family home evening, or even in writing in your journal at times.  That too strengthens your faith and firmness in what you know and believe.  I've noticed that it's the investigators who do those simple things that progress the most, the fastest, and the deepest.  You can tell who is ready for the gospel of Jesus Christ because they don't argue, they ponder.  They don't ask questions to bash, they ask to receive answers.  They don't just nod their heads and say "that sounds nice", they feel and get excited and desire more.  It has made me look at my life and wonder, how am I receiving God's word for me?  Am I really taking to heart the things that are being taught to me?  Or am I saying, that sounds nice...maybe someday I'll try that out or see if I can.  A member in our ward shared a Mormon Message with us this week on one of Elder Eyring's talks about the dangers of "someday."  It was powerful and I would highly recommend looking it up on Mormonchanel.org.

With one of our zone leaders going home this week and [another elder] from our area going home next transfer, it's got me thinking about time....am I counting time?  Or am I making time count?  I won't share too much more on that because I already shared a ton of other thoughts I've had, but I would invite you all to ponder that question. :)

Getting back to our investigators, [one of our investigator couples] came to a church tour on Wednesday night with their three boys and they really enjoyed it!  Especially the boys because they were able to do scouts while they were there!  Sadly, they didn't show up to church on Sunday, even though [the husband] said he took off work and everything.  Not sure why they didn't come, but hopefully it's nothing more than business.  We love them so much and I really want to see them continue to progress.  I realized that I forgot to tell ya'll last time that [the wife] told us that she received an answer that Joseph Smith really did have the experience he had in seeing God the Father and Jesus Christ.  She knows it's true!  That moment reminded me of the movie "The Best Two Years" because they way she started out it sounded like she was going to say something not so good, but it was super good!  So I have great hope for [this couple] and their family!  They are all wonderful and I can't wait to see where they are in the next few weeks!

We also celebrated Sister Walker's birthday yesterday!  She is now 20!  We didn't do much, but we did sing to her to wake her up, and got her a small gift of nail polish.  We would have made pancakes, but realized we were out of pancake mix.  We also went to McAlisters for lunch and dinner.  Lunch was provided by a member, and dinner was supposed to be provided by a different member, but they ended up not being able to.  We decided we liked McAlister's enough though that we'd go there on our own anyways. :)  It's kind of like Zuppas, but they also have spud (baked potato) options.  I love it. :)

Ok, so I need to wrap this up, but I wanted to leave ya'll with a few fun phrases that are used often down here in Miss'ippi!  Here they are:
I'm fixin to = getting ready to/about to (I'm fixin to leave.  I'm fixin to turn 22.)
All ya'll = All of you
Mema (mee-maw) = Grandma
Papa = Grandpa
Fall out laughin = laughing really hard
Also, I think the most common drink out here besides sweet tea is koolaid.  EVERYONE drinks that out here all the time.  It's always in the refigerator of pretty much any home.  And, I LOVE grits. :)  It's basically Cream of Wheat!  It's just Cream of Corn instead!  Yum! :)

Well I love you all so much!  Hopefully this letter isn't too long, but I guess it kind of makes up for the last ones that were shorter.  Have a wonderful week!  May THE force be with ya'll!

Hello from Mississippi to Utah!

I don't have tons of time again, but I do have some good stuff to share!  We got a less active member to come to church on Sunday.  . . . We absolutely love her!  She is black and she is so fun and full of life!  She has three kids (all teens) who are just as fun, and we love them.  We also have some amazing ward members here.  One of them . . .  was almost to church on Sunday when we called her and told her we had one of our investigators (12 year old Jacob) who didn't get a ride that morning.  She dropped off her Mom and niece and went the 20-25 minutes back to where he lived to get him and bring him to church.  And she was happy to do it!  [She] is someone I truly look up to and hope to be like.  She lives the gospel with joy!  There are also many other members here who I love and admire.  It really is hard work to be a good active member here - and time consuming.  It made me realize how blessed I was back home.  Visiting teaching appointments were 30 seconds to 5 minutes away.  Out here people have visiting teachies who live 35 minutes away!  And some people have to drive that long to get to church...at 9 in the morning.  We are the only ward that meets in the building, but we always meet at 9am.  And it's worth it. :)

So funny story for the week.  We were tracting and I walked up to knock on the door.  Most doors out here have a glass door on the outside of their normal door, so I opened the glass door, went to knock on the door,.....and felt nothing but air.  Yes, I opened the door to a house pretty much like I was walking right in.  And to add to it, the lady who lived there was only a few feet away, so as I tried to slowly and quietly close the door, she was right there.  I apologized multiple times, but the look on her face told me that she wouldn't have listened to our message in the first place, but now definitely wasn't going to.  Thankfully she didn't say anything rude, but I could see it in her face and felt so bad.  I hope she runs into some other missionaries who give her a better experience :)

The rest of our investigators are progressing well, but neither [of our two main investigators] were able to come to church.  [One] was because her mom wanted her to go to church with her, and [another] because her little baby ended up running a high fever of 104.  But they are all doing really well and I know that it will only be a matter of time.

Also, President and Sister McDonough came to our ward for church yesterday!  It was fun to have them there.  We also found out that we will all be staying here next transfer!  As long as he doesn't receive any other revelation before this weekend :)  It's possible that we will get a fourth sister, but he hasn't decided yet...we will see :)  If that's the case, we will be put into 2 companionship in the same apartment.  I'll let you know next Tuesday!

The car share turned out to be a good thing in my opinion.  Yes, we did A LOT more biking, but it was good and we were able to also get more members involved.  I think it also helped the Elders a lot, and they didn't get in any accidents!  I was so happy and grateful for that!

Well I love you all and hope that you all have an amazing week!  Keep strong and remember who you are!  Heavenly Father loves You.  The Lord works by small and simple means, and I know that some of the most important small and simple means in our lives are prayer, scriptures, and church.  They make all the difference.

May THE force be with you!

I Am A Woman Mighty In The Faith Of The Lord

I am super short on time this week, but what a crazy week it's been!  We started our car share and are SOOO thankful for the members who have already helped us out to drive us home from church, go visiting with us, feed us, take us to their homes to do laundry, take us grocery shopping, and take us to the library to email.  So far the Elders haven't had an accident, so I'm feeling good. :)

We also had an amazing Zone Conference Training on Friday.  Usually they do that the day after Zone Conference, but because we had a special speaker from the 70 come they did it this last Friday.  It was so good.  The sisters meeting they had was the best part.  First of all, I need to thank my Mother for teaching me piano as long as she did.  I played the piano for the sisters meeting and I loved it so much!  I've been able to play for almost every district meeting we've had, and I am so thankful that I'm able to do that. I'm not the best, and I've definitely made mistakes, but I love that I know enough to be able to play for meetings like that. I love the piano!

The main thing that I got from the Sisters meeting is that each of us has a specific and unique piece to contribute.  They had each of us write down one thing that makes us a "[women] mighty in the faith of the Lord."  (That comes from a scripture, but I can't remember the reference.)  Then they had our companion(s) write down something about us.  Then they had each Sister stand and say "I am a woman mighty in the faith of the Lord because..." It was so powerful to hear the other sisters and to stand myself and say that.  It was like breaking through a brick wall to say that.  I felt so much more confidence and joy and excitement for the gospel of Jesus Christ!

We each have a unique role in this life - something that no one else can give.  I know that the Lord Jesus Christ knows our potential and that we can achieve it through Him.

I'm sorry that's all the time I have today, but I love you all!  Remember who you are!

May THE force be with you!

Fire Within and Faith in Every Footstep

It's been a good week.  I think one of the highlights for me was being able to visit with and teach [one of our investigators] and her fiance. . .  We didn't teach her hardly at all the week before and were starting to wonder if she had lost interest in talking with us anymore, but this week we stopped by and she let us right in and said she'd been thinking about texting us to have us come over.  Wahoo!!  Love it when that happens!  :)  The conversation we had with her led us to talk about how the gospel is centered on families - that families are a big and important part of the gospel.  So she set up a time when we could teach her and her fiance.  We taught them yesterday and it was awesome.  They are both amazing people who I love and respect so much!  They will do great things with their family.

We were also able to teach a lot of others this week and have 2 people who have accepted a baptism date to work towards.  All of these people are growing so much and it's amazing to watch them.  I love teaching and talking with and learning from all of them.

Here's a fun story for the week.  I was saying a prayer before we went tracting one day, when my right foot started to burn.  I decided to look down and immediately said, "Oh boy."  My ankle had fire ants running all over i!  I had stood in a fire ant nest and hadn't noticed.  Thankfully my ankle is fine and I've come to find out that I'm not allergic, so all is well.  And yes, I did say another prayer to finish the one I'd started after my companions and I collected ourselves, cleared my shoe of ants, and found a new place to stand. :)

Next week a new adventure will start for my companions and I.  We talked with President this last weekend and decided we are going to do a car share with the Elders in our area.  So starting next Sunday, we will be switching off every other week.  It's going to bring about some new challenges, but we are ready to welcome them. :)  I know that it's going to bring blessing though.  I can feel it and am excited for it.  So in two P-days I'll be sure to let you know how that goes!

One of the last things I want to share is something I learned about faith this week.  I was reading in the Ensign for August and loved the article that talked about what you do when you feel like you're not getting an answer.

What I learned is that faith means that sometimes you have to step to the edge of the light, and a couple of steps into the darkness.  Faith is taking action even when we don't know what the end will be, or how a needed end result is possible.  I realized that it is taking those steps into the darkness that we see miracles.  I think I have prevented myself from receiving miracles in the past because I was too afraid to step into the dark.  So my invitation to all of you this week is: Take a step of faith.  Start moving forward and stay in tune with the spirit. The Lord loves you and has so much He wants to give you and show you, but you have to let Him.

I love you all so much!  Keep the faith and push forward with joy!  In Relief Society yesterday the lesson was on Finding Joy In The Journey.  A story from that talk was about a man who was in prison and had no communication with his family.  They finally let him send one letter with 25 words or less.  The teacher had each of us write down on a note card what we would write - what would our 25 words be to our families/friends, knowing we may never see them again.  That was hard, and I immediately started to cry.  It was a touching moment when my love for all of you overflowed.  So my last thing I want to write is what I wrote on that card:

Peace, love, happiness, and temple blessings.
God is your Father.  Christ is your Savior.
Smile often. Laugh much.
Keep family close.
Bare testimony always.

I love you all!  May THE force be with you!