Monday, January 25, 2016

His name, forever on my lips.

I LOVE OHIO!! Seriously. This place is life. It has my heart! Something really really cool happened this week!:) we has a world wide missionary broadcast! The church has not had a broadcast like this in 10 years! It was so cool cause at the beginning of the devotional we sang "Called to Serve" and I couldn't help but think of the thousands of missionaries singing with me all around the world! Including my big sister of course:) I didn't know why they called this devotional.. I thought at first we were gonna get chastised haha but the whole thing was super spiritually up lifting! The theme was "teaching repentance and baptizing converts". And how baptism truly is the first fruits of repentance, they go hand in hand. Something I learned with all this is that when we are baptized God gives us many gifts, like the gift of the Holy Ghost, and a remission of our sins. Baptism isn't the remission, b but keeping the promise is so we obtain that gift! We must keep our covenants to obtain that remission of our sins:) so amazing how God works!

Something they talked about that I completely loved was to keep the name of Christ on your lips. Always. How important is that? His name should always be in our hearts, minds, and lips. He is everything, he is our Redeemer. He needs us more than ever to always be a witness of Him and to stand for Him. Missionary, or not. I'm so grateful for the Savior.

I milked cows this week and got to feed a baby cow! Cutest thing of my life. Also, our water heater went out haha. We couldn't shower for a while.. But no worries!! It's fixed now!:)

I LOVE YOU!
 BABY COW!! He was the cutest ever, eating right out of my hands!

We took our investigators cigarettes.. They smell nasty.

We dressed up as Thumbelina and Prince Cornelius. Haha our companionship is on point!



Monday, January 18, 2016

This week was a regular week! Got to go on exchanges with Sister Detamore again that was fun! We were driving to dinner and had a sudden urge for a cupcake...so, we got one, haha! It was a Gigi's cupcake and it was sooooo good and so cute! A plus:) Hahahaha the exchange was super fun though!:) and I love cupcakes:)

We also had interviews this week!!! We had an all day training for weekly planning! So that was fun haha. Took hours and hour and hours. We all got a little restless. Thankfully Sister Daines had games to play in between hours haha:) she thinks these things through:) I love the Daines with all my heart!:)

So many miracles this week of people letting us in to teach them! Probably letting us in cause it's cold.. But who cares! I love sharing the message of the Restoration !!!:) Jesus Christ's original church has been restored to the earth!! It's the greatest news on all the earth!! I just wish more would open their eyes and accept it. Good thing a loving Father gives us a chance in this life and the one to come. He is so merciful!!

We had a musical fireside this Sunday and we had a missionary choir. We sang "I Believe in Christ" and the choir director before we sang was like "sing your testimonies" I just love that! And we sure did sing our testimonies! The Spirit was so strong and through song we testified of the divinity of the Living Christ! The gospel is the best!!:)

Well, I love you all!
  
 80% frosting 20% cupcake

 We were laughing because the boy running looks like a little Jewish boy!

My companion though:)

Monday, January 11, 2016

Privileges.

I feel I don't have much to report on this week haha. It was another week of running the Lords errand! Which is of course the best errand ever:)

Lately I have been so exhausted. Satan keeps running through my mind how have been doing this for 16 months and my body needs to stop. Some days I lack motivation. I still went out and worked of course, haha but I didn't want to! Then I listened to this album about missionary work. The song was kids singing about how they're so excited to serve a mission. I started to tear up as I thought about the privilege it is to serve a mission. My heart was softened and the motivation came back. Heavenly Father is just so amazing. :) the Lord gives me the strength I need everyday! I couldn't do this without Him!!!

It finally snowed here in Ohio, haha about time! I love the snow!!:) it makes winter pretty haha:) but since it snowed it's gotten a heck of a lot colder. Hooray!! It's funny I forgot how cold it gets! Luckily, this winter I have a car unlike last when I was walking around on campus all day. Crazy it's almost been a year since I was sent there...#timeflies

Had back to back exchanges this week!! So I was only with my companion like 3 days this week haha. It was fun!:) one thing I love about being a sister training leader is I get to know all the sisters so well, and I learn so much from them! I swear on exchanges they are training me! I am so grateful!

I started the New Testament this week and something really struck me. In Mathew 4:19 Christ says to Peter and Andrew, "Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men." And the next verse says, "and they straightaway left their nets, and followed Him." In the next verse it talks about how he called to James and John and it talks about hoe they "immediately left the ship and their father, and followed Him." I just love these examples of faith. They did not ask questions, they did not complain. They heard the voice of our Lord beckoning them to come to Him, and they went, leaving everything. On my mission I have left a lot of things for the Lord, and I pray I can have the faith these men had to straightaway leave everything... And follow Him.

Have an amazing week!!:) love you!!:)
 O-H-I-O..There is a lot of state pride here

 #roadkill Ohio in a nut shell

 Sister Alius and I!!! She is my soul sister

 Haha, shout out to my slippers.  The Beavercreek Sistas! Sister Lang and Sister Sly :)

 Cute Sister Lang!!:)

 This pic describes Ohio too, everyone has these tree faces on their trees, haha!  Don't ask?!?!


 So, the pic with the tree was the day before this one.  50 degrees outside. Then it snowed. All night. #firstsnowfall

Monday, January 4, 2016

Look not behind Thee

I love the meaning behind New Years. Have any of you seen the Mormon message "Look not behind Thee?" It's one of my favorite Mormon messages of all time. It tells the story of Lots wife and how they were given strict commandments to not look behind them after they left their home. For whatever reason we are not sure if she looked behind her, and a pillar of salt she became. This is a new year and we have no reason to look behind us. We can set goals for who we want to become this year but also for who Heavenly Father wants us to become. He will help us achieve anything we want if it's in harmony with him. So this year let's let him change us. It's a fresh start, it's a new year. Our future is brighter than our past. And with the Lord all things are possible.

Apparently it's a tradition of good luck to eat sauerkraut on New Year's. So sweet Sister Bohon once again cooked us a five course meal and gave us cabbage rolls. They were actually really good! And definitely worth good luck for the year. It was a good New Year's Day!:)

Anthony is progressing towards baptism! I've never seen anyone with such a strong desire to change. He is so excited for his baptism! He knows that's when he will feel the most forgiven, and feel changed. He is already seeing it in himself though. The Atonement heals all. It can change anyone. No matter who you are, or where you've been. It's powerful, and I love seeing that power be used by myself, and others through out my mission. I love being a missionary!! We are still finding a ton which is always good haha:) reoccurring theme of my mission:)

We had a major testimony building experience it was really cool!! So we went to get gas and I went to grab the gas card out of the glove compartment... And it wasn't there. Id rather it be my own credit card than the missions card! The Lords card!! I started to freak out and Sister Meyers and I frantically started to search the car. We looked for about ten minutes and couldn't find it. We prayed and then continued to search. In my mind, I had a thought come into my head of Sister Meyers pink coat. It was at the apartment. The thought kept coming to my head. Her and I were freaking out. So I looked at her and was like we need to check our pockets in our coats at home. She looked at me and told me she was thinking the same exact thing! So we drive home and I looked in my coat pockets, nothing. She then looked in her coat pocket of the pink coat and sure enough it was in there. We both fell to our knees and cried. A direct answer to prayer. It was a powerful experience. We said a prayer of complete gratitude and I felt the love from my Father so strong...I prayed the other night asking him why I haven't felt Him as strong recently and if He were there and listening to my prayers. He answered me with a experience I won't forget. Sister Meyers and I both felt that prompting from the spirit. It was so cool!! He's there. And he loves me.

Hope you all made some awesome New Years resolutions! I love you! Thank you for supporting me this year as I served the Lord an entire year. January to January. 2015 will be a year I will never ever forget.
 #loveless #sistermissionaryprobs

 New Year's Eve swag, it was 10:00 p.m. haha!

 We walked 6 miles that day...We were sitting on the side of a curb for relief, haha!

SISTER RUSS!!! Exactly 16 months ago her and I met at the MTC:) 16 months being a missionary...I LOVE IT!