Count Your Blessings!

2 Nephi 26:23-24

 

God Worketh NOT in darkness!!!

 

And this week has been one fullllllll of light!!!!!

 

Happy January everyone!! it has been a tremendous week! I am LOVING being a trainer and opening this area!!! I CAN'T BELIEVE TRANSFERS ARE ON FRIDAY!!!!!!! Wheeeeeeeeere did the time go?!?!?! I hope and pray that Sister Weber and I will be staying RIGHT where we are at, because honestly, we have NOTHING to complain about!!!!

 

It's a new year!!! New years was fun:) We went out to Famous Daves for dinner with the Elders and with 2 single sisters in our ward! It was a good time and then after, we were able to visit a less-active member who has trouble doing things because of physical problems and we were able to teach her how to pray and have her pray for the first time in a LONG time in front of us. It was so tremendous and she thanked God for US. We love her so much.

 

We set an alarm on our phone for midnight so that we could quickly wake up and start the new year! It went off-- Sister Weber stayed asleep. I got up, went to the restroom and went back to bed- QUITE the celebration. Let me just say I hope you guys celebrated a bit more than we did ;) It's just another day on the mission :)

 

New years day, we had planned SO WELL to see so many people. We went over to our ward mission leaders house for "missionary correlation" And when we arrived, JOKE we were just going to enjoy the afternoon with them! So we felt bad having canceling all the plans we had so well planned the night before, but it was FREEZING and he didn't advice us it would be very productive going out on New Years day. So we played Settlers of Catan with his fam and the Elders! Got a bit competitive, ripped some cards ;) But it was SUPER FUN!! We were also able to go out to lunch with the Trendwood sisters-- of whom we have become BEST friends with. We are actually hanging out with them today for p-day after we email to do facials and chat. I LOVE them.

 

New Years Day- night, we celebrated by stopping to grab some ice cream on the way home. It was a party:)

 

IT HAS BEEN SO COLD THESE LAST FEW DAY!!!! -30 degrees with the windchill. Public schools are actually closed today because there is a huge chance of frostbite after being outside for only 10 minutes. I thought Logan was cold... but man, this is crazy! :) Don't worry though, I'm staying super warm:)

 

We caught a mouse this week!! I was doing my studies one morning when I saw a TINY critter run out of S.Webers closet and under the door to our room out into the kitchen. I squeeeled! Bro. Ferguson put out traps and then before we went to bed, we realized one of the traps was missing. We peeked out the door and saw the little mouse with it's back legs stuck on the stick trap trying to escape. We got a cute little picture and then we ran upstairs to wake up Bro. Ferguson and have him take care of the mouse. It was so funny-- we were so freaked!

 

We got a referral from SLC this week! Apparently someone that lives in our mission boundaries went on Mormon.org and requested missionaries, so-- tada!! We get the letter in the mail and JUMP for joy!! We believe she is a young teenager. We met her sister, but haven't been able to get ahold of her yet.

 

We had exchanges this week with our sister training leaders-- Sister McMaster (from my MTC district) and Sister Youngberg. It was AWESOME!!! We found 3 new investigators and were able to teach a lot of lessons that day. It was so good to see S.McMaster again! She's a bestie! She told me that she was SO impressed by our area. She said it is a MIRACLE that in only 1 transfer an area could be SO up and running. She hugely complimented me and S.Weber, but I know this had NOTHING to do with us-- The ward was simply SO PREPARED for sister missionaries and since we've been here, (except for some MINOR things), we have had NO problems. The ward is soooooo missionary minded and we are constantly getting refurrals and meeting friends of members to teach. Our ward mission leader is SO on top of things and goes WAYYYYYY above and beyond to welcome our investigators into the ward. There hasn't been 1 week since we've been here that we haven't had an investigator or less-active at church. And the ward gets so excited to see our people and the Elders people coming back! Everyone here loves us ;) -- but again, it's not our doing. I seriously just feel like an Instrument in the Lord's hand, going about and running his errands <3 It's the coolest feeling!!

 

We have met SO MANY new investigators this past week!  And we committed one of our investigators to be baptized at the end of the month. Her name is Debbie. She has an autistic son who is 4 and a husband (in whom we are also working with) that has Aspergers. She has been to church 3 times now and EVERY sunday is an adventure! The first Sunday she came, her son Gavin ran up on the stand during the sacrament, and yesterday at fast and testimony meeting, he escaped again. While one of our ward members was bearing his soul at the podium, Gavin ran up on the stand and S. Weber and another lady in our ward were chasing him back and forth. He eventually found the light switches and began turning off the lights. It was sooooo funny.... We had no clue what to do! Haha. Luckily, Debbie doesn't mind attention and so she wasn't embarrassed at all and now the whole ward knows who she is and even more-so welcomed her in :) It was a fun day yesterday and this ward is seriously one big family. I love every stinking on of those families!!!!!

 

A family that we had dinner with this last week- the oldest daughter had her boyfriend over and we had a really good lesson with them! (We TOTALLY thought he was a member at dinner!) We committed them all to bear their testimonies at sacrament and yesterday, the boyfriend did! He got up and gave the most spiritual testimony I've heard in a long time. Saying that the world has a skewed view on what being "great" is. And that through the church, he now understands what being "great" really is.  "Baptized or not, I KNOW this church is true!!!" -- HE WASN'T A MEMBER!!! Totally blew us away! He's the coolest though and we're stoked to be friends with him!!

 

We have been re-teaching one of our favorite less-actives all the missionary lessons! We have taught her the restoration. And this last week, we went over to watch the Restoration DVD with her. Her husband is not a member and for a VERY long time has been really anti. But we've become good friends with him and got him to watch the DVD with us. At the end he had some questions and it was the coolest thing because his wife was able to bear testimony to him about baptism. We are SOOSOO proud of her <3

 

We also, last night, found a lost sheep!!! She hasn't been to church in 30 years and the elders handed her over to us. She is SO READY to come back and so we have a lot planned with her this next week including a church tour.

 

The Stake president has asked us and the elders to speak at a fireside for all the priests & laurels about what we wish we could have done more of before we left to prepare for our missions and to do missionary work at home. We're excited for that as well :)

 

I LOVE The people we live with!!!!!!!!!!! I cannot say it enough! Every night when we come home, we sit down with them and just tell everything exciting about our day! We joke so much with them:) They have never had any girls, so they LOVE catching up with us! We try to go out to dinner with them once a week. This ward is AMAZING! We haven't had 1 day since we've been here that we haven't had a dinner. Us, AND the Elders. And the Elders are the best too.

 

WHAT A GREAT WEEK!! This area is seriously the best. We have absolutely no problems and nothing to complain about. We pour our hear and souls into the people we are working with-- and that gets exhausting, but it is so wonderful!! When we go out and put effort into finding people-- we find them! When we need more help from members-- they come running!! THIS is every missionaries dream and I am sooooo happy right now. And my companion is like my best friend! We have so much fun. So I'm hoping and praying SO HARD that we get to finish to full 12 week training together here in this area. FINGERS CROSSED!! But if something does change, I know the Lord only has greater plans ahead.

 

Stick through the tough times, because the Lord ALWAYS has blessings just waiting to be POURED upon you when you make it through. I can PROMISE you that!!!!!!!!!!!! He knows me. And looking back on my mission, even through the hard times, he has given me blessings and friends that have helped me through. And sometimes only from looking BACK can you see his hand. So have faith IN THE MOMENT that one day, when you look back, you will be grateful and will notice just how much He loves you. Because He loves ALLLLLL of you!!!

 

Have an amazing week!!

-Sister Checketts!

 

We had our trainer/trainee meeting this week!! It was soooo good to see SO MANY friends!!! Sister McCalley and Sister Whipple <3