Week 77: At least you arent tinsel

O_o <----- my face because im not sure how its already monday again. this week flewwwww by. Here us a funny way to start my email. I looked up the definition of tinsel- a showy decoration that is basically valueless HAHAHAHA i literally laughed at this for 5 min. Its the little things that bring joy =) Poor tinsel is basically valueless :(( RIP tinsel. Now let's dive into the miracles. NATALEE: so this is actually so cool because sister west talked about her when we were together but they had lost contact. well we got back in contact with her and she talked about how she had been to a baptism like 5 years ago and she loves members of the church and loved talking with missionaries. so we started teaching her and im pumped because i know she has been prepared by the Lord. KENNY: kenny is a sweet sisters friend and we went over to her home and he opened up to us and told us how his daughter died about a month ago. He got a little emotional and so did I as I was able to testify of Jesus Christ and how he is aware of our sadnesses and exact feelings. A sweet tender missionary moment that I bottled up and put in my pocket for future days; because those are the moments i am going to miss most. also he came to church this Sunday! I gave a talk in church yesterday; here is a (large) snippet if you want the whole thing let me know ;))
One of my favorite scriptures about Jesus Christ is in 1 nephi 19 verse 9 it says "9 And the world, because of their iniquity, shall judge him to be a thing of naught; wherefore they scourge him, and he suffereth it; and they smite him, and he suffereth it. Yea, they spit upon him, and he suffereth it, because of his loving kindness and his long-suffering towards the children of men" Jesus Christ loves us. All he went through; the persecution, rejection, and betrayal was because of his perfect love for us. He has been way beyond our darkest moments so that in those moments he can lift us up. In Alma 7:11-12 its says "11 And he shall go forth, suffering pains and afflictions and temptations of every kind; and this that the word might be fulfilled which saith he will take upon him the pains and the sicknesses of his people. 12 And he will take upon him death, that he may loose the bands of death which bind his people; and he will take upon him their infirmities, that his bowels may be filled with mercy, according to the flesh, that he may know according to the flesh how to succor his people according to their infirmities." To succor means "to assist in a time of difficulty." He knows how to best assist us because he knows EXACTLY how we are feeling. President Oaks said "Sometimes he succors us or helps us by giving us the strength or patience to endure our infirmities." Sometimes they wont be lifted but we can be given strength to endure them. We are never alone in these times. As I mentioned earlier we are blessed w/ family & friends but most importantly with a Savior who knows us and understands us perfectly. As Elder Bednar taught: “The Savior has suffered not just for our iniquities but also for the inequality, the unfairness, the pain, the anguish, and the emotional distress that so frequently beset us. … You and I in a moment of weakness may cry out, ‘No one understands. No one knows.’ No human being, perhaps, knows. But the Son of God perfectly knows and understands, for He felt and bore our burdens before we ever did. And because He paid the ultimate price and bore that burden, He has perfect empathy and can extend to us His arm of mercy in so many phases of our life” When we turn to Jesus Christ with our sadnesses, angers, loneliness, whatever it may be we come to understand he gets it because he has been there before.
Other updates you may be curious about:
• the ghetto here is actually really scary and sometimes i feel like im in downtown ogden but worse (good thing i took kung fu in college)
• still dont like dogs
• still dont want your cat standing next to my plate of food
• still absolutely love how weird missionary work is. makes me laugh so hard. We knocked on a lady's door who said we could come back today. Her grandson answered and went to get her. He comes back and says not right now and we say okay we will come by another time and he says "no she meant she doesnt want to talk to you E V E R" such a kind 10 year old. Literally just have to smile because unphased cause i have the best message ever to share
• still cant cook (my quesdillas are still 10/10)
• members still get disappointed im from utah
• still get the cool staredown wherever we go #basicallyfamous
• still love missouri with all my heart <3

GOING TO THE ZOO SO CATCH Y'ALL LATER HAPPY THANKSGIVING
peace n blessings , until next week sis folk

REALLY random pics: 1. Me when im in the ghetto #doorslocked 2. Ive learned so many life skills on my mission!!! #charginghack 3. Besties :)))) 4. One hour in the ghetto the next we see this 5. A member gave us electric toothbrushes--- now i can be like all my past comps 6. selfie🦃🦃🦃🦃🦃 7. We went to the zoo, i love animals in cages because they cant touch you

Week 76: Throw kindness around like confetti :)) xd !*$&@×££$×£+

Okay wow i reread my last weekly email ---- WHAT A SAD EMAIL. But i guess you can count on me to tell the truth? Well i have good news!!!!! This email will be a lot brighter/happier!!!! Because this week was so amazing and its so crazy how a mindset/positive attitude/the right focus can change everything ! thanks for the pep talk mom and dad :))))) DISCLAIMER PROBABLY ANOTHER NOVEL
THINGS I DID THIS WEEK:

• told a member during a lesson he should take his names from family search to the bathroom. (thats what i get for zoning out i guess)
• tracted into and active member of the bishopric and asked if he had heard of the church before. I am still so embarrassed. #imnewhere
For my future teacher resume: we have a recent convert who is 10 (shout out to sis west for baptizing her, did i mention im in her old area. ya its pretty cool #compunitystill) and so we go over to have a lesson and 2 different families live at this house so its kinda chaotic and we were sitting on the stairs to teach MacKenzie and then there is all of sudden 6 children sitting at our feet and my inner teacher came out and i said "okay who likes challenges?" And of course they all say "me, me, me" and i say "okay lets see if you can all be quiet for 4 minutes." (Little do they know we have a 4 minute restoration lesson we practice for door approaches) hehe so sneaky. Long story short they sit quiet and we teach them all this short lesson and Jared who is MacKenzie's 12 year old brother (and had told us earlier he wasnt a church person) agreed to sit in on the lesson. he listened and watched us so intently. after the lesson his eyes were just filled with light of Christ and he was asking us all these questions. Cant wait to go back and teach him more! Miracle #1.
We also accidentally found a part member family which was a blessing from above. We went to visit a lady who we thought was less active but wasnt and she said "oh you must be here for my husband" but we werent but it was the best because we met him and whammy we started teaching him! Miracle #2. 

Sister Carter is honestly my favorite. She is so witty and its the best because she is SO FUNNY without even trying. We were driving down the road and she points to a church and goes "sorry but that church is ugly" it was probably one of those you had to be there moments but she was totally serious and i just laughed so hard. Well if you cant tell im doing better, my pity party is over and ive adjusted. But it isnt about me DUH still learning 17 1/2 months later. Its about my Savior Jesus Christ who I get to continue to represent for a few more weeks. And i want to give him my all. SPIRITUAL UPLIFT: The Savior's Touch Oct. 2019 conference-- SO GOOD READ IT. His request was simple: “Lord, if thou wilt, thou canst make me clean.” The leper did not make his request in a pretentious or demanding manner. His words reveal a humble attitude, with high expectations but also with a sincere desire that the will of the Savior be done. This is an example of the attitude with which we should come unto Christ. We can come unto Christ with the certainty that His desire currently is and always will be the best for our mortal and eternal lives. He has an eternal perspective that we do not have. We must come unto Christ with a sincere desire that our will be swallowed up in the will of the Father, as His was. This will prepare us for eternal life. I've had the most joy when i finally have understood and been able to turn my whole will over to my Father because he knows better than I do. Joy lasts even in trials and tribulations because joy comes from Jesus Christ. "Joy comes from and because of Him. He is the source of all joy. We feel it at Christmastime when we sing, “Joy to the world, the Lord is come.” And we can feel it all year round. For Latter-day Saints, Jesus Christ is joy!" -president nelson from Joy and Spiritual Survival April 2016 ---- also really good. Whelp you better get off gmail and hop on over to gospel library and start reading. Sincerely, Sis folk

Pics: 1-2 leaf raking for people :)))) 3. Exchanges with my best friend sis bahr  4. The tri at zone conf 5. If ya know you know. #culvers

Week 75: worth the read?

I finally made it to the city.... kinda south of the city but i made it. Currently serving in Oakville MO with Sister Carter. she just finished training and has lots of energy and im hype to see what we accomplish this transfer. I know this is exactly where the Lord needs me, i looked at the paper at transfers and the spirit said basically "this is where you need to be".  it was just an overwhelming feeling of peace, which i usually never have on transfer day. President Bell looked and Sister Carter and I and said "this is powerful". tears just filled my eyes again because the spirit again just brought me so much peace. I guess i needed a lot of confirmation that i need to be here because its hard folks. Honestly was super homesick the first couple of days. Not for utah tho ironically. LOLZ for columbia i just say WOW transfers are trash and i miss all my people and friends and sister west. But i also am so overwhelmed here with all there is to do and blah blah blah missions are hard! Check the box kids! Soooo my last night in COMO was one to remember, we had dinner at the Ti'a's and they invited over the other members in the neighborhood and we had a little going away party for me. I've never felt more loved and appreciated. All these amazing member families have truly become some of my favorite people. God is good. Then we had our last lesson with Lil' Jayden. I love that boy so much!! This lesson was just a tear jerker for me, jayden has grown so much the past 3 1/2 months ish and he is grasping onto everything we teach. I was so sad to tell him i wouldnt be at his baptism! But one last time I testified to him that i know Jesus Christ lives and that he knows us individually. It was cooler in the moment wish you could've been there sorry. I cried because thats what i do, im going to miss them. Oakville has been an adventure to say the least ! Kinda lowkey feel like i walked into a little bit of a mess but thats okay! Fix it felix!! ***hammer bang x2***** The highlight of my time in Oakville this far, my bed is the same squishyness as a wooden floor so thats been cool! I decided to get the couch cushion (luckily its on long cushion as long as a bed.. almost, my footies hang off, but sadly not as wide) and fix it felix myself a new bed. i put sheets on it and everything, it looks likes princess and the pea and its not half bad! Oh and took my first shower and the water pressure when you live on the 3rd floor of the apartment complex.. amazing. impeccable. wouldnt trade ice cold drip drops (literally) to condition my hair for anything. DESPITE ALL MY COMPLAINING YIKES (im just being real tho) IM HAPPY TO BE HERE SISTER BAHR IS MY STL YAY plus sister carter and i have set epic transfer goals to work super hard & give the Lord everything so cant complain about that! Heres a cool miracle tho!!!! I am sick of knocking on doors!!! Classic i know! But i just know members are the way to find the ELECT. Soooooo im so determined to get into all their homes. We got to teach 2 of the sweetest less active families this past sunday night. One family has a little boy who is nine and not baptized and we are going to start teaching them lessons so they can increase their faith and help them come back to church ! The other family is inviting their friends over next sunday ! It was just a super big tender mercy for me because we had been knocking door after door since i got here and i knew it wasnt working at allllllll but Heavenly Father always blesses us when we work hard and trust him. Here i'm gunna throw in a spiritual thought because i dont wanna be a total dOwNeR ! Its actually a quote super applicable to myself right now, but maybe one of you needs it too! Its from "The Joy of the Saints" by Elder Christofferson Oct. 2019 conference. Its actually a quote quoted in the talk *$☆▪¤ inception. •••••"Problems will come into all of our lives; it’s part of just being here upon this earth. And some people think that religion or having faith in God will protect you from bad things. I don’t think that’s the point. I think the point is that if our faith is strong,that when bad things happen, which they will, we’ll be able to deal with them… My faith never wavered, but that didn’t mean that I didn’t have depressions. I think for the first time in my life, I was pushed to the limit, and literally there was nowhere to turn, and so I turned to the Lord, and to this day, I feel a spontaneity of joy." I love when he says "literally there was nowhere to turn, and so I turned to the Lord". Gosh can you believe how much Heavenly Father loves us?? He sent us his only begotten Son so that when we feel so utterly alone we can turn to him. And he will lift us up. Always. But we must first have faith and believe that its possible. I know it is because I've experienced it before. But right now my faith is lacking, time to ReChArGe it !!!!! Christ is with us 100% of the time but sometimes we turn from him. Don't do that !!!! Choose Jesus Christ because that is when joy can come from our trials ! Crap sorry this is a novel.... or if you like reading my emails... your welcome ;-) OH YA I GET HOME ON DECEMBER 16TH AT 1PM OR SOMETHING EMAIL ME IF YOU WANT TO BE AT THE AIRPORT. Virtual hugs and kisses, Sis folk

Pen pals for 5 more weeks? 4220 summit knolls dr. #k st. Louis MO 63146

Pics: 1. Fitzs is in my area tho so blessed 2. Sis carter and i because we havent taken any pics yet so this is what you get oops 3. Just 4 really sad girls on a sunny columbia morning. I miss my pals 4.me 5. aprons a member made us. other photos of the amazing members and jayden. LOVE THEM SO MUCH

Week 74: columbia is my home. . . . bye home

okay fans, well i have to say is that my heart is broken again and i am leaving columbia and i kinda already knew that but my heart still hurts. sis west and i drove home last night jamming to our favorite EFY song but its really hard to sing and enjoy the song when we both had tears rolling down our cheeks. im going to miss this girl so much, Heavenly Father is so amazing and knew i needed her in my life and this point in my mission cuz i couldnt of done the last 3 months without her. she is a baller. quick updates one last time for my favorite people: SCOTTIE: we were finally able to meet with him and it was so cool. we taught him the word of wisdom and he goes "why didnt you teach me this sooner?" and then he told us he had a testimony of joseph smith and it was so flippin cool ! he told us how cordell's football ends this next week so he can start coming to church and then he will pick his baptism date! it has been so incredible to teach him and to watch the spirit testify of the truths we teach him. he is slowly becoming converted to Christ and his restored gospel and its just a really amazing miracle ive been able to witness. ADRIAN: we taught him about temples and eternal families. he loved it and goes "this is so great........i need this" thats all. he is the most elect. i know i already said that but he is. all i have to say is im starting my last transfer, and i cry so much thats why missouri is not in a drought. 6 more weeks to give everything to my Savior. i cant wait for one last adventure in Missouri... maybe illinois ... hopefully missouri. this is lame im not sorry i have to go to chick fil a. all my love for 40 more days then ill give you all a hug (just because im counting down doesnt mean im trunky for those of you that think that, i just love my family)

Pics: 1. Bailey hoskins a member that has just been my best friend my whole mission 2. I went hottubbing on halloween :-)  3. The zone.... rip the elder in the dress  4. Tried to be artsy but im too busy minded to stay still 5. Me on a log dont want to leave 6. My best friend i love her :((((((