Words from Elder Adam Otto in Idaho

10-27-14

"Well everyone, 2 months are gone. It's really weird to think I will never have 24 months to serve a mission ever again. I'm gonna make these next 22 even better!

First of all, I just want to say how much I appreciate all that all of you have done. I love your letters, emails, packages, prayers and smiles. I miss you all so much and I am so glad to hear from you! 

We do not have much time today to email, so I am sorry if things are confusing or shorter. But I will try!

So this week, as you may have guessed, has been the best so far! (It get's better every week!) I have learned so much. There are just a few experiences I want to share, and maybe I will email more later.

So a few days ago, I think it was Saturday, we decided to clean up and rearrange our house. It was clean, and spacious and very nice looking and still is. It just invited the spirit better, I think. So I was relaxing on the couch for a few minutes, and decided to pray. I was feeling lonely, and a little discouraged with myself. So I prayed that heavenly father would 'give me a sign' to feel important, or happy. I started thinking about how to invite people to be baptized. And it just clicked! It made so much sense to me, just all of a sudden! So I got up, and was really happy and skipping, and went to the bathroom, and came out still smiling. Then, our landlord, Bro. Mortimer, brought down a package and a letter for me. I was so happy. SO happy. I instantly knew, like without a doubt, that the church was true! Such a weird situation to realize that, but I just knew. 

One of my talents I think, is being able to recognize blessings, tender mercies, and the Lord's hand real quick when they happen. So I prayed and thanked heavenly father for showing me kindness and I felt so loved! And in the package, was everything I needed. My exact 4 favorite shirts from home. Candy. The letter. I was just so blessed. I couldn't stop thanking heavenly father. I decided it was the best day ever. And then, I decided that I was going to make EVERY day the best day ever! I must admit, of course I am struggling and frustrated with myself, but I know I am progressing and I am doing the Lord's work. So that makes me happy, to know that I CAN improve.

You know Josh, we found him my first Sunday here. He came up to Utah to live with his girlfriend, who is a member.(He moved out into a different place once we started teaching him.) He attended church, and decided he wanted to hear the missionary lessons! So we taught him. He has been amazing! We invited him to be baptized, and he said he felt like that was the right thing to do! So we invited him to invite his family from down in Salt Lake. And he found out his brother, who he hadn't been talking to for a while, was also taking the lessons, and getting baptized THE DAY AFTER JOSH. It was so cool! So guess what?! Happy story!! We baptized Josh on Friday :) and he was just confirmed a member of the church yesterday. And he and his girlfriend are getting married in less than a month! And we are going to their wedding, and maybe even marrying them! Did you know missionaries can do that?! It's cool. So that is the story of my first baptism :)

His girlfriend/fiancee was born a day before me at the same hospital in Provo! So that is kinda cool too. We are all pretty good friends, because we are all the same age.

I am excited for things to improve in my life. We set 2 baptism dates yesterday for December 6. Hopefully that will go as planned! 

So having 5 wards, I must say, we have a lot of Halloween parties! We have been to a few and still have more left! I am getting sick of candy.

Sometimes things get tough. I'm not always exactly sure what to do when they happen, except pray. And I KNOW how well prayer works. Heavenly Father wants to hear from each and every one of us. Don't be shy! Just ask our father! He is waiting with arms open wide!

There have been so many neat things happening and I wish I could write all of them down. But I just can't! But the Lord is truly blessing us. We have had more success in this area than any other Elders for a long time. It truly strengthens my testimony, that I know Elder Mason and I are supposed to be here RIGHT now, at this exact time serving these people together. It's tough, but the Lord has a plan.

I love you all so much. So much. I think about you every day. I need your prayers! :) I have seen them come into effect! "

Words from Elder Adam Otto in Idaho

10/20/14

"I'm not exactly sure why, but this has been one of the most amazing weeks of my mission! I have had so many testimony builders and just so many miracles have happened! 

 

On Wednesday I got three letters AND a package! I had been feeling REALLY sick, and it made my day! But Hannah sent like 50 lbs of candy, which I still need to eat. I've been suffering by avoiding it...but it looks yummy :) I've been super sick, so miserable,  runny nose, sore throat, bad cough. I felt disgusting. But there have been so many members who have given me medicine! It's been amazing! 

Our investigator, who is getting baptized on this Friday, is getting married!!! I was seriously so excited! We have been teaching him and his girlfriend (a member) for like four weeks, and let me tell ya, they are a MIRACLE! His wedding is on Nov 21st, and we are going to it! I am so excited :) And for dinner, we ate with this family, I think their names were the Summers. But one of the daughters was talking about her band teacher, and IT WAS MS. STETZ! I was like no way?!? She was my siblings band teacher, and I think she moved to Idaho! It was so funny and we laughed a lot! Small little things that make my day better!

We have been teaching so many lessons! It's been a wonderful blessing! I know it is because we are being obedient. So I have been waking up on time everyday and working out to get even more blessings! It has HAPPENED! So the other day, like on Monday or something, I was looking through our area book, and I saw a familiar Elders name! It was Elder Billadeau from New Hampshire! It was so cool to know that he served EXACTLY where I am serving! Even if it was 5 years ago! It's just like wow. So cool! Sigh. This is just great guys, I love it here :) On Friday we ran into some members who knew Elder Billadeau too! So we looked him up on facebook and talked about New Hampshire. It was awesome:)

 

On Saturday it was a rough morning. I had to sleep after our studies because I was so sick. But the rest of the day was GREAT! We have been praying fervently to find someone to be baptized every day. As missionaries, we have made it a goal to invite someone to be baptized every day. And so all throughout the day, we look for someone. By 9:00, we hadn't found anyone. We were headed home and saw a few boys playing. I was like, hallelujah!!! One of them wasn't a member, and I was just like, "Do you wanna get baptized!?" and he was like, "no." But I was like, Ok!!! You will someday! It was really funny, and me and a few elders laughed about it afterwards. But hey, we invited, and the Lord provided! Prayers are so answered! So I also had another prayer answered on Saturday! I had lost my name tag on Monday, and had been praying to find it everyday. I finally did! It was in the church building, all chewed up and broken just sitting on one of the tables in the foyer! I was so happy! I am getting a new one soon though ;)

 

On Sunday we had lots of church as usual! Its sometimes hard going from 9-4, without stop! But it's really nice too! It feels completely normal! We set a baptism date with two kids last night! For Nov. 22. I know that when we are obedient, and diligently searching, the Lord blesses us! Of course we have had MANY canceled appointments, sicknesses, and trials, but things work out when we have an attitude of gratitude, and are obedient!

So this morning, I have totally noticed we have been blessed. So I got out of bed and started exercising even before my companion!! He was like....uh...what the heck happened there..? But it feels good to receive blessings! During personal study this morning, I found so many powerful scriptures. Here are just a few:

 

1 Nephi 15:24 Talks about how when we read the word of God, we will be blessed and able to overcome the great evils and temptations of this world!

 

2 Nephi 10:23 Cheer up! You choose how your life happens! No one can define it except you. So are you gonna choose happiness, or misery??

 

1 Nephi 17:51 God can do anything. ANYTHING. I looked up Phillipians 4:13 as well for this one. When we have a strong faith in God and Christ, we will be able to do anything! Conquer the world!

 

Those are just a few that I read this morning. I have learned to LOVE the Book of Mormon! I wish I could read it all day long! So many answers and insights.

 

I love you all and am so grateful for your many prayers and letters! They mean so much to me and I am seeing the results of them! I love you, and I know this is where I am supposed to be!"

Words from Elder Adam Otto In Idaho

11/10/14

"Hola amigos y familia!

I hope every one is doing just great and I hope you all had a wonderful Halloween! This week is has been getting very cold! So cold! Today it actually snowed this morning! We went hiking for our activity and it was beautiful! We went into the "mountains" and just hiked. It looked just like SJ except with lots of snow and windmills! I saw three moose! It was so cool! They were running and there was a baby one too! I will send pictures soon!

I have been blessed with so many little miracles lately! There has been so much work going on, and it is super tough not to get too complacent and think we've done enough for now. But we set 3 more baptism dates for January 10th! So we have 7 baptism dates! I just can't believe there is that much work in the square mile we are covering here in IDAHO. The Lord has many people prepared for us!

Prayer is definitely essential. All we have to do is ask, and we shall receive! So me and my comp have been praying all the time, every time, when we leave the house or before doing almost anything, to find families and individuals to teach the gospel! And we have found many families and people we can teach this upcoming week! We have also been praying every time to invite someone to be baptized today. Every day, we have been able to! They usually say, "Yeah if I find out these things are true, but not now." But still, as long as we invite them we are planting a seed that might sprout for a different missionary!

So we had a zone training on Friday, and our zone is getting pretty lax in their work. So our zone leaders used Elder Mason and I as examples of what we should all be doing! It made me feel so good! He told them about how much we pray and the success we are having. I felt like a missionary from the Book of Mormon! It was really good for me to hear. Of course there are so many things I am still learning and struggling with. But we can do anything through Christ! Anything! We just must act!

So tomorrow night until Wednesday night I am going on exchanges with another Elder in our district to "show him how things are done" as Elder Mason puts it. Sometimes people just need gentle reminders to get off their bums and walk around a little bit! I know I need that reminder a lot!

Also at the Zone training we learned about humility. And you know, humility is not a weakness! It is a spiritual strength, as Preach My Gospel says. Humility is submitting yourself to the Lord, and allowing His hand to guide you in your life. We all have our agency, but please, let us remember God knows the best path for us! His arms are always open for us! :) I usually feel pretty humble and not proud, but that is another thing I am working on!

So, by allowing the Lord to work in my life, I decided I needed a blessing for my sickness! I had been praying for help, but I needed to take the action! So I got a blessing last night, and I am feeling a bit better! In the blessing it said that I would be healed, and that the Lord was pleased with me and my service. I know that he truly cares about me, and I am so grateful for the power of the atonement to be healed in any kind of affliction!

Speaking of prayers, here are some that were answered! I found my CTR ring! It was in the washer...and yesterday I found my tie clip that I love! I had left it at a members house, and I saw the member's son yesterday and he was wearing it! I was like, hey that's mine! But he looked like he really liked it, so I decided not to say anything about it and let him keep it. And right after I made that decision, he took it off and asked if one of us had lost this tie clip because it had been at his house. I said it was mine and thanked him, and he gave it back to me without a problem or hesitation. After making that decision to let him keep it, the Lord blessed me by letting me have it! Little things like that make my faith grow SOOOO much!

Now for some funny things: So we were texting this one guy and asking if he and his wife had invited a member over yet for the family home evening we would be having with them the next day. And the guy texted back and he was like "what wife i don't have a wife." It was the wrong number, and Elder Mason and I just cracked up laughing! It was so funny!! We didn't answer back....hahah.

And a few nights ago, we went to an investigators house, and he is 11. He has a 6 year old brother and their mom wasn't home, and they were crazy! We were laughing so hard! The 11 year old was shooting him with a nerf gun thing and the 6 year old was throwing water bottles at him. I was dying laughin! They were cracking up too. Then all of the sudden the 6 year old ran into the kitchen and we just hear him yell "PIZZA!" and all of the sudden a pizza comes flying around the corner and it hit his brother in the face. It was So funny! You know me and laughing ;)

Everyone, I know this church is true! And it is true because of the gospel of Jesus Christ and the priesthood that is restored! I am so grateful to be here bringing that message to people. It is SO hard, and sometimes I just wanna lay down and cry. But I know I have a wonderful family and lots of friends who are praying for me, and sometimes that's the only thing that gets me going! I have lot's of struggles, but lot's of faith! So I know everything will be just fine! 

Thank you all so much for your prayers and letters! They mean everything to me. I love you all! Hope you have a fantastic week~!"

Words from Elder Adam Otto in Idaho

11/3/14

"Hello world!

What a week! We have been super busy and filled with the spirit! We have taught so many lessons, and we taught five yesterday! It was a loooong day!

So this email is gonna be a bit shorter, because of lack of time. Sorry :(

Yesterday, we had a lesson with three kids, Jaxton 11, Olivia 10, and Alex 8. They are getting baptized on Dec. 6! Jaxton and Alex asked me to baptize them and it just melted my heart. I really want to baptize them. So bad. Transfers are Dec. 3, so hopefully I will be able to stay!!! Please pray that I will be able to baptize them. Thanks so much! :)

Halloween was awesome! We watched Frozen and it was so great! I love that movie, even though I have seen it 30+ times now. We got locked up in a stake center from 5-9:30 pm because they don't want us to get in trouble. And some kids dress up as missionaries for Halloween and cause trouble. So just a safety thing. But our whole zone had a great time watching movies and playing games. We went to 4 ward parties too throughout the week. I am so sick of candy.

It is so amazing to watch people change and make commitments. I am so blessed to be able to see these things happening! We have this less active we are working with. His name is Sterling. He got into drugs and jail, and a whole bunch of bad stuff. And now, he has completely turned his life around since I have been here! He is doing really well with quitting smoking, and he is going out to teach with us every Sunday! So he is awesome. About a week ago, Elder Mason asked what I thought we should teach him. I felt like he needed Tithing. So we taught him about tithing. And he payed it. And so many blessings have happened to him! He got a new job that he loves! He has a disgust for smoking (even though he is still struggling with it.) He is a new ward missionary in his ward. He has progressed so much, and has an amazing testimony!

So I am pretty clumsy I have been noticing. I lost my name tag. I lost my tie clip last night. My favorite one. And then I just lost my CTR ring this morning. I am pretty bummed about that. So I am praying really hard to be able to find them. I have NO IDEA how they disappeared from off of me, but I would appreciate your prayers too :)

We had interviews with the mission president this week. It was really helpful! We had a training as well. I feel like I am improving more and more every week, every day! It's hard to get out of the rut of complacency, but once you do, miracles happen! I can testify of that. 

We have been praying everyday to invite someone to be baptized. And we have everyday this week! Heavenly father places someone in our path everyday. 

It snowed a bit yesterday!!! Which is crazy, because it's been super hot. Then it got really rainy. And now it is just cold. But I am well off!

Thank you all so much for your prayers! I love you all so much and hope you are all doing well!"

Words from Elder Ryder Nielsen in the Phillippines

"All is well mother, I am still in Makati I will end my mission here. This has been my longest area of my whole mission. We are focused and working hard. I would just like to bare my testimony of the importance of the Covenants we have made with God. As we live by these Covenants the Atonement of the Savior is ignited in every aspect from the Redeeming Power cleansing us from sin and awakening our hearts to the Enabling Power which carries us over the mountain of our trials. I have seen this in every sense on my mission. I am grateful for my mission because it has awakened me to a sense of my duty as the scriptures say. I have been awakened to the covenants i have made with God. That is what keeps me going My Covenants binding me to God. If it werent for those sacred covenants i never would have come to this beautiful country and known this wonderful language and beautiful people. I now know for myself that God truly is over all the earth and he knows the thoughts and intents of each of his children. I am grateful to have been an instrument in his hand bringing about good in the lives of his children here in the Philippines. As me myself I am nothing and all that I am and have accomplished is because of God and His Son even Jesus Christ. I know that our life is meaningless as we lose sight of these covenants. The Lord has taught the way of everlasting life. I am humbled by the multitude and depths of Gods love. All things must fail but Charity is the pure love of Christ and it Endureth Forever. I am a witness of his Love! Of these things I testify in the name of Jesus Christ Amen."

Words from Elder Tyler Crosby in Tonga

"I am always so thankful to get emails from you. I appreciate all of the nice things you say and for updating me. I having been felling great I have transferred back to the main island am training there. My new comp is awesome. He likes to work hard and is brand new so he still has that mtc spirit about him. We are having fun teaching each other and learning from our mistakes as we go. lol I have been getting Garrett's emails he sounds like he is doing good over there. I saw he got his first baptism. I remember my first baptism being one of my most spiritual things on my mission and i'm sure it was the same for him. It made me happy to see him have success. Austin never seems to stop working does he. A pretty big stud that guy is. Miss all the cousins like crazy. Sure love them too. MY mom told me about there being only 10 girls that came out for basketball, pretty surprising actually. Oh well though with the coaches we have we will still compete good thats just how it is on SJ. We are pretty blessed to live there. Well, My mission is still awesome as ever. I am loving it and grateful for this opportunity I have. I don't think I need anything from back home, but thank you for offering. Please tell everyone I Still love them if I don't write them all. I have the best family."

Words from Elder Garrett Davis in Thailand

"First Baptism:)

so this week went well it was pretty fun too:) it started on monday when we went to ausok (no idea how to spell it) and bowled for a sisters birhtday and had KFC, yes kfc is a great place and very fancy haha:) then tuesday came around and we invited and found a few new investigators that were pretty interested :) also went ot book of mormon class which is great the khon thai love reading it and ask so many great questions about the chapters its great :) also wednesday we did the same thing except taught english instead and haha i feel like it karma when thai try and learn english becuase they laugh at my thai but then i tease them about their englsih so i like tuesday night :) wed we tyaught investigators and sister bee who got baptised and thurday we focused on preparin the baptisms and for the rest of the week we preparedf fore the district conference and everything that goes along with it:) but the investagator who got baptised is named sister bee she is solid she comes to everything and she is very involved with the youth! but everything thing is going great over here i am loving it i am learning so much and i feel i am one step closer to being fluent every day:)

love you guys!"

Words from Elder Kade Garner in Peru

"Well, I am not to sure of what to tell you all this week. It was a very crazy one that is for sure. So I guess I will just start from the begining. 

 

For me one of the hardest parts of being a missionary is how much I get attached to the people. If you get the hint that means that yes I was transferred. I was in Izaguirre for six months and right there at the end we met some of the neastest and most prepared people that I had met in the mission. So it is sad that I can't be there to see them get baptized but that is not what is important... just that they get baptized. 

 

On Tuesday I went to the transfer meeting and was more nervous than ever. I kept thinking what is going to happen. It just did not make sense that my very last six weeks in the mission I was being changed. The meeting started and i found out that I was going to train. I am now training a greengo named Elder Riddle from Orem, Utah. We are in a very small little farming town called Pativilca. The town is super small and is settled in a green little valley a few minutes from the ocean. The cool thing is that my best friend from the MTC (Elder Dunn from Texas) is my zone leader. We have never been in the same zone in the mission since the MTC and we are so excited. We also found out that we will be on the same plane from Lima to Dallas... how cool is that!

 

My companion is really great. He studied Spanish a lot growing up so he is already pretty good at it but it is wierd not being with a Latino... I realized that it is going to be really hard for me at home. I love the Latino people so much and I am going to just not feel very comfortable speaking in English... good thing that I am getting six weeks of practice so I do not sound like a total idiot when I try to talk. 

 

Anyway we got to our area at 1:00 am Wednesday morning and the first thing we noticed was how dirty our room was. For me it was normal and I knew that we could clean it up but my poor companion asked me right away if this was the worst or best room I had had in the mission. He was a little traumatized I think. 

 

The next day we got up and I went to look in the area book to see what we have to work with in this area.... to my astonishment the area book had not been touched in more than six months. We are opening a new area. As we started to find our way around and meet members they all told us that they felt bad that we were here because it is a hard area and they talked about how much they hated the old missionaries. Well, I just told Elder Riddle that we have to change the way they think. They are going to love us and through all the baptisms we have they are going to see that it is not a hard area it is just a bad way of thinking. The area really does have a ton of potential. 

 

We got to work. We contacted in so many ways. We went to a cementary, we gave out pictures of Christ in the street, we knocked hundreds of doors, basically if it could be done we did it. In all our contacting we had some cool experiances. First, in an area so hard to work in we found 18 new investigators and that includes a family of 7... and yes all seven could be baptized but we also had a very neat experiance with a less active. We found a less active lady in the street who is actually in the middle of a divorce but she told us that her husband needs help. We went to his house and he let us in. He looked so ashamed of himself and finally he told us why. That day he had decided to take his life. Before he killed himself he decided to pray. While praying he for some reason just though of the missionaries. As he finished his prayer and contemplated further his suicide we knocked his door. He told us that he know that that is how the Lord answered his prayer. He sent us to strengthen this sad man. 

 

Sunday we went out to meet all the members that we could not find in the week. By 7:00 pm I had such a migrane and my comp was a little sick to the stomach. I said we had to push through until 9:00 pm. by 8:30 however we could not anymore. It was the worst migrane I have had in a long time. We got to the house and planned for the night when I just started to vomit. Moral of the story... if you have a migrane you need to go to the house to take and excederine. I learned my lesson... I will just try to apply what I learned next time I have a headache.

 

That really was the week. We are doing some great work. I came to realize though that I am very close to being finished with the mission. While I would love to have a lot of baptisms right before I go home I know that that is not likely going to happen for the situation we are in here. However I know that I can help my companion start off on a good foot and prepare him to have a ton of success here in a few short weeks. We are going to baptize while we are togather but my companion is going to learn how to be successful in any area and love the people as much as he can. It is like the president said on Tuesday. There is something special about a missionary who knows how to change his investigators... but there is something extraordinary about a missionary that knows how to help and change his companions... I want to be a great and extraordinary missionary.

 

I want you all to know that I am excited to be coming home soon, but that I am very sad at the same time. Today when I saw how close I really am to leaving the mission and could not help but have tears well up in my eyes. I love being a missionary even though it makes you go bald and get fat and even though every day I wake up with a new bug bite on my face it is so rewarding. I have learned so much and changed a lot. I still have a lot to learn and I just fear that I will not be albe to learn all that I want in such the short time that I have left in the mission. I guess that is why we are told to "endure until the end." We are meant to learn our whole life but it is nice to have the little boost that the mission provides.

 

I will talk to you all soon,"

Words from Elder Eli Frazier in Peru

"Hey everyone! Great week, learned lots of patience as we did not have many lessons. But in the last day of the week we found two young families and i really grew a testimony of patience then. working allll week and then finally finding two families the last day of the week in the last two hours. Spanish is flowing a lot better now. My companion doesn't talk much but hes cool. and when he does talk its all doctrine, he knows quite a bit. But yeah that's it for this week! Les Amo!! Cuidense!!

Elder Eli Frazier PERU LIMA SUR

Oh and p.s. the three things I'm missing that arent in Peru are 1. my hollister south cal Cologne 2. Honey Buns 3.  HOMEMADE COOKIES.  Love you all lots;)"

Last Words from Elder Garrett Anderson

I don't really know what to say but i will try my best. 

Well... This is it. It has finally come and there isn´t much any of us can do about it. Through sleepless nights and stressful days (taking care of the sisters) I have made it. The mission experience has been the best choice I have ever made, hands down. Although this last transfer has been a rollercoaster of emotions, wanting to stay more time in the mission and also wanting to see the family, I have learned much more than mere words can express, for the type of learning in the mission field is spiritual, emotional, mental, physical and eternal. 

To be quite honest, i have been worried about coming home. I have noticed that in the mission field we are "protected" from the things of the world. (Especially since i am in a small town far from civilization) I know that this will be a great thing for me, to share the experiences and feelings that i have had the privilege to experience for two years. 

"The mission is far from what i imagined it would be. I imagined that we would come down to the jungle of Brazil, preaching repentance and baptism from the mountain tops and the natives would come running to be baptized by the "American" missionaries. Haha i am just kidding, although i did imagine the part of the jungle. The mission is truly about hard work and sacrifice, about obedience and about our willingness to obey in even the littlest things. In my opinion, it is the doctrine of Christ at work in all forms. I have been shown countless times that God loves all of his children, He knows us, He loves us and cares for us daily. I have strengthened my testimony and i am in the process of conversion, which will continue throughout this life. 

I have learned many things here, respect, love how to listen, patience (lots of it) and in my learning i am also made aware of many many weaknesses that we are so blessed to have. Ether 12:27 "And if men come unto me I will show unto them their weakness. I give unto men weakness that they may be humble; and my grace is sufficient for all men that humble themselves before me; for if they humble themselves before me, and have faith in me, then will I make weak things become strong unto them." The mission was sort of a "refiner´s fire" that will be a model for my life, but like Elder Andersen has said to all of the missionaries here in our mission, the mission is only the start, we have to keep increasing and progressing and becoming like Christ. We will not be at the end of our life what we are at the end of our mission, we have to continue to have more spiritual experiences. 

I loved this mormon message that talked about the "refiners fire"

http://www.mormonchannel.org/video/mormon-messages?v=3897359657001&cid=HPTU111814487

Thank you all for the support, it has been an amazing two years, i love you all so much and look forward to sharing these experiences with you."

Words from Elder Chandon Herring In Washington DC

"Hello family. This is going to be a really long letter because this
was a very long and interesting week. So let us begin...
Monday...
Well today was another great Pday in the DC3rd ward. I slept a little,
wrote home, made grandpas chili and banana nut bread. It was super
good and then we played a game of Monopoly and Bang. Super fun
and we had a Dinner appointment! Hurray! We had a great steak dinner
with Yorkshire puddings. Those things are really good. It was a cold
wet day but a good one.

Tuesday... We found the most effective form of tracting ever! Service
tracting! We go around in service clothes and offer to help people. It
was a little miserable because the wind chill was so bad. We were not
having any luck and i was a little grumpy because of it. I fixed my
attitude and said a silent prayer that we could meet someone who was
prepared for us to find them. The next person that we saw let us in
their home! Miracle! His name is Vincent and he is an older gentleman
who was a Neuro something. We had a great talk and set up another
appointment. He is super cool and is struggling to understand about
God. He thinks he has decided he does not agree with most any religion
but he loves Mormons because of our standards.

I got Kort's package
today and one from Hailey they were both awesome!

Thank you so much,
Kort, for the stuff from Japan I have officially eaten all of the Black
Thunder candy. yum! and thanks for the CD! I am also fanning myself
and wearing all of the stuff as we speak. Then Hailey gave me candy,
some awesome talks, seeds, and all those great birthday wishes. Thanks
to you all.

Wednesday... Today threw me through a loop. I was out with Elder
Stevenson checking on people and contacting. It was going super well
and we had a promising day ahead all until the call came. we just
finished a lesson and were locking up our bikes in front of another
home to check on them then the AP's called. They made it appear that
we were in trouble then they said, "Congratulations! You have been
selected for this transfers Emergency Transfer. Elder Herring you will
be moving to the Glendale Singles ward to be with Elder Sorensen and
had 2 hours to get home, pack, and be ready for the Zone Leaders to
get me. So i went home to pack. I was excited because I am now in a
car for winter! Hurray! I have accumulated a lot of stuff too.  I also
had a lot of Chili, stew, beans, salsa, all sorts of stuff that I had
to leave! I was able to make everything fit. I have an entire giant
plastic tote that is full of cooking stuff. It was heavy. I was tied
up by my roomates before so i could not leave.  (Probably because he is always cooking, lol) I dont have a picture.
they took it. I will ask for it. We traded comps (His new Comp is Elder Sorenson.  They were in the MTC together) and went to the Institute
building for class. I met the Elders Quorum president Ryan and the WML (Ward Mission Leader)
who is Jason. They are super cool! Huge guys but cool! They made me do the spiritual thought but it was good. We had a lesson with an
investigator who was supposed to be baptized on Sunday but cancelled
right before the lesson.  She still
wants to be baptized just not now. She is super solid. her name is
Colleen.

We room with Elder Bodda and Greding who are not obedient but
super cool guys. Bodda eats super healthy and loves to lift. So we get
along.
Thursday...I was able to drive again! Hurray!!!!!!!!! It was so nice!
We had a great lunch with a member named David. In this ward we are
fed a ton! I love it! We had Chipotle. Love that place! We had good
weekly planning and online time then we swung by my old apartment to
steal the crock pot. Yum! they were angry but they never use it
literally at all. We had a dinner apt with the spanish so i did not
understand most of the evening but we had great food. The old lady
loved me though. It was super nice.

Friday... Today we did the white house tour as a mission. It was not
as fun because people were, for some reason, super cranky and they did
not appreciate it. We did not have a good guide like Sister Claude so
we did not get a lot of questions answered but it was still super fun. We
get to go again soon and we will be able to take pictures this time
inside!

We checked on some unknown people and none were there. We had
a dinner appointment with Jose who is a recent convert who is the best
missionary ever! He truly loves this gospel and he asked for a box of
40 copies of the BOM. So cool! He fed us toast with PB, honey, and
cinnamon. It was divine! after we went on exchanges with Jason the WML
and taught an investigator names Millian. He is so cool and is going
to be a great member when he is ready.

Saturday... Today was a very active day. We played some basketball
this morning for about 3 hours straight with members and
investigators. It was super intense and a great workout. haha. We did
a little online time then played turkey bowl for the singles ward. It
was super fun and there was a chili cook off which was divine. We had
a good dinner after with Paul who is in the Navy. He just sits there
when you get in the car and will not go anywhere or say anything until
you tell him where dinner is. It is super fun. He is really awkward
socially but is super cool. He is one of my favorites. Then we swung
by two LA who need to come to church!  They are super cool and are
just super busy.

Sunday... We had church and a great re evaluation of the ward mission.
The ward is excited but they dont do anything. No fellowshipping
nothing. So ALL of you reading this you need to help the elders out!
The church is ran in reverse so sacrament meeting is last. This ward
has a long way to go. I am excited to help! We met with Alex who is
from the Ukraine and is a new ward missionary. He is solid. We had
stir fry from Ryan for dinner and checked on people who were not home.
Good day though!

Monday... We are playing fun missionary games all day! Fun!
So this week was odd but fun. We are going to have a good time getting
the ward excited and reviving this area. Love you all and have a great
week!"

Last Words from Sister Elese Hauser in Illiois

My heart is heavy this week as I write this. There is so much that I want to say today, but I just can't find the words adequate enough to express the emotions I am feeling. It just doesn't feel real. I can't believe this is coming to an end. Up to this point I've been holding my breath that the Prophet would make an unexpected announcement that sisters can serve for two years. But that is one prayer the Lord has not answered. 

Today I have reflected a lot back to the day when I first opened my mission call. I will always remember the overwhelming feeling of peace that overcame me as I read Illinois Chicago Mission (now Illinois Chicago West Mission). I knew it was right and I knew there were people here that were waiting for me. But little did I know or realize what impact those people would have on me. I can remember, and my Dad can attest to this, going on an emotional roller coaster of doubt, fear, excitement, faith, and stress from the time I opened my call to the time I entered the MTC. Of course going toe MTC we were the very last parking spot at the so I had the farthest to walk. But I had promised that I would not look back at my family once I started to walk away, and I haven't looked back since. I was so nervous and so exhausted when we got to Chicago I hardly remember anything from that day except the humidity hitting me like a wave. From the moment I stepped off of that airplane, I knew I was in for something big, but I had no idea just how big. The adjustment to missionary life was hard but the people I met along the way made it all worth it. Bennie, Leena, Carol, Kathy, Mark & Brandon, and Joe and many many others have changed my life forever. As have each and every single one of my companions, each of whom I love dearly.

My mission has not been how I would have planned it to be, AT ALL! But I know that it has been exactly what I needed. There have been hard things happen that I needed to go through. The hardest of which was surviving last winter;) This last week of my mission has been an overview of the past 18 months of my life. Going into this last week I pondered a lot about the goals I wanted to set for my last week. As I mentioned last week I received the distinct impression that I just needed to be happy. This simple revelation turned out to be the most profound lesson I have learned on my mission. There are times in our lives when our circumstances would suggest any thing other than happiness. But we are counseled by living prophets to not let our situations define our level of happiness. This week was an emotional roller coaster for me. I had the opportunity to go back and serve in Belvidere on exchanges. I feel so blessed to have seen so many members that I came to love dearly as I served there. It helped me to feel my mission come full circle. But upon my return back to Elgin my dear companion decided to give me the best going away present by getting the flu!! Haha see what I mean about a roller coaster week! She was down for about 2 days and then we went on another exchange and then the week was over. There were a few times this week where I really struggled to be happy. My heart just hurts. Last night I had my departing interview with President Fenn. We talked for about an hour and it was a revelatory experience. But the last thing he said to me before we closed was "I just want you to know that you need to be happy." It was one of those moments where the spirit smacks you in the face and you say "Okay Heavenly Father I get it now. I need to be happy!" So this is me, being happy:) As I was pondering more about this topic I realized the doctrine behind it. The natural man in all of us would be miserable and would want to quit when times get tough. But the Savior was CHEERFULLY doing the work of His Father. I know that life is hard, that it's not always easy but I know that we can all be happy despite disappointments and times of despair as we keep the commandments of God. Growing up whenever I would turn into the bratty teenager and roll my eyes (which was very rare!), my Dad would always stand up straight, look me in the eye and say "You always have a choice, sometimes it's just a choice of attitude." Of course I would mimic my Dad, roll my eyes again and walk away. But I have come to realize that for once, my dad knew what he was talking about:) So much of our lives are centered around our perspective. As a missionary I have learned to be positive, to not complain, and to not worry about the things I can't control.

Yesterday we were sitting in the stand before sacrament meeting singing in the choir when I saw this familiar face walk in. My jaw hit the floor as I recognized Brother Rich DeCarlo from the Oswego Ward! As soon as we were done singing I went quickly to say Hello to ask him why he was in Elgin thinking it was just an accident he had come to our Ward while traveling. I was wrong. Brother DeCarlo drove an hour to Elgin to be with me just because it was my last Sunday. He has been "stalking me" and planning this for awhile! He brought me brownies and a present. As you can imagine, words cannot describe how much I was touched and what this meant to me. I had a close relationship with his family in Oswego but I never imagined anyone would do that for me. And that brings me to the next thing I've learned... The Lord will use you as an instrument in His hands to touch and change the lives of His children. And often we don't even know it's happening. There is no grater feeling in all the world than knowing that you are an instrument in the hands of the Almighty God. It matters whose hands you're in. We don't always know it or realize it when we are on the Lords errand and that's why it's important to obey every prompting from the Holy Ghost and to do your home and visiting teaching and to serve those around you. I can assure you that whatever the Lord did for the DeCarlos through me was simple and not profound. We can and need to all be instruments in the Lords hands for all the days of our lives. And that is the thing I will miss most when I take of this name tag. Is being on the Lords errand 100% of the time. But I can promise you all that I will still do His work and whatever He wants me to do in whatever capacity I serve in.

I could write a novel about all of the things I've learned on my mission and all the ways the atonement has changed me. I am so grateful for the Book of Mormon. It is true, what else matters? I am so grateful for the sacrifices that Joseph Smith made. We are all directly affected because he sacrificed his life for this work. I am grateful that I was called to serve. This is the best decision I've ever made. There have been many hard days, and fewer good days. But the blessings and the feeling of joy I have right now is worth anything. 

I think of Christ. He completed the suffering in Gethsemane for the sins and pains of the world. He was arrested and condemned on spurious charges, convicted to satisfy a mob, and sentenced to die on calvary's cross. He gave His life to atone for the sins of all mankind. His was a great vicarious gift in behalf of all who would ever live upon the earth. (The Living Christ). He was then crucified. But before he gave up the ghost he said crying with a loud voice "Father, it is finished, thy will be done." (JST Mathew 27:50). As a representative of Jesus Christ I feel similar to that phrase today. Everything I did, everything that I accomplished was all for my Father in Heaven. My time as a full time missionary is finished. Like Christ's life, my mission was short, full of miracles, involved lots of rejection, but the most important thing was accomplishing what He sent me to do. Christ set the perfect example and I have tried to follow it as closely as I possibly could. But I still fell short. And I always will. I am so grateful for the atonement. I know that one day I will be sanctified and become without spot so that I can stand in the presence of my Heavenly Father and feel his warm embrace and hear the words "Well done thou good and faithful servant." My full time mission may be over but my mission on earth is not. He still has a lot He wants me to accomplish. I thank you all for your support, your love, and your encouragement these past 18 months of my life. This gospel is true. It really really is. And it changes lives. I love you all and I will see you in under 48 hours.

For the last time,

Sister Hauser 

Words from Brittany Platt in Colorado

"Hello everybody!

So, transfers were today and I got transferred to an area called Strasburg!!!!! It's basically a bunch of small towns out east of Denver in the countryside! I can't even begin to tell you how excited I am to be here. This is like the area in the mission that all missionaries want to serve in!! A few really cool things about this transfer is, when I opened up my mission call and was looking at the map of the mission I saw Strasburg and felt very strongly that I was going to go there one day. I didn't know anything about it, but I told my family I was going to go there! And, the other cool thing is they haven't had sisters in over 10 years! They've only had elders. So my new companion and I are literally pioneers in this area! We've replaced the elders and we're sweeping the area (starting from scratch basically). My mission president and his wife said they weren't planning on sending sisters this soon, but they got a really strong feeling to do so. I've told everyone since I've gotten out here that I knew I was going to come here and now I'm here!!! No one believed it would happen, but I'm here! I can hardly believe it. It feels so surreal! I know the Lord has sent me here for a purpose and there are people that I am supposed to meet! I don't know who or what work the Lord has in store, but I know there's a purpose and a plan. I just get the chills every time I think about it!

 

My new companion is named Sister Hoeman (poor girl! She makes fun of her name though and it's hilarious!). She's from a small town in Missouri and her family are horse ranchers. So we're both small town, country girls and we'll be right at home here in Strasburg!! We also get to drive a truck and we're the only sisters in the mission who get to do so!!!! Well, I guess she gets to drive since she's been out longer, but still, I'm in a truck and I can't complain!

So, one of the miracles from this last week is I got to teach two new investigators in a member's home! They're friends with the member and they're both 7th-day Adventists. Really neat guys! They didn't accept a Book of Mormon, but I'm hoping they will soon! We have a follow-up appointment with them so my trainer promised to let me know what happens! We also had a wonderful time serving Meaghan, our other investigator. She really opened up to us about what's holding her back. I just know one day she's going to get baptized!

 

I don't have time to tell you all the miracles from last week, but I'm so grateful I get to e-mail every week!! It was so hard to leave Parker and Auburn Hills. The people there are amazing and many tears were shed when I said goodbye. That place will always be holy and sacred to me! I learned so much and grew so much! And now, I'm ready for this new change and to learn and grow even more! Please pray extra for me and my companion as we do our best to serve the people here and to work hard!!

Love you all and God bless you!"

ADDRESSES!! Write a missionary today!!:)

Elder John & Sister Terry Haws

Apartado Postal 92-4005
Belen, Heredia
Costa Rica
tljhaws@gmail.com



Elder Ammon Fulton
Mexico Torreon Mission
Calle Ernesto Breede
Col. Ampliacion Los Angeles #301
27146 Torreon, Coahula Mexico

Sister Heather Patterson
South Carolina Columbia Mission
110 Oak Park Dr. Suite B
Irmo, SC 29063-6110

Elder Shad Lindsey
Oct02 UKR-KYV
2009 N 900 E. Unit 128
Provo, UT 84602





Elder Allan Holden
665 North 200 West
Clearfield, Utah 84015


Elder Jared Anderson
Brazil Joao Pessoa Mission
Rua Deputado Jose' Mariz, 515
Tambauzinho
58042-020 Joao Pessoa-PB
Brazil


Elder Tyler Crosby
Tonga Nuku Alofa Mission
Box 58
Nuku Alofa
Tonga

Elder Konner Lee

906 South Logan Blvd.
Building 2 Apt. 101
Holidaysburg, PA 16648


Elder Bo Mullenaux
California Santa Rosa Mission
5301 Badger Rd.
Santa Rosa, CA 95409

Elder Garrett Hollembeak
West Virginia Charleston Mission
888 Oakwood Rd. Ste. 310
Charleston WV
25314-2071
United States

Elder Rick Bloomfield
Florida Fort Lauderdale Mission
7951 S W 6th St, Suite 110
Fort Lauderdale, FL 33324-3211

Elder Chandon Herring
Washington DC North Mission
11700 Falls Road
Potamac, MD 20854-2823
United States


Elder Kyle Byron James
Germany Frankfurt Mission
Kirche Jesu Christi
Corneliusstrasse 18
60325 Frankfurt am Main
Germany

Elder Ty Blank
3250 Strawberry Rd
Anchorage, AK 99502

Elder Garrett Davis
Thailand Bangkok Mission
1645/6 New Phetchburi Road
Makkasan, Ratchathewi
Bangkok 10400
Thailand

Elder Eli Stephen Frazier (pouch)
Peru Lima South Mission
POB 30150
Salt Lake City, Utah 84130-0150

Elder Eli Stephen Frazier (packages)
Peru Lima South Mission
Av Jorge Basadre 592, Oficina 604-A
Edificio Torre Azul, San Isidro
Lima 27
Peru

Elder Jake Zieler
Canada Vancouver Mission
8440 Williams Rd.
Richmond, BC V7A1G6
Canada

Sister Brittany Platt
Colorado Denver North Mission
1250 Main Street
Broomfield, CO 80020

Elder Adam Otto
135 South 7th Ave
Pocatello, ID 83201

Elder Brandon Day
Oklahoma Oklahoma City Mission
416 SW 79th St. Ste. 210
Oklahoma City, OK 73139-8121

or currently living at:

Elder Brandon Day
523 E. College Ave.
Apt. # 8
Blackwell, OK 74631

Sister Hailey Overson
Provo MTC, Unit 190
2005 N 900 E
Provo, Utah 84602
hailey.overson@myldsmail.net

Sister Abbie Waite

Words from Elder Garrett Davis in Thailand

"Thailand:)

well Thailand was a little better this week a lot has happened:) we start the week off great on Tuesday teaching an investigator named sister nung she was solid had a great lesson about the gospel of Jesus Christ and she was so glad to hear it:) then we invited for a while and had enlgish class which is weird to hear thai people sill trying to speak English:) Wednesday we had some more lessons with some investigator and my mind is blown on how much they are learning and how faithful they are too it already:) they are all reading the book of mormon and they love it they are really trying to understand the gospel which is great! thursday we taught book of mormon class and that was good lots of questions that they were glad to ask:) friday we aught a guy who was tired of being bhuddist because he was tired of the monks saying things hat they themselves couldnt even do so he wants to learn about christ:) i am lucky to serve here i am learning so much its awesome ":) but being in bangkok you see some weird things which is good its a part of the experience:) sorry short on time:) i love you all and by the was this is a 7 story mall in bangkok and me on a bridge :) i love you guys have a great week:)"

Words from Elder Garrett Davis in Thailand

"Logratom:)

well this week was an interesting one for sure my first ful week in the big city often refered to in the mission as the beast:) but i love it! the city is beautiful and the streets are dirty but the members who are always so happy to see us and are willing to help us out in any way are great and the food make up for it all the food in bangkok is great its probably the main reason i am getting a little chubby out here:) so monday we didnt do anytjhing exciting we had to deep clean our hoiuse it was pretty dirty from the last elder tuesday we invited people to church which is pretty fun to do here for a couple reasons one they dont expect a white guy to speak thai so i always get reactions two they try to tell you where the church is becuase they dont listen and three most the times they say they cant speak english but your talking to them in thai :) also wednesday we had investigator come to book of mormon class which was awesome i can really tell that she is gaining a testimony about this church:) and really trying thursday we had logratom which is a huge festival in thailand its like the lanterns in tangled but since i am in bangkok those are illegal and we are only allowed to put them in the water so we did that instead and friday we invited all day and then we went and ate a ton at the buffet i got to cook my own meat too:) sautrday we hit the malll and invited all day as well sunday rolls around and we had three new investigator and two peple who want tp be baptised:) and then we hung out with the members and it was a good day:) but bangkae is great so far so its a little dirty and concrete everywhere but i am learning to love it and i do have to say thailand is growing on me":)

I love you guys"

Words from Elder Kyle James in Germany

"Lieber Familie,

This week was very good. I really enjoyed it. Thank you for the pictures of people! Thanks Trevor. haha. 

Tell Cade Richins that I flipping miss him. He was the best. And Neubauer.

SO... for Monday, we went to Düsseldorf and balled it up. It was a lot of fun. It was a zone P-day. I dunked it like 4 times in our games. I love it! I like Düsseldorf. I like the HBF there. There is a store thing in Germany called BACKWERK and I love that! It is hard to explain. But they have Berliners there! I love those. I love everything about Germany. I just love it! Hahaha Except the cold. It is freezing! I am sure that I am the only one in this country wearing Gym shorts right now!

 Tuesday was crazy good. We were assigned to make the treat for DDM so we went to the church to grab a cheese cake pan. We were waiting at the big Busbahnhof next to our Wohnung for the bus to the church. A lady came up to us and asked if we spoke english. Of course we said yes. She went on to explain her story. She was born and raised into the church in Mexico She was Europa and met a guy and got married. They had a son... and then got seperated. The husband tried to put her in Mexican prison, but she got out and moved to Germany. She cant speak German and is living with a friend until she can find a job. She has lived in Solingen for 6 months now. So anyway... long story short... Claudia prayed to be able to find the missionaries, damit sie zur Kirche zurückkommen kann. Sorry about the random German... it happens sometimes haha. So yeah... she prayed to find us... and the Lord answered her prayer. We were talking for a while... and she started to cry. She just wants to see her son again. She also wants friends. She doesnt really have any. She complained about the language and how she just wanted to speak Spanish with someone. Right then, one of the only members of our ward that speaks Spanish walked up to us... and we introduced him and explained that he could speak Spanish. And they talked for a while. We got Claudias info and told her that we would love to meet with her. Wow. What a miracle. I am so thankful to have seen that. 

Wednesday we had DDM. It was alright. Nothing too special. We then taught Sky and went by on a less active. Just normal missionary work! I love it! Oh and on Tuesday we went to a Chinese food resturant with a member. I gave the spiritual thought. The food wasnt very good. Be thankful for Panda Express.

On Thursday we met with Köster. That guy is still hilarious. He WILL come to church! mark my words! AHH! haha he is so close! Haha He will come. We also went to the hospital to visit Stan der Man. His heart was having troubles. He is crazy. We saw a lady cop in the hospital and he asked her to arrest him. Tisk tisk Stan. You crazy guy. We then met with Claudia in the hofgarten mall. I had the feeling that we needed to teach her about hope and why it is important. Afterwards, she asked how we knew to teach about hope, because it was exactly what she needed. The appt ended up being 3 hours. She cried a lot and told us her entire life story... but it was good that we listened. That is what she needed. She is so thankful for us. Thankful for the miracles. But I am thankful to God for giving us the Gelegenheit to see the miracles that he caused. We dont do miracles... we watch the Lord do them.

Friday, we went to Mirbachs Haus. She was nice this time... she wasnt sauer at all. We had a good lesson. She wants to invite us over for Christmas dinner. That is nice.

Saturday was really cool. We went to a baptism in Wuppertal. It was a wife and a daughter that I helped teach once. It was really cool. They were 100% ready for the gospel. Their /husband/dad baptized them. They are so awesome. We were eating afterwards, and a lady memeber in Wuppertal asked us if we happened to be from Arizona. I said yes and she was excited. She loves Arizona. She has been there 5 times. She knows Flagstaff... and I told her that that was where my parents met. She was really nice. After we talked for like 30 minutes, I told her that Solingen was my first area. She was 100% shocked. She asked me if I took German in school and I said no. She couldnt believe it. She asked if my parents were German haha no. haha She told me, that I was gifted, and that German is my talent. She introduced me to her husband and explained about my "gift". Pretty cool. It is because I dont waste time when I study German. Like, I am pretty far ahead, but I have a long way to go. I can write German 100% perfectly.. but I am not yet confident In speaking. I hope it comes with time! I can speak in relaxed situation but not in stressed ones haha. It comes with time I am sure.

So on Sunday, Claudia came. She waved to me when she got there while I was in preisthood meeting. We talked to her, and she was excited to be there. She talked with a Spanish member for a while. Really cool. She asked for a blessing from us for comfort... so we did that too. We also translated for her in sacrament. She is really cool. She has a strong testimony. She will be blessed for her good life,

That night we went to Bischof  Paulys haus. I love them so much. He is so hilarious. He can only say "I have bad english" in English. jaja.

 Gosh he is hilarious. He is a lot like me.

Well that Is about all. I am so happy for the Gelegenheit to see mircales and to see God bless lives. I love it. I love this work.

For a short spiritual thought, I want to talk about the the love of and mercy of Christ.

We all make mistakes. We all fall short. We all sin. Sometimes we feel like we arent worthy or we feel like we are too depressed, or we lose sight of our main goal. But fear not. Christ ALWAYS has his arms outstretched, waiting for us to come. Waiting for us to follow him. Waiting for us to come unto Him. If anyone that reads this feels lost, alone, unworthy, or sad... Know, that there is hope. But your trust in Christ. He will not lead us astray. He waits with his arms open wide, waiting for us. Find Christ in your life. He is there. I know it. Look at Ether 12:4.

Really though... I know that to be true.

Well family, here starts another week in paradise. Hard, hard paradise. haha Missionary work is hard work. But I love it.

I love you guys. I loved finding a letter in my coat. I miss you guys so much! I miss my older sister and I miss my littlest bruder, I miss the singer, and the Goofball. I miss the smart athlete, and the pretty princess. And I miss my loving parents, who stuck with raising a mental institution of a family. I love it that why.

Sorry for how hard I am too understand now a days. I have no idea how to speak.

Ich liebe euch!"

Words from Siser Brittany Platt in Colorado

"Hello everybody!!!

Oh what a wonderful week this has been! We have seen so many miracles I can hardly write them all. So here goes:

Miracle 1: My comp and I fasted on Sunday for a particular family in our ward. The husband is a member, but his wife and two kids are Catholic. He's been praying for a long time that his wife would convert, but she vowed to raise her kids Catholic and has refused to learn more about the church. Well, long story short, I told you that he called us Monday morning (I think) and we didn't get a chance to call him back. Well he called us Tuesday morning and we had a wonderful chat with him. His wife is totally on board for their son to go to BYU and doesn't want him to go anywhere else. I told him that I graduated from BYU and would love to come over and talk with their family more about the school and the curriculum. He thought that was a great idea and said he'd speak to his wife about having us over for dinner! It was a total answer to prayer and fasting! We're hoping to hear from them soon!

Miracle 2: We've been teaching a boy named Braxton who's dad is not a member. Braxton is 8 and is getting baptized next year. Well, he had a friend over and throughout the whole lesson his friend asked amazing questions and at the end of it said, "Well I'm 8. Can I get baptized?" It was awesome! We asked where he lived and have decided we will go to their house and try to talk to the parents.

Miracle 3: So, that same family had us over for dinner and the mom had one of her friends, who's not LDS, over for dinner as well. As we talked with them, this lady said she would love to feed us anytime and invited us over for dinner. She also said we could stop by her house anytime if we need anything! Amazing!!

Miracle 4: We've been teaching the 7, 11, and 17 year old's in our ward the missionary lessons. One of the 7 year olds we've been teaching, we challenged him to read the Book of Mormon every day and start from the very beginning. Well, not only has he taken on that challenge, but he loves it so much that he takes the Book of Mormon to school and reads it during quiet time! One of his classmates has noticed (we're teaching her as well), and so she told us she wants to do the same thing. I LOVE KIDS!!!

Miracle 5: One of the members in our ward we've been doing the stop smoking program with. It's a 7-day program and she's been so faithful to it! It was hard the first couple of days and she almost gave in, but with the support of her mom who lives with her (she's not LDS) and support from us and other people, she's made it through and is almost done! We went and saw them last night and she told us her doctor is amazed at how different she is already and how healthy she is. I truly believe she is one of the reasons I'm here. I love this woman and her mother so much!!!

Miracle 6: We've been doing these Stake Missionary Lessons with a lot of the members in our ward and we've been seeing some really cool miracles and missionary opportunities for the members. One member pled with the Lord for an opportunity, and the next day when she was at JoAnn's buying fabric the Lord provided it! The cashier started talking to her about her husband who is a less-active member of the church. The cashier was not a member. Well, our member felt prompted by the spirit to open her mouth, so she was super bold and invited the lady to church, to meet with the missionaries, and to get baptized!!! Holy Smokes!!! Talk about and amazing, bold missionary member! The cashier didn't accept any of the invitations, but the member told her that them talking was from the Lord and that she seriously needs to consider becoming a member. Our member even said the phrase to the cashier "You'd make a great Mormon!" Yay for missionary work!!!

Miracle 7: We met with our investigator again last week and she made the comment that wherever she goes in life, there seems to be missionaries around. We asked her how the Lord spoke to her and she said with a peaceful feeling and signs. Well, I felt the spirit prompt me to be bold and so I opened my mouth and said: "So, like the missionaries being everywhere you go is a sign from God?" She was stunned, then put her head down and chuckled and said "Yeah, I guess it is!" Wow. I'm being bold!!!! It was awesome. We had a great lesson with her and are going to try and re-committ her to baptism this Wednesday.

Miracle 8: The committee that I'm on, we finally came up with a motto and a vision/plan for the mission. We're going to launch it at Zone Conference this week. The motto is from Hymn 60 but we tweaked it a little bit: "As He died to make men holy, let us live to bring them home." I absolutely love it and know it was totally inspired! I feel that the year 2015 is going to be historical for our mission! #1,001

There's a few more small miracles but that's it for now. I used to get down on myself because we haven't had any baptisms, but I've realized that the work of Salvation is so much more than that!!! The purpose of missionaries is to strengthen families and strengthen Zion (the church) wherever we go. That's been the focus of this ward and stake and what amazing miracles we are seeing! Our ward mission leader and bishop do not want us to do hardly any tracting. We maybe do 2 or 3 hours a week. Crazy huh? But we've been so busy with lessons with members, less-actives, part member families, and our investigator that we don't hardly have time for anything else. I just love missionary work!!! Please share this gospel with everyone!! It's so easy. Satan does not want us to share it. He wants us to be fearful and scared so that no one else will know the truth. Don't let him win!! This is the best work we could ever do on this earth!

I love you all and pray for you everyday! Thank you for your continued love and support for me and my sister Hannah. It's been such a blessing for us to both be on missions at this time. I know that God designed it that way. I never thought I'd say this, but I'm grateful I'm not married yet so that I could have this experience and share this experience with my beloved sister. 

God bless you all!"