Missionary Work in the Digital Age

So Monday was a party!  We went and took a tour of the “The Shoe”, aka the stadium! HahaJ It was way cool!:) I cannot even tell you how big of a Buckeye fan I am. Seriously, for life. National Champs baby. It is a good year to be in Ohio! I am grateful I didn’t serve on campus during football season though.. cause that would’ve been sketch. But I love campus.

      Wednesday was Zone Conference and it was AMAZING!! We talked a lot about the Atonement. Something that really stood out to be was the “enabling power of the Atonement.” What does enabling mean? Well, if we break apart enabling it means to make capable. The Atonement makes us capable to achieve all we want to achieve. We are capable to be who we want to become. We can compare ourselves only to the best we can be. We are good enough, because of the Savior. It is only with him and through him we are good enough. But, we can always improve and be better. Zone conference is exactly what I needed to hear. The Atonement helps us in so many ways! I am so grateful for Christ’s sacrifice for us.

       This week we also had IPAD training! So here is the deal. I thought we would go, and have a nice discussion on how to use Ipads, and the rules we would have. BUT FALSE! Of course not. Every meeting slash everyday on a mission is purely to help us grow as people and as missionaries. Want to know why they are giving us Ipads? It is to help us in the world. John 17:15 says “I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil.” That scripture states why they are giving missionaries technology. To keep us in the world, but not OF the world.  Because lets be honest, there is no way to escape. They want to teach us how to use technology in a productive way. There is a reason the Savior has given it to us! A quote that stood out to me was “self discipline is self mastery.” I want to learn to master myself and my habits and desires. I know I can learn how to master the use of technology so that when I get home it won’t take over my life! I am so excited to get to use Ipads in teaching. It is literally changing missionary work. I am so excited!

      I hope you all had a good week this week! Mine was really fun. Transfers are this week so that is always a party. We will see where the Lord wants me to go! I love being a missionary. Words cannot describe the joy I feel everyday. His work is incredible. This truly is Christ’s church on the earth today! THE GOSPEL ROCKS!! I LOVE YOU!!!

 O-H-I-O (you are not a true ohioan if you don't do take a pic like this)

 The Sweet Sisters:) #Thestruggleisreal

 The District!:) 

 WE ARE THE CHAMPS!! 

 Braxton Millers locker and gear? why not. 

 Doing the Elder Froerer stance. 

 OUR ZONE! I love this mission!!! Especially President and Sister Daines:)

 Generation pic!:) My mama and my baby:) So cute:) #raisingthebar

 Mirror Lake! I thought I would show you the beauty of Ohio:) 

 I had fun with Sister Springers reading glasses.. haha

Picking up cans for our homeless investigator Micheal so he can make some money.. Alcohol doesn't scare us! haha:) You can tell it was a long day.. 

Change.

     Well, this was a fantastic week!:) It all started with a great Monday at the chocolate cafe. Mmmm it was delicious!  Let’s be honest, P-Days are all about food haha. The craziest part of Monday though is when it started STORMING outside then all of the sudden… the sirens started going off. TORNADO!!! AHHH!! Haha we all ran outside to check it out. The streets were flooded! It was super exciting! It only lasted like 10 minutes though so that was lame. But I experienced my first tornado warning! It was a good time.

      Lots and lots of walking again this week. The buses aren't running much because of summer so we walk 3 miles to campus in the morning and night! Super fun!J It burned off the chocolate café haha. This week was good though. We taught Jasseim. So get this...Sister McDonald and I felt super prompted to go get sushi even though its kinda expensive… but anyway, we went and met Jasseim! He talked with missionaries before and wanted to learn more! Now the question is was the need for sushi just a craving, or was it inspiration? Either way I was happy. haha! The lesson went well! Sister McDonald took the lead! She is so amazing I cannot get over it. I am so blessed!!:)

       So side note I am currently sitting on the couch writing this on my alpha smart and S. McDonald is in the shower singing “Press Forward Saints” at the top of her lungs haha. No joke, the mission life is real!! The only songs we even enjoy singing anymore are hymns/songs we make up! Cause let’s be honest, it is the only songs we remember.

        New missionary training was this week and I learned so much. One of the things is that a mission is for sure to help bring others unto Christ, but also to grow myself. To become the person I want to become, and the only way I can do that is through the Lord. The process of change is not easy, I have for sure seen that. The refiners fire is hot and uncomfortable, but the outcome is worth it. Through Christ and His atonement we can all change. And I can see myself changing through my mission and especially through my experience training. We got to go to the TEMPLE!! AHH! That was an exciting shock! No one has gotten to do that before! It was such a special experience going with President and Sister Daines and Sister McDonald. I love the temple so much and I received many answers, and comfort I needed. It truly is the closest thing we have to heaven. J

       This week we taught Saki. I can’t remember if I have mentioned her before but she is atheist. Well, she WAS atheistJ AHHH!!! She told us she is for sure looking more into God. Want to know what changed her mind? The Book of Mormon. She read all the chapters when Christ is in America and it touched her so much. We also taught her the plan of salvation and she was so excited about it. She took a pic of the diagram I drew she just loved it. Plot twist though: she is leaving next week back to Texas.L The heart break of campus is real. She said she will come to church in the fall though. I adore her!:) It is crazy to see how the Book of Mormon truly does bring people closer to Christ. Even people who do not necessarily want to come closer to him. I love it cause I told her to be careful about what she looks up online cause people say crazy things about the church and she goes “I can’t believe some people!” haha either can we Saki, either can we!

      I want to share a quote from the new Mormon message “Lift”. If you all haven’t had a chance to watch it PLEASE go watch it now. It is so inspiring. This isn’t the exact wording but its close...

        “If you want to change physically you turn inward, if you want to change spiritually you turn outward.”

      I know that as we, like Christ, turn outward we can change who we are spiritually. We can become a new us. Serving others truly is the way we can grow and change spiritually and grow to the potential that Heavenly Father know’s we have. Is this change all going to come at once? No. This change is going to be a life long journey while we continually turn outward, but I know it is possible for me, and for all of us. So this week I challenge you all to look around you, and turn outward. I know by doing so you will come closer to Christ as he molds you into a new you.

I LOVE YOU ALL SOOO MUCH!!:)

 Cliche Railroad pic. 

 New Mish training! This is after the temple, aren't we glowing?:)

 It was this kind of week.. notice how green it is here. 

 THE CHOCOLATE CAFE!!

OK, we were dying! Even though geese are the MOST DISGUSTING THING ON EARTH! Their babies were pretty cute:) 

Where's Savannah?

What a crazy week! So, lets first start with the crawl. Can I just say college students are legit nuts? Cause they are. So, they do this thing called the bar crawl here. They will go to every bar on High Street and by the end they are so drunk they are crawling. It is non-stop drinking from 11 am to 2 am. Yeah.. That was a scary day haha. Needless to say we didn't get the chance to talk to many people! The world is a crazy thing. We just have to hold to the rod though and all will be okay.

      We had to say goodbye to so many this week.L Amy, Tricena, Gretchen. Man, this is hard. I guess it is just a taste though of what it will really be like in 10 months when I leave Ohio. It was really hard saying goodbye to Amy though. We helped her pack up her dorm room and then she was gone.. I know that the Lord will provide a way I can see her again. She is one of my best friends. It is different now on campus with summer. At least this week there was a lot less people. But its ok! Many are prepared I know it!:)

        Lots of walking around this week.. we found a pretty caterpillar. He was fun.. what else.. hm… we saw a bunch of people take graduation pics so that was cool too. Oh! United Dairy Farmers celebrated their 75^th anniversary with ice cream for 75 cents! I went.. twice.. haha. #missionlife I was telling Bishop that all we do as missionaries is talk and eat, and its so true! Haha! It was like 93 degrees this week with 80% humidity.. so pretty much everyday was a bun kind of day. haha! We all looked like death by the end of the day cause it was so hot!! I can never win.. .haha. I either say its too hot or too cold. At this point though I would rather have it at -13 degrees.

        MOTHERS DAY, MOTHERS DAY! So the day started out good.. until Sister Springer showed me this video about Mother’s and I cried! Haha I am such a baby! We were excited all day though to talk to our families of course! AHHH!! It doesn’t feel that long ago that I talked to them.. but I guess it was 5 months ago. Boy, does time fly! Anyway, talking to them was amazing and I got a special surprise!! THE BROWNS!! YAY!:) They made me happy;) But Savannah struggled getting online! The whole time I was just asking where’s Savannah was haha. “where’s Savannah?” I just wanted to see her so bad! Until I saw her face! EEK! MY SISSY! I love her so much!:) I love all my family so much! I am so grateful for them! Distance truly does make the heart grow fonder, but also stronger. I am grateful to have a family who is focused on the gospel. Love is the essence of this gospel and I know when you focus your family on Christ that love is there. There is no way you cannot have love when you are focused on Christ, cause He is love! Man, the gospel is true, the book is blue. haha! I am grateful to know that my family can be together forever! What a blessing that is and I would not want it any other way. Hope you all had a grand mothers day! Love you!:)

 *Add Caption* haha:) 

 BAR CRAWL!! We were scared... 

 This is what  High Street looked like all day.. feat. THE GREAT AND SPACIOUS BUILDING! Seriously, kids were in there just yelling and drinking look at the top! I legit felt like Lehi. haha. 

 HAPPY 75th BITHDAY UDF!

 SUSHI!!! MMMM! my new fav.. ok but lets be honest.. it made with a soy wrap and chicken haha so is it really sushi? 

 HAPPY 8 MONTH TO ME!!! 

Mothers Day + Skyping + The perfect duo= Matching Skirts:) 

bee's a buzz, kids will blow dandelion fuzz.

       “And now as I said concerning faith- faith is not to have a perfect knowledge of things; therefore if ye have faith ye hope for things which are not seen, which are true” Alma 32:21

        That scripture describes the miracle of this week. So, we are teaching this girl named Tricena. Pretty sure I have mentioned her before. She is Atheist, yet she is coming to church trying to find God. haha. She says Atheist but we say Agnostic. Anyway, each lesson we have with her we talk about faith, and how she will never come to know Christ if she does not have faith. Each lesson she expresses to us how she cannot have faith. GAH!! She is frustrating sometimes but we love her!  So, we had a lesson with her this week and once again we asked her about her faith in Christ. Expecting her answer to be the usual, we were not prepared for what she did say...SHE SAID SHE HAS FAITH!! She talks about how if she didn’t have faith then why would she be reading, and going to church, and praying. Seriously such a miracle. She went from pretty much hating Jesus Christ to having faith in Him!! Want to know the worse part though? She is graduating Sunday and going to Korea. Sweet. Haha. But, our purpose is to invite others to come unto Christ. And that is exactly what we did!! We helped bring her closer to Him. Being a missionary is seriously the BEST!!:) I never thought in my dreams that I could help someone believe in God. It is amazing!

        Another miracle of this week.. drum roll please…. WE ARE GETTING IPADS!! Haha finally!J They have only been promising us this for the past 8 months (aka my whole mission slash they have been promising the whole mission for the past year and a half). We are getting them the beginning of June. Seriously, so excited! This will for sure change our missionary work. Technology can be such a blessing in our lives if we use it the right way. I am just so grateful!

        AMY AND GRETCHEN ARE LEAVING TUESDAY!! NOOOO! I am so sad. We had a going away party which broke my heart. Slash, our party was just watching Legacy, but it was real fun haha!J Amy cried of course. Let’s be honest, we all want to marry a guy like David Walker.  Minus the uni-brow! haha. I will miss these two girls so much though. They have strengthened my testimony in ways they will never know. They have helped me grow as a missionary, and a person. I am so grateful for both of them and what they have taught me. I LOVE YOU!!!:)

       On my mission I am learning obedience. I am learning and gaining experience of the lessons of being obedient. We can gain so many blessings! It is so funny because here on the mission if we accidentally sleep in 15 min we feel like the biggest sinners, haha! The mission truly changes you. But really, something I have come to realize is that God asks so little of us. Think of everything He has given us, and all he asks us to do is to 1. Have faith in Jesus Christ, 2. Repent 3. Baptism (or partaking of the sacrament), 4. Receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost, and 5. Enduring to the end. There are only 5 things he asks us to do! And what do we get in return? Blessings in this life, and the life to come! “And secondly, he doth require that ye should do as he hath commanded you; for which if ye do, he doth immediately bless you; and therefore he hath paid you. And ye are still indebted unto him, and are, and will be, forever and ever; therefore, of what have ye to boast?” Mosiah 2:24

        I know that as we are obedient to the Lord and His commandments we will be blessed. We should want to be obedient though not because of the blessings that we receive from obedience, but out of the pure love we have for the Lord and our Father in Heaven. Like King Benjamin says, we are always indebted to Him, so what have we to boast? Everything we have is already His. I am slowly learning how to be obedient. It will be a life long learning process but I know that as I am learning and growing my Father in Heaven will be proud of me.

        I love you all so much! Have a good week and a GREAT Mother’s day! I know my mama will be having a good one;) 

 A trio plus free sunglasses. This made for a GREAT DAY!!

 Amy took us all out for dinner:) Man, I just love her:) 

 AMY'S LAST SUNDAY!!! of course we matched:) DON'T LEAVE ME AMY!!! 

 I made a real good wish on this dandelion. 

We found the Elder's eating pizza:) haha:)