-Quote by a minister I met at a gas station. I actually laughed out loud when he said it...then realized he wasn't totally kidding. But he’s a very good man who’s spending his life trying to bring people to Christ. We were buddies by the end of the chat. Unfortunately...I’m still a heathen. :)
THE ELDERS
No, not as in the missionaries…as in a family. This is the one I told you about where we found them tracting and she’s a member of the Church (but hasn’t gone for several years). So we were teaching them and the husband is pretty not interested at this time but it was amazing to watch the wife as we taught. She was so precious. She was getting really into it. You could see all the things she learned growing up coming back to her. She would get really excited when we were teaching something and if her husband wasn’t getting what we were saying she’d jump in and excitedly explain all about what the Holy Ghost feels like or how the Book of Mormon is the testimony of all these different prophets. At the end, he was overloaded and she was on fire. He was just kinda sitting there stunned from everything we’d told him about and she was all ready to get back to church. She slaps him hard in the leg and shouts excitedly, “Don’t you want to be sealed?!?” He didn’t know quite what to think of that. :) But it was so dang cool to watch it come back to her and to see her desire to be sealed (or united) for time and all eternity in a temple of the Lord. I love that family. They made it to church on Sunday and hopefully they’ll make it again! :)
AMAZING MEMBERS
I’m continually meeting people who are such good examples and I have to store it away in my brain so I can be like that when I’m a “regular” person again. :) This time it was a 16-yr old boy—Sammy Boice. We were eating dinner there and shared a thought from Alma 26 about bringing people from the darkness of the adversary into the marvelous light of God. It talks about how they will then be His and will be in His hands and will not be beaten down but the storms and fierce winds of the adversary (really cool chapter—read it). We finish the whole thing and he just says quietly, “whoa.” Then we were talking about who they’d like us to go visit. (This is something that’s often intimidating as members of the Church to have the missionaries go and visit your friends because even though you want so badly for them to hear these things and have these blessings, it’s easy to worry about offending them or silly things like that.) Anyway, Sammy’s response was, “if you could visit my friend Brian over there and Jenny two doors down, that’d be REALLY cool.” Wow. Who’s that stoked about the missionaries visiting their friends. We tend to be so nervous and have such a lack of faith. This kid blew me away. I hope to always have that kind of excitement to share the gospel.
ANGIE
We met a really cool lady tracting. We asked her what she knew about the Book of Mormon and she said, “not much, all I know is it’s another testament of Jesus Christ.” Ha! A+. Nicely done. She said she’s seen the commercials. She was way cool. She talked about how God’s really been leading her lately and how she just recently came to understand that she can pray specifically about things she needs (instead of just assuming the Lord already knows) and how that’s changed things. We told her all about the Book of Mormon and a prophet today and praying to know if it’s true. She was totally getting it. Then we asked her that when the Lord tells her these things are true, will she be baptized. She said a very bold “Yes!” Usually when you initially discuss baptism, they have concerns like (in the South anyway) “but I’ve already been baptized” so you work to resolve their concerns and teach them why it’s so important. But when she answered with her confident “yes” we were both just like, “uh…well…great!” Then she’s like “if that’s what God wants me to do, how stupid would I be not to?” Man, if only we all had that attitude. Anyway, we should be seeing her tomorrow. She’s a champ.
Alrighty, things are going well. We’re assuming I’ll stay in Canton til the end of my time here. Transfers are March 5 though and you never know. But I love it here and the people. Keep praying for the missionary efforts around the world and helping in whatever ways the Lord would have you in your own areas of influence because that’s the inspired pattern of how missionary work is to be.
Thanks for all the letters/emails/updates.
Catch you later!
--Sis C
Wednesday, February 27, 2008
Wednesday, February 20, 2008
"This is better than food....It's the food you don't never get full of...."
Quote from Lavern in reference to the word of God. :)
I’M A REAL MISSIONARY!
So I’m happy to announce that within a matter of 24 hours I arrived at my ½-way mark and also got bit by a dog!!!! :) Yes! I’m legit now! :) It was the funniest thing. We went to drop by this house to meet this family in the ward nobody knew. The doormat said—in this cutesy font—“The dog don’t take kindly to strangers.” We laughed at the cute little doormat and proceeded to knock on the door. Have I mentioned that EVERYONE owns dogs in GA? No joke. Typically multiple dogs. So we think little of it. We were invited in by a fairly incapacitated elderly couple. There were 3 yippy dogs and I squatted down to help them get to know me and to calm them down, just as the older lady was slowly saying, “now that one bites…” Haha! Too late. He totally got me in the wrist and the leg. Blood, bruising, and everything. He even made a hole in Sis. B’s skirt I was borrowing. It was amazing. He had these creepy little fangs. Anyway, so that couple wasn’t quite coherent enough to make them worry about it so we just waited until we got to the next house we were going to so I could let the mom there nurse me back to health and tell me how to tell if the dog gives me some weird disease. It was hilarious.
FRIGHT OR FLIGHT
So two stories:We were tracting this sketchy curvy road with no sidewalk (sidewalks are exceptionally rare here) and just as we were crossing, Sis. B thought a car was coming and started scampering across the road. I then thought a car was coming too but decided it was quicker to turn back so I started running the other way. We did this crazy little do-see-do type thing in the middle of the road and would’ve been in big trouble if there actually had been a car cause we were running into each other more than away from anything. Resulted in hysterical, doubled-over laughter in the middle of the street. Good times.
Story 2: The winter has been very mild and of course we’re still in great need of rain. One night there were warnings of severe storms and we were supposed to be making our way to a house that was really far and up windy, steep roads (like more of GA). It was Sundays and on Sundays we have “Spartan Sundays” which means we don’t go back to the apt for meals or anything. We stay out all day and everywhere we go is based around teaching and finding so we also don’t go to member’s houses. It’s really neat. So the rain started POURING down just as we were heading to the appt. and it was the same night there were tornado warnings. We could’ve gone back home to hide out until the weather got better but we really didn’t feel like that was what we were supposed to do. It was really imp to us that we get to the appt so we said a prayer that the rain would let up just enough for us to be able to see and drive there safely or that we would know through the Spirit if we weren’t supposed to drive up there. Before the prayer was over the rain lightened just enough and for the rest of the night, the roads were safe. Just a little example of how the Lord looks over us. :) (Of course, that was the same night as the dog bite, but I’ll take the blame for that one!)
MELANIE
Another story about her just cause she’s amazing. We’ve been playing phone tag lately and the last thing we heard from her was a message saying she had some pretty big concerns so call her back. We were worried, naturally, because more often than not the people we teach here come into contact with very false information that leads them away from the Church. So we were praying hard that we’d get the opportunity to resolve her concern. We finally got a hold of her last night and she just had a concern about something that can so easily be explained through understanding the Atonement of Jesus Christ and that it’s meant to provide salvation to ALL men. She asked us for scriptures she could look up that would help her understand what she was worried about and she told us she wanted to meet with us two nights in a row so she could make sure she understood and would have time to ask us all her questions. What a blessing! She’s so dang cool! I was so impressed she knew to go to the scriptures and to us. She’s making leaps and bounds! I’m so excited for her.
VALENTINE’S DAY—MISSIONARY STYLE
So this V-day Melanie invited us to some fancy-schmancy dinner at the place she worked. We went cause we were hoping to be able to get to know her husband more. Turns out she and John didn’t intend on sitting with us and we were almost eating by ourselves (a big waste of time from a missionary perspective) but we invited this other random couple at a table next to us to join us. So we ended up eating with complete strangers and discussing missions and the gospel of Jesus Christ over fine dining. It was so random and cool. I was grateful that the Lord provided us with an awesome teaching experience.
SMALL MIRACLES
All-in-all it’s going great. I love to see the amazing miracles the Lord puts in our path every day. There’s always something where it times out just perfectly so we can catch someone for the 5 minutes that they’re home all day or that we can find them in the first place. Our friend who we’ve been teaching is going through a divorce and moved out of her house. All we knew was she moved somewhere in this subdivision of 1000 houses. No joke. It’s huge. So a few days later we decided to look up some old investigators and see if they were interested in resuming the discussions. We went to this house to see if they still lived there and we ended up talking to this way cool guy who had just moved in with his girlfriend and her best friend. And guess who the best friend was!!! That’s right! Our friend April who we’d lost contact with. What are the odds? I love it!Yeah, so things are going great. Only 2 months left here. Crazy. Transfers and March 5 and then I’ll know if I’ll spend my full 6 months in Canton or if I’ll go somewhere new for 6 weeks. Crazy.
Alrighty, thanks for everything, once again. Always keep making goals and striving to be better. Any time we are striving to improve, we are drawing closer to the Lord.
--sis c
I’M A REAL MISSIONARY!
So I’m happy to announce that within a matter of 24 hours I arrived at my ½-way mark and also got bit by a dog!!!! :) Yes! I’m legit now! :) It was the funniest thing. We went to drop by this house to meet this family in the ward nobody knew. The doormat said—in this cutesy font—“The dog don’t take kindly to strangers.” We laughed at the cute little doormat and proceeded to knock on the door. Have I mentioned that EVERYONE owns dogs in GA? No joke. Typically multiple dogs. So we think little of it. We were invited in by a fairly incapacitated elderly couple. There were 3 yippy dogs and I squatted down to help them get to know me and to calm them down, just as the older lady was slowly saying, “now that one bites…” Haha! Too late. He totally got me in the wrist and the leg. Blood, bruising, and everything. He even made a hole in Sis. B’s skirt I was borrowing. It was amazing. He had these creepy little fangs. Anyway, so that couple wasn’t quite coherent enough to make them worry about it so we just waited until we got to the next house we were going to so I could let the mom there nurse me back to health and tell me how to tell if the dog gives me some weird disease. It was hilarious.
FRIGHT OR FLIGHT
So two stories:We were tracting this sketchy curvy road with no sidewalk (sidewalks are exceptionally rare here) and just as we were crossing, Sis. B thought a car was coming and started scampering across the road. I then thought a car was coming too but decided it was quicker to turn back so I started running the other way. We did this crazy little do-see-do type thing in the middle of the road and would’ve been in big trouble if there actually had been a car cause we were running into each other more than away from anything. Resulted in hysterical, doubled-over laughter in the middle of the street. Good times.
Story 2: The winter has been very mild and of course we’re still in great need of rain. One night there were warnings of severe storms and we were supposed to be making our way to a house that was really far and up windy, steep roads (like more of GA). It was Sundays and on Sundays we have “Spartan Sundays” which means we don’t go back to the apt for meals or anything. We stay out all day and everywhere we go is based around teaching and finding so we also don’t go to member’s houses. It’s really neat. So the rain started POURING down just as we were heading to the appt. and it was the same night there were tornado warnings. We could’ve gone back home to hide out until the weather got better but we really didn’t feel like that was what we were supposed to do. It was really imp to us that we get to the appt so we said a prayer that the rain would let up just enough for us to be able to see and drive there safely or that we would know through the Spirit if we weren’t supposed to drive up there. Before the prayer was over the rain lightened just enough and for the rest of the night, the roads were safe. Just a little example of how the Lord looks over us. :) (Of course, that was the same night as the dog bite, but I’ll take the blame for that one!)
MELANIE
Another story about her just cause she’s amazing. We’ve been playing phone tag lately and the last thing we heard from her was a message saying she had some pretty big concerns so call her back. We were worried, naturally, because more often than not the people we teach here come into contact with very false information that leads them away from the Church. So we were praying hard that we’d get the opportunity to resolve her concern. We finally got a hold of her last night and she just had a concern about something that can so easily be explained through understanding the Atonement of Jesus Christ and that it’s meant to provide salvation to ALL men. She asked us for scriptures she could look up that would help her understand what she was worried about and she told us she wanted to meet with us two nights in a row so she could make sure she understood and would have time to ask us all her questions. What a blessing! She’s so dang cool! I was so impressed she knew to go to the scriptures and to us. She’s making leaps and bounds! I’m so excited for her.
VALENTINE’S DAY—MISSIONARY STYLE
So this V-day Melanie invited us to some fancy-schmancy dinner at the place she worked. We went cause we were hoping to be able to get to know her husband more. Turns out she and John didn’t intend on sitting with us and we were almost eating by ourselves (a big waste of time from a missionary perspective) but we invited this other random couple at a table next to us to join us. So we ended up eating with complete strangers and discussing missions and the gospel of Jesus Christ over fine dining. It was so random and cool. I was grateful that the Lord provided us with an awesome teaching experience.
SMALL MIRACLES
All-in-all it’s going great. I love to see the amazing miracles the Lord puts in our path every day. There’s always something where it times out just perfectly so we can catch someone for the 5 minutes that they’re home all day or that we can find them in the first place. Our friend who we’ve been teaching is going through a divorce and moved out of her house. All we knew was she moved somewhere in this subdivision of 1000 houses. No joke. It’s huge. So a few days later we decided to look up some old investigators and see if they were interested in resuming the discussions. We went to this house to see if they still lived there and we ended up talking to this way cool guy who had just moved in with his girlfriend and her best friend. And guess who the best friend was!!! That’s right! Our friend April who we’d lost contact with. What are the odds? I love it!Yeah, so things are going great. Only 2 months left here. Crazy. Transfers and March 5 and then I’ll know if I’ll spend my full 6 months in Canton or if I’ll go somewhere new for 6 weeks. Crazy.
Alrighty, thanks for everything, once again. Always keep making goals and striving to be better. Any time we are striving to improve, we are drawing closer to the Lord.
--sis c
Wednesday, February 13, 2008
Nothing happens overnight. If it did, it wouldn't have taken 6 days for Christ to make the earth.
Subj: From Randall, one of the inmates we’re teaching. So profound. I know that he’s right. Change doesn’t happen overnight. I think it’s cool to think of all of the miraculous things that God COULD make happen but He loves us enough to have us work for them.Ok, not much time to write…So we’ve had lots of little miracles and of course a few disappointments to go along with it.
LOST AND FOUND
One cool thing…we prayed about where to go tracting and decided to go to one part of one cul-de-sac. (In a subdivision that has over 1000 houses in it. Yes. We get lost every time we go in there. I’ll be navigating and say, “now take your sixth left, follow by your third right, and then your forth left.” And the street signs are black. Yes, black. Anyway…) So we were tracting and there were all these painters painting a house and I was worried cause I didn’t know how we’d decide which painter to talk to or whatever. Then by the time we got to the house there was a lady outside supervising who I thought was like the head painter lady. Turns out she was the owner of the house (who we would’ve assumed didn’t even live there) but she’d just come out long enough to check her mail. She’d moved in a couple of years ago from LV. I figured she’d know who Mormons were because she lived out west. We introduced ourselves and I said “we’re members of The Church of Jesus Christ…” and she said, “I am too!” She’s LDS and her husband’s not. She’d never tried to find a ward out here though cause she just figured there wasn’t one close by in the South. I informed her that yes there definitely was and that about a third of them lived in her subdivision. She was really excited about it.The Lord has blessed us with a lot of part-member families we’ve been finding. At zone conference Elder Zwick talked a lot about that and how imperative it is that we help them realize all of the blessings that the Lord wants to give them and since then, we’ve found many!
MELANIE
Melanie is moving along so very well. She always tells us she needs to take it slow and initially she was telling us how she doesn’t like the missionaries to call or check up on her every day or every couple days or whatever so we’ve been very aware of that. (Usually we try to touch base often because they come up against opposition often too). Since we’ve started teaching her she’s been calling US instead to basically bear her testimony to us over the phone. It’s awesome. She’s trying to stop smoking and she told us yesterday that she took a 20-min break at work and instead of going to smoke, she went and read her scriptures. She also said she emailed her brother-in-law who’s on a mission and told him all about how she knows in her heart that everything the missionaries are teaching her is true. She said she told him that cause she hoped it would energize him and remind him not to give up on anyone. What the?! Precious! We love her! Lots of prayers are being answered right now for that family. :)
Not much else to report. One of my new favorite scriptures though, and I’ll leave it with you in light of V-day…(if I’ve already shared it in an email, oh well. It’s still valid. :) )2 Nephi 26:24“He doeth not anything save it be for the benefit of the world; for he loveth the world, even that he layeth down his own life that he may draw all men unto him. Wherefore, he commandeth none that they shall not partake of his salvation.”I leave you with my testimony that I know that Jesus Christ is the Savior of the world. I know that He loves each of us with an incomprehensible love. Because of this love, He gave us commandments and a place on earth where we would experience opposition and have to prove ourselves worthy. It is this same love, though, that provides the way back and the means by which we can have peace and strength daily and for eternity.The best way you can show you appreciate this love is by sharing it with others.
I love you all!
sis c
LOST AND FOUND
One cool thing…we prayed about where to go tracting and decided to go to one part of one cul-de-sac. (In a subdivision that has over 1000 houses in it. Yes. We get lost every time we go in there. I’ll be navigating and say, “now take your sixth left, follow by your third right, and then your forth left.” And the street signs are black. Yes, black. Anyway…) So we were tracting and there were all these painters painting a house and I was worried cause I didn’t know how we’d decide which painter to talk to or whatever. Then by the time we got to the house there was a lady outside supervising who I thought was like the head painter lady. Turns out she was the owner of the house (who we would’ve assumed didn’t even live there) but she’d just come out long enough to check her mail. She’d moved in a couple of years ago from LV. I figured she’d know who Mormons were because she lived out west. We introduced ourselves and I said “we’re members of The Church of Jesus Christ…” and she said, “I am too!” She’s LDS and her husband’s not. She’d never tried to find a ward out here though cause she just figured there wasn’t one close by in the South. I informed her that yes there definitely was and that about a third of them lived in her subdivision. She was really excited about it.The Lord has blessed us with a lot of part-member families we’ve been finding. At zone conference Elder Zwick talked a lot about that and how imperative it is that we help them realize all of the blessings that the Lord wants to give them and since then, we’ve found many!
MELANIE
Melanie is moving along so very well. She always tells us she needs to take it slow and initially she was telling us how she doesn’t like the missionaries to call or check up on her every day or every couple days or whatever so we’ve been very aware of that. (Usually we try to touch base often because they come up against opposition often too). Since we’ve started teaching her she’s been calling US instead to basically bear her testimony to us over the phone. It’s awesome. She’s trying to stop smoking and she told us yesterday that she took a 20-min break at work and instead of going to smoke, she went and read her scriptures. She also said she emailed her brother-in-law who’s on a mission and told him all about how she knows in her heart that everything the missionaries are teaching her is true. She said she told him that cause she hoped it would energize him and remind him not to give up on anyone. What the?! Precious! We love her! Lots of prayers are being answered right now for that family. :)
Not much else to report. One of my new favorite scriptures though, and I’ll leave it with you in light of V-day…(if I’ve already shared it in an email, oh well. It’s still valid. :) )2 Nephi 26:24“He doeth not anything save it be for the benefit of the world; for he loveth the world, even that he layeth down his own life that he may draw all men unto him. Wherefore, he commandeth none that they shall not partake of his salvation.”I leave you with my testimony that I know that Jesus Christ is the Savior of the world. I know that He loves each of us with an incomprehensible love. Because of this love, He gave us commandments and a place on earth where we would experience opposition and have to prove ourselves worthy. It is this same love, though, that provides the way back and the means by which we can have peace and strength daily and for eternity.The best way you can show you appreciate this love is by sharing it with others.
I love you all!
sis c
Wednesday, January 30, 2008
I'm not coming, girl.
Subj line: Imagine Brooklyn accent this time instead of Southern. This is our neighbor Barbara who said we should come over anytime for coffee, but not to discuss religion because she was raised one way and, well, she’s not coming. :) She’s awesome. I had a fun time imagining her imagining me dragging her by the arm into the font. :)
SIS B
So can I tell you how much I love my companion?! They’re all good, of course, but it’s fun to have one that you’re just very much the same. We discovered that we’re both EXACTLY 5 feet tall and left-handed. What are the chances? She’s very hard-working and likes get things done. We have tons of fun together.
DIANA
K so there’s this nursing home we sing at every so often and we’ve got lots of friends there. We were in visiting Harold before Sis S left and she got really light-headed and almost fainted and had to sit down. So they called in a couple nurses to check on her. One I’d never seen before. She was about our age and seemed really cute and genuine. She was way cool. I decided to seize the day (once we knew Sis Sinclair was ok) and tell her a little about www.mormon.org and to check it out and that it was amazing. A couple days later we get a referral that a 20-yr old girl had ordered a Book of Mormon and Bible. We go to drop it off and guess who opens the door!! Yahoo! It was Diana. She is AMAZING. I can’t explain how prepared she is. I had just been telling Sis B earlier that you can really tell when someone is understanding the message we bring because beyond just feeling the Spirit they’re like, “whoa! That’s amazing! There’s a prophet on the earth! There’s an ancient record of Christ’s appearance to the people in the Americas? This is awesome! I have to tell someone!” So yeah, that was her. She was so excited to hear about Joseph Smith and the Book of Mormon and it all made so much sense to her. Everything she said about her own beliefs was so in line with the gospel. It was insane. She was so excited to hear about the gift of the Holy Ghost that is available through the priesthood after baptism. She’s AMAZING. (Maybe I already said that…) We’re super excited to teach her again and pray that nothing will get in the way. The adversary sees when people are really gaining understanding and are going to be a powerful tool in the Lord’s hands and he tries the hardest on them.
THE PROPHET
We found out on Sunday night that President Hinckley had passed away. It was interesting because as soon as I heard it, I just felt peace. It’s so clear to me that he’s happy with his wife and that he’s hard at work. I’m so thankful for the knowledge of the Plan the Lord has for each of us and our role in that plan. I’m so thankful that plan is centered around Jesus Christ. I’m thankful to know that this is His Church on the earth today with a fullness of that truth and that priesthood power. I’m thankful to know that despite the death of the prophet, nothing changes. This Church is established on the Lord Jesus Christ and will move forward until He comes again. My companion said it well when we were talking about how Pres Hinckley definitely wouldn’t want us mourning. She said she imagines that if he’s watching us and we’re all hung up and mourning he would say, “What are you doing? Get to work!” I know that’s true. The best thing we can do is buckle down and serve others and live the gospel the best way we know how. Death is not the end and it’s not even a tragedy when we understand the gospel of Jesus Christ. I’m grateful to know and to feel that.
Thanks everybody for your support of the missionary efforts in Canton, GA and wherever you may be (San Diego, Nauvoo, Provo, Russia, Indiana, Virginia, New York, Alaska, Hawaii, Arizona, Washington, etc.) I love you all!
--Sis C
SIS B
So can I tell you how much I love my companion?! They’re all good, of course, but it’s fun to have one that you’re just very much the same. We discovered that we’re both EXACTLY 5 feet tall and left-handed. What are the chances? She’s very hard-working and likes get things done. We have tons of fun together.
DIANA
K so there’s this nursing home we sing at every so often and we’ve got lots of friends there. We were in visiting Harold before Sis S left and she got really light-headed and almost fainted and had to sit down. So they called in a couple nurses to check on her. One I’d never seen before. She was about our age and seemed really cute and genuine. She was way cool. I decided to seize the day (once we knew Sis Sinclair was ok) and tell her a little about www.mormon.org and to check it out and that it was amazing. A couple days later we get a referral that a 20-yr old girl had ordered a Book of Mormon and Bible. We go to drop it off and guess who opens the door!! Yahoo! It was Diana. She is AMAZING. I can’t explain how prepared she is. I had just been telling Sis B earlier that you can really tell when someone is understanding the message we bring because beyond just feeling the Spirit they’re like, “whoa! That’s amazing! There’s a prophet on the earth! There’s an ancient record of Christ’s appearance to the people in the Americas? This is awesome! I have to tell someone!” So yeah, that was her. She was so excited to hear about Joseph Smith and the Book of Mormon and it all made so much sense to her. Everything she said about her own beliefs was so in line with the gospel. It was insane. She was so excited to hear about the gift of the Holy Ghost that is available through the priesthood after baptism. She’s AMAZING. (Maybe I already said that…) We’re super excited to teach her again and pray that nothing will get in the way. The adversary sees when people are really gaining understanding and are going to be a powerful tool in the Lord’s hands and he tries the hardest on them.
THE PROPHET
We found out on Sunday night that President Hinckley had passed away. It was interesting because as soon as I heard it, I just felt peace. It’s so clear to me that he’s happy with his wife and that he’s hard at work. I’m so thankful for the knowledge of the Plan the Lord has for each of us and our role in that plan. I’m so thankful that plan is centered around Jesus Christ. I’m thankful to know that this is His Church on the earth today with a fullness of that truth and that priesthood power. I’m thankful to know that despite the death of the prophet, nothing changes. This Church is established on the Lord Jesus Christ and will move forward until He comes again. My companion said it well when we were talking about how Pres Hinckley definitely wouldn’t want us mourning. She said she imagines that if he’s watching us and we’re all hung up and mourning he would say, “What are you doing? Get to work!” I know that’s true. The best thing we can do is buckle down and serve others and live the gospel the best way we know how. Death is not the end and it’s not even a tragedy when we understand the gospel of Jesus Christ. I’m grateful to know and to feel that.
Thanks everybody for your support of the missionary efforts in Canton, GA and wherever you may be (San Diego, Nauvoo, Provo, Russia, Indiana, Virginia, New York, Alaska, Hawaii, Arizona, Washington, etc.) I love you all!
--Sis C
Wednesday, January 23, 2008
"Hey! They brought the Lil' Un!"
Quote from Virgil Pressley, an investigator in the Hickory Flat Ward. He’d hassled me cause I kept not coming over there cause we kept being on splits when they’d teach him so he was excited I came that time. In case you need a translation, that means “little one” ...in reference to me. Virgil is amazing and even though he doesn’t think he has a testimony yet and isn’t quite ready to give up smoking. But he defended the Book of Mormon to one of his relatives saying that it’s true and that it supports the Bible and teaches the same thing cause it’s coming from God through ancient prophets just like the Bible. He’s awesome and so selfless even though they have so little right now.
Hey everyone! I got lots of good emails this week so thanks! Either my sis sent out some kind of reminder or everyone had the same idea at the same time. :) Either way, I appreciate it. I love the updates.
Just so you know, I also love pics (they tend to always be of babies these days…) but I can’t click into a website to look at them or anything so you can just send them as attachments or print and send in real mail. Yeah, that’s the deal.
TRANSFERS
Wahoo! I’m so excited! I’m with Sis. Becker. She’s way rad. She’s just really on top of it, from what I can tell. Funny cause her comp before this was Sis. Dalley who’s the other Nauvoo sister out here with me so she’s getting inundated with Nauvoo-ness. One of the best things about her is she’s about my exact same size so despite having to put up with endless jokes and comments about it, we can totally share closets! Plus, she has a really good sense of style (as much as that can be manifest as missionaries). And we already got way lost together just getting back from transfer meeting and we still get along just great! :) She really is way cool. I’m way excited!
ADIOS
Sad to say bye to Sis. Sinclair but not TOO sad cause I know I’ll see her again since she lives near LA. Plus everything on a mission just isn’t as sad cause it’s just always changing and you’re always just plowing on to the next thing.Last transfer was CRAZY so while I’m going to miss some of the investigators in Hickory Flat, I’m really glad in a way to have just one area again because I feel like we’ll be able to be a little more focused.
THE NEWBIE
Sis. Leakehe is training Sis. Parker, also from Boise. Sis. L just about peed her pants last night when she found out she’s training cause she’s just super humble and unsuspecting. It was hysterical. They’ll be an awesome team. It’ll be fun to have someone fresh from the MTC in the apt. And the best part is SHE RUNS!!!!!! Yep, she was like some track star or something. So hopefully she’ll kick my butt. And since she’s from ID she shouldn’t be scared of the cold.
SNOW!
So it snowed here. Maybe a fourth to a half an inch and don’t worry—they canceled school! It was hilarious. Everyone was outside making mini snowmen. It was cool. It was really pretty and way good to get the moisture and the Lord kept the roads not icey for us so we could still go about the work. At one member’s house we pulled up to, their 11-yr old boy was outside that day with plywood and 2x4s making a sled. The poor kid. Not only did the sled look extremely unsafe, but the snow was surely melted by the time it was ready. Totally reminded me of something Scott would’ve done though.
Not much else to report, mostly cause we don’t have time. But the work rolls forth! There’s still lots going on. In one of the testimonies of a departing missionary today we were reminded that everything we have comes from the Lord. That all the resources we have, all the investigators we have, all the times we open our mouths and they are filled with what to say—that all comes from the Lord and His infinite wisdom and infinite mercy that makes us, as inept as we are, tools in His hands to do His work.
I love being here. Thanks for all the support! :) Life is good. I appreciate the prayers for our peeps out here too.
Love you all! :)
-Sis. Cartwright
Hey everyone! I got lots of good emails this week so thanks! Either my sis sent out some kind of reminder or everyone had the same idea at the same time. :) Either way, I appreciate it. I love the updates.
Just so you know, I also love pics (they tend to always be of babies these days…) but I can’t click into a website to look at them or anything so you can just send them as attachments or print and send in real mail. Yeah, that’s the deal.
TRANSFERS
Wahoo! I’m so excited! I’m with Sis. Becker. She’s way rad. She’s just really on top of it, from what I can tell. Funny cause her comp before this was Sis. Dalley who’s the other Nauvoo sister out here with me so she’s getting inundated with Nauvoo-ness. One of the best things about her is she’s about my exact same size so despite having to put up with endless jokes and comments about it, we can totally share closets! Plus, she has a really good sense of style (as much as that can be manifest as missionaries). And we already got way lost together just getting back from transfer meeting and we still get along just great! :) She really is way cool. I’m way excited!
ADIOS
Sad to say bye to Sis. Sinclair but not TOO sad cause I know I’ll see her again since she lives near LA. Plus everything on a mission just isn’t as sad cause it’s just always changing and you’re always just plowing on to the next thing.Last transfer was CRAZY so while I’m going to miss some of the investigators in Hickory Flat, I’m really glad in a way to have just one area again because I feel like we’ll be able to be a little more focused.
THE NEWBIE
Sis. Leakehe is training Sis. Parker, also from Boise. Sis. L just about peed her pants last night when she found out she’s training cause she’s just super humble and unsuspecting. It was hysterical. They’ll be an awesome team. It’ll be fun to have someone fresh from the MTC in the apt. And the best part is SHE RUNS!!!!!! Yep, she was like some track star or something. So hopefully she’ll kick my butt. And since she’s from ID she shouldn’t be scared of the cold.
SNOW!
So it snowed here. Maybe a fourth to a half an inch and don’t worry—they canceled school! It was hilarious. Everyone was outside making mini snowmen. It was cool. It was really pretty and way good to get the moisture and the Lord kept the roads not icey for us so we could still go about the work. At one member’s house we pulled up to, their 11-yr old boy was outside that day with plywood and 2x4s making a sled. The poor kid. Not only did the sled look extremely unsafe, but the snow was surely melted by the time it was ready. Totally reminded me of something Scott would’ve done though.
Not much else to report, mostly cause we don’t have time. But the work rolls forth! There’s still lots going on. In one of the testimonies of a departing missionary today we were reminded that everything we have comes from the Lord. That all the resources we have, all the investigators we have, all the times we open our mouths and they are filled with what to say—that all comes from the Lord and His infinite wisdom and infinite mercy that makes us, as inept as we are, tools in His hands to do His work.
I love being here. Thanks for all the support! :) Life is good. I appreciate the prayers for our peeps out here too.
Love you all! :)
-Sis. Cartwright
Wednesday, January 16, 2008
"Ya'll better get on this boat."
Subject line is from an awesome kid Nathaniel. He was imitading Noah at this time when we were discussing how important it is to listen to prophets.
CHRISTMAS CHEER
So I got a friendly sheet of shout-outs from the post-Christmas party. Thank you, thank you. Made my day. :) It was so good to hear from so many of you! I was, however, extremely horrified to find out that there were no beanie weenies present and I assure any who were in attendance that that will NOT be the case next year.
THE JAIL
So this was one of the highlights, for sure. There’s a member of the church who’s currently in the county jail. Not sure what for but it doesn’t really matter. The sisters have been going and teaching him and since the areas combined we haven’t been able to get out there. We finally went the other day. It was him and another guy named Randall who’s not a member but who’s been taking the discussions. Through a glass window over the telephone. It’s crazy. It was so cool cause there were a lot of people in and visiting the jail and everyone’s countenances were so sad. But as soon as these two gentlemen rounded the corner to get on the phone with us you could just see a light in their eyes. The Spirit was so strong the whole time we were talking. Brad (the one who’s a member) said that at first when he got there he was in solitary confinement (for health-related reasons) and spent 23 hrs a day by himself and was able to just fully immerse himself in the scriptures. Since he’s been in jail he’s lost his house, his wife, and his kids and is going back to nothing when he gets back. But at the same time he feels so richly blessed because of the understanding he has gained of the scriptures and the truthfulness of the gospel. The other guy Randall is excited to get baptized when he gets out of jail. They’re so awesome. Brad does a “prayer call” every night and gathers all the inmates who want to come and they close their night with a prayer. So cool. He taught me lots just in the short time we had to talk.
MR. SLEDGE
I think I wrote about this guy before. Norlan. He’s the one who stopped us in the middle of the hallway to talk tell us how much he loved the Book of Mormon and was hoping to get back in contact with missionaries. Anyway, at the jail we met this lady Teresa. She looked really familiar and we finally figured out we met her at the library LAST p-day. We talked for just a second and she was like, “yeah, my boyfriend has that book [Book of Mormon].” Turns out her boyfriend is Norlan! What are the odds?! So we went over there again yesterday and taught them. They’re both so cool and inquisitive and everything they ask or have a concern about can be answered so simply through the gospel. It’s so dang cool.
COMPS
So Sis Sinclair is leaving next week. Crazy! I’ve learned so much from her. She’s such a 100% missionary. She just works everyday until there’s nothing left in her. She’s a real powerhouse. I’ve been blessed with really awesome trainers (Sis Faulkner as my real trainer and Sis S as my “outfield” trainer. It makes such a difference cause they set a high precedence and you don’t even know there’s any other way to do it. :) She lives outside LA though so I’ll for sure see her again. Sis L and I would love to stay comps but they’ll probably put the areas back into 2 again so we’ll see.
IN GENERAL
I’m loving everything here. We are seriously so, so blessed. Little miracles daily. Like just this morning a called a girl who ordered a Bible so we could set up an appt. She said she’s watched the commercials on TV and the questions they’d show (about our purpose in life and the Lord’s plan for us) were questions she’s always had. She’s 20 with a husband and 2 little kids. Another boy who’s 17 ordered a Book of Mormon and we’re bringing it by this week. He says his dad passed away a couple years ago and since then he’s had questions that no one else has been able to answer. I’m so excited to meet with them. I know that the gospel has all of those answers. It’s plain and perfect truth and I’m so thankful to have it in my life.
Love you all!
-sis c
CHRISTMAS CHEER
So I got a friendly sheet of shout-outs from the post-Christmas party. Thank you, thank you. Made my day. :) It was so good to hear from so many of you! I was, however, extremely horrified to find out that there were no beanie weenies present and I assure any who were in attendance that that will NOT be the case next year.
THE JAIL
So this was one of the highlights, for sure. There’s a member of the church who’s currently in the county jail. Not sure what for but it doesn’t really matter. The sisters have been going and teaching him and since the areas combined we haven’t been able to get out there. We finally went the other day. It was him and another guy named Randall who’s not a member but who’s been taking the discussions. Through a glass window over the telephone. It’s crazy. It was so cool cause there were a lot of people in and visiting the jail and everyone’s countenances were so sad. But as soon as these two gentlemen rounded the corner to get on the phone with us you could just see a light in their eyes. The Spirit was so strong the whole time we were talking. Brad (the one who’s a member) said that at first when he got there he was in solitary confinement (for health-related reasons) and spent 23 hrs a day by himself and was able to just fully immerse himself in the scriptures. Since he’s been in jail he’s lost his house, his wife, and his kids and is going back to nothing when he gets back. But at the same time he feels so richly blessed because of the understanding he has gained of the scriptures and the truthfulness of the gospel. The other guy Randall is excited to get baptized when he gets out of jail. They’re so awesome. Brad does a “prayer call” every night and gathers all the inmates who want to come and they close their night with a prayer. So cool. He taught me lots just in the short time we had to talk.
MR. SLEDGE
I think I wrote about this guy before. Norlan. He’s the one who stopped us in the middle of the hallway to talk tell us how much he loved the Book of Mormon and was hoping to get back in contact with missionaries. Anyway, at the jail we met this lady Teresa. She looked really familiar and we finally figured out we met her at the library LAST p-day. We talked for just a second and she was like, “yeah, my boyfriend has that book [Book of Mormon].” Turns out her boyfriend is Norlan! What are the odds?! So we went over there again yesterday and taught them. They’re both so cool and inquisitive and everything they ask or have a concern about can be answered so simply through the gospel. It’s so dang cool.
COMPS
So Sis Sinclair is leaving next week. Crazy! I’ve learned so much from her. She’s such a 100% missionary. She just works everyday until there’s nothing left in her. She’s a real powerhouse. I’ve been blessed with really awesome trainers (Sis Faulkner as my real trainer and Sis S as my “outfield” trainer. It makes such a difference cause they set a high precedence and you don’t even know there’s any other way to do it. :) She lives outside LA though so I’ll for sure see her again. Sis L and I would love to stay comps but they’ll probably put the areas back into 2 again so we’ll see.
IN GENERAL
I’m loving everything here. We are seriously so, so blessed. Little miracles daily. Like just this morning a called a girl who ordered a Bible so we could set up an appt. She said she’s watched the commercials on TV and the questions they’d show (about our purpose in life and the Lord’s plan for us) were questions she’s always had. She’s 20 with a husband and 2 little kids. Another boy who’s 17 ordered a Book of Mormon and we’re bringing it by this week. He says his dad passed away a couple years ago and since then he’s had questions that no one else has been able to answer. I’m so excited to meet with them. I know that the gospel has all of those answers. It’s plain and perfect truth and I’m so thankful to have it in my life.
Love you all!
-sis c
Wednesday, January 9, 2008
"He's sayin' 'Bless 'em Lord!'"
Quote from a kid who was telling me what his horse was saying when his horse was neighing at me. yes, we saw a kid on a horse when we were up in the far reaches of our area and pulled over to give him to talk to him and his horse about the gospel. thought it'd be a once-in-a-mission chance. :)
Man oh man….Holy cow! Who’s doing all the amazing prayers…cause they’re working! We have been so blessed. I SERIOUSLY don’t know how I’m so blessed to be in the middle of all of these miracles going on. It’s like Bishop Gwilliam told me before I left. His attitude was that the Lord had amazing things plans and that if we can be obedient and are willing to be instruments in His hands, then He’ll do the rest. He said “I just showed up!” That’s how I feel. There are so many miracles I’m in the midst of here in Canton, GA and I just showed up. Wow. So let’s see…where to start….
A CURSE AND A BLESSING
So it’s funny cause the Lord works us hard and we have some really awkward and sometimes painful experiences. This one definitely falls in the awkward category. We were on the way to an appt in this apt complex and as we were walking there we saw a couple teenage kids and stopped to talk to them. Sis. Sinclair was explaining a little about the Restoration of the gospel and the boy that was there suddenly turns and sprints away and around the corner—cackling as he goes. No joke. Like the fastest I’ve seen someone run outside of an organized race. No explanation. This left the girl standing there very awkwardly. All she could do was apologize and all we could do was laugh. It was amazing. That’s one way to let the missionaries know you’re not interested. Head in a dead sprint in the other direction. Wow. It was hilarious. Minus the fact that it’s sad when people run away from blessings. Figuratively or literally. (See the pun humor that has seeped in. That’s also a bit sad…)Anyway, but after that experience, the Lord blessed us big time. We were talking to the kid we had an appt with but mostly just talking outside his apt. This is a really busy complex so there were people walking by constantly and the hallways were very echoey. But one neighbor of his walked by three times. Really this should’ve been a sign to definitely talk to him but the Lord’s missionaries are sometimes really dense. So the guy ends up stopping us and asking what church we’re from. We tell him and he still looks confused so we clarify and say, “same thing as Mormons.” And he said “oh yeah!!! The Book of Mormon! I thought I heard you talking about that guy. What’s his name?” We said, “Joseph Smith?” He was like “yeah! The missionaries used to visit me but then I moved and couldn’t find them again. But I was reading that Book of Mormon. It was such an amazing book and I couldn’t even talk to them about it cause I moved. I needed some kind of release!” Well, certainly we’re happy for him to talk to US about it. He goes on to testify to the kid we’re teaching about how amazing The Book of Mormon is and how the kid needs to read it. What the?!! Does that ever happen?! :) So we have an appt to talk to him later this week. Sledge is his last name but what he introduced himself as. Anyway, amazing. And the kid we were teaching is pretty amazing too. Love it!
SPLITS
I got to go on splits with Sis. Browning yesterday. That’s the mission president’s wife. Such a blessing that she came because honestly we have more work than we can handle right now. Plus she just has such a strong spirit that radiates so it’s amazing to teach with her. And she’s so nonchalant and humble. She just introduces herself as another one of the sisters. Love it! She got to meet good ol’ Warren and some other favs.
MIRACLE CHANGE OF HEART
So there’s a family called the Paynes. The boys haven’t been baptized but the missionaries have been working with them for over a year now. The boys are 10 and 12. The dad had some major concerns about the Church because he got mixed in with some anti material. (That happens a lot when people get into stuff that’s put out for the purpose of tearing down God’s kingdom and they stop relying on the Spirit. :( So it’s been a real struggle). Anyway, Sis. B and I went there last night and they were supposed to be praying about baptism for the 12th but they hadn’t been. Usually the whole fam’s not home at the same time. But we talked to them about it and Sis. B was testifying to them about eternal families. So we whipped out a calendar and picked a date. The dad even told the boys that it was something that God has asked them to do (he’s been the one holding them all back in the past.) It was amazing because he had gotten so mixed up but still knew the truth deep in his heart and was trying to build his faith back up. All we could do was pray for a miracle so that’s what we’d been praying for and that definitely was. So they should be getting baptized on the 19th. Michael and Nicholas. They’re champs. I’m so excited for their fam. They’re so cool. Keep them in your prayers! :)
LOAVES AND FISHES
So this is the analogy that Sis Leakehe used. Missionary work (esp right now) is always a miracles because there’s so much to do and there’s a multitude of people (200,000 in Cherokee County) and just us 3 missionaries with our very limited skills and knowledge. So now think of us as 2 loaves and 5 fish. But the Lord is all-powerful and makes it work. He uses our very limited capacities and somehow stretches it to be able to (hopefully!) handle all the work. He really has been placing people in our path and having very blatant signs tell us who we need to see. It’s been amazing and I’m SO thankful for Him and His trust in us. So, so cool! I know that the Lord can work the same miracles in each of you and even when you get to the point where you feel you’re stretching yourself as far as you can go, look back and see what the Lord has done with you. You may need to pray and ask Him to help you see. We have a tendency to cloud our own goodness and gifts with negative and discouraged thoughts. That’s Satan. The Lord made you. You are divine. You have potential beyond what any of us comprehend but ask the Lord to help you understand it a little more and I promise it’ll help you get through the daily struggles we all have.There’s a million funny and cool and intense stories and I wish I had time to write them all but I do my best to give you a taste each week. Hope it does the job.
Thanks SO much for the obvious prayers that are happening, for the letters, the support, and the love. I love you all—even those I haven’t heard from. I know it’s busy in “real life” so just keep being the amazing people and examples that you all are.
Thank you and love you!
--sis cartwright
Man oh man….Holy cow! Who’s doing all the amazing prayers…cause they’re working! We have been so blessed. I SERIOUSLY don’t know how I’m so blessed to be in the middle of all of these miracles going on. It’s like Bishop Gwilliam told me before I left. His attitude was that the Lord had amazing things plans and that if we can be obedient and are willing to be instruments in His hands, then He’ll do the rest. He said “I just showed up!” That’s how I feel. There are so many miracles I’m in the midst of here in Canton, GA and I just showed up. Wow. So let’s see…where to start….
A CURSE AND A BLESSING
So it’s funny cause the Lord works us hard and we have some really awkward and sometimes painful experiences. This one definitely falls in the awkward category. We were on the way to an appt in this apt complex and as we were walking there we saw a couple teenage kids and stopped to talk to them. Sis. Sinclair was explaining a little about the Restoration of the gospel and the boy that was there suddenly turns and sprints away and around the corner—cackling as he goes. No joke. Like the fastest I’ve seen someone run outside of an organized race. No explanation. This left the girl standing there very awkwardly. All she could do was apologize and all we could do was laugh. It was amazing. That’s one way to let the missionaries know you’re not interested. Head in a dead sprint in the other direction. Wow. It was hilarious. Minus the fact that it’s sad when people run away from blessings. Figuratively or literally. (See the pun humor that has seeped in. That’s also a bit sad…)Anyway, but after that experience, the Lord blessed us big time. We were talking to the kid we had an appt with but mostly just talking outside his apt. This is a really busy complex so there were people walking by constantly and the hallways were very echoey. But one neighbor of his walked by three times. Really this should’ve been a sign to definitely talk to him but the Lord’s missionaries are sometimes really dense. So the guy ends up stopping us and asking what church we’re from. We tell him and he still looks confused so we clarify and say, “same thing as Mormons.” And he said “oh yeah!!! The Book of Mormon! I thought I heard you talking about that guy. What’s his name?” We said, “Joseph Smith?” He was like “yeah! The missionaries used to visit me but then I moved and couldn’t find them again. But I was reading that Book of Mormon. It was such an amazing book and I couldn’t even talk to them about it cause I moved. I needed some kind of release!” Well, certainly we’re happy for him to talk to US about it. He goes on to testify to the kid we’re teaching about how amazing The Book of Mormon is and how the kid needs to read it. What the?!! Does that ever happen?! :) So we have an appt to talk to him later this week. Sledge is his last name but what he introduced himself as. Anyway, amazing. And the kid we were teaching is pretty amazing too. Love it!
SPLITS
I got to go on splits with Sis. Browning yesterday. That’s the mission president’s wife. Such a blessing that she came because honestly we have more work than we can handle right now. Plus she just has such a strong spirit that radiates so it’s amazing to teach with her. And she’s so nonchalant and humble. She just introduces herself as another one of the sisters. Love it! She got to meet good ol’ Warren and some other favs.
MIRACLE CHANGE OF HEART
So there’s a family called the Paynes. The boys haven’t been baptized but the missionaries have been working with them for over a year now. The boys are 10 and 12. The dad had some major concerns about the Church because he got mixed in with some anti material. (That happens a lot when people get into stuff that’s put out for the purpose of tearing down God’s kingdom and they stop relying on the Spirit. :( So it’s been a real struggle). Anyway, Sis. B and I went there last night and they were supposed to be praying about baptism for the 12th but they hadn’t been. Usually the whole fam’s not home at the same time. But we talked to them about it and Sis. B was testifying to them about eternal families. So we whipped out a calendar and picked a date. The dad even told the boys that it was something that God has asked them to do (he’s been the one holding them all back in the past.) It was amazing because he had gotten so mixed up but still knew the truth deep in his heart and was trying to build his faith back up. All we could do was pray for a miracle so that’s what we’d been praying for and that definitely was. So they should be getting baptized on the 19th. Michael and Nicholas. They’re champs. I’m so excited for their fam. They’re so cool. Keep them in your prayers! :)
LOAVES AND FISHES
So this is the analogy that Sis Leakehe used. Missionary work (esp right now) is always a miracles because there’s so much to do and there’s a multitude of people (200,000 in Cherokee County) and just us 3 missionaries with our very limited skills and knowledge. So now think of us as 2 loaves and 5 fish. But the Lord is all-powerful and makes it work. He uses our very limited capacities and somehow stretches it to be able to (hopefully!) handle all the work. He really has been placing people in our path and having very blatant signs tell us who we need to see. It’s been amazing and I’m SO thankful for Him and His trust in us. So, so cool! I know that the Lord can work the same miracles in each of you and even when you get to the point where you feel you’re stretching yourself as far as you can go, look back and see what the Lord has done with you. You may need to pray and ask Him to help you see. We have a tendency to cloud our own goodness and gifts with negative and discouraged thoughts. That’s Satan. The Lord made you. You are divine. You have potential beyond what any of us comprehend but ask the Lord to help you understand it a little more and I promise it’ll help you get through the daily struggles we all have.There’s a million funny and cool and intense stories and I wish I had time to write them all but I do my best to give you a taste each week. Hope it does the job.
Thanks SO much for the obvious prayers that are happening, for the letters, the support, and the love. I love you all—even those I haven’t heard from. I know it’s busy in “real life” so just keep being the amazing people and examples that you all are.
Thank you and love you!
--sis cartwright
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