Blessed!!!

February 20, 2017

This week I was spoiled rotten... seriously so many blessings there is "not room enough to receive them." I  got to do something that many missionaries would dream of- I got to go back to my first area and do missionary work there for a few days. On Monday evening, the Fort Walton 2 sisters drove to Crestview; I went back to Fort Walton with Sister Ramahdar, who was in my MTC branch. She is so fun! She is from Trinidad, has a quick wit, works hard, and has a deep understanding of the gospel. On Tuesday morning, we had heart shaped pancakes for Valentines day. Then we went to the Fort Walton District meeting, which was strange to be back in, although only one of the elders there now was there when I was. We went to visit the Nystroms!!! I saw Tess, Yogi, their darling granddaughter Elana, and their daughter Heather. She has been less active for a while (struggling with the some addictions) and we had started teaching her just before I left. It was amazing to see how much better she is doing! She has been coming to church every week, she's doing really well in an addiction recovery class, and she feels much closer to God. :) 

We stopped by to see Sarah Miller and Sister Highsmith briefly, and visited with a new family in the ward. For dinner, the sisters just so happened to be signed up to eat with the Pilkingtons, some of my favorite members!! The sisters had told them I was coming, so they sweetly bought my favorite barbeque chicken pizza from Papa Murpheys. I told you I was spoiled!! It was such a happy time with them, catching up and whatnot. It feels good to feel loved. 

On Wednesdsay we had an appointment with investigator Rod, and he was so happy to see me! But he was feeling pretty sick, so we weren't able to stay for a lesson. But he is doing awesome! He's working on divorcing his wife (who he doesn't live with) so that he can actually marry the woman he lives with, who he calls his wife... that is dedication, because that's not the easy thing to do! I'm so proud of him!! It really shows how much he wants to get baptized. 

We were in the neighborhood, so Sister Ramadhar asked if I would like to stop by the Brocks (active members) to say hi. Sweet Sister Ramadhar! We stopped in, and they sat us right down, asked how I'm doing, and made me feel so loved. Brother Brock of course pulled one of the many books of his shelf and shared a miracle story from early missioary work in the South, and got teary eyed. He's such a softie. :) Even though I'm sure I didn't make much of an impact in their lives while I was in Fort Walton, they still make me feel important and special, and know that as a missionary I am still a person with feelings. They are wonderful, and they understand the ups and downs of missionary work. 

After lunch, we went to see Leslie Harris, which was relieving because he hasn't been visited since I started training Sister Trawick. He was happy to see us, and we talked about the Holy Ghost. And of course he shared a handful of his famous stories with us. Thankfully the Spirit helped me to tie it into the gospel. :)

We had dinner with the Mathews!!! Some of my other favorite Fort Walton members! It was another very happy occasion! We laughed, chatted, and she answered some of my questions about going into education, which I'm thinking about doing. She was an elementary school teacher for a few years, and she's so passionate about it. The awesome thing is, as interesting as what she said was to me, it was far more poignant to Sister Saunders, who I told it to later. Sister Mathews said that there will always be a need for teachers, and what job isn't stressful or difficult? And no matter what restrictions there are, you can always make an impact on the students' lives. Sister Saunders needeed to hear that, because she has thought a lot about being a teacher! 

Next, we went to Sarah Chapman's and had a lesson with her eight-year old son, who wants to get baptized. Teaching kids is the best, because it forces you to teach the gospel at its purest and simplest form. The gospel is simple enough for even kids to understand! 

Afterwards, we went back to the apartment where I helped tie up some loose ends, logistics-wise. I wrote a list of people Sister Ramadhar and Sister Petersen can go visit, productive activites do to in Fort Walton. So it was helpful for them and gave peace of mind to me. 

Thursdsay morning, our companions drove from Crestview, and we exchanged back. We had a lesson with Quan... he told us he is in a "gang"... no murder or stealing, but he said, "if a brother's in trouble, I'm gonna go and fight for him." Quan. What would Jesus do?? He would turn the other cheek. Be the bigger person. He would tell his brother to leave the situation, call the cops. Quan couldn't seem to get it... but he said he'll pray about what God would have him do. Quan totally does not seem like the gangster type, though... he's too sweet. So we watched a short awesome video on mormonchannel about a gangster turned Mormon. Now that's "sick"!

We had dinner with the Hannons, who are a hoot! We helped them do some family history, which they are so excited about! The youngest daughter brought out her gineau pigs for us to hold, and it peed on my skirt... that was exciting! 

Friday was a PERFECT day. WOW. We drove to Tallahassee for the mission wide conference, which is a super rare occasion. This occasion was because Elder Gary E. Stevenson of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, as well as Elder Maynes and Elder Parker of the Quorum of the Seventy, came!! We got to shake their hands, and WOW is it true that it feels like they can look into your soul with their kind eyes. When I shook Elder Stevenson's hand, there was such a gentle peace and spiritual power that exuded from him, and I felt that Spirit during the whole meeting. There was a double vocal quartet that sang "Come Thou Fount" and I played the violin part. In front of an apostle of the Lord. Elder Maynes and Elder Parker spoke first, talking about how Joseph Smith was the first investigator and Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ are examples for our companionships, as they taught Joseph Smith by answering his questions and teaching him the gospel of Jesus Christ. Elder Stevensen talked about making sure the Holy Ghost is the third companion, and doing all we can to let Him be the teacher. 

After the conference, President Smith gave ALL the missionaries (there are about 250 of us) permission to go to a park in Tallahassee and gather at the ampitheater so we could all visit with each other for an hour. It was sooo fun! I got to see Sister Trawick, a bunch of Fort Walton buddies, and other friends. AND the weather was perfect. AND afterwards we got Chick Fil-a for lunch. So, perfect day. 

On Sunday, Sister Saunders gave a powerful talk on the Plan of Salvation. After church, we went and saw the less active Roller family and had a lesson about the Book of Mormon with the husband and five of the daughters. Five out of seven. :) And one son, who's the youngest. Then we went to see a member nearby we had never met before, and didn't know anything about. An angry man came out, demanded, "Who are you?? Did you not see the no-trespassing sign? You had better leave this property immediately before I call the police." We were quickly on our way. But seriously, how does a grown man yell at two innocent young women wearing skirts? Hmmm. If anything, it fanned our fire for sharing the gospel. 

Something that really impressed me at the conference with Elder Stevenson was the kind of Spirit I felt there; I didn't feel a fiery bosom-burning, but rather I felt a very gentle, peaceful power that was very comforting and filling. Elder Stevenson just exuded this quiet spiritual power, as well as Elder Parker and Elder Maynes. Before the conference, I had been studying a lot about the Holy Ghost, how to be worthy of its companionship, how to increase its power with me once I have it, and what it means to be a more persuasive teacher. I was so humbled when the Holy Ghost was taught about a lot; Elder Parker spoke about trusting in "that Spirit which leadeth to do good"; Elder Maynes spoke about doing all we can to be worthy of the Spirit and being sensitive to it, as did Elder Stevensen, who also spoke about the Holy Ghost as the third companion, and us being worthy and letting the Holy Ghost teach when we prepare ourselves, testify, allow for silence, and letting Him linger at the end of the lesson. I also loved the lines he pointed out in the second paragraph under "A Successful Missionary," and I turned it into a positive statement: "Hope will strengthen your faith. If you have [appropriately] high expectations, your effectiveness will increase, your desire will strengthen, and you will have greater ability to follow the Spirit." From this conference, I am going forward with an increased focus on increasing the power of the Spirit in my life. It's such an incredible gift from our Heavenly Father. Love you all!

Zombies

Hello! Super quick- the highlights of this week:

On Tuesday I was in Fort Walton again! With Sister Probst on an exchange. I am yet to be in the 2nd ward area again, but I always have fun going back to Fort Walton. 

Wednesday we had zone conference in Fort Walton where we watched the missionary broadcast (the second time for us). It was awesome to hear how much of an answer to prayers the mission schedule is for everyone! Afterwards, we exchanged with the Niceville sisters. Sister Stapley stayed with me in Crestview. It was super fun! 

Friday was Sister Saunders' year mark!!! We had crepes for breakfast, and after studies we went to see a former investigator Ashley Richards to help her clean her house. It was really sad, because she is paralyzed from the knees down and can't walk. We enjoyed each others' company, and she is interested in taking the lessons again. When we were done, as we walked out to the car, a woman sitting on her porch said, "sister missionaries!" Her name was Josie, and she is a  member that just moved to Crestview, and hasn't been to church for a few months, but wants to start going back. :) 

Then we met another former investigator, Dexter, who is actually Brother Steele's nephew. And we found out that he's going to be at our dinner with them tomorrow night, as well as with his cousin Laurie who we met a month ago, and is also not a member. We're excited! He loves talking with missionaries about Jesus Christ and the gospel, and was very respectful about our beliefs, but feels very strongly against even opening the Book of Mormon to read on his own. And yet when we talked more about what the Book of Mormon is and why it's important, and testified of it, he got super excited. And agreed to pray and ask if God would have him read it. The Spirit ROCKS!

That evening we went to visit Ashley Vanckerkhoven (member). She made chocolate covered strawberries for Sister Saunders' year mark. Her husband Dylan sat in the whole time we were there, and taught us how to shoot a gun... :) It was just a laser gun, that we pointed at an electronic target, and when you shot, the lights on the target showed where the laser had hit. I got a bull's eye, first try!! It was fun! And it also really softened Dylan's heart, and built his trust in us. He helped their daughter Capri say the closing prayer! And he's also becoming best friends with Brother Nelson, who is also in the military, loves to shoot guns, has tattoos, and drives a Harley. The Lord looketh on the heart, and that is AWESOME. So should all of us. 

On Friday, we felt like we needed to just go see if our investigator Angelica was home, because we wanted to talk to her without her boyfriend Jeff (member) there. Lo and behold, she was there by herself with her baby, and had been praying for someone to come help her. She's been struggling with feelings of darkness, and we had a super powerful lesson about the priesthood and the gift of the Holy Ghost. She is a lot more open to baptism by someone holding the priesthood, and she asked for a priesthood blessing. On Sunday, Michael Baltimore, a recently returned missionary, was able to give her a blessing (Jeff is out of town) in Spanish, since that is Angelica's first language. IT WAS SO POWERFUL. Even though we had no idea what was being said, the Spirit was strong and palpable, and I knew that what he was telling her was from God. And she knew that, too. 

Also, today we got permission to go with Ashely Vankerckhoven to Destin beach (the same beach I went to in Fort Walton). We walked the docks, got frozen yogurt, and played in the sand for a bit. The weather was PERFECT, sunny, warm, but a cool breeze, and blue skies. I love Florida SO much!! Ashley is so fun! And of course, P-day wouldn't be P-day without a few rounds of zombies with the elders. We go in the gym and have to shoot whoever is the zombie with nerf gun bullets shot from a pvc pipe, trying to avoid being tagged and becoming a zombie as well. The elders are crazy, but they're fun.

I love the scripture 1 Samuel 16:7, "for the Lord aseeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart." God knows our desires. He knows our intentions. And even when we make mistakes, God acknowledges and is pleased with our desires to press forward, to improve, and to learn and grow. In the end, God simply asks that we do our very best, and that our best be founded on the principles and doctrines of the gospel of Jesus Christ restored through the Prophet Joseph Smith. When we strive to look at others' hearts as well as our own, we will find a greater capacity to love, to forgive, to be patient, and to be kind, both to others and to ourselves. I love you all! 

Cool kids

Oh elders...

Smelling the flowers

The red striped window shades at the state capital building!

World Wide Missionary Broadcast

This week was transfers. On Wednesday we went to the transfer spot in Crestview where the outgoing missionaries meet to get on the transfer van and the missionaries coming to the zone get off. There are two new sisters in our zone fresh from the MTC, so we got to meet them. 

On Thursday we drove to Tallahassee for a missionary leadership counsel, which was awesome!! That evening we had dinner and played some team-building games. We finished the night with s'mores, and all the sisters stayed at the mission home while the elders who were there stayed at the apartments of the Tallahasse elders. On Friday, we all met together at the church where we watched the new world wide missionary broadcast, where the purpose of "teach repentance, baptize converts" was reemphasized. It was awesome!! Elder Oaks, Elder Bednar, Sister Oscarson, and Elder Anderson with some others spoke. I especially love Elder Bednar's powerful boldness! He spoke of how the doctrine of Christ all connects to Him; having faith in Him, depending upon Him (repentance), following Him (baptism), and pressing forward with Him as we endure to the end with the gift of the Holy Ghost. He also taught that we will never be or do enough- by ourselves. So we should "quit worryin about it!" :) We do our best, be the best we can, and leave the rest to God as we rely on Him. 

And then, history was made in missionary work as schedule changes were announced: we now have two more hours on P-day, an extra half hour in our morning schedule to prepare for the day, flexibility in when we study as a companionship, and we plan for the day in the morning instead of the night before! As a result, there will be less stress, more productivity, more time to take care of ourselves! Now, when we come home at night, we can wind down and take more time to either write in our journals, do what we need, and go to bed earlier if desired. These changes are seriously such an answer to prayers!! I feel like as missionaries there are so many good and necessary things we want to accomplish, but some times it was hard to find time to do those things. These changes will help us be more productive, as long as missionaries choose to be wise and remember that we are accountable to the Lord in how we use our agency. These changes show that God gives things "line upon line, precept upon precept," and that He trusts His missionaries to be agents to act for themselves and to do much good according to our own wills. :) Also, instead of keeping track of and reporting on 10 things each week, we only keep track of and report on four things, keeping us focused on our purpose of inviting others to come unto Christ and helping them receive the restored gospel, by teaching repentance and baptizing converts. 

That's all for now! Love y'all!

Eternity hangs in the balance

This has been another wonderful week in Crestucky! I absolutely adore Southern folks. I love how real they are, their hospitality, their cooking, their accents, and that they take time to smell the roses. And I love that they all love Jesus.

On Tuesday we had a stellar district meeting. It was literally about everything we were planning to teach the next day at the zone training. So inspired! We talked about increasing our love for God, having that as the motivator for our obedience, and how that relates to our purpose as missionaries. We are definitely becoming a district family, and it's pretty great. Even when I have to remind myself that elders are still teenage boys at times. 

We saw Lorraine. She has such a good heart. She's still working on quitting smoking, and she's getting better. We helped her clean her room, and serving others totally increases our charity towards them. 

On Wednesday we had zone training. One of the Niceville sister companionships taught on our missionary purpose, then a set of elders from Defuniak taught about inviting others to baptism, two elders sang a primary song a capella that was beautiful; then the zone leaders and Sister Saunders and I taught about having pure desire, how to achieve our desires, and how to thrive on the mission versus just surviving. It went really well! We had a potluck lunch afterwards. And once it was all over, we felt a gargantuan weight lifted from us and all the stress melted away and we were suddenly more organized and not feeling like chickens running around with their heads chopped off. :)

That evening we taught Joe the Restoration! He totally felt the Spirit, but he kept saying how much he loves his Methodist church and the church family he has there. When we invite people to listen to our message, to read, ponder and pray about the Book of Mormon with sincerity and intentions to act on the answer they receive, we really are inviting them, once they receive a witness from the Spirit, to change their lives completely- to walk away from many things that are comfortable and familiar to them, to stop many old habits, thoughts, beliefs, actions, behaviors, and to immerse themselves in an entirely new culture with its own language, good habits (really the commandments), people, etc. And we confidently invite people to make these changes in their lives- which can be new, uncomfortable, and lonesome for a moment. Not to mention that Satan increases the strength of his personal army on them ten times. And why do we do this? And why do people accept the invitation, choosing to go through with this path full of sacrifice? Because- they have felt the Spirit, receiving their own witness of truth, and because what comes in return is incomparable and infinitely more than compensates for any loss; real, pure and lasting joy, peace, forgiveness, cleansing, understanding, light, direction, strength, support, and love- not to mention all that is required for personal salvation- all made available because they now have the keys to unlocking and utilizing the greatest, most remarkable, and precious gift ever given to man- the Atonement of Jesus Christ. 

So pray that Joe will be able to recognize an answer from God that the Book of Mormon is true. And that he can recognize what lies right in front of him. And Willy. And James. Because "eternity hangs in the balance." And it's our job to help people see that. Wow. 

On Thursday we taught Tanya who was home with her baby. She and her husband are Catholic and have two cute kids. We taught the Plan of Salvation, the Spirit was very strong, and she seemed to understand and like it well. At the end, she said she thought it was nice, but that she has beliefs contrary to all Christianity that she will never change. We talked about them, and what God has revealed concerning those things. Then we asked, "If you received and recognized an answer from God that these things are true and that these are His laws, would you change your beliefs about them?"- No. She said no. If God told her that the couple of things she believes in are contrary to His laws, she wouldn't do anything about it. Even if her salvation and happiness depended on it. We left feeling the deepest sadness for her and for what she was turning down. I wonder if she really understands what she is turning down. 

We had dinner with the Fetters that evening, which brightened our mood. Then the Niceville 2 sisters came for their exchange. On Friday I was with Sister Delgado. She is awesome! She taught me a lot about trusting in God and having confidence, which really proved to me that our being together for the exchange was inspired. We spent the day in Laurel Hill, which is about 15 minutes away in the country boonies, and we didn't get to see a lot of people, but it was a fun day. A former investigator Rick agreed to meet with us regularly, and he still wants to get baptized!

On Saturday we visited people in first ward, since we kind of covered both wards, and got some return appointments. Sunday was wonderful- Quan came to church for the second time!!! He is becoming good friends with Luther and Weston, who also invited him to Young Men's and basketball night last week, both of which he went to! The elders said he gave lots of comments in priesthood class, and testified of the truth of the Book of Mormon!!! Yayyy Quan! 

I love y'all! Have a blessed week! 

Zone training

Dancing in the rain!

On Monday, it rained like crazy, so Sister Saunders and I had to take a minute during our dinner hour to get soaking wet in the rain. :) A couple of crazy Utahns who don't get that kind of rain very often.

From Tuesday to Wednesday we had our exchange with the head sister training leaders in Tallahassee, Sister Stephens and Sister Baker, who just so happen to be mine and Sister Saunders' previous companions, respectively! It was so fun! Sister Stephens and I spent the day contacting at a park- we met a guy named Jack who makes beautiful bread but the conversation was going nowhere, so I asked, "Have you ever heard of the Bread of Life?" and Sister Stephens did what she could to not laugh out loud. It was neat to be with her again and see how  much we have each changed for the better and learned since being with each other. I was grateful to see her again  before she goes home in a couple weeks. Before heading home, Sister Saunders and I got to see the Florida State Capitol building with its unique red striped window shades. 

Thursday we mostly weekly planned, had dinner with the Vase family, and met a less active member we hadn't met before, who was super nice. Friday was Mission Leadership Conference, where all the zone leaders and sister training leaders meet once a month to discuss the needs of the mission and how we can all improve and hasten the work. I was kind of nervous going in, but I prayed for courage to be myself and I was blessed with it! 

On Saturday, we went on an exchange with the Fort Walton Beach 2nd ward sisters, so Sister Saunders went there to be with Sister Trawick, my previous companion, while Sister Ramadahr came to Crestview. While tracting, we happened to meet a less active member who hasn't been to church in four years, but also hasn't had anyone come by from the church in that time (maybe his records haven't been moved). We also met his wife who isn't a member, and their two kids. They were super kind and agreed to have us come back! Miracle! 

Another miracle was that we went to try Quan and he was home! So we taught him the Gospel of Jesus Christ. He is doing awesome! And on Sunday he came to church!!!!! The Tews just wrapped their arms around him, took him to the classes and such. 

That was our week! Today in Alma 48 I read about how pure Moroni's desires were. He truly desired the safety and well-being of his people, their freedoms, to keep God's commandments, and to resist iniquity. He had a "perfect understanding," he gave thanks to God, and he was firm in the faith of Christ. What an incredible man! It was these things that made him  humble and a willing instrument in God's hands. And it was these things that lead to the verse saying that if all men were to be like Moroni, Satan would be out of business. Wow! Not because he was perfect, because he wasn't- but because he was obedient, humble, and willing to do all that God asked him to the best of his ability. As we are obedient, humble, and willing, God will work miracles through us as well. Love y'all!

 

They sure do get around!

 

GOD IS GOOD!

Wowwwwwowww this week has been CRAZY! There have been so many MIRACLES I'm not sure I can fit them all in this email. People in the South always say, "God is good" and today I am saying, "AMEN!" God is always good, but these past couple weeks it has been especially obvious. 

Last Monday: We went to Ashley's house for a lesson. She and her husband are members and they haven't been married in the temple yet. He didn't stay for the lesson, and she told us about how she feels held back by him because he doesn't want to progress as much as she does. Then she told us how she had been praying for help to quit coffee (she was kinda addicted), had stopped cold turkey three days before, and then after she had resolved to quit, her two year old son had been running around their kitchen and accidentally broke their coffee pot! If that's not God saying, "you asked for help, so here it is," then I don't know what is. And Sister Saunders told her that we would quit eating treats to support her, so here we are again! She hasn't had coffee all week, so she's keeping the Word of Wisdom, and Sister Saunders and I are feeling better. Win win! 

On Tuesday, we had an awesome district meeting about setting goals. Goals are so important- they help us to reach our potential, go to God, make changes, and He strengthens our weakness. It's amazing. I've learned to love goals being on a mission. The rest of our day was kinda rough and full of rejection. Our appointment with Wanda fell through. A lady swore at us and told us to get off her porch. Another person was clearly home but didn't answer the door. But then, after getting out of the car to see if another person was home, we met their neighbor who just happens to be the nonmember daughter of a less active member in the first ward. And she wants to have us over for dinner and talk with her and her husband! God is good!

That night, we drove to FORT WALTON BEACH <3 my home for an exchange. I stayed there with Sister Kinghorn while Sister Saunders and Sister Probst drove back to Crestview. At first I wondered how I could help her as she is about to go home and I still feel very new at this (hahah, I'm saying that and I'm about to hit 7 months), but I decided to trust that the Spirit had assigned me to go with her for a reason. (We pray about which of us should go with which sister in the other companionship). She told me that she is very accepting of the fact that she is going home, is proud of what God has accomplished through her, and has changed a lot for the good and become converted, but was afraid that she might regress and lose some of her conversion. I had studied conversion, and as I shared with her what I had learned about submitting our will to God and retaining our conversion through serving His children, it was very clear that the Spirit had worked through us to edify each other and to help her. While on the exchange, we got to teach Milicent, who I used to teach before she moved!!! It was so special to get to see her again and she was so happy to see me! 

On Thursday we helped serve lunch at the soup kitchen and guess who donated the food that day? Pounders, the Hawaiian grill restaurant that some members in the ward own. It's fantastic and I've had it to eat a lot while I've been here. Then, while weekly planning, Sister Saunders felt prompted to visit Quan, an investigator they had met about a month ago and hadn't seen in a while. He is 17 and lives with his aunt and grandparents. He was home, and we had an incredible lesson on the Plan of Salvation with him, which he practically already knew and he understood everything. He totally understood the priesthood and the need to be baptized by the proper authority, even though he had already been baptized in his church. 

"So, where do I find someone who has this priesthood?"

"Many of the men at our church have the priesthood, and if you'd like we can bring someone for you to meet next time."

"So when can I get baptized?" 

HOLY COWWW. So on Saturday we brought two of the young men from the ward who were awesome. And he accepted a baptismal date!

On Friday we met with Joe Barley to do family history again, and the conversation transitioned to the gospel! We talked about finding our ancestors so that we can be baptized for them at temples, which got him super excited! He also mentioned knowing that we believe that Christ visited the Americas, and he totally believes it! We're meeting with him tonight! 

Saturday was the second amazing lesson with Quan, and for dinner, Ashely took us to a sushi place. It was SOOO TASTY. We had to be in at 6 for our curfew for New Years' Eve, so Ashley came by and gave us some Martinelli's. She is the best! 

Sunday was awesome, too! Sister Saunders and I played the piano and violin in sacrament meeting, "Come Thou Fount." She is such a talented pianist! She plays by ear and writes her own arrangements and pieces that are definitely Piano Guys status, at least. For dinner, we had a traditional Southern New Year's dinner of porkchops, black eyed peas, corn bread, and greens. I love the South!

One more thing. This morning, during companionship study, we get a call from Willy, the awesome guy who came to church on Christmas. He apologized for not being able to meet with us this week, and it turned into a conversation about the Book of Mormon, what it means to know it is true, and he accepted to be baptized once he comes to know for himself that is true. He understood the need to be baptized by proper authority. And that's coming from a Pentacostal minister! Need I say it again? GOD IS GOOD! 

Look for the miracles of God's hand in your life and  you will find them. Or if you aren't seeing them, pray to have your eyes opened. I love you all!

Merry Crestview Christmas!

This has been such a wonderful week! It's been so joyful to be a missionary during the Christmas season. I've loved it so much!

On Monday we had dinner with our ward mission leader and his family, the Tews. They're a fun, loud family. On Tuesday we were eating our lunch at the church when a member asked if she could swing by and bring us something. She arrived with about four bags full of groceries for us! We were so shocked and grateful, as we had both run out of money for the month (don't worry though, we hadn't been about to starve or anything near that. Our cupboards are chock full of food.) We went to Sister Steele's home where she had invited sweet Doloris over, who is a less active member. We had a lesson and made peanut brittle together, which she gave us to take home. For dinner, we ate with the Ferris's who made an incredible Southern style meal for us. Sister Saunders said the family opened up to us during dinner in ways they hadn't before, so that was neat.

Wednesday was the CHRISTMAS CONFERENCE  with this half of the mission!! It was absolutely wonderful! We received some training, shared miracles we've seen, read scriptures on the birth of Jesus Christ, listened to musical numbers- I was one of four Silent Nights, haha- then had a fabulous dinner, each district performed a skit- our skit actually didn't bellyflop and was actually pretty funny! We acted out different scenarios of missionaries skyping with their families- one with a missionary that had just come out to the field, one where they and the family cried the whole time, one where everything had changed at home, and one where the missionary tried to teach her family a lesson. Many skits were so funny! It was good to see my friends from Fort Walton. We also played minute-to-win-it games. Such a fun time! I love being a missionary!

Since the conference ended fairly late in the evening and it was an hour and a half from Crestview in Pensacola, we stayed the night in Gulf Breeze with the sisters there. It was super special for Sister Saunders because that was her first area and we stayed in her first apartment. She was so happy! In the morning we woke up early and ran to the dock nearby, watching the sunrise. On the way home, we stopped to see a family Sister Saunders knew, and it was amazing to see how they were able to help each other. We drove home, saw a sweet member named Shirley who recently went to the temple, had dinner, then went to see a sister in the ward whose husband is at a rehabilitation center from an accident. After we sang them some Christmas hymns, we went to the next room over where two patients were visiting, and sang for them, too. One of them was friends with Shirley, who we had seen just hours before! She is interested in meeting with us when she has recovered!

On Friday, which I call Christmas Adam, we raked leaves at a members' home, then went to the baptism of a members' granddaughter. We had dinner with the Fetters, who invited us to come to their home for Christmas morning! We also met an awesome man named Buddy who told us his life story. On Christmas Eve, we delivered treats (compiled from the abundance of treats that people have been giving us the past two weeks) to some less active members, and had dinner with the Curdy family, which made me so happy. They had ham and funeral potatoes for dinner, pecan pie for dessert, and for their Christmas Eve tradition, they read "The Night Before Christmas," which is what my family reads on Christmas Eve!

Our Christmas miracle was this: on Christmas Eve, Sister Saunders and I met a man named Willy who told us about how God has helped him overcome his challenges in life. He is one of the ministers at a Pentecostal church, and he has always wanted to go to Utah where he has a friend, and he loves the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. He was very open, and when we invited him to come to church on Christmas, he said he would come. We sure hoped that he would!

Christmas day was so wonderful! At 7 am we went to the Curdys to watch their four kids open their presents, which was the most entertaining thing. Then we went to the Harts for cinnamon rolls, and they so generously gave us some gifts. We went to church for sacrament meeting. We called Willy, who said he was one his way!!! But he wasn't there when it started, and he wasn't there halfway through, either, though he kept texting us saying he was almost there. Finally, 40 minutes into the meeting, with just 20 minutes left, he showed up!!! He left in the middle of his own church service and his car had overheated, but he came anyway and felt the spirit in sacrament meeting!! And now we're meeting with him on Tuesday, and he is very interested in our unique message. Best Christmas present ever!

We had lunch with a family, then I got to skype my family!! That was actually the best Christmas present!! It was a very happy time, and my best friend Camie surprised me by showing up, too! It was a very uplifting time with lots of laughter. That evening, the Crestview missionaries gathered for a devotional and white elephant exchange. It was so joyful to be with so many families during the holiday season. And although the Christmas season has passed to the world, we can and must continue to remember Jesus Christ every day and to celebrate His birth and His life by the way we live our own lives. I love you all!

 Christmas morning with the Curdy family!

Sisters

Sister Saunders and Sister Jamison

Nicky's new dress for Christmas

Oh Chrismtas tree!

The night before Christmas!