Week 28: Service & Charity

"And behold, I tell you these things that ye may learn wisdom; that ye may learn that when ye are in the service of your fellow beings ye are only in the service of your God." Mosiah 2:17

Hello everyone. : ) 

At the end of every day, we've gotten into the habit of saying, "There's no way tomorrow can be crazier than this," except  every day it has.

On Monday evening we drove out to . . . Newell? . . . for a lesson with S, a young woman who was baptized a year ago yesterday hasn't really been to church since. And it was wonderful! She shared a powerful experience she had in school about standing up for truth, and we asked if she'd come to Church, and then. . . J said she wasn't going to come to Church and Sister Springer was super upset at her. It was actually pretty fun to watch, and in the end we planned on coming with J to give her a ride. Except on Sunday (fastforward) she texted us saying her boyfriend would give her a ride, and then she wasn't there, which was pretty sad. We missionaries are persistent, however. We'll try again.

​On our way to Ss we paused to take pictures of one of nature's miracles--a barely-born baby calf. So cute! I took a video of her first steps. : ) Yay!

Tuesday was a great day of lessons in Sturgis--we were able to meet with about 6 individuals, which hasn't happened every day this transfer. What's more, we got to have Dani, a missionary in training from Wyoming, come with us to our lessons. She and I had an especially awesome experience at the awesome grandma's home--we were on splits, Sister S and Sister D having gone to a different appointment "real quick." They ended up coming back an hour later, so poor Dani was grilled on her desire to serve a mission. She performed well, though. I believe she'd fly through any job interview after this. : ) And now she has another friend in Sturgis!

Wednesday morning we shelved and organized cans for the food pantry, and then drove to far-away hilly towns to visit members and look for people on the Ward List. I don't think I've mentioned yet how much we sing in this tripanionship--we sing at about every dinner appointment, we've sang in every Sacrament meeting this transfer, and we're always singing in our apartment. I mention this because we sang for one member, Bow, who had been floating through the Church records until we found him that afternoon. When he opened the door, he was friendly, informed us that he wasn't active, and that it'd be okay if we stopped back later but he had to get going to teach guitar. Sister S sprung on the moment and asked if we could sing to him really quick, and he agreed, so we did. As we sang Abide With Me, I could only squint up the stairs at him because of the sun, and I was thirsty and we hadn't planned at all on singing then, but the Spirit was very strong. He smiled and waited and thanked us afterwards. We've been so busy that we haven't been back since (and we may not make it back this transfer), but I know we planted the seed of trust he'll need to visit with future missionaries. I'm so grateful for the power in music and for each of my companions who will share that with me. I believe music is one of the best sources of healing our Heavenly Father as given us. 

On Thursday Sister S was feeling pretty sick so we stayed in more of the day. We did get to visit with Sister O. Her children just moved her out to Belle Fourche from her ranch, so she has felt lonely and powerless and far from home. We basically just talked with her and sang hymns, and we'll be visiting her every week. Something that I'm learning in this area is the role we have as missionaries in not only bringing new souls to Christ, but also in strengthening the stakes (and Wards and Branches) of Zion. Sister O is not less-active, she's attended Church faithfully her entire life, even when her husband wasn't a member and she had to drive 100 miles on Sunday. But we need to be there to strengthen her just as much as we need to strengthen any other child of God.  

Two lovely Sisters working in unity to put the leaves in the bin. : )

Friday afternoon we had a pretty fun time helping Sister Sh with her Spring yard cleanup. I got to prune trees which is my most favorite thing ever, and we also had an adventure with a garden snake (fortunately Sister Sh took care of it pretty quick). That night Sturgis had a Branch FHE, which we were to sing for and help with, so we drove back up to Sturgis and helped Sister W set everything up. The topic was The First Vision ( https://www.lds.org/media-library/video/2008-06-01-the-restoration?lang=eng ), and she had all the kids act everything out. For the grand finale they all ran around the cultural hall to find their own sets of hidden scriptures (which wasn't really historically accurate but was super fun). We (the Sister missionaries) sang Joseph Smith's First Prayer, and I was blessed with another powerful confirmation that the Gospel of Jesus Christ has been restored to the earth today. It was wonderful. On our way back to Belle Fourche that night, we got a phone call from President Anderson for Sister D. She will be going to Valentine, Nebraska for the last two weeks of her mission! Our trio will end on Tuesday. So sad.

 

Our entire District was at the Ward Service Day! My favorite thing about service? Pockets. ;)

The Belle Fourche Ward had a Family Service Day at a fish hatchery in Spearfish, so we pulled on our jeans and Sturgis T-shirts and drove up at 10 a.m. We ended up working on the landscaping around their buildings--I pulled weeds, Sister S raked pine needles, Sister D piled everything into a wheelbarrow, and J held a cute baby. : ) After a couple hours we had grilled hotdogs at the park pavilion, then we headed over to a member's home to spruce J up for Prom (I didn't think I'd be doing that on my mission!). It was super duper fun--best service ever!

 

"No pain, no gain!" She patiently withstood much poking and prodding and plucking and curling and even an almost-glued head of hairspray. She looked so cute!​

Then we went back to Belle Fourche, had an awesome dinner with Sister W, and packed up Sister D's bags. They dropped me off at Bill's apartment, where I had my first official teaching split with Ward members (we read out of the Book of Mormon, so it wasn't too crazy trying to be the only missionary (I feel like I need more practice, though)), and they went to our second dinner appointment at the Ooks home. We have, by the way, had someone feed us at least one meal almost every day this transfer. And I accidentally keep scheduling multiple dinner appointments on one day, so we are definitely not going hungry.

 

Yesterday Sister D spoke in Sacrament Meeting, we did a musical number, I taught Gospel Principles (The Atonement! Woohoo! Best lesson ever!) while my companions sang for Sister W's class, Sister S and I did the opening hymn for Priesthood, and then we all went to Young Women's to hear J's lesson. Whew! After Church we had a super intense lesson outside Jer's bedroom door (he's so depressed he's just been laying in bed for a year....super sad), had lunch with the B (our Ward Mission Leader who sneakily fed us rabbit meat), set up the cultural hall for New Beginnings, had supper with Brenda, and then made it to New Beginnings. Sister S had to leave in the middle for an emergency with some members in the area, so I sat with our investigator Baylee and tried to help her feel comfortable. We sang a hymn and bore our "missionary" testimonies on the Young Women's program and family history. I really hope that she felt the Spirit sometime during that evening--I know I did. Right after the meeting Sister D and I went to dinner with our neighbor Darla, and when we arrived at home Sister S was taking care of a young woman who is going through an awfully hard time. We ended up staying with her family and it was a crazy, crazy night. By 10:30 we were in Lead, which was where we stayed the night with Sister W, the awesome woman who taught FHE.

As Mother's Day is coming up, I've been reflecting on the influence the women in my family have had in my life. Without the Gospel and their righteous diligence in following it, I would not be where I am today. I wouldn't be happy, I wouldn't have the knowledge that we will be together forever. I'm so grateful for my Grandmother, for the strength I receive every day from my memories of her stalwart faith. I'm so grateful for my Mother, for the lessons I'm only just beginning to realize that she teaches me with word and action. Only as a missionary have I been able to see what a difference a wife and mother makes in her family, in her community, and in the world. I pray that I'll use every opportunity that comes to prepare myself to fill this divine role.

 

I love you all so much. You're in my prayers! Keep living the Gospel!

Love,

Sister F

 

Week 27: Pause to Help & Lift Another

"Blessed art thou, Nephi, for those things which thou hast done; for I have beheld how thou hast with unwearyingness declared the word, which I have given unto thee, unto this people. And thou hast not feared them, and hast not sought thine own life, but hast sought my will, and to keep my commandments."Helaman 10:4

Hello everyone!

Tuesday we were still in Sturgis. We had an awesome lesson with one of our investigators, Ty, who is now preparing to be baptized in the coming weeks. His girlfriend will be coming to church with him next week, and we're pretty excited for them. : )

On Wednesday we drove up into the hills to visit folks in Lead and Deadwood, the Deadwood of Calamity Jane & Wild Bill. We ran to the cemetery to take pictures, and yep, Calamity Jane & Bill Hickock are real people with real graves. Pretty neat. 

It snowed some during the day, which made me super grateful for our Jeep, especially on the hills in Lead. It's crazy up there!

Deadwood used to be a thriving gold mining town. This is a still-operating gold mine that you can see from the cemetery.​

We spent the day visiting members who live far, far away from the Branch building in Sturgis. I learn so much from these dedicated individuals who sacrifice so much to be involved in the Church. This is Sister R who, though house-bound, still holds a calling as Relief Society Secretary. I felt like I was visiting Grandma Edith.  : )

Thursday morning Sister S woke up suffering from a sinus infection, so we had a slower day. We planned, drove to Spearfish to go to a clinic and pick up medicine, and wondered at Sister S's ability to clean and clean and clean even when her head is pounding. 

Sister L, a Sister who went home just 3 weeks ago, was doing a mission tour with her family and was in Belle Fourche Friday morning. She was super awesome and took me on a 1-hour tour of Belle while Sister D stayed with Sister S. It was kinda' strange being with a recently-released Sister Missionary. I guess it really is going to happen to me some day. I've still got a year, though. Don't have to worry about it yet. : )

We had an awesome District Meeting where I got to, with a blindfold on, try to fit lids onto tupperware. Out of a set of 3 containers, only 1 set actually fit together. I super patiently tried to squeeze the lids onto non-conforming bowls, and it just didn't work. Elder W had us tie the experience to finding people to teach, and I realized that sometimes as missionaries we keep blindfolds on when we're visiting people. Sometimes we refuse to believe that someone could or couldn't be interested in the message of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ, which is why it's so important to follow the Spirit in making decisions about who we will and will not continue to visit. 

 

In this Ward, instead of having different families sign up each week to clean the Church building, it's organized into the different auxiliaries. This month it's the missionary group's turn (our Ward Mission Leader, the Elders, and us) to clean, so we, with the help of the As, got to clean the Church on Friday evening. It was super fun! I got to vacuum a lot, and dust, and our Ward Mission Leader brought us an awesome dinner of spinach salad, chicken tortellini, and croissants that we ate in the middle. : ) 

Saturday was kinda' crazy, so we drove out to Spearfish to eat a de-stress lunch (McDonald's, blech!), but by the evening everything was pretty much back to normal and the awesome sister from Sturgis stayed with Sister S. Sister D and I were then able to go to our appointments that evening, and it was awesome! Bill had read scriptures a couple days last week, so we recommitted him to read every night this week and see what changed. We met with Brother D and decided we'd fast together to help him have the strength and desire to stop smoking, we had a lovely dinner with the Ls (complete with cinnabon cake), and an awesome visit with Sister Sh & Sister St.

And on Sunday Sister Sh was able to come to church! Woohoo! This was our first time being at Sacrament Meeting in Belle Fourche, which was super helpful in getting to know the Ward members and understanding this area better. Also, since we're in a tripanionship and all three of us do music, we did an arrangement of I Know That My Redeemer Lives/There Is A Green Hill Far Away/I Stand All Amazed. Sister D and I sang the lines Sister S directed us to sing while she created an accompaniment. Yes, it was pretty awesome. : ) No better way to show a Ward you want to help than by performing in Sacrament Meeting.

We also had a lovely break-the-fast breakfast dinner with the St and Brother D, and then we drove to Sturgis and visited a former investigator who had quit smoking while he'd been away (we're teaching him again now) and an awesome family we've been working on setting goals with. : )

 

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In my studies this week I came across this scripture, which adapts well to both missionaries and members alike. Here a missionary, discouraged by his seeming unsuccess in helping other understand the gospel, receives comfort from the Lord;    "Blessed art thou... for I have beheld how thou hast with unwearyingness declared the word, which I have given unto thee, unto this people. And thou hast not feared them, and hast not sought thine own life, but hast sought my will, and to keep my commandments."

One of the most important things in life is learning to love to do the will of our Heavenly Father. And a mission is a great time to learn how. I'm so grateful for the time I've been given to serve.

Thank you so much for the prayers. We've really felt strengthened this week. Keep up the good work!

Love,

Sister F

Week 26: In the Moment of Prayer

"But we will give ourselves continually to prayer, and to the ministry of the word." Acts 6:4

Hi everybody! 

It's been wonderful to have a week to settle in to Belle Fourche & Sturgis. We've had some crazy adventures already. The way things are going, I'm sure we'll have another today. : )

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Monday after emailing we hiked Bear Butte with the missionaries at the Missionary Leadership Conference in Rapid City. I got to see Sister N and Sister A, and we super froze since it was 30* F and windy and we hadn't really dressed for that, but hey, at least we weren't in danger of frostbite! ; )

Monday night we drove up to Lead to stay the night with Sister W, a very hip older sister who wears bright colors and pulls off a living room painted orange. She fed us bread and grapes and chicken. In the morning we helped her clean up her home while creating the narration for the upcoming musical fireside (see Sunday), and then we enjoyed lunch with a visiting RM and his family. It was a little awko taco to be around a missionary who is no longer a missionary, especially for Sister D and Sister S who do not appreciate that reminder. But we pulled through! That night our dinner appointment was also joined by that same family, but the Elder (brother?) plays piano so we got to practice our trio for them. We were at our Branch President's home, and he has a super awesome motorcycle. He built it with a Diesel engine and used it to race on the Salt Flats in Tooele. It's pretty impressive.

Since we were still in Sturgis Wednesday morning we went to the food pantry to do service--this week we totaled up the amount of money on receipts from the local grocery store. They'd had a lot of volunteers already that morning so we finished early, but we did get to leave with a lemon roll. The rest of the day was filled with super interesting lessons where Sister D and I were able to understand why Sister S said Sturgis was so unique. We taught a biker grandma who would literally kill for her grandson ( :_ hmm... (fortunately she'd also probably pray about it first) ) and a super cute recent convert who went to the temple just this Saturday. And then we packed and drove back to Belle. : D

Thursday morning we had our lovely parrot routine again, although Sister S didn't love the parrot droppings and squawkings as much as I'd anticipated. We pulled through, though. I quite enjoyed myself. We were able to have a lesson with Bill! We'd rescheduled the time about 4 times, so even though we couldn't find a member to come with us we decided to just go hash it out on his doorstep, so to speak. I'd never taught on a doorstep before, so it was a pretty neat first experience. We got to know him some and shared Helaman 5:12, and he invited the Spirit as he talked about how he can have a foundation to fall back on no matter what happens (YES! That's exactly what you can have, Bill!). We helped him find the commitment to read a verse of scripture every day. I'm really excited for him.

Friday morning we drove up to Rapid City for a super-well-prepared Zone Training Meeting. We talked about how the Area Books (the binders we keep teaching records and other information about the area in) are, in a way, scripture in our day, since the scriptures are records of God's dealings with the inhabitants of that specific land. Elder A (my first district leader from Jamestown ward! Fun to run across each other again) and Elder Gardener showed us a clip from this 20-minute video, which I super recommend watching. https://www.lds.org/media-library/video/2014-04-004-scriptures-legacy?lang=eng I personally left that meeting with a greater reverence and respect for the records we keep as missionaries. Jackie, the only active Young Woman in Sturgis, drove to Belle Fourche to pick up Sister S for their trip to the Bismarck temple the following morning.

Sister D and I, then, were all on our lonesome come Saturday. It was definitely more quiet in the apartment that morning. ; ) We had the pretty noteworthy experience of going to a branding at the F's angus ranch (Meghan F is a member of our Ward in Belle.). Sister D and I had imagined going and actually helping with everything, but at this event their cowpoke friends took care of everything, so we just stood in the sun from 9 to 12, baking (except I had sunscreen and a long-sleeved shirt on, so mostly Sister D was cooked). But what excellent missionary practice! We were, basically, locked in a corral with 20+ strangers, so we talked with everyone and were even able to share some principles we hold dear. :) And apparently people go to brandings just for the food, so of course we had to stay for lunch and talk some more--we met a cool couple from Rapid City that had just been baptized a few months ago, and it was really fun to hear how the Lord has been working in their lives. That evening we had our first member-present lesson with Bill, which was a learning experience for everyone, I think. However, the Spirit was there and he's going to keep reading, so I'd say it was successful. Also, the Ls are super cool and they really love him. They even brought in an old TV for his apartment! 

We drove ourselves back down to Sturgis for the night. Sister S was going to get back from the temple around 10:30. At 8:15 we arrived and found ourselves to be locked out, so we sat in the car, updated the District Leader on our area, and then listened to a talk in the car while we waited for Sister S to come back. Fortunately, she made it over around 9:15! Unfortunately, she'd accidentally left the keys inside the apartment. But (fortunately?) it's apparently pretty easy to break in to the apartment, so we were in in no time. : D What fun! Also, our cake party happened that evening as well (I was definitely the innocent part in this one). Anyway, we made it in and all was well, eventually, in Zion. : ) (Am I using emoticons more,  lately? I think I am.)

Sunday morning was our first week in the Sturgis branch. Sister D and I got to introduce ourselves to the Ward during Sacrament Meeting (It was so crazy to be filling that missionary stereotype!), and Sister S got to teach Gospel Principles with 5 (?) minutes of preparation, and Sister W brought homemade rolls for her Bread of Life lesson. I am in love with the Sturgis branch. All the members here sincerely love each other, and they show that love by taking care of everyone. It's powerful to be a part of that. 

After Church we rushed a cake to Sister H's home (which survived being decorated in the car on the freeway AND a fall on the porch!) and then were driven up to Rapid City to rehearse for the Musical Fireside (for 4 hours....). The program, titled In the Moment of Prayer, was focused on sharing our love for prayer, and it went super well. We got to open the evening with a trio arrangement on Sally D's version of Abide With Me, which was pretty great. And then we were super glad we started the program since it was almost an opera night--the numbers were pretty powerful!

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It's been my focus since almost the beginning of my missionary service to really communicate and listen during prayer. A few months ago I was studying the topic and I really enjoy how 2 Nephi 32:9 puts it: "And now, my beloved brethren, I perceive that ye ponder still in your hearts; and it grieveth me that I must speak concerning this thing. For if ye would hearken unto the Spirit which teacheth a man to pray, ye would know that ye must pray; for the evil spirit teacheth not a man to pray, but teacheth him that he must not pray. But behold, I say unto you that ye must pray always, and not faint; that ye must not perform any thing unto the Lord save in the first place ye shall pray unto the Father in the name of Christ, that he will consecrate thy performance unto thee, that thy performance may be for the welfare of thy soul." The adversary really pushes to distract and discourage us from praying because that is our link with our Heavenly Father! No matter what we're doing, when we begin with a prayer we're bringing the Lord's will into our life and the performance we bring is consecrated for our eternal welfare--we are made more and more into the person we have the potential we can be! So keep on praying. Prayer is powerful.

Love,

Sister F

Week 25: Transfers & Pinkwashing

"True love surpasses all understanding." -Tina's driveway

Ahh, what a week! I never think that any week could be more full of new memories like the weeks past, but every week seems to prove that thought wrong. But I will do my best to share. :)

First, some important information:

-I'm now in a tripanionship.

Anyway, last Monday was pretty great. After packing/cleaning/other preparations, Sister N and I had our last lesson together with Brother M and E, and then we stopped by to see Tina. She wasn't home, but she had this cute writing on her driveway so we got pictures with it instead. Also, our missionary cell phone was turned off (long story) by the mission office, so we had a lot of fun coordinating everything with lessons and transfers. Whew!

And as it would, Tuesday came, and we finished my packing and goodbyes. We stopped by the  Goodwill we'd go to every Thursday and got pictures with a couple of the gals we worked with. It was really cute to see that they were gonna' miss working with all of us together. And we had to say goodbye to Kim, which was good and sad, but we were able to pull out and read an awesome talk before the deluge of tears, and we made plans to visit next summer. :D

After a last supper of Domino's pizza, Sister N drove me to Valley City where we beat the Transfer Train by about 40 minutes (a good time to play Book of Mormon baseball), ran to the As' home to text our Zone Leaders with their cell phone, and then made it back to the gas station with plenty of time to spare. 

I got to have an unexpected reunion with Sister S on the Transfer Van, who I sat next to on my way to Jamestown 6 months ago. We drove for 4 hours until landing in Bismarck to stay the night. Wednesday morning we repacked our carryons onto the trailer, piled back in the car, and then rode for another long set of hours. Around noon we made it to Rapid City, South Dakota, where I was able to meet Sister D (She's super wonderful. First impression: Disney Princess. She can play the guitar and is a pretty awesome teacher to work with.) at the Stake Center parking lot. And guess what? Belfouche is actually spelled Belle Fourche, and we have a truck for our area! How fun! 

Sister D and I are both new missionaries in the area of Belle Fourche (which was left graciously and generously prepped by the lovely Sisters M & L), so we spent most of the day organizing the area/figuring everything out/"pinkwashing". Brother S, our Ward Mission Leader, had us over for family dinner that evening, after which we had our first Ward Missionary Coordination Meeting. Sister S--I'm sure I'll talk about her next week--was kind enough to drive us around town some so we could find our way to our service project the next morning. So to sum it up, we have an amazing Ward here and we're super well-taken-care of. I don't think we've even gone one day without being fed a meal!

Thursday morning we were surprised by the news that Sister S would be joining us, and that due to transfer/missionary stuff we three would take care of both the Belle Fourche and Sturgis areas this next 6 weeks. Fun story, while we were picking her up in Rapid City, we ended up having lunch with a cool member there named Brother K who knows my friend H K from my YSA Ward last year at BYU. That was pretty cool. : ) That night we stopped by Bishop Jones' home, and of course they fed us dinner and we had an awesome time at their home. I was once again amazed by how many strong families have come out to the Dakotas--I may or may not be growing in my desire to do likewise?

I know I mentioned this last week, but it is super duper sad to not be able to study in the morning, so it was wonderful to study on Friday. I'm trying to remember to study the section in Preach My Gospel on Christlike Attributes, especially Charity, this transfer. Our District Meeting was very helpful in this quest (our District Leader, Elder W, taught about consecration in my favorite style of teaching--by principle, out of the scriptures). I was super impressed by his ability to handle 3 Sisters (I may or may not have cried already. Oh well. We knew I was going to be a spiritually-emotional Sister Missionary a long time ago.) Anyway, it was a great meeting, which was great since the rest of the day we were stuck inside going through the Area Book and Ward List. Blech! Talk about mentally exhausting! I think I lasted longer locked in the BYU math building, cramming musical facts into my brain for hours on end. But on the other hand, there is nothing so bonding as being mentally-exhausted together, so now we three are already super duper close. 

Saturday's sessions of General Conference were amazing, of course. Except all my questions were answered in the first session, so I had to keep thinking of information I wanted to learn. Too much revelation! : ) In between sessions, Sister D and I visited Sister S while Sister S went with J, the only active Young Woman in Sturgis, to write the narration for a musical fireside. Sister S ended up being a super cute older sister who fed us strawberries and summer sausage cracker sandwiches while her daughter and friend told us stories about building a shed. After that, we went to Belle Inn, the local diner, to have lunch with Sister C who'd met us at the Church that morning. I keep saying it, but I'll reiterate that our Ward is awesome and they take such good care of us! We haven't even gotten anything done yet, either. But we're a lot more organized now, so soon the miracles will begin. : )

This is how we listened to Priesthood session--smartphone amplified via frying pan. Cheap & effective. : ) #missionaryresourcefulness

Also, "we" (aka Sister S) accidentally locked our keys in the car Saturday night. 8| The Elders in Spearfish were gracious enough to stop by on their way back from Priesthood session and they tried to open the door with a flyswatter wire without success. We got a funny picture from it, though. : ) 

Fortunately, in between sessions on Easter Sunday, Bishop J was able to get our door with a coat hanger. Good thing too, 'cause we called the police station that morning but they said they couldn't do it. Blessings for the J family! And yes, Easter was wonderful. General Conference was amazing; I learned so much about how I can strengthen my relationship with the Savior. I felt the Spirit testify of the principles of the Gospel, and I felt constant peace all during the week. We had a wonderful Ward potluck Sunday afternoon and I already am growing to love these strong people. 

If I've learned anything this week, it's about the power love has in our lives. I've had the opportunity to see the results of 6 months' work in Jamestown, as well as be able to begin again in Belle Fourche with a greater perspective. I'm grateful for the opportunity I've been given to serve here with these Sisters. I know it'll go by fast!

Thanks for the emails and updates everybody. : )

Love,

Sister F

Week 24: Better to Have Love & Left

"Wherefore, my beloved brethren, if ye have not charity, ye are nothing, for charity never faileth. Wherefore, cleave unto charity, which is the greatest of all, for all things must fail— But charity is the pure love of Christ, and it endureth forever; and whoso is found possessed of it at the last day, it shall be well with him." Moroni 7:46-47

 Hello everyone. : )

So much has happened this week. I'll do my best to write it all down, plus all the things I've learned. But it's still been good. Learning is the point of life, after all.

Monday was a very nice day. I just wanted to mention the mini miracle this week--we were not very wise with our shopping choices last Monday, which we realized that night at dinner. Somehow we both had nothing to cook. But Heavenly Father is the perfect planner, and this week Tricia fed us twice and gave us 2 sets of leftovers (which we're still working on), and it just worked out super well. So even though we're imperfect and sometimes just plain silly, everything always works out. And hopefully I can be a smarter shopper next week. ; ) Also, we had a lesson with Penny where we shared the Easter video from last year (https://www.lds.org/media-library/video/2014-00-1420-because-of-him?lang=eng). We've really been focusing on helping her understand that the Gospel was given to us to strengthen us, to help us make the changes in our lives that will bring us "happiness in this life and eternal life in the life to come." She has the desire to be baptized, so we set the goal of May 24th. It's a bit ways off, but she'll be ready then, and I'm so excited for her!

It was so nice to go tracting again on Tuesday! We hadn't really been since I got that cold last week (not very effective), but it was such a breath of fresh air to "hit the pavement," so to speak. I don't really feel like a missionary unless I've been working to share the Gospel with everyone. Although the apartment complex we picked just happened to be a retirement area, we actually had a fun time talking with several individuals and will be visiting Harriet and Francis soon. : D

Sister N was asked to prepare a short training on the Holy Ghost for District Meeting. I thought that was a little bizarre/it was definitely a sign that Heavenly Father was preparing her for her future calling. She did a great job and I learned a lot more about the comfort that our investigators receive as the Holy Ghost testifies of truth (see John 14:26-27). And also on Saturday President Eyring expounded further on this topic in his address! That was so neat! We were better-prepared for Women's Session because of this training. That night we had a cool lesson with Nathan H--he's the one we've been reading Preach My Gospel with. Normally we would have gone on with the doctrine in Lesson 4, but he was excited about the Book of Mormon so we skipped to that chapter (ch. 7?) and read about how the Book of Mormon and the Bible support each other. He'd been getting a lot of questions from his friends who misunderstood that, so now he's ready to help them learn. He'll be such a good missionary! 

Thursday morning we took an exciting trip to Carrington to have my implant worked on (again). Except the repair job they'd done a couple weeks ago still looks amazing according to the X-ray, so I basically just sat on the office chair while Sister N and I chatted with Bishop G and his office workers. Sister N was also rewarded with a free powerbrush, so now we're twinners! (Bishop G is not only an awesome advocate of missionary work, but also one of the strongest advocates of missionary dental health. My teeth will ever be grateful for my time in the Jamestown Ward.)

Two of Bishop Garr's assistants/hygienists/? were interested in having us visit more, so I'm thinking Heavenly Father orchestrated that visit just so we could get in contact with them. :) That evening we had a super neat lesson with Brother M about service. We had to plan it in the car on the way to Carrington, but the revelation was just flowing as we thought about the principle of Christ being our perfect example. We shared this quote from Elder Hugo Martinez: " The love of Jesus Christ must be our guide if we are to become aware of the needs of those we can help in some way. The teachings of our Lord, Jesus Christ, show us the way. And that is how our personal ministry begins: discovering needs, then tending to them. As Sister Linda K. Burton, Relief Society general president, said, 'First observe, then serve.'"

And then we discovered just one of the instances that Christ first observed then served (3 Nephi 17:1-5). I love finding examples of Christ doing cool things in the scriptures so I was super excited all day. It's basically like striking gold. What Christlike things have you found in the scriptures?

Since we were in Carrington/at Goodwill/in lessons all day Thursday, we had to work on weekly planning on Friday. Transfer calls happened on Saturday, so all day Friday we were pretty silly as we let out the anxiety building in our apartment. We took a much-needed break to do media hour and watch the new Because He Lives video, which, by the way, is amazing and you should share it with at least 1 friend : ). You can find it here: http://www.mormon.org/easter?cid=HP_FR_3-27-2015_dMIS_fMRMN_xLIDyL1-A_

And then it was Saturday! So much happened on Saturday! First of all, it was Sister N's 21st birthday, so that morning I woke up early, exercised for only 15 minutes, and then used the extra morning time to make crepes for breakfast. She opened her package from home and read her cards (her parents sent some pretty crazy cards--I think they're ready for her to come home), and then we plugged back in to weekly planning, jumping about 5 feet every time the phone rang. Except at 12:00 we still hadn't had a phone call, so we just headed out to Subway for a birthday lunch. We dropped by Brother M's to set up a lesson, and since he and E were home we shared the Because He Lives video. E really liked it, so we showed him how to share it with his friends, and now (skip the story) we'll be meeting with him. Yay!

And then, at 2:30, the phone rang. I'm being transferred to Belfouche, South Dakota, where I'll be pinkwashing with Sister D (pinkwashing means both of us will be new in the area). And Sister N is staying in Jamestown to work with Sister D, and she's also going go be the Fargo Zone's Sister Training Leader! What were we saying all week? Yep. She's definitely ready. : ) But my wordy was it hard to hear that I'm leaving Jamestown! Fortunately our lesson right after that fell through, because I don't think I could have held it together. We went to Sister V's for Sister N's birthday dinner, and I cried with Tricia and she signed my Bye-Bye book (which I was inspired to buy last Monday). We then headed to the Women's Session of General Conference and were completely filled with answers to personal questions. I learned so much and was so touched by all we heard, especially by President Eyring's closing message that "charity never failth." I knew then that as hard as it would be to say goodbye, as hard as it is to love people and leave for a time, I would be comforted by the Spirit, by the love of Heavenly Father.

Sister N requested a pineapple-upsidedown cake. Tricia put in green cherries since it's March. It was really good, and we got the leftovers! I had a slice for lunch today. : )

On Sunday I was prepared to cry a lot, and I did. I cried at church and at dinner with the Ms and when I shook Bishop's hand. I think we all know I'm a crier. It's hard to cry with people, but I think it's also a good gift to give, because then they have an idea of how much you love them. Brit came to church, though! I've been so worried about her, but she's pushing through her challenges and I know she'll make it! And I got to sit by McKenlee again during Sacrament Meeting. She scribbled in my journal and we took pictures so now I have even more memories to keep. What a tender mercy!

I don't know how they did it, but somehow Mom & Pop knew that I'd be transferred this week. They both expressed sorrow at how hard transfers are. I didn't understand then, but I understand now. Leaving your first area is almost like leaving home for your mission again. I grew so much here, I learned to love others and share the gospel and now I'll be moving on. But I know the Lord will take care of these families, and I have felt His peace as I've pondered the upcoming weeks. I know I need to be in Bel, and I know there are more lessons for me to learn and people for me to meet. It's time for me to leave those I love to find even more! Thanks to the plan of Salvation, I know that we'll eventually get to be together again someday.

Thank you for the updates and emails and prayers!

Love,

Sister F

Week 23: I Get to Learn Lessons & Build Character

"At that time Merodach-baladan, the son of Baladan, king of Babylon, sent letters and a present to Hezekiah: for he had heard that he had been sick, and was recovered." Isaiah 39:1

Hello every body!

As usual, another pretty excellent week in Jamestown. 

News:

-Remember that Musical Fireside we'd concocted about five weeks ago? Well, it's really happening! This Sunday at 6:00 p.m. we'll be holding the Jamestown Ward's first ever night of musical worship. : ) The theme is "Come, Follow Me," and  I'm super excited, and hopefully our last-minute advertising will get some people over. If not, at least the performers will feel the Spirit. : ) And I think it's a pretty cool legacy to be the first missionaries to make this happen in our Ward. : )

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So last Monday I woke up with a sore throat. This happens occasionally, and usually goes away after a while. However, it was an ominous prelude to the week. It should be no surprise, then, that I woke up on Tuesday morning without a voice. Well, I could whisper, but it just wasn't very effective. Teaching with each other (having companionship unity) is very tricky, we soon discovered, when one of us is mute.  After visiting with Melissa and Kim, we decided it'd just be best to go home, watch a cheesy movie from our missionary library, and have me sleep it off. (We watched Mountain of the Lord & Family Answers, both of which were surprisingly awesome (this coming from a missionary, of course).)

On Wednesday I was still under the weather, but we had an awesome District Meeting. Sister N later pointed out that whenever I made a comment during that meeting, the Elders would always whisper for a while afterwards. Pretty cool to see the influence that Sister Missionaries have, even when it comes to how to speak. : ) 

Sister K also gave us free haircuts that evening. We tried to do it on Monday, but that didn't work with her schedule. Fortunately, my hair turned out pretty well--I opted for a U-shape with some layering at the bottom, in case you were wondering. Unfortunately, I forgot to take a picture. Sorry. 

On Thursday I was feeling super grateful that we'd been diligent in setting up appointments at the beginning of the week since we still couldn't go tracting. After Weekly Planning and then an afternoon at Goodwill, we had an awesome dinner appointment with the Ps. This time they fed us grilled pork, which was amazing. So far each meal they've presented has included canned mandarin oranges, whether cooked over fish, mixed with spaghetti sauce, or (this week) as part of a marshmallow salad. I really like the way they cook. : )

On Friday we had our first discussion with Dale, Kim's husband. It actually worked out well that I couldn't talk much because he spent most of the time sharing his religious beliefs. Now we'll just make sure he lets us share next week, and we'll go forward with give and take on both sides. : ) The Ps, out in Cleveland, fed us dinner that night. Brother P showed us the proper way to eat Oreos (vertical float), and Sister P loaded us up with Essential Oils. She said to be sure to use the Oregano that night since it would boost our immune systems.

Saturday morning I woke up and realized that my immune system had been so "boosted" that that's where all my energy went, and I basically spent all morning asleep. I'm not sure how effective that was, although I probably made more progress because of it. (I slept so much this week!) However, we were able to design the flyers for the fireside next Sunday, which I am super proud of. We also had another lesson with Brother M, and we got to meet his cousin/nephew(?) Immanuel who will be staying with him to work in Jamestown now. Hopefully we can teach Immanuel soon! Apparently he's super good at soccer.

Sunday was so wonderful. Sundays are such a great spiritual boost. And best of all, it's super easy to find two Melchizedek Priesthood holders (aka the Valley City Elders), so after Church they gave me a blessing. :) Sometimes I forget just how perfect and helpful and powerful Priesthood blessings are. I was promised that I'll get better soon, and although I've been working as diligently as I could this week, I'll be able to work 100% before long. Yay! And I'm definitely on the upswing now. I was even able to study this morning!

My Bishop has been in contact with Mom about my dental health. (?) A couple weeks ago I'd asked him what he thought missionaries should do to keep up their dental health on their missions, and he recommended I get a fancy toothbrush. I was planning on asking Mom to send me one after Transfers, but they worked it out somehow and I got one on Sunday! It is an Oral-B 5000, complete with an instruction manual. I felt like I was opening an iPhone, almost. Well, I should have pretty clean teeth now.

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One lesson I learned this week was the importance of studying daily. Since I opted to sleep most of the mornings this week, I was only able to study about 15 minutes every day, and it was no fun. I can't believe I survived 19 years without studying every day! This week I saw such a difference in my ability to focus and listen to the Spirit and fulfill my potential as a daughter of God when I hadn't studied for 2 hours every day. My testimony of the power of studying has definitely increased, as well as my resolve to make sure I get at least an hour every day for the rest of my life. : )

I also had a Sister Training Leader call this week. When Sister A found out I'd had a cold, she was at first upset, but after some thought said, "Sister F, I'm glad you've been sick this week. You and Sister N needed time to slow down and look at the progress you've made, and this is probably the only way Heavenly Father could get you to do it." I think she's right. : ) This week we've definitely learned how much we've learned from working with each other as Sister N went back to teaching everything while I sat and watched. She kept pausing when I'd try to come in (but, being mute, couldn't really offer much), and we realized we've built great companionship unity together.

Also, Sister N is a great Sister to have around when you're sick. Not once all week did I feel pushed to work harder than I should have. She never complained about how slow everything had to go. She completely supported me and carried 100% of our teaching load all week. She is an amazing Sister and I sure love her!

I love you all, too, and I hope you got to learn a lot this week. Remember to take time to appreciate your good health, and don't forget to invite your friends to General Conference!

-Sister F