General Conference is the Same Everywhere!

I absolutely love it here in Murphy however, with it being so tiny and spread out here, sometimes I forget how big the church is everywhere else!  But on Saturday at the women's conference I was reminded that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints really is a worldwide church. I felt so unified with all of the different Sisters around the world and also with my Savior. So much direction from our leaders during that session of general conference.

This week was great! We starting teaching many new investigators who all seem to be interested and have a lot of potential. Nathan is still doing great! Because of past religious background, he didn't know what baptism was or the importance of it. The pure doctrine of baptism really is so hopeful and exciting! It was fun to teach it to someone who has a fresh sheet of paper.

Exhausted hard-working sisters

I know, this picture is rotated weird, but we can't fix it for some reason and I had to include it!  It captures the missionary life so perfectly! 

The Gospel of Jesus Christ is my favorite lesson to teach. I love them all, but the Gospel of Jesus Christ is the core of this life. By living His Gospel we can find joy during times of trial, hope in times of despair and the satisfaction of continually being able to improve and progress. It applies to everyone at all times of their lives, in all aspects of their lives. I forever, through eternity, am grateful for my Savior Jesus Christ.

I know, it's groce!  But I had to at least do a small picture of their sewer backing up!  Memories of mission life...

A cloudy day is no match for a sunny disposition!

A highlight: Julie was baptized. It was a wonderful baptismal service with the spirit very strong throughout. The best part was after the service she said, "I just feel good and happy. I feel clean." She has the temple in her sight! This was not only a great experience for her, but also for her husband who, after a little journey, was able to baptize her. Everyone in the branch is thrilled to see him coming back to church, this time with his beloved wife.

Nathan is the husband of a member and as we teach him, he is making great progress. This past week we extended a baptismal date and accidentally said the wrong month, which just so happened to be the weekend he was planning a surprise trip with his wife. So he had to spoil the surprise just for us to tell him we were talking about the month before! whoops...... But he still accepted! ha! He has begun to notice all the blessings God is giving him. When we asked why he thought God was blessing him, he said well, "my wife would say that it's because I am reading the Book of Mormon and meeting with you." We laughed a little and said, "no no...,. why do YOU think he is blessing you?" He got quiet and then said, "the same reasons. Because I am reading the Book of Mormon and going to church and meeting with you." He has recognized a very important principle of the gospel. God gives us commandments to bless us. It's a blessing to have commandments!

This week was also monumental because I completed a bucket-list item that I have had for several years! I washed my hair in the rain! I just doesn't rain in Utah like it does here. You can truthfully say, "when it rains, it pours!" One night this week was one of those occasions. As soon as we noticed that it was raining that hard, we changed as fast as we could into clothes that could get wet, grabbed the shampoo and out we went! We changed so fast I forgot to take out my earrings! (as you can see in the picture :))

Change...the name of the game

One of the best parts about serving a mission is seeing change, especially in people. You see change in the people you work with, in the branch/ward, and yourself. But another change we have seen is the change in this area! From the time sister Cameron and I got here, we have seen it grow from a unstable near nothing teaching pool to now a strong teaching pool that continues to grow! It is so exciting to see that change. Yes, at first it was discouraging. I can't lie about that. But now it is so fulfilling. After hard work we are seeing great miracles in Murphy, North Carolina! 
This week sister Cameron was transferred. She is an amazing missionary and friend and a loved serving with her. Hermana Kivett is the newest missionary in Murphy and I am looking forward to spending the next several months with her. She is incredible! She is from Rexburg, ID (continuing my streak of only Utah and Idaho companions 😀) and I love her!

This week was the first week using our area book and planner on our iPad which was quite the adjustment, but SOOO convenient.

Julie is still working towards being baptized in the next couple weeks! She is so receptive to the spirit which makes our discussions wonderful. In so many ways she motivates her less-active husband to come back to church and get his life where it needs to be. She sees the difference that it makes in him and enjoys the blessings it brings into their lives.

We also saw a change in heart of a less-active member who happily welcomed us into her home. When we have met her at her mother's house, she was normally very closed and not willing to listen to us and if she had the choice she wouldn't have let us in. But we stopped by her home this week and were shocked when she smiled and welcomed us in! We had a quick lesson with her and said a prayer with her and her children who also were interested in the lesson. We are excited to continue working with her and strengthening her family.

Change can happen to anyone at anytime; for good or for bad. Never become content with where you are. Continually strive to improve. make a vision for yourself, set a goal, make a plan, then go achieve it!
Through the Savior we can always change and that's the good news of the gospel.

I love you all! Have a great week!

The Life of a Missionary is Living on Cloud 9!

It's been really humid and foggy this past couple of mornings! It is like we are living in a cloud! :)
We had a day this week when all 5/5 appointments canceled. Yes, at first we were discouraged and a little frustrated if I do admit. We had great backups! But there where not enough of them to fill the entire day. After running through our backup list we did a quick re-plan and felt inspired to go to a specific area and contact a variety of people. One of them was a less-active member that neither of us knew. It was the last stop of the day (that's always the phrase for a really good story ;) ) and we worried it might be too late with the pitch black sky above us. (They don't light their roads... Even the main highways...!). We finally found her home and were welcomed in. As we talked with her we found that she had a great love for the church and simply needed to be invited back. She was excited to hear about the activities and was eager to go! So if all our appointments canceled just so we could meet this sister, it was all worth it. God does seem to work in mysterious ways, but His plans are always better than ours!

Ask and Ye Shall Find

As I write this letter there is intense thunder and heavy rain in the
background. It is absolutely incredible and quite exhilarating to
listen to. I love the weather out here!
Not only do I love the weather but the missionary work is amazing!
We had a great experience with a referral from mormon.org. We received the referral about a month ago and went to contact her giving her The Bible she requested as well as the book of Mormon, when she said she was looking to add to the knowledge of God she already has. When we tried to set a return appointment she informed us that she could not meet for the next month because she was teaching a class on the Cherokee language. This past week was a month from that event so we went to her home for a follow-up visit. It was an incredible discussion and she asked question after question, leading us to teach her both the restoration and the plan of salvation in a brief overview. We are excited to continue teaching her and hope that she is as prepared as we think :) we had another investigator we taught a couple times this week who hasn't asked any questions. There was a large difference in the two. One learned a lot while the other didn't.
 I began to test the question tactic out in my studies. As I picked a
topic to study based on the people we were teaching, I also asked a question. It enhanced my study and helped me to learn a lot more
efficiently. Ask and ye shall find. :)

Little but Mighty

Adventure of the week - TORNADO WARNING!!! To be honest, it was really anti-climactic :( It was an awesome thunderstorm though!

Zone Training Meeting was fabulous, as always. We were trained on setting goals which I am so grateful for! A great principle of missionary work, and life in general! We have been better at applying it the past week and it has made the biggest difference! It keeps us more focused and on task with a purpose in mind. And then it is so fulfilling to accomplish them! Then, with that feeling of motivation you go accomplish another one :)

Interviews with president were this week and those are always a joy :)

We also learned that we are classified as a "hard" English speaking mission. Kinda cool, right? He explained it as such, "we are in the bible belt with the Southerners, the Baptists, the Indians..... and the mountain men!" ha! I felt like he was talking about our area specifically. We have a plethora of all of that! 

Short letter this time, but it was still a great week! Keep up the work that you each are doing. I love you!

We have amazing recent converts in this branch! We had lessons with Chelsie this past week and her enthusiasm for the gospel is contagious. Every principle she treats like gold. It's so fun to teach her! She was thrilled when she got Sundays off of work so that she could come to church and take the sacrament. It was a big deal to her.
She even attends church when she is out of town because of what it means to her. She is also eagerly waiting to go to the temple.
Yesterday she, with the other YSA's in the branch, drove to Atlanta to attend a YSA ward there and she shared with us a principle that she really liked. It went hand in hand with the lesson we were teaching her: obedience. We were expanding on the quote "When obedience ceases to be an irritant and become our quest, it is in that moment that God will endow us with power." - President Benson. She said, "That's kind of like missionary work! We can do missionary work out of a feeling if obligation, but the real power comes when are actively inviting - when we see it as a privilege to do missionary work" Isn't that so true? :) what a privilege it is to be a missionary: A full-time missionary or one with a "badge painted on your heart." Find the joy that comes as we take advantage of this glorious privilege to work with God in his purpose of "bringing to pass the immortality and eternal life of man." :)

Hope is NEVER Lost

Baptism this week!!!! It was for a guy who had his name removed from the church records - the Newtons were teaching him :) But we have been witnesses to the incredible change he has gone through. He was ready to change and came to us seeking re-baptism. He quickly began to embrace everything he could get his hands on! He was even reading the institute manual! He was formerly an alcoholic which ruined his and his family's lives. But he quit and has been seeking for something more and he found it! Evidence of the atonement of Jesus Christ and the power it has to change us. "This is a gospel of transformation." - Sister Cameron. 

Even just Little changes/sacrifices that we make in our lives to better align ourselves with God's plan for us, will soon make us into who God wants us to be. I can testify of that. The atonement of Jesus Christ has changed me and will continue to change me as long as I let it. I am so grateful for the ability to become better and continually improve. I am so grateful for the Book of Mormon that helps us understand more about who Jesus Christ is and how he plays a role in our lives.

Tracting at its best!