Stories of miracles!

Alright so Im just gonna go right into some awesome stories!

So, we got new neighbors this last week. They moved into the apartment right next to ours. We came home on Saturday night at like 7 for dinner and they (Brittany and Aaron) were sitting outside smoking. So we went up to them to meet them. They were super nice and they asked all about what we do as missionaries. And then they invited us inside to see their new 4 months old baby. Long story short, they asked about where our church is and about directions and also what time it started. THEY CAME TO CHRUCH THE NEXT MORNING!:D It was awesome. They loved it and felt very welcomed and had a great time. We were at their place last night getting to know them more and we are going there this week for dinner and a lesson!

 

Next story, we felt prompted to go walk around an apartment complex just up the hill behind our building. So we did. That's when we found Shannon. She is 23 and has 2 kids and lives by herself. Talked to her for like 15 mins outside and she said we could come back the next day. So we did, had a good restoration lesson and set a baptismal date for Feb. 24th! And she reminds us exactly of Donielle (our recent convert) AND they know each other! And she lives like less than a half mile up the road!

 

Next story, we were looking through our area book at the potential investigators list. Its just a list of people that missionaries have met in the past and have said that they can come back. So we prayerfully chose 3 to go and try. The first 2 we couldn't find. And the last one was awesome. Her name is Kristen and he husband is Jake. Live in a nice house and have a new baby, pretty nice and normal family! She invited us right in when we got there and we were there for an hour just talking about their life and such. Kristen's best friend is a member of the church and she has been to church before in Utah. And all she has to say about the church is good things. She loves the people the church buildings, how its run and organized and just on and on and on. She knows about conference and she follows the Mormon blog. She has a Book of Mormon. Its awesome. Honestly don't know why they aren't Mormons yet. They grew up in churches but they don't go anymore. Said they are looking for one. They invited us back for dinner this week too!

 

Things are just getting better here now. Trying to keep moving forward and to not slacken at all. Sometimes that's our downfall. We go through hard times and it drives us to work harder but as soon as a little bit of success comes we slacken off. I don't know why that happens but it does. So, we are trying to work just as hard and harder than the previous day.

 

Love y'all so much!

 

Oh and P.S Donielle is going to the temple this weekend for baptisms for the dead! We are so excited for her!

Staying in London, big dogs, learning the piano?!

Happy new week everyone! Praise The Lord!

Another week down and another transfer down. Im staying here in London for another 6 weeks to finish training Elder Peck. Everyone though I was going to leave but I guess not! Glad to be staying here.

K so first thing, I played a special musical song in sacrament meeting this sunday. Since getting that keyboard in our apartment I have taught myself piano during our lunch and dinner hours and I basically wrote my own song! Now, I cant read music very well but I've learned to paly by ear. the song I made is about 3 mins long and I though it went quite well when I played it. Got a lot of compliments and I also played it in a fireside in Lexington that night. I love playing the piano.

On Friday we got to go to Lexington to go to zone meeting and it was awesome. I was asked to give a training on using the scriptures more and how to study the scriptures. Went quite well. Zone conferences, zone meetings and other conferences we have in the mission field are some of the greatest meetings I have ever been to. And I think the reason why is because everyone that is in those meetings have 100% of their lives devoted to the gospel. So I feel that these are once in a life time meetings to be at. They are wonderful.

Donielle whitaker, our recent convert who was baptized in Novemeber, got her temple recommend on sunday and will be going on the temple trip with the ward at the end of this month to do baptisms for the dead! It's super exciting. Shes doing pretty awesome. Still going strong.

Nothing new to say about Barbara and Jessi. Their converted, they want to be baptized, but now its just a waiting game on Barbara's divorce to happen. They just don't have the money to pay an attorney to do it now for them... So, we still see them and read with them but we are really focused on our new Investigators. We have about 3 now that we are teaching that are pretty new. Had a great first lesson with a lady named Tina. Talked to her on the streets a week ago. Her family is Pentecostal, which is super common around here, but she fell away from her church years ago and went through a lot of tuff but is now back on track and she just is so confused why every church says they are the right church. Just FYI for every one, there are about 231 churches in Laurel county.... people HAVE to wonder why are there so many different churches. And that's what she is wondering. She gladly agreed to read from the Book of Mormon and to read from it and we will be seeing her on Wednesday.

Excited for this new transfer. We are really working on making this a baptism transfer.

I love you all so much! I hit 17 months tomorrow! Only 7 more!

Heres a few pics from this week. First 2 are at the bike track at the park.

The next 2 are of these 2 huge dogs. They were both at members houses that we were eating dinner at.

And the last is of a trap that elder peck set up to try and catch a squirrel or a cat haha it was set off but didn't catch anything.

I got a blessing, exchanges with zone leaders

Hi family!

Its pouring rain today so that's a bummer. we were going to go for a trail ride on our bikes today. Last week we went down to the Levi Jackson state park after emailing and we went trail riding. It was pretty fun. it was cold but we had lots of fun. Kinda muddy. I got mud on my back and my bike it muddy. Makes it look nice though.

 

After riding bike for a few hours on Tuesday I started to get a sore throat from the cold and then the chills and aches started to set in... Then that night we found out that the next day we were supposed to drive up near Louisville to go to a new missionary/trainer meeting. They had this meeting scheduled for a month but our zone leaders forgot to tell us until the night before. So we had to get up early and leave our place by 7 and drive the 2 hours. It was a super great meeting.

I wish you all could meet President Brough and his wife. they are so stinkin funny and also spiritual giants. I love being around them. After the meeting I asked for a blessing for the first time on my mission. That's kinda sad to say that it was my first on my mission. I think in the past I let a little pride get in the way and told myself that I didn't need a blessing. But lately I have notice that Im not the same missionary that I was in New Albany. I felt like I've gotten into a rut and I couldn't get out. But let me tell you. That blessing has helped me get out of that rut. I just felt all of the Despair and stress and worry leave me and felt peace. I was told that this was a blessing that has been waiting for a long time. And true that is. I needed that blessing so badly. So, don't be afraid to ask for blessings. They are wonderful.

 

A couple fo days ago I went on exchanges with the zone leaders and I stayed in my area with Elder White. All of our appointments cancelled and didn't work out but we had a lot of success with finding. We wanted to start being more bold with people and not being afraid to teach what we know is true. We practiced ways of contacting people on the street and instantly starting to teach and testify and then to ask a question to get them think and more involved. The very first lady we tried it on became an awesome new investigator. We talked to her about God's love and asked her how she has seen God's love in her life and she shared all of her cool experiences and we testified that God does love her and he still love us today and he has shown his love by calling a Modern day Prophet to the earth. We quickly reffered to the Book of Mormon and read a scripture with her and she gladly took the Book and she said she would love to have us over to share more. Her name in Tina and she is really nice and awesome. We are seeing her tonight! After talking to her we found 2 more new investigators with this same approach. It was awesome.

 

Oh and Jessi and Barbara stayed after sacrament this sunday and also this week they chose a day to quit smoking, and that day was yesterday haha we had dinner last night with them. We had stuffed clams. They were dang good. they both want to be baptized so bad. I sure hope Im here for that. Transfer calls are thiscoming Saturday. Im not sure if I will get a call but every one thinks that Im getting transferred. So we will see!

Love Y'all!!!

Heres some pics of the cool sky and view from when we were driving. I will also try to send a short video of me biking!

Happy 2015

Happy 2015!!!!!

Wow, this is the year I go home... When I first got to the mission 2015 seemed SO far away and now its here and I go home in August. There isn't enough time left! Just gotta work faster and harder!

This last week was sooooo much better than past weeks. I was blessed to get a new, awesome, amazing, bike. Thanks to awesome parents:) And we rode all over town. One day we rode for like 3 hours and just talked to people. It was great. That's really why this week was better, we talked to more people. That is such a true principle on a mission. The more people you talk to the more you have the spirit and the more people you find and then baptize. I have learned that in all of my areas. I challenged the whole district to talk to more people and they did and we did much much better. What a blessing it is to open our mouths to share the gospel.

New years eve we didn't have to proselyte from 6-9 so we took our bikes and went to a local park that has some cool ramps and tracks just for bikes and we rode around for an hour and then we went to Barbara and Jessie's for dinner. Fun time! Went to bed at 10;30 like normal haha. It was a great day.

 

Yesterday was the only day that was kinda rough for all of us. We started a fast with Jessie and Barbara Saturday night so they could make their baptism date of February 22. So they came to sacrament but left afterwords (like always). Barbara was planning on staying but jessi wanted to leave because Kaylee started to cry in sacrament. And really she is an angel during sacrament but they think she is just the worst and they get embarrassed really easily. So I guess that's their reason for leaving. And also they broke their fast right after church. So that saddened us also. We were going to go to their house that evening to eat with them to break the fast but we didn't. All of these things and a few other things that happened seemed a lot worse to us yesterday because we were just really hungry and tired. But after we ate an awesome dinner of Biscuits and gravy and fried ham that we made, we were fine and dandy again. Felt good to fast. Fasting is a blessing, even though sometimes its really hard.

 

Oh today we are going to take our bikes to the Daniel Boone national park here in London and ride some of the trails! Its going to be super fun. I LOVE that bike so much. Its going to be perfect to ride to classes back home. Its perfect for rode and trails.

 

Oh random thing, I recommend watching "On the Lords errand" on the Mormon channel. Its about President Monsons life and it is SO inspiring and when we watched it I felt the spirit so strongly. Made me want to be a much better person and to ALWAYS accept callings no matter what. I really look forward to serving in the church when I get home, whatever the calling may be. I love President Monson so much.

 

Transfers are coming up in 2 weeks! I doubt I will get transferred but you never know! I will find out next Saturday. Not this Saturday but next.

 

Oh and one last thing I want to add before I go. Pray. Pray often, more often than you do now. The average times a day that we as missionaries pray are about 30-40 times. And its not always the amount of times you pray but the quality of your prayers that really matter. Being thankful in prayer is so so important. It helps us recognize the answers and blessing we have already received and also it shows the Lord that we are grateful for what we have been given and he will bless us with more things. I know and am a witness, from being on my mission, that prayer is essential.

What I say unto one I say unto all; pray always lest that wicked one have power in you, and remove you out of your place. D&C 93:49

I love you all! Have a wonderful New Year! Don't give up on your goals!!

 

The pic of me in black is when Iw as trying to be a Ninja and hide on my companions bed. He found me haha. 

 

Christmas- a post of pictures