Happy Conference!!

 March 27, 2017

This week has been crazy! And awesome!

On Tuesday, we had our first district meeting with the Swapps, the new senior couple. They have already visited with so many members in the ward, and are making some good connections! I am grateful for them, allowing we missionaries to spend more of our time finding and teaching investigators. 

Afterwards, we took our car to Pep Boys to get the brakes repaired; they hadn't felt or sounded right, and we wanted to be safe driving to Tallahassee. Good thing, too, because on the phone with Elder Mangum (the car missionary), the mechanic said the brakes were almost completely out, about to grind metal. Yikes! Thank heavens for those handy dandy warning lights that come on! 

Afterwards we had a brief visit with our investigator Misty Jacoby, whose husband is a member out of town for military training right now. We talked about conference, which she said she would have totally come to and even had plans for a babysitter- until she realized she would be out of town. At least we know her good heart! 

Immediately following, we met up with Sister Devine (Young Women's president) and Kennedy Toolan (a young woman in the ward) at the Roller family's house. We had stopped by last Sunday and set a return appointment for Tuesday with some of the daughters that were there. The Rollers are a part-member family; the parents and the two oldest daughters are members, but the rest of the children (four more daughters and a toddler son) are not. Every time I've been over there in the past, I've met the dad and several of the daughters, who are 7, 9, 14, 15, 17, and 18. When the four of us arrived, most of the daughters were home, but said neither of their parents were. So Sister Devine started talking with them about the Young Women's program, girls' camp, etc., inviting them to Sundays and the Wednesday night activites, and Kennedy introduced herself to them, and was a pretty good sport about testifying to the funnness of young women's. :) 

And then- not even 10 minutes into our conversation- Sister Roller drives up in her car and Brother Roller rides in on his motorcycle. MIRACLE!! The entire nine members of the Roller family were there! The parents started talking with Sister Devine, sharing their story of why they're less active, and she listened with love. We started talking with the daughters, especially one who didn't get baptized with the rest of her family because of some concerns, and she and two of her sisters are interested in taking the lessons and finding out the truth of the restored gospel for themselves! And the mom wants us to come over during the day to meet with her!!! 

We had an awesome exchange in Tallahassee!!

On Friday, Sister Ramadhar from Fort Walton was here in Crestview with me. We saw Tanya, who we hadn't seen in a while, with Sister Fetters and had an awesome lesson! We met with the Hicks and did a member finding lesson. On Sunday, Brother Hicks said he had a long conversation with his friend who is now interested in meeting with us! Many miracles! 

I love you all! Happy conference!!

Crawfish cookin' in Crestucky!

Monday March 20, 2017

Hey y'all!

On Tuesday, we had an amazing lesson with Angelica. After the numerous times we've explained it to her and testified, she finally understood the need for a restoration to the earth of the fullness of the gospel of Jesus Christ and His church and priesthood! She had observed many evidences of why this was truly the path God wanted her to take, but she kept waffling on it- she hadn't been reading or praying about the Book of Mormon, and she didn't understand its importance. She had also been feeling guilty about living with her boyfriend Jeff, and not praying or studying the scriptures as often as she used to, and she could feel it weakening her spirit. She yearned for the Spirit. We spoke of feeling the power of the Holy Ghost before baptism verses having the gift of the Holy Ghost received after baptism by someone holding the priesthood. We spoke of receiving a witness of the truth of the Book of Mormon, which would mean that this is truly Jesus Christ's church. So as we were reading the last paragraph of the introduction of the Book of Mormon, she exclaimed, "I understand now!" What sweet words to hear!! She went on to say, "These really are the last days; in the Bible, it talks about Christ's church being restored to the earth, and many people are looking for it, wondering, 'when is it going to come? His church will be here again.' But you're saying it has already happened! Why doesn't everyone know about this??" She committed to begin (again) reading the Book of Mormon. It really is the key! 

The next day, I was on an exchange with Sister Anderson while Sister Crosby was in Niceville. Before our dinner appointment, Angelica texted us asking us to come over as soon as possible, and that she needed our help! We went over, and she was visibly a bit shaken. Satan had been working on her again, with discouraging and negative thoughts, because she is so close to having the joy of the restored gospel in her grasp. Man, I hate Satan!! So in response, she had been reading the Book of Mormon and praying basically all day long, seeking for peace and answers. And she had been finding it, but she still needed help. Her boyfriend Jeff (he's the member she lives with- well, did, but I'll get to that in a minute) hadn't been talking to her, and she was stressed about what to do. She just wanted to have the Holy Ghost with her, and always. She cried and cried, and we comforted her as best we could, reminding her of God's love and His promised blessings to her. Then she asked the question that every missionary dreams of hearing: "When can I be baptized?" We told her that in order to be baptized, she will need to move out of Jeff's house to keep the Law of Chastity, and to trust in God's will and timing, that He would prepare a way for her to keep His commandments by being baptized. We left in good spirits, feeling hopeful and overjoyed! It might take some time, but eventually it was actually going to happen! 

Friday we had our next lesson scheduled with Angelica at the Baltimores' home. We were so excited! We had confirmed with her the night before, gave her the directions, and we were set. We arrived, but Angelica wasn't there. We called, and she didn't answer, so we hoped that maybe she was driving. But she never came. So we had a lesson with the Baltimores. We got in contact with Jeff, who said that Angelica has moved out of his house to her friend's house, who lives in Destin 30 minutes away. And her phone has been turned off since Friday, most likely to avoid contact with Jeff, but it has also cut off contact with us... so please pray for Angelica. Sorry this email is super depressing, but this is the biggest thing that has happened this week. :( I do, however have hope that she will be okay and that it will all work out somehow. Everything happens for a reason. 

On a happier note, we went to visit Camen, a less active sister in the first ward, and her neighbor was over, who is not a member. She is interested in meeting with us! 

Also, Lorraine from 2nd ward picked a quite date to have quit smoking by, and she's super excited about it!

Also, our senior couple missionaries moved in this week! The Swapps from New Mexico. They're great!

Aaaaand, yesterday Ashley and Dylan Vankerckhoven had us over for dinner last night- a Cajun sea food boil! Crawfish, shrimp, sausage, also potatoes, corn, artichoke, mac n' cheese. It was SO GOOD! Cleared out my sinuses, too! 

My spiritual thought this week is about repentance. In Elder Rasband's talk, "Repentance: A Joyful Choice," he said, "Even as we feel godly sorrow for our actions, when we choose to repent, we immediately invite the Savior into our lives. As Amulek taught... 'if ye will repent and harden not your hearts, immediately shall the great plan of redemption be brought about unto you.' We can feel godly sorrow for our actions and, at the same time, feel the joy of having the Savior’s help." I love this! As I have sought to believe and act upon this promise, I have felt more hope. We don't have to wait- the Savior is right here. He is doing this work with me! His work! I have recognized the good that He has done through me so far on my mission, the lives I have helped change, the lessons I have learned, and the person I have and am becoming. I am working on developing high hope for what I can accomplish with God for the remainder of my mission. I want to keep running hard every minute. I am better understanding who I am, and who I can become, and it is motivating. It can motivate you too!

 

Crawfish!!

 

 

Follow the truths you learn

Hey y'all! 

This week I was sad to see Sister Saunders go- she and I became such good friends while we were companions and I miss her so much- but wow did she and her trainee seem perfect for each other! They even look alike! 

My new companion is Sister Crosby! She is from American Fork, Utah and has been out for a year, this Thursday. She is a diligent, happy missionary who has already been a blessing to me and the area. I am grateful for her new eyes for the work in Crestview. We are both striving to have a vision together of finding, teaching, and baptizing the elect in this area. God really does want us to find those who are prepared to follow Jesus Christ! He wants us His missionaries to participate not just once, but again and again in the miracle of bringing souls unto Christ through the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I have made the decision to choose to believe in this true principle! We are doing our best to implement the principles we have learned the past month and a half to become more effective missionaries. 

Sister Saunders and I had recently talked about dropping our investigator Quan, and going to his next lesson with Sister Crosby confirmed that that is what needs to take place. He has been lying to us about reading the Book of Mormon and he did not come to church...The Book of Mormon is really the deal maker or breaker! Our investigator Angelica has been reading the Book of Mormon, but not daily and not whole heartedly. So we had a whole lesson about the Book of Mormon and want to do all we can to help her have a spiritual experience with it. We contacted several potential investigators in our GPS and filtered them out as they were not searchers of truth. It's actually not that difficult to tell who is truly a searcher and who is not! (with the help of the Spirit, of course). :) But we have a new investigator who lives in the home of a former, and another former who still lives in another home is also a new investigator. We're already finding success in the principles we've been taught! 

I love you all! More next week! :)

Get Guts!

 February 27, 2017
So... this week was awesome! On Tuesday, we had a great district meeting where we discussed diligence, obedience, and punching Satan in the face. Afterwards, we had lunch at the church consisting of tortellini, tomato basil soup, and salmon... it was pretty wonderful. Then all three companionships drove to the same neighborhood to do some divide-and-conquer tracting in the rain! Clad in our raincoats, rubber boots, and umbrellas, Elder Smith and Elder Nunez knocked doors on one street, while Elder Langston and Elder Wood took a street with us, they knocked the doors on the other side of the street from us. It was super fun! Lots of people said they weren't interested, but we met two that were! Liz is a kind 70-something lady from Scotland. She gladly took the Book of Mormon and said we could come back any time. We also met Tammy- "Have you heard of Mormons before?" "Yes- I went to church for six years with a family when I was in elementary school." Haha, what?? That was cool- she said we could come back, too. :)

We had dinner with the Nelsons!! Matt Nelson made some seriously delicious chicken and his mom's famous chocolate chip cookies.... now, I have had a lot of chocolate chip cookies in my day- and these were hands down the BEST fresh chocolate cookies I have ever had. PERFECT gooey, chewy texture, chock-full of chocolate chips, perfect amount of saltiness, and golden. They were baked in individual little skillets and he put vanilla ice cream on top. Wowwwwwwww they were HEAVENLY. MMMM. Aaand he gave me the recipe! But he made me swear to not give it away to just anyone. And I had to swear that I will not alter the recipe in any way. "And if you do I will slit your throat and chop up your body and throw it in the woods. Deal?" Brother Nelson was a sniper in the army for several years... he kinda has a different sense of humor. :) And he's super protective of his cookie recipe.

That night, we got a call from an unknown number-

"Hello, this is Sister Saunders and Sister Jamison." 

"Uhhh, hello- who did you say this is?"

"We're missionaries for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints."

"Oh- I'm looking for the bank..."

"Well, sir, we're not the bank, but we don't think it was a coincidence that you dialed our number."

And we went on to tell him who we are and what we do, inviting and helping others to come unto Christ by learning about His church and gospel which have been restored to the earth. He said his name was Marty, he lives in Crestview, and he is a Christian who is an honest seeker of truth. We didn't get any creepy vibes, and he seemed interested. We have an appointment with him at the church next week! 

On Wednesday, we were invited to speak at New Beginnings for the young women. The theme was "Be strong" and there were several women from the ward who were asked to speak for a few minutes on how the gospel has made them a strong woman. It was super cute, with denim and red for Rosie the riveter theme. 

Thursday was a game-changer Missionary Leadership Conference! Brother Littlefield and Brother Stevenson from the Missionary Department. They basically told us everything we need to do better as missionaries to fulfill our purpose to "teach repentance, baptize converts." They talked about having the faith and hope to find the elect of God who "hear the voice of the Lord, and harden not their hearts." They taught that to find more people who are prepared to follow Jesus Christ by being baptized, we simply need to find more, teach more, and invite more people to follow His example. One of them said, "It (finding those who are prepared) has everything to do with the missionary and nothing to do with the area, culture or people." It's all about our faith, which is belief+action=power to do God's work, in His way. It was SO POWERFUL. We as missionaries just have to get the Spirit, get the guts to talk with everyone, and get to work to find those who are ready to follow Jesus Christ.

We also learned about simplifying our teaching and focusing more on the commitments we invite people to make and keep, which is how we invite them to repent. We put this into action on Friday when we went to see Angelica. She has changed so much in this past month! She is visibly happier, full of light, and she understands why she needs to be rebaptized, and loves the truths of the restored gospel. She made us some delicious Venezuelan arepas (?), which are like thick corn meal pancakes that we cut in half and ate with kale, chicken, barbeque sauce, and cheese. SO good. She told us she feels like she is meant to help children learn songs about Jesus- so we told her about primary choristers, which she had no idea about! We had a powerful lesson with her about the ten commandments, the Word of Wisdom, the Law of Chastity, and tithing and fasting. Then we focused on the importance of attending church, praying, and studying the scriptures, promising her specifically experiences that will give her a confirming witness that being baptized by the proper priesthood authority is what God wants her to do, and to help prepare her. This story would be a lot more awesome if I could tell you that she came to church on Sunday, but... her boyfriend Jeff came back in town on Saturday and was no help in encouraging her to come to church. 

Later that day we went on splits with the Curdy twins, Erica and Emily who are 17 and both want to go on missions. They were awesome!! Erica and I went to visit some less active members in 1st ward. She loved it! 

For dinner we had pizza and cookie dough with Ashley. :) She is the best ever at making us feel loved. 

Saturday we went to help a member move, and the elders were there, too. Sister Saunders and I practiced for our musical number, and we had Chinese for dinner with the Baltimores. 

Sunday was wonderful! Church was awesome- I was asked to play the piano in primary for singing time and it was soo fun! Kids are so cute and entertaining! Sister Fetters is the chorister, and she is the bomb! After church, we stopped by Liz's house and talked with her on her porch for a while. She started reading the Book of Mormon, and likes it! We share a lot of beliefs. The Spirit was strong, and she agreed to have us back again. 

Then dinner with Sister Farris- she is hilarious! She made delicious beef stew. 

Afterwards, we went to the Corbins for a lesson about missionary work. They gave us two referrals!

Today has been one of the best p-days ever!! We went with a couple of the Steele brothers and their sister and Sister Steele who is married to Johnny Steele, to go fishing! It was my first time, and it was sooo fun! We went to a beautiful little lake and cast our lines over a dock we were standing on. The weather was perfect! I learned how to poke the hook through the worm and it's sticky insides got all over my hands- and my stomach didn't turn! I caught a FOUR POUND CATFISH on my first try!!! It was totally beginner's luck, but I was pretty proud of myself! Sister Saunders caught a good sized fish, and we both caught some little ones. Then we went back to one of the brothers' property to a little station out back where he dumped the fish in a sink and we de-scaled them!! They were still alive!! But I tried to pretend they were dead... it was kinda sad, but super fun... :) Gerald Steele cleaned and gutted the big catfish- it was fascinating to watch! On Wednesday we're going to go back for dinner and eat the fish!! Sooo fun!

Something I took away from this week is that our faith just has to be above our fear. One sister in MLC said, "it is worth it for us to be uncomfortable for a moment so that others can be comfortable in God's presence for eternity." Often it's uncomfortable to boldly talk with a stranger about following Jesus Christ, or to invite people to repent by making and keeping commitments. But it is the most worthwhile thing we can do. This gospel is so true!!

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!