Week 57 Safety Lies in Repentance (October 17, 2016)

Monday was a fantastic p-day!! After we did a lot of walking around, getting lost a couple times but managing to find the people we had planned to see. Some were home and others were not. Towards the end of our evening we had meeting with our bishops see what we could do to support him and his plan for the ward. He really wants to push missionary work because he feels people have been slowing down and they had seen such a good year last year and they are not even close to reaching their goals this year. He gave us some awesome ways we could help. 

Tuesday we saw the Metz family, who is a recent convert and less active happily married with a child. They have a goal to be sealed in the temple this December. We are working with them so they can feel ready to go. We are super excited for them!! We had dinner with the Judd family. They are an awesome couple who just got married last year and are also going to get sealed soon! They are both converts and found the church in the military. They are a spectacular family and a real testimony builder. We also had our first lesson with the Cruze family! Man sister Cruze is from Germany so she has the German slang, passion and energy. Brother Cruze is more quiet and tender hearted. Sister Cruze was a convert and they both have a desire to come back to church. They are meeting some stumbling blocks so we have been taking the lessons slow and they have been coming to our Book of Mormon classes and that has been helping. We took a member from our ward and that was awesome. 

Wednesday we took sister Rodgers (our RS president) to a less actives home named sister Morrison. She has such a strong desire to come back to church but her work schedule is getting on the way. She is the provider right now as her non member husband is out of work. She has been working so hard to provide for her family and she has been trying to keep up on her prayers and scripture study. We were able to talk with her about how important the Book of Mormon is in our life. We challenged her to invite her husband to read it with her, so we will see how that goes. After we met with sister Hayth, a recent convert. We had a really spiritual lesson with her about testimonies because last week we had a fast and testimony meeting and she just didn't know how people just got up there and spoke. We talked about what a testimony is and why we bear it in front of the congregation. Ne of my favorite part about bearing a testimony is the knowledge of my sins being forgiven. We asked her on the spot to bear her testimony to us and she did a fantastic job. I know I have taken for granted my testimony and I invite you all the cherish yours this week as you wrote it down or share it with someone. 

Thursday we had a zone meeting and we talked a lot about our self worth, self confidence and they "why" in why we are still out on a mission. The missionaries did a good job in their trainings and I learned a lot. After we got to go see sister Doolittle with sister Rodgers again. We had another great lesson with her about the Book of Mormon. We were able to read the introduction with her and further explain how this book can help her feel of god's love and find peace as she is healing from the death of her mother. She also came to church this week which was awesome!! On Friday we were able to do our weekly planning and after we were able to see a lot of findings we had set up and we did a lot of service that evening for a less active. On Saturday the big storm was suppose to hit us so our mission president said we couldn't leave our homes. Well by 12:00 nothing was happening so we got a member to pick us up for our correlation meeting with our ward mission leader. We had a great meeting with him and his family took us back home after. Our mission president gave us the go ahead to get out and work a couple hours later so we were able to make it to our lesson with brother cherry, a less active and his daughter katelyn who isn't a member. We brought sister Thomas, the primary president and her daughter who is the same age as kateyln. We had a good lesson with them and we challenged her to pray about being baptized. Her father wants her to join, but her mom is more against it. 

They came shortly after to our ward harvest fest party and we were so happy they came because it seemed like they had a good time. A lot of our less actives came out to this event, and we had a good turn out from our active ward members as well. It was a success and sister Frisch and I had a blast meeting so many more of our members and eating lots of popcorn. Sunday was a good day as well. We took out brother winks, our ward mission leader to go trackting with us and to try by some less actives. We didn't find too much success, but he told us her loved coming out with us and it was exactly what he needed. I definitely know Heavenly Father is aware of our members and any member of his church that wants to go out with the missionaries. Even if we don't see any miracles I know the members are blessed for their efforts,  because no effort is ever wasted when it comes to preaching the gospel and building the lord's kingdom. All we have to do is our part and show Heavenly Father he can trust us with his work. Love you all. Have a wonderful week! 

Week 56 (October 10, 2016)

So a little back ground on my new companion. Her name is Sister Frisch. She is from Mesa Arizona (3rd companion from there). She has a super happy all the time personality. She loves the sun and swimming and she enjoys making others happy. She is the oldest and has 5 brothers underneath her. She came out a transfer before me so we are relatively the same mission wise, so that's nice. She is a hard worker and loves to eat healthy with me. She went to BYU before this and plans to go back there and become a dentist. I have also convinced her to open a smoothie/flower shop with me. 

Background on my area: it is relatively small to the point that they have been walking in his area for a long time. The ward is big in number with members and les active, but our teaching pool for investigators is small. So we have work to do there! All of the members are incredible. They are so supportive and are so missionary minded. Our ward mission leader couldn't be more perfect at his job and so many members are so willing to pick us up and drive us places. I will admit I have a hard time asking, but I am being humbled. I love seeing the sacrament meeting so full and I enjoy having and incredible ward around us! Geographically our area is a huge neighborhood, street after street full of family sized homes. It is very confusing for a directionally challenged missionary, but I'm figuring it out. In the northern part of our area we have so many newly built apartment complexes that look like the sand of the sea. It's a bit overwhelming, but we have already found success there so I am excited. We are living with a member who is single. She is (sorta mid 50's) and loves to clean  and do our laundry for us. She is always home to welcome us and she has a great personality when you get past her introvert-ism. It's been awhile since I have lived with members so it is so fun to feel of her spirit be in her company. 

The rest of my week was crazy! We met lots of members and people we are going to teach. We had lots of meetings with auxiliaries to establish our foundation and to show our support and gain their trust. I am so excited for this new transfer and new adventure. We are already seeing the miracles and Washington doesn't know what's coming! Have a fabulous week everyone, I love you all and I know that is gospel is true. It makes people way too happy to not be true. The gospel can solve anything and help anyone wherever they are at. I have seen it in my life and in the lives of so many others! Repentance truly allows us to change and become better every day if we act upon Christ's invitation to come unto him. 

I look bad in all of them sorry! Enjoy.

Week 55: All we need is...conference!!! (October 3, 2016)

It was a wonderful week! Sorry this will be so short but I am being
transferred and sister Michaud, my companion and I are both leaving
the area so we have a lot to do!! I am moving back to Washington and I
am excited! I am whitewashing again with a new companion named sister
Frisch. I am so pumped because she is a really awesome missionary. Our
last week has been so spiritual. We have been in the right place at
the right time and the spirit has guided us and we have seen so many
miracles! I am so numbed to leave the area because we have met so many
incredible people and shared so many incredible memories with so many.
I will never forget these people here(:

Conference weekend was exactly what I needed and I am so grateful for
the opportunity to feel the spirit so strongly and to be able to
receive so much comfort, guidance and strength. I hope you all were
able to get something out of conference and if y'all havnt watched it
yet, go watch it now(: you will get more next week when it all comes
out and I can re-read it and share what I learned. Know I love you all
so much. This gospel is true and I love it with all my heart. I know
it's true with my whole heart.

Week 54: Seafood diet🍤🍤 (September 26, 2016)

Highlights of the week!!!

We have eaten so much fresh sea food this week! Shrimp, crab, salmon
all of it we have had to cook at home. I have had fish and chips, crab
and shrimp tacos and salad and soooo much salmon. I feel like I smell
like sea food 24/7 now but that's okay! I'm loving it(: sure working
on the word of wisdom eating meat sparingly and loading up on the fish
part. Feeling the blessings(: jk

This week we have been talking to Aton of people and finding new ones
to teach. There are a couple that dropped us too, which is never fun
but it's life. The weather has been really nice so we have been
walking everywhere and it's been really fun. Lots of our members will
see us out walking and pull over and offer rides. They are so nice to
offer and it is fun to chat with them for a couple minutes as they
took us places. The worst is when people honk and we don't know who
they are but we wave anyways. My mom and I would do that all the time
and now I know how those missionaries felt, but it feels good to be
recognized!

We found a lot of success with less actives again this week. A couple
were able to make it to the women's conference and the all loved it!
They said it was exactly what they needed to hear and I know that is
true because Heavenly Father loves us so much and cares so much for
us. Personal revelation can be found anywhere where the gospel is, the
spirit and the priesthood. It was such a spirit filled broadcast and I
am so pumped for my third general conference out on the mission!! We
had dinner with three less actives and 1 investigator this week as
well! It was a successful week!

We took a Tongan less active family to the temple and it was a really
spiritual experience. It is a pretty crazy story but in a nut shell
the motilikie's (the parents) were concerned about their less active
son so they went to Tonga and found the most righteous women in the
village and brought her home to marry her son in hopes of
re-activating him again. So diva (the wife) and strep( son of the
motilikie's) have been married for a year and have a son. We are
working with them to get sealed in the temple. I loved showing them
both around because they were really excited and diva had never seen
the temple before so she was so cute so excited and asking so many
questions. I really hope they start working on the temple classes so i
can see them get sealed before I leave. Temple trips are always a
success!

1. Cancer tree
2. Dairy Queen with the appartment and the old men in our ward.
Defiantly addicted(:
3. Temple trip

Week 53: BAPTISM SUCCESS🙏🏻🙏🏻 (Sept 19, 2016)

Hello hello!!

First: Steve pink got baptized and confirmed!!! Saturday at 9am. It
was a very early baptism and I was scared no one would show up but our
room was packed. It was such a huge blessing. The spirit was so strong
there and it was incredible to watch a man who has fought for his
family and religion be born in Christ. He then got confirmed on Sunday
and we had a new investigator there and it was fun to have her watch
that.

Second: we had lessons with a bunch of less actives this week and we
got a member to everyone of those lessons. It takes a lot of work to
get them to come out with us but I know each member that did was
inspired and it was awesome to see how they touched the lesson in a
way that was needed. Their testimonies were needed and so was their
fellowship. It was a blessing! We had Debbi a new investigator (who
was the one that came to CHRUCH) start reading the Book of Mormon. She
had some issues about Laban being killed. There were things I said
that I couldn't remember and I know they were from the spirit because
her countenance changed and it somehow everything I said just clicked
for her. We all have questions within the gospel and outside. Those
questions are answered only through the spirit of revelation whether
through ourselves or others. I am so grateful for the spirit of
revelation and for the opportunity to get my questions answered
because the priesthood is on the earth and the gospel has been
restored.

Three: we had a lesson with a part member family and we have a CHRUCH
tour soon!! There is so much potential and this family would greatly
help the ward! Our zone conference was incredible! The spirit was so
strong and I learned so much about the importance of repentance and
how repentance brings pure joy and happiness. Sorry this email is so
scattered....again another crazy week, but such a good one! I love you
all!! Have a wonderful week!

Week 52 (September 12, 2016)

What another awesome week in Portland! A couple rainy days so the
weather has been cooler and the looks of fall are sneaking in. We
started off our week by going to the temple visitor center with one of
our investigators. The visitors center was so quiet Monday night so we
all felt the spirit very strongly. Our investigator has a lot of
potential and we hope that her experience will lift her spirits and
increase her desire to keep progressing to baptism. We had a lesson
with her later on in the week and just hearing her experience at the
temple brought the spirit flooding back it
N. She even told her less active boyfriend about the experience and he
too has a desire to have the same experience she did.

We had a lesson with Graci this week. It went very well because we
talked about how she could strengthen her family. The gospel has given
me such a strong perspective of what eternity will be like if my feet
are planted on solid ground. I know why more and more each day why the
church teaches us about families, that we all have different roles,
that our standards should be kept at all times to keep our homes a
place or learning, growing and the spirit and the blessings that come
from building Christ like families. Graci has a desire to mold her
family into the family God wants them to be but I see that the
adversary has made deep wounds that will take time to heal. I am so
grateful I grew up in the church and that I have been blessed from my
parents righteous actions. We also had dinner with Graci and her
family this week. It was fun to get into another less active home for
dinner. It was a bit chaotic but we made our own Indian to is for
dinner. Graci really tried to apply what we taught her and we were
very proud.

After our book or Mormon class we dropped by our investigator named
Krissy. She hasn't been feeling well enough to come to church or any
other actives, but she still has a desire to learn despite her health
challenges. The spirit bore her a strong witness as we taught her the
restoration and committed her to pray to know the Book of Mormon was
true. It was an experience I haven't been apart of in a while and I
was humbled and full of gratitude for the message we share to the
world because it is true and it can bless lives. We also had exchanges
this week which was good. Sister arbon came to my area and we worked
hard teaching the lessons we set up and talking to those who came in
our path. We had a great lesson with bishop's brother who is taking
the lessons from us. Sid has been reading the Book of Mormon but no
one has challenged him to pray to know it is true. So sister arbon and
I set Sid up to be able to accomplish just that as we gave him the
background and importance of this special book. It was a great
experience and after Sid gave us lots of fresh vegetables. I have been
blessed by his kindness because I have been eating fresh tomatoes all
week, which I have missed so much.

A lot of people canceled on us but that has us the opportunity to find
others who would talk to us(:  there was a 16 year old girl walking
down the street who said she had seen us before and wanted to know
more about what we had. It was a tender mercy for sure. She lives by
one of our less actives and we set up for her to come over to our less
actives home to have a lesson. Another miracle was when we contacted a
former investigator. Her name is jasmine and she started talking to us
about how she dosent believe in a god but more of a supreme being.
After taking to her for a while she said a prayer to her Heavenly
Father and got chills when we told her she has a heavenly mother.

Lastly we had a incredible lesson with kaley and Lilly Olsen. They
have been so hard to contact and reach and I honesty thought they were
mad at us or didn't want to be apart of the CHRUCH any more. I was
super sad and bummed but we still decided to go over Saturday when we
usually had lessons with them to see if we could get a miracle. We
brought a member with us  and they were home!! We had an awesome time
seeing where they were both at spiritually. Kaley (the mom) wants to
still get baptized and she understands really well what it will take
to reach that goal of hers. Lilly still wants to be a member so that's
good! And they came to CHRUCH this week. I was filled with so much joy
this week and I am so grateful for all of your encouraging letters and
emails! I love this gospel so much, I know it is true. I know that as
we out God first in our lives and keep our priorities set on our
eternal goals our life will be full of joy. I know that as we focus on
our families in he gospel we will find our relationships sweet and
eternal. Have a wonderful week! Love you all!!

Week 51: Stone ages🍗🍗 (September 5, 2016)

We had a week full of humble miracles. The first being Steve pink. We
took two of our brethren in our ward and we talked about baptism with
him. He out of the blue asked brother van voorst last week in the
church hall to baptize him. Steve has many other he is closer with but
he chose this particular person for a reason and so he came to our
lesson and helped us get Steve ready. We talked about the word of
wisdom and I really do think he can make it. He is out of town now and
on his true turn he will be interviewed and then baptized. We met with
a less active named dayna. It has been forever since we have been able
to meet with her because she has been so busy and sick. She has been
suffering so much and so we talked about a spiritual goal that we can
help her with. She really wants to do so many things and her ultimate
goal is to go through the temple. I have learned so much this week
about goals and the ways in which we can reach our goals. It starts
with a desire and then we need to act upon that desire with faith,
taking the small steps to accomplish the things that will help us
reach our goal. Setting spiritual goals push us and teach us. I know
so many of us have pure desires to do things but we lack the speed and
momentum to get started. Or we start to do great and then fall and
decide to slow down to a stop. We are not perfect but God does ask us
to strive not just try. We need to make great efforts in what we
desire to accomplish or become. Something that I have learned on my
mission that has really helped me with setting goals is 1) pray to
know what God would have you accomplish and then write it down.
**align your will with his** As a companionship every 6 weeks we pray
and set a goal for how many people to baptize. That number is turned
into a more specific goal when we put actually names to those numbers.
Some times we have to be very specific with our goals to accomplish
them. This will show God our willingness, sincerity and our
determination. Writing down a goal puts in from your head to paper. 2)
daily check your location. Every morning my companion and I check to
see where we are at with our goals. How we are doing, how we can
improve and what we need to do to push ourselves. That is something I
didn't do before the mission and I slacked in accomplishing my goals.
Having a daily check where we are at helps me remember our goal, keep
my speed and direction and my motivation. I challenge you all as you
set goals to do and find ways to accomplish them at doing the small
things.

 Graci was a success this week. Her boys are in school so we were able
to actually have a sit down lesson with her in her home. We taught her
the restoration and she learned so much! Crazy how you learn stuff
when you listen to the spirit. Two of our gators came to CHRUCH for
the first time. Sid-bishops brother and namin who is on date for
baptism. We went tracting after church and we found a YSA less active
who was just dog babysitting for his buddy. He was way surprised we
knocked on his door and he said he was interested in coming back to
CHRUCH. He said he saw us earlier this week and hoped we would make it
to his place. Well the lord knows what he needed and he needed our
awesomeness. We sent his information over to hopefully the elders
*cough cough elder sanders-smith won't ruin the miracle. We also had
cool experience with a member who did some missionary work and found
us a less active to work with. It was really awesome because that's
what we want members to do. Be in the right time and the right place
and invite them to meet the missionaries. It was another awesome week!

The church is true because miracles are still occurring and so is
revelation through the priesthood. Have a great week and look for
those miracles!!