Many changes have taken place

April 29  2013

  Sister Hagemeyer and Sister Bateman
(Her new companion this coming transfer)

     Transfers again and Sister Hagemeyer is staying, her MTC companion, Sister Bateman, will be joining her. They are both waiting for Visas for the same mission in Brazil.

      Many changes have taken place in all missions with the increase in Sister missionaries. For example there will be 'Training Sisters' starting this next transfer who will go on exchanges with the sisters under their jurisdiction much as Zone Leaders and District Leaders go on exchanges with the Elders under their care. Previously there were not enough Sisters for Sisters Exchanges to be efficient, we were spread out across the whole mission and only 23 to the 180+ Elders. This is a welcome and exciting change for much can be gained through exchanges which was a privilege only really available to the Elders.

      Another change in our mission is that now there are Family History Sisters, which is what I have been called to do. I do not have much details yet as to what I will be doing, if I will have a proselyting area, if I have anywhere to even live yet, but my companion will be Sister DeGreef.

Youth conference!

      The Lord answered my prayer that Sisters would stay in this ward and I am willing to accept what He has asked of me. I barely like Sister DeGreef. I do not know if I will ever like her much. But I can love her. I am determined to do all I can to help build her up and do all I can to magnify this calling from the Lord. I am not excited but I am not distressed, my heart is full of peace that came after I accepted this call. I have found that has often happened in my mission, I believe that the peace is a blessing the Lord gives me because He is pleased I am willing to humbly accept even when I do not know how it can be done. I guess I kinda feel like Nephi when he was told to get the plates from Laban. He had no idea how he would do it but he trusted that the call was from the Lord and a way would be provided. There have been so many times in my mission where I have not been able to visualize where we were headed, or imagine how I could get through the next hour. But I have discovered, especially now as I have been fighting physical weakness again, that if I just focus on taking the next step I can handle it. Sometimes taking it one step at a time I can only get a few things done, but always the most important things are accomplished. Other times as I exercise my faith by evaluating that I have the strength to go one more step and taking it, I find that when I get to the point I thought I would have collapsed at I feel better, and eventually strong again. This has happened many times on my mission, miracles abound. I know what Alma and his people felt when the Lord strengthened them to bear their burdens that they might be light for He has done that for me too.

Sisters Luncheon

      Getting more on the current fight against physical weakness, when I first got to this area in November I was sick on and off for the first 8 weeks, now I am suffering from sleep deprivation no doubt caused by sleep apnea. During the last three weeks my health took a sudden dive and each day I got increasingly more exhausted. It eventually got to the point where I was falling asleep during meetings and lessons. It has been very hard on me and my companion. We are doing what we can to get me the medical help I need but it is being ridiculously slow. I was able to get a wonderful blessing the other day and my strength has somewhat returned but I still am struggling. With all this going on I knew as soon as Sister Neider told me President Neider was considering making a Family History position that I would be called here (she called Wednesday and we were given our transfer information Saturday). So when I was told I was not surprised, only at my companion.

Sisters Luncheon

      Our area is doing well. We just finished dropping all of our halfhearted investigators and the Lord blessed us with a golden one named Lenora who will be Sister Hagemeyer's next baptism. Many less actives in the area are heading back into activity and several are preparing to go to the temple. We have been working so much better with the members with their missionary work. Sister Hagemeyer is a natural. I know she will do well as Senior companion. We have found so many people so prepared in the last week. I feel like the whole time I have been in this area, six months of it, we had just been spreading out roots, and now that I am leaving it is just starting to sprout. I pray that Sister Hagemeyer and Sister Bateman will see the harvest and keep the area growing.

      I know its time to leave. It broke everyone's hearts. It is so humbling how the people here love me so much. I will miss them. Many are part of my family now. But I know its time and I can let go and move on. I am so grateful that through the Gospel of Jesus Christ we can be with our loved ones forever, its just our job to make sure we get there and help those we love get there too.
Love you all, Take care
Sister Alyssa Monson

We are striving to be exactly obedient and accomplish all we have been sent here to do

March 25  2013

My new companion. Isn't she beautiful?
She is 6'1" or so and the oldest and the shortest
in her family, like me.

      The area is going well. With transfers and not getting my new companion until Wednesday I was away from my area for a long while. I really missed it and now we are doing our best to get everything done we can. Sister Hagemeyer is really awesome and has such great desire to share the Gospel. She has such a powerful testimony and we are working at setting up lessons where she can practice teaching with less active members. The ward is starting to be more unified and Jeri's husband, a nonmember, stayed for all three hours this Sunday for the first time ever. Its really exciting. We are striving to be exactly obedient and accomplish all we have been sent here to do. Melissa is still progressing, she has not received a clear answer one way or another but she feels strongly that what she is learning, and the Church, is leading her in the direction God wants her to go. She has a strong desire to be baptized.

      Don't know what else to say. Adjusting is sometimes tough but Sister Hagemeyer is awesome.

     Also one of the Sisters in our ward is suffering an infestation of cockroaches and bedbugs because while she keeps her home super clean, she lives in an apartment complex and when they spray in one area all the roaches and problems spread to all the other apartments in the building... It is so sad to see when people suffer from the choices of others.

      Apparently there are chiggers in Nevada now, they, like bedbugs,migrated here from the South. I haven't seen them but one of the members has and mentioned Pestilence. Signs of the times are all over.
I love you lots mom, Take care
Alyssa


April 1  2013

Midnight the poser cat

 

     This week has been hard. Melissa and her family have not been letting us come over and haven't been to church the last two weeks. She says she has been overwhelmed a lot and apparently crazy stuff has been happening but we have not been able to meet with them in person despite our efforts. We have been teaching lots of practice lessons with Less actives though so Sister Hagemeyer is getting a lot of practice and is getting better each time. We have a couple part member familes we are working with, and it looks like we will soon have some more investigators from it. Some of the less actives we are working with are becoming active. We are having success, just not in investigators. We have been able to do more service recently though and that has brought us solace and comfort. Our relief society president gave us a list of names to find, mostly less actives or recent move ins and we found just about all of them and there were a couple who want to come back to church and we found a girl who was an investigator at an earlier time but hadn't gotten baptised because her uncle died and it caused havock in the whole family. We hope to teach her soon. I feel like the man in the parable who only had two talents, we have very little but if we do the best with what we do have we will in nowise lose our reward.

      Sister Hagemeyer is awesome and very committed and has a huge desire for missionary work. She is wonderful and growing quickly, she is also helping me with my struggle with contacting. I feel like it is the greatest struggle of my mission, just contacting people, and with each companion I get I improve. It is still a struggle but I can often speak out without hesitating now and thinking back to when I had started I see how far I have come. The Lord has truely helped me.

 

     Today we helped a lady move, it took some of our P-day time but she ended up giving us some food she didn't want to take with her, which we then took to a family in the ward who is really struggling to have enough to eat. There isn't a lot we can do to help these people, but what we can do, we do.

 

I love you lots, I hope you are feeling better. Get well soon

I love you

Alyssa

I am excited to train again, and nervous

March 18  2013

here is a picture of my temporary companion of awesome
Sister Peirson

     This week is transfers and on Wednesday (or Thursday) my companion Sister Howell got her Visa so she is flying to Brazil right now. I am going to miss her. I already miss her. She's gone. But I am staying in the same area, with the Winterwood ward, and training again. So I am going to have a couple days of not knowing where I'm at again until transfers work out and my trainee arrives.

      Melissa is progressing really well, Anthony is still being icky, they want to keep the Lord's commandments and we taught the 10 Commandments this week focusing on how the Book of Mormon and the Bible teach the same thing and how all of Christianity believes in the 10 Commandments. Throughout the lesson Sister Howell and I only really guided discussion and we focused on having our investigators explain the commandments and brainstorm ways they could keep it. Our members, the Turners, were fantastic too. We just have to be patient and keep loving and encouraging them.

The back of
Sister Peirson’s head

     This week has been good. We have an amazing referral, she wants to learn more about our church and come to church. She couldn't this Sunday due to illness but we have an appointment with her on Saturday and all her family members we have met seem really nice. I am excited to train again, and nervous, but I trust the Lord will work it out. He is the one who asked it of me so I trust that He will work it out as long as I try my best. Life is good and I am doing my best to be a good missionary and hard worker.

Sister Peirson’s ankle

I love you a lot, I hope things get better. 
Eat lots of birds.
Sister Alyssa Monson

The area is flourishing one step at a time

March 4 2013

Me and Dave!
That was a picture of us in his kitchen
Sister Howell and I helped him paint,
thats why I'm in my service clothes  >.>

     Our area is moving forward and during the last few days we have been very busy but guided every step. I am continually amazed and inspired by Sister Howell, she is such a strong and determined missionary. The other day we went contacting in a parking lot in our area, something I have never done and I was so scared but she moved forward fearlessly. She is so determined to be the best missionary she can be and she is starting to really connect with the members and our investigators. I have been working really hard at letting her be able to speak more and we are now more balanced. We have come up with several plans of how we can get more LTMs but at the moment we have not been having lessons at all with investigators. We are constantly seeking new investigators and while we have found many with great promise nothing has borne fruit yet. We are patiently waiting for that time.

these are pictures of us with Dave and his wife Mary
at the Smith Center to watch an amazing concert of awesome

     This week we had an opportunity to provide service for one of the members. He has diabetes and we helped him paint his house for a couple hours. Another member was very tired and trying to clean up when we got there so we were able to help her vacuum and put things in order. We also do what we can to help set and clean the table at dinners. Service opportunities have always been hard to find in my mission but the Lord has been providing us with more of late. We seek them always and pray for them.

Its so BIG!

      Melissa is struggling. We have not been able to go by in a while, in spite of our best efforts, but their fellowshipers have still been seeing her (she had to work this Sunday so only Anthony and the kids came to church). The things I have heard grieve my heart. The children are still doing awesome though, I feel they are prepared, we have been planning to commit the family to a baptism date goal, to help keep them motivated, but again we haven't been able to really meet with them. This week we will find a way.

Piscotta family!
I'm officially part of the Piscotta clan too...

      Many of our less actives are doing better and better. Some are asking us more questions so we can help them resolve their concerns, others are opening up more, committing more, seeking more, and the Lord is blessing us to know what to say and do to help them continue to progress and overcome their obstacles.

      We are continually focusing on our purpose and striving to make every visit and activity meaningful and we have been blessed with increasing success. I am so grateful for all the Lord has blessed us with. Things are going well and I am focusing on Faith and Hope as far as Christlike attributes go, and Listening and Asking Inspired Questions for teachings skills.


March 11 2013

I saw this Pinecone fall out of a tree.
We all know it happens, or must happen,
but how often do you actually see that happen?
Pretty awesome,
its been hanging out on my desk for about
a month now, maybe more.

     This week has gone well. We had several lessons with Melissa and her family. They are progressing well except Anthony, who has been making many comments that make it hard for me to respect him. We are doing our best to support him and Melissa and provide encouragement. We have been reading with them more, when we read Melissa gets it, and she loves the scriptural language of the King James Bible, it is clear to her. Anthony has a different Bible, International I think, one where it is 'translated' to more modern language, and she doesn't like how it words things. The wording in Anthony's Bible is simpler but she finds it harder to understand, which means the reason she is understanding the King James Bible is because the Spirit is helping her. Its easier to read old English with the Spirit to help than to read modern English on your own. Anthony struggles to understand. He claims he believes but talks in circles. Perhaps he does believe, but it doesn't seem to mean anything to him. Melissa on the other hand understands and is making sacrifices because she wants to do it for the Lord. Her kids are also doing really well. This Saturday we went and visited the temple with them. The member who gave them a ride and was present for the lesson bore powerful testimony of eternal families. We tried to set a baptism date goal but they are still struggling. They did decide to commit to know, one way or the other, by April 13th.

Melissa and her family at the temple -
her son Rodney, and her daughter Ma'khaila
also her boyfriend Anthony...

     Overall things are going well. We have a very promising referral we are trying to contact and the work is moving forward. Sister Howell is full of awesome. She is teaching really well and we are getting much better at teaching together. She is taking the lead more and more. The ward is really coming to love her. The area is flourishing one step at a time and the Ward is growing in strength. We are always seeking to do things to help build it up, and strengthen the amazing members here.

Love you Alyssa

I'm BEING A MISSIONARY! YAY!

Feb 18 2013

Our Bedroom! There is Sister Howell

Sister Howell's desk
(plus welcome sign I made for when she arrived)

      This week has gone well. The first few days were kind of crazy with the schedule change but I had an opportunity to learn a lot and increase my faith as I went with the Spanish sisters and prepared to train. Sister Howell is an amazing missionary. Sometimes I do not feel like I am a trainer but that I am just with another companion as at any other point in my mission. Perhaps it is because she was at the MTC for 10 weeks but she seems so much more prepared than I was. I do have to train her but mostly its just helping her apply what she has already learned to the challenges of the mission field and real life application to investigators. She is actually a visa waiter, waiting to go to Brazil, so she is also learning Portuguese, part of why she was at the MTC so long. She is extremely positive and I really enjoy being her companion. I suppose I am showing her the ropes, but more like teaching her tricks and teaching things that I have found to work well and adopted from previous companions or trainings. We are practicing and trying to get used to teaching together and I am teaching her what I can about approaches I have seen work and such. I have not been as diligent at street contacting as I should be, so I am recommitting myself to contact everyone. Part of the problem is that we are driving too much, we need to walk more. Miracles have already occurred in the short time we have been together. We were able to get in to see a less active lady who has seemed to be avoiding us and she told us what was going on with her. It was a very intense meeting but I think we will not be better equipped to help her come back to church. We also brought a member along to try to contact an investigator who is hard to meet with and the lesson was a perfect example as to why it is so important to bring members along. The member was able to relate to Elizabeth in ways we couldn't and bear testimony and share advice as to how the Lord helped her get through similar things.

My desk

     The members in the ward love Sister Howell, and our investigators are adjusting smoothly. Training is hard and I pray for help a lot, every day. Without planning to I have found myself demonstrating powerful teaching tools in lessons and then I try to explain them later. I can see the Lord's hand in this, showing her how missionary work can and should be. Melissa and her family are still progressing, we recommitted them to read together as a family and they are diligently and earnestly seeking. We also have a lesson tonight with a part member family we had never met before Saturday. The husband has been inactive more or less because all he can go to is night church and since his wife (Catholic) cant understand Spanish they don't really go much. We are going to talk to our Bishop to find out if there is a late English sacrament and when the latest English ward meets. Tonight we are going to be teaching them the restoration and Sister Howell is going to invite the wife (Erica) to be baptized and we have spend some good time role playing the invitation with her doing her best to identify and address different concerns Erica may have. Things are going well and we are happy and as obedient as we can be. Sister Howell says I am a good trainer. I am glad the Lord is making up for my weaknesses.

Have a Nice Day!
(My catch phrase in the Sister Fine Era
she gave me this pen because of that)

     Also this week we got to help someone paint their kitchen. It felt so good to do service but I was really worried because my back was hurting really really bad that morning and I couldn't lift my arms without them hurting a lot. I decided to trust that the Lord would help me get through since we were doing service and when we got to their house I took a paint brush, got up on a step ladder, and started edging the walls where they touched the ceiling. My back hardly hurt at all and felt a bit better all the rest of the day. The Lord really blesses us when we put our faith in Him and serve Him.



Remember that I love you a lot and The Lord loves you tons. It will all be alright in time.
Your daughter, Alyssa






Feb 25 2013

Me and Elder Halpenny!
Awesome Elder, just went home from his mission.
He lives in California but he is legally a resident of Canada.

I'm BEING A MISSIONARY! YAY!
Its fun and tiring.

     This week has been tough numbers wise. We are focusing on street contacting. Sister Howell is learning really well. She is an extremely prepared missionary and is continually focused on her purpose and how to help us achieve it. Our Investigator Anthony did not come to stake conference this week. Melissa is struggling because she is miffed at how he flip flops. We are endeavoring to do daily contact to help strengthen them. We get the feeling that the wedding is not going to happen, Anthony does not seem ready for commitment. We are obeying the white handbook and not giving Melissa personal advice, only teaching them the doctrine and encouraging them to pray and read and obey all the commandments of God. Anthony could be amazing, he just has to make that choice.

Elder Balloon!

     Sister Howell and I have been really focusing on improving our transitions and teaching together. I fear I have been taking the lead too much and one of my main goals is to focus on preparing her more before hand then pulling back in actual lessons; not that she needs much preparation. We have seen many miracles this last week and many of the less actives we have really been working with were able to come to stake conference. The Gospel is such a wonderful blessing. I want everyone to have it. I am sad to say I sometimes get frustrated because people cannot see, they are happy with what they have. I am striving to be more humble and more patient and praying that the Lord will purify my heart. I am doing the Purification Challenge again. I hate it, but I hate exercise too and the purification challenge is like exercise for your will and spirit. Its like doing stair laps. Its painful but it makes you strong. I am happy.

Green Smoothie maker
Mom you will be proud to know
that I am drinking my vegetables 

     Our area is doing well. We have a new investigator, her name is Teresa, she is really interested. She came to Stake Conference and the RC/I meeting before and loved them so much. She was mainly baptist but has studied and been to most religions, rather like our recent convert Dave, so it was really wonderful that Dave was asked to bear his testimony in the early meeting. So far she loves what she has seen and felt and we will be meeting with her soon. Some members have already offered to have her taught in their home.

I don't know what to write! I love you a lot!
Be happy and read the scriptures
Sister Alyssa Monson

PS Tell everyone I love them and I love the letters and cards everyone is sending me. It makes me really happy, I wish I could write everyone back, and I am, its just taking a while.





 

I have been called to be a trainer

Feb 4 2013

Sister Waldron at Zone Conference

      This week was pretty cool in the mission feild. This friday we had a Movie night. It went great, only a few of the people we invited came but there were less actives, a recent convert, and Melissa and her family all there. It was really wonderful how everything sort of fell into place. We worked and did as much as we could and the Lord filled in the rest and helped it all work out. We got everything set up and the members who brought a projector were trying to get it to work when the first hitch came. The computer would play any video and the projector would display any video, except the movie we were trying to watch. Sister Waldron was talking with the people who had come and I was trying to help resolve the technical issues when both of us had the same thought that what we needed to do was pray. We went out into another room where we could be alone and knelt in prayer. We thanked Heavenly Father for all He had done to help everything work out, for the willingness of the members to pitch in and help and for how perfectly everything had been coming together. Then we prayed that the technical difficulties would be resolved. When we went back into the cultural hall they started wheeling in a TV from the library and the

also at Zone Conference

projector miraculously started working again. It was so wonderful. Our ward mission leader conducted the meeting and told everyone what we had just done, which I found embarassing but as we started watching the movie I was glad for we watched 17 Miracles, and over and over again in the movie people would be faced with a problem, they would pray, and then the problem would either be solved or they would know how to solve it. I felt it was a good testimony builder, especially for our investigators, that the same patterns that existed then still work now. The Movie night was a complete success. Everyone who came enjoyed it imensely and hearts were touched. The Spirit was strong and as we have followed up with those who came it has been a great benefit to them. It was also a perfect preparation for our investigators for the Gospel Principles lesson this Sunday on the Word of Wisdom. Our Gospel Principles teacher is fantastic, she is very good at teaching to where people are at

also at Zone Conference  :)

in the Gospel and when she taught it it made sense to our investigators and Melissa told us after that she was fine with giving up coffee and alcohol and she wanted to give up smoking. It was such a relief for we had worried that the Word of Wisdom was going to be a hard thing for her yet the Lord prepared her so well she accepted it. Our next big hurdle with her will be the Law of Chastity. Church went really well though, Melissa, though this is only her third time, is very comfortable, she is a church-going pro. Her boyfriend Anthony came too, it was his first time, and he was as nervous as she had been her first time, something she got a kick out of. Her son Rodney does really well in his class, better focused than the member boys, and it seems he has already become friends with at least one of them.

Sister Waldron, Me, Elder Larkin and my bike
His bike got a flat and he couldn't borrow a bike from Anyone Else in the Whole Zone
so as a last resort he had to ride my bike, even though its purple
at least it is dark purple

     Also this Sunday we ended up teaching the lesson in Relief Society by the request of the Relief Society President (it was her turn but she is very sick with a flu or something). We taught about Faith, having the Sisters share stories of little things that boosted their faith, their trust in the Lord. Then we moved on to the Book of Mormon as something that increases our faith and read a bunch of scriptures about Jesus Christ from it.It was a missionary work themed lesson (and we launched the Book of Mormon Marking challenge thing Sister Lawrence and Sister Fine and I were doing in my last area) so we worried that it would be too much for Melissa but she loved it and asked to have all the scripture references that we used so she could mark them all and also wants a copy of the marking guide for her own studies. Its so exciting to work with her and see how much she has changed since we first met her.

I love you lots

Alyssa



Feb 11 2013

Chrissy! Recent convert I met here!She is awesome! And now she moved :(

     I have been called to be a trainer. I do not know who I am training yet but there are only two sisters coming in, one from Japan, the other from Switzerland. This is a wonderful opportunity for me to grow as a missionary. I know I am not up to the job but the Lord has prepared and supported me this far so I trust He will make me sufficient for this task also. I will really miss Sister Waldron. I have seen so many miracles on my mission. I see now why they encourage all to serve one. You learn more of God and see more of His power manifest than in any other way. I have seen and felt things I could never explain, which is sad because they are really cool and I want to share them with EVERYONE!

     The area is flourishing. Melissa and her boyfriend are progressing rapidly. They have been enveloped by the ward as Sister Waldron puts it, and been accepted. They are working hard to gain financial independence and they have expressed a deep and sincere desire to be baptized. They are reading and praying consistently and the change in them is as great as night and day. Even Melissa's boyfriend, Anthony, has realized the seriousness of the Gospel and the changes it means but he is willing to change. On Tuesday we had a wonderful lesson at the Turner's home and they said they wanted to be baptized and asked what they needed to do to get there. So we told them. And they took it in stride and are still moving forward. Its going to be wonderful, but very intense too.

     We are still working a lot with less actives in the ward. Most of the ward is less active but it seems that is mending slowly. We also got this amazing 'stop smoking workshop' from a member. It was originally brought home by a missionary from his mission where they used it to help people quit. It is amazing and we feel it would be of great worth to all the missionaries who are facing the challenge of helping someone quit smoking.
Basically things are great. I am really happy and I have learned something cool. 1+2=R   Get it?
A mission is hard but so worth it, keep reading and praying and go to church. If you do those three things consistently it will change every aspect of your life in a positive way.

I love you a lot, you take care mom and always be happy
your daughter Alyssa

There are so many people here who's amazingness has strengthened my testimony

Jan 7 2013


     This has been a good week. New year made us kind of nervous even during the daylight, we accomplished a lot even so. We've been seeing more and more of our less actives come to church, its wonderful, and the feeling in the ward has changed. This sunday during relief society Sister Davis (who we have only visited a couple times because she is hard to meet with) bore her testimony of the importance of missionary work because when Sister Waldron and Sister VanderDoes showed up it was an answer to her prayers and she credited the change in her life and the miraculous change in her work schedual that now allows her to go to church on Sunday to the missionaries. It is humbling especially as we know we did so little, it was the Lord opening up a way for her. She later approached us telling us how she and her husband had been taking temple prep classes before things had changed and they had stopped being able to come to church and now that they were coming again they were planning on starting them again. It was so exciting. She looks so happy.
      We are still doing a lot of less active work but at this time we are also getting more investigators. It is still shaky getting appointments with them but it is getting steadier and the Lord is blessing us with more people to teach and has been helping us in our efforts to get members to all our lessons (including RCLAs where having an active member doesn't do anything number wise but it has made a huge difference for our less actives the times we have been able to manage it). We are improving at coordinating our efforts with ward members but it is still a struggle without a ward mission leader. We have been seeking to broaden our pool of members to draw from, doing our best not to burden any one family too much and we identified some active families who are getting 'burnt out' and have been seeking ways we can serve them and help them to be renewed.
      Most of our investigators said they would come to church this week but were unable. Melissa had work, so she and her kids missed, and Alisha was laid up. The good news is we had this awesome miracle with Melissa last night. We had tried to stop by earlier but she was at work, we tried again though to see how they were doing, a daily contact and see if we could make an appointment, and their pipes were blocked up really bad. She had just gotten off of work and everything was backed up only a couple inches from flooding the house and while her landlord had a Snake he couldn't come help until possibly the next day. Oddly someone in our ward had been telling us about their Snake only a while before though we couldn't remember who. After a bit of searching we found someone in our ward who was happy to come over and Snake her pipes. She was so grateful and the member didn't charge a thing, and she got a glimpse of what it means to be part of a ward family and we had an opportunity to bear testimony of service. Our ward is awesome. Another miracle is that we have an appointment to teach Alisha tonight and her whole family too. Its exciting, we may have a couple new investigators by the end of this night.
      As always we are seeking to be strictly obedient, especially in time management things and seeking continually to have the Spirit of the Lord to aid our efforts and be poured out upon all we come in contact with, members and non members alike, for all have need of divine help to overcome and to increase in righteous desire and hope and all good things that they may stand in need of.
I am begining to love my mission more which I am glad of, I have often been grieved that I do not love my mission so much as I should but I am realizing it is something that comes with time as I have seen it grow within me. The Apostles of the Lord did not desire to serve him with all their heart might mind and strength from the first, that is why they too wavered a bit at first, but as they served that desire grew in them. The three Nephites served the Lord a long time before they were asked what they desired most and chose to stay and serve until the end. I have seen these things and my increasing love of my mission and I have been comforted. I love my mission a lot. I am so grateful for this opportunity I have to serve the Lord.


Jan 28 2013


     I am so happy!! I have seen MANY cats so far. Pink paws and noses, and I even saw
kittens this week.
YES I SAW AND GOT TO HOLD KITTENS IT WAS AWESOME!
     This week has been amazing! We had Zone Conference this week. I LOVE
ZONE CONFERENCES! THEY ARE AWESOME! At Zone Conference we gather as
two or three Zones and recieve trainings from our Mission President,
his Councilors, Sister Neider his wife, and the Assistants to the
President (the APs, a missionary companionship chosen to assist him in
working with the missionaries and coordinating things in addition to
their proselyting work). We learned a lot and I feel revitalized and
recommitted to excellence. We have approached all our missionary
efforts with increased faith and as a result we have seen an amazing
improvement in our street contacting and witnessed many miracles
during lessons. We found a new investigator this week through street
contacting. We asked him about his beliefs and he started going on
about spirits and how we were a spirit before this life and after we
die we got to a spirit world and how God wants us to become perfect so
we can live with Him again. It was awesome and when we mentioned that
we believed and taught those same things he was shocked and immediatly
asked if we did baptism in our church because he had never been
baptised but wanted to be. We had a lesson with him bringing one of
our awesome members along and talked with him about the Plan of
Salvation. He is an older gentleman and tends to get off on random
tangents but has deep faith and understanding. He has been figuring
things out on his own and while he has figured out a lot of true
things he also has come to some conculsions that are a bit off. For
example he believes that since we have to be perfect to get to where
God is we have to be 'reincarnated' again and again (always as a
human, he doesn't believe in reincarnation into other forms) so we can
perfect ourselves. We believe this can be overcome as he learns more
about and begins to really understand the Atonement of Jesus Christ
because his belief has stemmed from the recognition of some
fundamental truths, just in absence of understanding the Atonement as
the solution he came up with his own solution to the obstacles between
us and returning to God. Its really exciting.
     Melissa and her family have also been progressing well. We stopped by
early in the week and she had started reading the Bible and read the
account of the Fall and was confused and was starting to really
dislike the Bible as it seemed to blame the Fall all on Eve and that
her choice was the source of all evil. She was a bit frustrated and
had some questions so we promised to explain them and set up our next
lesson with her (it is still hard to set up regular lessons with her
as her work hours are so crazy). We taught the first half of the Plan
of Salvation with Sister Swanson (her daughter's primary teacher)
there to help. It was a wonderful lesson and the two of them really
connected. Sister Swanson was able to explain it in a way that Melissa
really got and as we started talking about the Atonement she made a
quiet comment to herself that indicated she was starting to understand
the reason why we do the things we do. She is starting to understand
why we sacrifice, why it is so important, why it is worth it. We had
been worried because her first times coming to church all the talks
and lessons had focused on Sacrifice and Faith. Now it is starting to
all come together. On Saturday I fasted for her (and a couple other
people) and on Sunday she got very sick and needed to go to emergency
care. I had the strong feeling that what she need was the priesthood
and we ended up explaining the situation to our ward mission leader
who said he would go and see what was going on and figure out what
needed to be done (we were stumped as to who to call and what to do,
we are SO grateful to have a ward mission leader again!). I wondered
why she had gotten so sick so soon after I had fasted but Sister
Waldron pointed out something I had not considered but I believe is
true. She said that it had probably happened to again open up ways for
the ward to serve her (Melissa has no car and needed a ride and
priesthood blessings are always a service), that all these hard things
were happening so that she could see the power of God and gain
strength because she was going to have to make some life changes to
truely accept the Gospel of Christ and the Lord was preparing her to
make those sacrifices. This is truely a marvelous work.
We have also been working a lot with less active members this last
week. We have planned a Ward/Missionary activity for this coming
friday and are doing our best to personally invite not only all our
investigators but as many less actives as we can and also having all
our member visits focus on it and inviting members to invite their
friends (and if they say all their friends are members already we ask
them to invite them anyway to help them feel more wanted). The
response has been amazing. There are many members and non-members
alike who have shown a great desire to come and there is building
excitement. Many members had volunteered to help as well. This ward
suffers a lot of feeling divided and we in part planned this activity
(just a simple movie night with popcorn) to give the ward a simple
activity to build ward unity and from what we have seen so far it
promises to yeild an abundant harvest in both that aspect and reciving
new investigators. It is fantastic.
     I love how much Melissa and her kids love reading the scriptures. They
love the Book of Mormon so much and it speaks to them. There are so
many people here who's amazingness has strengthened my testimony.
I love you a lot mom  Sorry I can't always write a lot.   Alyssa

The Lord truly has a plan and we just try to follow along with it

Dec 10, 2012

     Mom, I love you lots, I hope you are doing well. This has been a really good week, the Lord has really guided us a lot. There have been many time where we have been at just the right place at just the right time. We've also had times where we have been able to say just the right thing to help someone through what they are going through. Sister Tennison we have been working with, her daughter is trying to recieve guidance and an answer for a huge decision in her life but despite her efforts and even going to the temple to pray for an answer she has recieved no answer and it has discouraged her. We talked to Sister Tennison about all the different things we can do to receive revelation, most of which her daughter is doing, but also bringing up some she has not tried, including fasting and receiving a priesthood blessing of counsel. We bore powerful testimony of the power of the priesthood, especially as something to help us and a way for the Lord to speak to us. Another time I was talking with a member who was struggling with something and I just talked whatever was on my mind and related a lesson Sister Fine taught me and the member thanked me saying it was exactly what she needed to hear. The Lord truly has a plan and we just try to follow along with it and as we pray and purify ourselves He lets us be a part of His work.

     I've also seen and petted a lot of cats this week. It makes me really happy.

     Our recent convert here named Dave recently received a priesthood blessing. He was really struggling and was lining things up for in case he died (he has diabetes for a long long time) and just having a hard time and we felt strongly we needed to talk and testify of the priesthood then sent one of his friends in the ward who is a high priest over to talk to him more and he recieved a blessing. That is what happened last week. This week he is feeling better, so much so that for the first time in years he mowed the whole lawn in one go without needing help. He has energy and his whole family is amazed at how much he is doing, how active he has become. They had some small bad things happen but each time because of the small bad thing a big good thing came. For example he is on disability because of his condition and there was an error where they didn't send him his check, after he checked with them they resolved the problem. They have to take $400 out of each check for some kind of something and this had somehow made them not send the check this time so because of all the inconvenience and since it was a reoccuring problem they sent him the full check and they got the extra $400 which helped them catch up on bills and they also went out to eat for the first time in many months. His daughter got her job and it is good, they are just so blessed right now, its so cool to see.

There are miracles all around

     Things are going well in the Winterwood ward, its so funny to now just cover one ward instead of two. We just had our ward Christmas party this last Saturday. This whole week we have been focusing on getting invitations to all investigators, potentials, and Less actives we have been working with of late and many other less actives we picked out during planning and truely the party was a success. The ward put a lot of time and work into the Christmas party and it was truly amazing in decorations, food, and holiday activities. Of all the parties I have attended in my life this was the funnest for the Spirit was so strong and I have never seen so many smiling people in one room. So many less active familes showed up, every table was full or mostly full. The members were so happy and excited to see these people who they havent seen in a long while and we were overjoyed to find that many people we have even had trouble meeting with of late came. One of these was our investigator Elizabeth, she called us because she had prepared some food for the party and needed someone to drive it to the party. Sister Waldron asked her why and after some probing Elizabeth confessed she wasn't going because she didn't have a ride. She is so silly, she is so much more important to us than her food and anyone that could give her food a ride could give her one too. So we got her a ride and she came and she was just glowing. You could tell she just felt so loved, she is already a part of the ward and people comment on how much she has changed. Being new to this area I have not been priviledged to see her growth but I do see her at this late stage and plainly she looks like a member, she has that brightness in her countenance.

     Another investigator we were really focusing on getting there was Melissa. She lost power in her home this last week and though she wants to learn we can't really teach her at the moment since she is temporarily living with a friend out of our area. We prayed to know if we should pass her and have her taught in that area but for now we have been instructed to continue forward and keep working with what we have and not pass her. Anyway, the day of the party she called us and said she was dropping off her friend's child and gave the adress of her friend's home so she could get a ride (she was using her friend's car so she couldn't drive herself to the party). So we arranged for a ride to meet her at her friend's home but it fell through as not only her friend's car died while she was driving home but her phone died too so attempts to call her and find out where she was were in vain. Funny how that works, the advasary works so hard to keep people from going to things. They are so golden though. They really want to learn more, and they feel the Spirit so strong. We want them to be taught so much but perhaps her friend's home is not a good environment for that and thus the Lord doesn't wish us to pass her just yet. We do not know, we trust the Lord has a plan though and are seeking to follow it as best we can through dilligence and personal revelation.

      Our numbers are still low but we are seeing a change in the ward, the less actives in the ward are progressing in activity and testimony and our Bishop is doing better, he is on his feet again after his surgery and you can see the difference it makes. We divide our efforts between seeking new investigators (we have trouble meeting with the few investigators we have despite our best efforts) and strengthening this ward. The ward has recently been merged and during that transition time many people faded away, now it is healing and we are doing our best to help and seek out and support those who have a desire to come back, they just know not how.

I hope you are doing well and I love you so much.

Take care and feel better.

Merry Christmas, have a wonderful Christmas Season

Alyssa

Dec 17, 2012

     OH I AM SO HAPPY I THOUGHT SOMETHING HORRIBLE HAD HAPPENED TO YOU WHEN YOU DIDN'T WRITE FOR SO LONG! I TRIED NOT TO WORRY BUT IT DIDN'T WORK I KEPT THINKING OF YOU! That is why someone from the mission tried to call you, I got word a couple days ago that you were fine. I'm glad to know it was just internet malfunction. Sounds like lots of things are going wrong. I love you and I'm praying for you a lot. Do not worry about the Christmas present stuff. If I get it in Febuary I don't mind. I know you love me and I love you, that is all that matters really ^_^

     I'm glad Cameron is better and I'm praying for him too. History and English are hard, just keep helping him with homework and praying and it will work out. I have a firm testimony that when we ask with true faith He will give to us. The most repeated phrase in the scriptures is 'ask and ye shall recieve'. I am gaining a more and more powerful testimony of that on my mission for I have seen so many prayers answered. I am learning how to pray with great faith. One thing that helped was when my companion taught me a little spanish (She is a spanish speaking sister as I think I have told you). In spanish the word for Hope is Esperanza, which means to wait. Faith is a hope for things not seen, and when you hope for something it should not be tentative 'oh but only if the Lord wills it' it should be waiting with a certainty that it will happen, just in His time. You move forward certain that what you have asked for is good and so you will recieve as He has promised. It has changed me as a missionary and a person. I am praying with greater faith and have seen mighty miracles because of that, all that changed was my outlook and yet many many miracles have come because it and I have gained a greater closeness and trust in the Lord my God.

     Oh, right, my point. Just keep praying with faith and the Lord will open up a way for Cameron to succeed and that you both can be healed and taken care of. Just have faith and keep going, seek to increase your faith and it will get better. I know it for I have seen it. Please be happy. I love you a lot and things will be okay, don't let your heart be troubled, the Lord will open a way just trust Him. I am praying for you and He has promised me He will take care of you, I know you will be okay.

     This week has been really busy, we have had a lot of meetings and a missionary Christmas party because our mission President wants us to be proselyting on Christmas day. Again and again this week we have showed up at just the right time for people. The Lord has been leading us one step at a time and we have been able to speak His words to His children. I know they were His words for the power they had. As a missionary you often say and speak not knowing what to say or what you are getting out but by the response of the listeners you realize that what you said was exactly what they needed to hear, those words were not from you, you did not know what they needed, but those words were given to you to speak so that they could feel their Father's love and know how they could take the next step in their lives.

I love you a lot, Merry Christmas

Alyssa

My New Area

Nov 26, 2012

     My new companion is awesome. We really get along well and we have talked about tons of stuff already and really enjoy talking. We both find the other easy to talk to and have opened up a lot. She is also really patient because I have been sick and its been making the work struggle some because I have to rest a lot :( VERY UNFUN! I hate being sick on the mission, you feel so useless just lying in bed especially knowing you have been called By God to Preach His Gospel and right now you aren't doing it because you are sick. It makes me feel like a whiner but when I first got sick I ignored it and kept pushing forward for four or so days and just got sicker and sicker so I have to rest so I can get better but its driving me CRAZY.
      As for Googly he won't haunt me, except maybe as a guardian angel Eggplant of awesome? I don't know, do eggplants have souls? Anyway, he won't haunt me because I allowed him to fill the measure of his creation, which was to be eaten with great joy. He was delicious ^_^
      There is this amazing man in my new ward named Brother Bland. One of the Sisters in the ward fainted during church and everyone freaked out except him (He is a paramedic) and he just told everyone "oh she just needs the priesthood" and gave her a blessing, then he calmly began taking her vitals and doing as his training instructed. I am in awe of the faith of this Brother and I want to be more like him, to have the faith to neither doubt nor fear in moments of crisis.
     I'm sad your Thanksgiving was less than ideal, at least you and Rufus had fun. Agility props are those things you have the dogs jump over? Are you going to train him to be a show dog in his old age? ARE YOU DEFYING THE LAWS OF CONVENTION BY TEACHING AN OLD DOG NEW TRICKS!?! O:

I'm so proud of you :3   I'm glad the ward made you a thanksgiving kit, and turkey is awesome, especially in our family, I hope you will be eating turkey sandwiches until you hate turkey. And Turkey soup too! I miss cooking and I try to eat lots of fruits and vegetables. Its harder to get organic food here but I just try for simple stuff and wash it really well and we often get organic spinach.

     I got a priesthood blessing for my sickness too (since I've been so sick) and I was told that the Lord wanted me to be well. Its been a bit frustrating because I am doing what I can and the Lord wants me to be well so I tend to feel like that must mean the reason I'm not well yet is because I do not have enough faith. I try not to think like that but sometimes it is hard.

      I never really know what to write. And besides, not much to write about this week since I've been sick. Thank you so much for telling me about everyone and everything, it really cheers me up.

 

 

Dec 3, 2012

 

     Janessa and Eddie sent me a box O.O its amazing. And full of junk food ha ha. They are so awesome. I feel so loved by everyone. And its funny because before that started I was feeling huge love for everyone, its just amazing to have it come back too. I'm not sure if I'm explain this very well. On a mission you really learn how to love others so much. Also especially near the beginning I was just praying every day that I would be able to love the people more and more, that I could feel a part of His love for them and it has really happened. My heart is full of love and I love the people here in my new area so much and all my companions and EVERYONE! My greatest sorrow is when people choose to do what is wrong because I can see the sorrow and pain it brings them, and I know and can see how the blessings of the Lord withdraw from their lives. Its so sad! But anyway, I don't have a lot of time. I am doing well and things are getting better. Everyone in my new area is awesome. 

     I finally got better. Funnily enough every time we had to stay in because I had to rest we had planned to go down this one road and were not able to, so on Saturday we finally went to that road going to meet a referral we had gotten. It was so cool, we went in and visited this family and asked if they would like us to leave a blessing on their home, they said they would love that. As representatives of the Lord Jesus Christ, called and set appart by revelation, we have the authority to leave blessings on any home that will recieve us, just as prophets and others chosen of God in times recorded in the scriptures; so we asked 'if Christ was here right now, what would you ask Him for help with?' and they told us a couple things. We then prayed to the blessing of their home. The Spirit was so strong. The mother and her daughter were crying when the prayer was over, the daughter was too overcome to speak when we asked her how she was feeling. As it was a perfect opportunity we taught a little about prayer and the Holy Ghost. We asked if we could come again and they wanted us to. It was amazing really, it was such a powerful experience and as we were walking away Sister Waldron pointed out how we had planned to come to this road every day for the whole time I was sick, she had always felt we needed to get here. I joked that I must have been so sick because Satan was trying to keep us from finding this wonderful family to teach them, and that now since we had found them I would be well. Thing is, I have been strong enough and well enough to do all the missionary work of each day since that minute.
      A mission is such a powerful thing, you develop such a close relationship with God, you must rely on Him so much and you see Him work mighty miracles all around you everyday. Its incredible. There is nothing else like it, and in the chaos, confusion, and hardship of this life I see why the Lord calls us to do this work that we might have the strength to overcome all that is marshalled against us.

     I love you a lot. I hope you are feeling better and Cam says you figured out what was wrong so now he can get better yay! Take care, have fun, eat lots of birds and be safe.

Alyssa