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

 

 

I will miss it here so much!

Nov 19, 2012

Bill and Rosa
are the ones in the middle
from at his baptism
two months ago









 this is Summer at her baptism!                                           The amazing Pam and Bishop
     I LOVE HER SO MUCH                                                        at her baptism

  

                            



   Kelsie, she is so awesome.

 Jessie (Jessica) and Jeremy have the sweetest testimonies I have ever heard.      








     This week has been pretty cool. I don't know if I told you before but China has been opened. It is not officially announced but there are many people receiving calls to go to China. This is such an exciting time.

     We also got an amazing new investigator named Stefani. She loves the church and she feels the spirit so strongly. Its amazing, we will just get a feeling to say something and after we say it she gets really happy and excited and talks about how true it is. She is so prepared. Also Rosa who we were working with for a long time before we passed her to the Spanish missionaries now knows the Book of Mormon is true! Its so exciting! Her testimony is growing and knowing the Book of Mormon is true is the biggest and most crucial step because if you know the Book of Mormon is true, you know that Jesus is the Christ, the Savior and Redeemer of all mankind, that Joseph Smith was a true prophet, and that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter day Saints is Christ's restored church once again on earth. She has a witness of the spirit that the Book of Mormon is true, it took her a long time, and it may take her a while to understand and receive a witness of the rest but she will get there because the Book of Mormon will get her there. The Spirit and the Book of Mormon are the two most crucial tools in conversion to the Gospel of Jesus Christ and she has both working for her.

     We also were led to visit this one family, the mother has a heart problem and had surgery a month and a half ago and we were visiting to see if we could help but she immediately started talking about how much she wanted to share the gospel with her neighbors who she loved. We helped her figure out what she wanted to say and how to say it and Sister Fine felt prompted to suggest she go over right then and that wonderful woman did and her friends want to learn more about the Church. I am amazed at the willingness of the people here to serve and share the gospel. They have such great faith.

     On the funner side of things we were able to help out a member by dipping truffles for Young Women's in Excellence. It was really fun and Sister Fine made them really pretty with drizzling some chocolate lines on the top. Also I got a haircut, my hair is short now, well longer than shoulder length but it feels so short. Its really cute though. I am also getting transferred  after being in the same area for 6 months I am being sent to another place. I will miss it here so much! The people will be sad to see me go and I am sad to go but I know the Lord has other work for me to do. I just found out this morning, hopefully I will be able to see everyone else before its too late. Luckily I was already able to see Chelsea last night and we have plans to see a bunch of other people we love tons. I felt like I received a lot of revelation of things to do to help those I care most about here, I suppose I should have known that I was going to leave because the Lord was giving me His last messages to give them before I moved on.

     Also just a while ago I saw an Elder Shorter. No kidding. And there is an Elder Bishop and Elder Cash and Elder Money. I am finding the coolest last names here on my mission. Lots of cool names period. I really love my mission, the people here are amazing. I am getting transferred though, that makes me really sad to leave these people behind but I have faith that the Lord knows where I am needed most and that I will meet many new and amazing wonderful people as time goes on.

The Fate of Googly

 Nov 13, 2012





what happened to Googly








            Poor Googly

     Sorry we didn't have P-day yesterday, instead it was today and so I didn't get a chance to write until today. Instead yesterday we had an amazing Zone Conference where Stanley G. Elis of the Seventy spoke to us. He is amazing and I learned a lot from his talks. I want to be a better missionary. I have a long way to go still, especially in faith. I need to grow more in faith and be more earnest in prayer and ask for more and more and more. As it says in the scriptures, ask and ye shall receive, knock and it shall be opened unto you. I need to do more asking and knocking. Sister Fine got a lot of revelation as what we should do for our investigators. It was fantastic. She is truly an incredible missionary.

     The end is hastening. New signs especially being the HUGE increase of missionaries, they are predicting that 35 thousand new missionaries will go out between the time of conference and the end of the year and when I went out there was a total of 56 thousand out in the world so in just a couple months the number will almost double and though it is unannounced China has been opened for missionary work. There are a lot of people here who were or know people who have been called to a mission in China. The Lord is hastening the work and also how the General Authorities asked all the names to be released, all those who have found names in Genealogy and have them reserved are to release them to temples, get the work done as quickly as possible. How incredible! The time we have is drawing to a close. The Lord has heard our prayers and is hastening the Second Coming  now I often pray that we will have the strength to do our part.

     We had an amazing week, we took three of our recent converts to the temple on Wednesday to do baptisms for the dead and each of them brought names of those they loved and had been close to while they were alive. One girl was even baptized for her mother and Jeremy for his father. He was shaking during the confirmations. The spirit was so powerful you would not believe it. I really love you and miss you. I hope you are doing well. Write me when you have some time. Our recent convert Pam has recently returned (Though she is leaving again soon) from New Mexico. She was confirmed on September 30th and we hadn't seen her since, and while she was in New Mexico she gave away over 30 more Book of Mormons and was holding cottage meetings with all the ranch families in her area. There are no missionaries out where she was, its too podunk, so Sister Fine joked that God just said, "well I cant get any missionaries out there right now so I guess I'll just send Pam to bring them the Gospel." Its awesome. She is amazing and she says she has to mark at least one copy of the Book of Mormon every day just to keep up with how many she gives out. Pretty much everyone she comes and talks to and they pour out all their troubles to her and she shows them something that she knows can help. As she says she can't be so selfish as to keep this to herself, it is too wonderful and she wants to share it with everyone she comes in contact with. She is an excellent example for all of us.

     It suddenly got cold on Friday  freezing cold. Sister Fine is super cold but the Lord has blessed me and I am still going around most of the time in short sleeves and not feeling overly cold. Also we got to help people clear a tree that was downed in a windstorm, it was an Eucalyptus tree and so we smelled really good and it made me think of the wind storms at home and it always feels good to work with my hands.

     I do tend to keep Sister Fine laughing so hard she can't speak sometimes. For example we were walking the other day and we saw a driveway with grass coming up from every crack and most definitely orange, so we joked that it was a plague. I said it was Para-Auto-Insured Nomenclature Typhoid, also known as PAINT, basically making up any words that would fit. She laughed so hard. Then later that day we talked about it again and she said it needed to have something after Typhoid, it didn't sound right, but I said that would mess up the letters and then, and only then, did she realize that I had set it up to be an acronym and laughed so hard she could hardly drive and certainly couldn't speak. It was awesome.
    

Our friend Googly

Nov 5, 2012

     Missionary work is hard, it really drains you. It is so wonderful though. This is the best thing anyone could ever be doing with their time really. Not just teaching those who aren't part of the church but strengthening those who have become weakened, just helping people and teaching them of Christ. The Lord has really blessed me that I do not suffer too much from the summer's heat or from the sudden rapid cool down. Its now about 50 degrees in the mornings and in the seventies for the high point with cold cold wind. Sister Fine has a hard time with the sudden chill but I am still walking around in short sleeves for the most part, outside anyway. I think its because I don't try to fight the cold that my body is adapting so much better. The Lord is truly blessing me.



 I got a bit of a taste of home this week. We went to this lady's house and when we asked her if we could help her with anything she had us help her in her garden picking inchworms and hookworms and killing aphids on her plants. She has a nice little garden in her backyard an the hookworms were huge and amazing and eating all the leaves. They hang on upside down and as they grow larger they are harder and harder to get off, they have little suction feet thingies like geckos. After we helped her she gave us an eggplant from her bush. It was nice and since it was Halloween that day we glued little googly eyes on it, so it had a cute little face. We named him Googly and he was our mascot on Halloween in our trunk at the trunk or treat.



     Halloween was fun, we volunteered to do a trunk at one of our wards and handed out candy. Some of the candy we had stuck pass along cards to with our number on it and we tried to give a pass along carded candy to each of the kids who we did not recognize (so probably not members) but we couldn't make enough cards. There were so many people at the trunk or treat from the ward and from the neighborhoods. We probably gave away 200 or so pass along cards. We had high hopes of getting calls, we put a lot out there in faith and you never know how the Lord will work, but as yet it has not yielded anything we can see, only time will tell though, it might not yield fruit till years later when some mom is cleaning out her garage and finds a card with a picture of Christ on it all old and battered and feeling pricked in her heart picks it up and calls to get a free video about Christ or calls the missionaries just to see if the number is still existing. That's another thing I have learned on my mission, from Preach my Gospel actually, No effort is wasted. Even if we do not see the good that comes of our actions the Lord knows our works and He is the only one that sees all and knows where the ripples will be felt.



     The trunk or treat was really awesome though. Sister Fine and I dressed up as each other (switched hairstyles and clothing styles and name tags, and I even gave her my old pair of glasses with the lenses out) being about as extreme of costumes as you can do as a missionary. The Trunk or Treat was actually just a small part of one of our wards' Halloween party which started with a chili cook off (with at least 30 entries) and pie contest (tons of pie) as well as plenty of rolls, corn bread, some cake, soda, hot dogs  and popcorn. Then there were tons of games near the trunk or treat area and face-painting and karaoke and a picture booth (pictures to be developed and delivered to your home at a later date coincidentally by missionaries) and a table about emergency preparedness and food storage and also, because the Beverly Glen ward does nothing halfway, pony rides. Basically we had everything plus one at the party. It was wonderful but exhausting. Really really exhausting. Our trunk was awesome though, we borrowed some decorations from one of our members and made it really cool looking (going to try to send you a picture) with a witch and cool Halloween garland things and battery powered candles that flicker like a real candle and of course Googly. We also were given tons of candy by different members to pass out and we still ran out, kids kept going through again and again though. It was really fun and we did meet a few people and it helped some of our recent converts and less actives and others we have been working with. I didn't get any candy though really, not that I should be eating sugar anyway.

    
     Life is good. Missionarying is hard but worthwhile. We only have two investigators at the moment so we are really focusing on helping solidify our recent converts. Some of them are weakening so we are trying to strengthen them so they do not fall away. Right now one of our big pushes is getting them started on genealogy. There is this really cool statistic. If you get a recent convert to the temple to do baptisms in the first two months after their own baptism the lifelong retention rate is something like 20% (don't remember this number well) but if you get them there in that time and have them do work for some of their own names the rate goes over 80%. Its awesome, we are trying to infect all of them with the spirit of Elijah. And it seems that I am being inadvertently infected also. I want to seek out my ancestors, too.