MIRACLE WEEK!

So.... MIRACLE WEEK!!!! It has been so amazing to see God's hand so much in his work. Being a missionary is the most incredible thing in the world! I have learned so much! I hit being in the field for a year this week and it has really been great to see how far I have come and what I have learned. I know that God has a plan for me and for each of us. I know He is preparing me now for my future! This is just the beginning and I am so excited to see where he takes me. I am grateful for the experiences I have had. This week really helped my open my eyes and realized God is in every aspect of this work. At the beginning of the week, we were not sure what was going to happen. We had a busy week planned but we were worried about some issues with our investigators and didn't know how to help and get them progressing towards baptism but everything worked out. 

 Monday we had a lesson with L and we didn't know what to do because she wants to get baptized but we didn't think she was ready. We really have been working a lot with recent converts and trying to help them get to the next  covenant which is the temple. We are working with this older couple who got baptized a few months ago but they are so cute. Their name is B and F and they are the cutest old couple. Tuesday we had planned a really busy day with so many lessons set up and members coming out with us but a lot of our lessons fell through so we made the best of the situation and went and taught other people:) We did have a lesson with our investigator R who is 16, graduating high school, and starting law school. She is so brilliant.... all she needs is the gospel. Ha For reals though. We are also meeting with the lady named A who is a recent convert and she is struggling with life and everything right now but hopefully she can go to the temple soon. We also had an incredible zone meeting! We learned so much! We did an activity where we blind folded 3 missionaries and had an obstacle course and other missionaries had to guide them and it was a huge learning experience for me. I know that I need to listen to the promptings I receive and follow them. I also need to listen to the right voice. Wednesday we had interviews and that actually was amazing! I got to watch our zone do role plays and I actually acted as the investigator. They record our role plays and then we go back and watch them and then from what we did. It was a learning experience. We did our role play in front of the assistants and Elder Hanks was our investigator. It is so fun working with him. He is now an assistant to the President and he really is super supportive and a great example. I got to talk to President and Sister Porter and that was really nice. They are the best! They really told me how great I am. President Porter told me I am one of the best missionaries in the mission, and we are the best mission in the US right now so that makes me pretty awesome lol. Really though, they just told me how great I was and that I have grown so much and that the Lord really made this calling for me to be a STL and to set the example. We had dinner at the Stake Presidents house after interviews and that went well . Thursday we spent a lot of time doing weekly planning and figuring out things but it went well. Weekly planning days are always hard but they are fun. Nothing too interesting. Friday was amazing! I got to go to Highland Heights with Sister McLaws and it was just amazing!  We had powerful lessons with their investigators and it was good to spend the day  there and see some members. I love HH but I am grateful to be where I am now. Saturday we spent a ton of time inside because Sister Watts was not feeling well and so she rested. Saturday night we had stake conference and again, I got to see so many members from HH.  We also ended the night with an amazing miracle. WE ARE TEACHING A FAMILY!!!! It is a members friend and they are great. They said we give them hope. We are praying hard and fasting for them. The Lord is hastening his work! It is amazing! Missionary work is the best thing in the world and I am so grateful to be serving!  I love you so much!

LETTER FROM JAN. 5, 2015

It is 2015!!! I can't even believe it!!! I have been on my mission almost 13 months!!!! WOW! Anyway, this week was a huge growing week for me!  I was pretty much called to repentance. We have been struggling with numbers this week ( meaning getting new investigators and having lessons, etc) but we are really relying on the Lord this week. We are praying to God and trusting him. New Years is a fun time to be a missionary. Monday, Sister Watts and I had fun shopping(sorry for spending money, it was really nice though). We spent about 3 hours just hanging out at the mall here. It is kinda like Gateway:) Tuesday and Wednesday were very interesting. Tuesday was a normal work day until about 6:30. We had to be in our apartment by 6:30 and stay there until 3 the next day because of all the crazy people partying. So when we came in, we had a packet that we had to do and the packet started out by us deep cleaning our entire apartment and that wasn't too bad because we normally keep it clean other than what we call our Narnia closet where everyone puts things they don't want anymore when they leave. Haha that was fun to clean. Then on New Years Day we had all these reflecting questions that we had to answer and it was great! We really thought long and hard about each question and to be honest... it made me a little trunky just because we talked about our future families but then it got better. We went out to work that night. Friday we had leadership council which was wonderful and taught me so much! We had a sisters meeting after all the elders left and it was pretty much just a question and answer to President and he told us how to find the right man to marry. Haha:) Then Saturday we did our weekly planning and had powerful lessons and really applied what we learned and had such a great day! Full of miracles and the grace of God! We are teaching this guy named G and he is so solid!!!! HE came to church with us on Sunday and told us that he found the church he has been looking for. He is 19 and we are so excited. L has been really sick this week so we haven't seen her but we are going over there tonight. I have also been sick with the cold all week but luckily it is not the flu like everyone around here is getting. Also we have been really lucky with the weather. It is really cold but no snow yet. Ha I heard you got hit bad? That is my week though. I love you!

LETTER FROM DEC 29, 2014

So this week... Christmas was amazing! It was so nice talking to you all:) I thought I would have a hard time but it wasn't as bad as I thought. I miss home but I know that I wouldn't want to be doing anything else right now. I love being on a mission. It is by far the hardest thing I have ever done but it really has helped me become the person I want to be and that God wants me to be. After I got off the phone with you, we had a really good Christmas visiting members and it was fun. Christmas night we went to the King's house (if you are not friends with Beth King on facebook yet, become her friend) because she is so amazing and she is the one that you should get close with. We call her Ma and her husband Pa. They really are so wonderful. They are our "go to" if we need help with anything.  Sister Widdison, is coming here on the 14th for a wedding or her investigator/recent convert K who is WONDERFUL!!!!! I love him so much! He was baptized about 6 months ago and he is one that everyone is going to talk about for ever. He is just incredible. The road he traveled before his baptism to where he is now is just remarkable. Anyway, the rest of the week was kinda interesting. It was like everyone was in a Christmas hangover lol. We didn't get too much done. We had a powerful lesson with our investigator L this week and she is so great! She is 19 and just wonderful. She is working towards the 10th. We are so excited. Praying hard for her. Saturday was Sister Watts 20th birthday so we went to Red Robin with our district to celebrate. In our district we have Elders Soper,Mower (Zone Leaders) and Elders Lemmon and Keleher. That was so much fun! We had a good day of trying to find:) We also had dinner at the Nealons (bishops) and that was fun because all 6 of us was there again:) I love getting together with other missionaries. Yesterday wasn't too exciting. No body came to church unfortunately. Sundays are usually the most stressful day trying to get everyone to come to church. We did have a lesson at a member of the stake presidents house and they are from England so they have really cool accents and we had a SUPER powerful lesson with them because Sister Watts is so incredible!!!! I am learning so much from her. I cant believe I have already been with her for almost 4 weeks. 2 more weeks of this transfer:) Yikes time flies!!!!! I love you all!

LETTER FROM DEC 22, 2014

Dear family...here is my week:)

Monday was awesome! We has a zone fun day and I got to play basketball which is always so amazing! I taught Sister Watts how to play and she loved it and wanted to play more:) I am a good coach hahaha

Tuesday we had a Christmas conference and it was so wonderful. I never realized how powerful music is. It is so wonderful. So many people had musical numbers and it really was just great. My zone also sang and it went really well. We went over the life of Christ and it was just a very spiritual experience. We also got to watch Meet the Mormons and I LOVED IT!!!! Yes, I did cry but it was so great! Wednesday and Thursday we are just pushing forward and trying our very best. We saw so many miracles this week though. We had exchanges on Friday and I was with Sister Ollerton and it was amazing! She kept telling me how great I was and I really did feel like a good missionary... a good leader... a good sister.... a good friends:) It was so nice. I love our sisters. Some of them are really stuggling but hopefully it will get better. We have exchanges again tomorrow with the other sisters (the ones that are having a hard time) so that should be interesting. I am a little nervous. Saturday we went and Blized Highland Heights and I got to see the Shuley's, N, and other members from when I was there. It was so nice! In 2 weeks I get to go there for the whole day and I cant wait!!!! It is so crazy how I am back here. Yesterday we had a Christmas conference and it went really well, I love music so much. We also found 3 new investigators and it was just wonderful. We are really going to work super hard this week. We made a mistake last week and accidently slept in until 8 and we freaked out!!!! Our alarm was in another room and we didn't hear it. It was pretty crazy. I was also sick this weekend....:( I think I had food poisoning... but I still pushed forward and got the work done:) It is amazing to see the work progress. I love it here and I LOVE SISTER WATTS!!!! She is so incredible! 

LETTER FROM DEC 15, 2015

Hey everyone!!! So much has been going on! We had transfers on Tuesday and I am back in Northern Kentucky! I am now a Sister Training Leader and I love it! My companion is Sister Watts from South Jordan Utah. She is so amazing! I have already learned so much from her. It has been a busy week full of service but it has been great. We had a ward Christmas party and I love all the ward members. They are very welcoming and so wonderful! We have been doing something called "Cookies and Caroling" where we go out with the members to their friends house, give them cookies, sing, and show them the He is the Gift video (if you haven't seen it yet, WATCH IT AND SHARE IT!!!) It is wonderful. It explains why we really celebrate Christmas. Anyway, things are going great! I love being a missionary. The Lord really does provide a way. He loves us all so much and has a plan for us. In our zone we are focusing right now on Helaman 3:35 and really doing all we can to yield our hearts to the Lord. Miracles really do happen when you put all your trust in the Lord.

Please keep in contact. I would love letters:) My new address is 632 Castleton Ln Apt. D Florence KY 41042

Ya'll are so amazing!!! I hope you have a wonderful Christmas!