June 2

What a great week this has been! Both Sister Tew and I knew we were going to be leaving each other as we had the best week of our missions working together in unity and teaching with power. It was the best while it lasted so all I can be is grateful! I am staying here in GJ and she is on her way to bigger and better things! I'm pumped to meet my new companion! 

I honestly don't know where to start with the miracles this week because they were so plentiful! First of all, I hiked all the way to the top of Mt. Garfield, even though I am deathly afraid of heights. It was so steep and so narrow. At one part we were basically just scaling the side of the mountain. It was almost as bad as Goat Lake. YIKES. The view on top was incredible! I was so excited to have made it to the top but then realized I had to go back down. I decided then and there that I can do hard things and it is because of Jesus Christ. Attitude truly does change everything. I decided this week that because I am a daughter of God I can take control and choose to be happy and obedient! I know now more than ever that the Atonement is real and there is always hope through Jesus Christ. I understand the principles of the gospel more fully because I have applied them. I know I can truly change and become more because of His love. I love my mission! We were also able to teach Matt while on the way down because I was going so slow! He is singles ward age so we gave him our card and a book of mormon. We got home sunburnt and exhausted! My favorite thing now is while we are driving around to look at Mt. Garfield and say that I climbed it! 

In other miracles, we had an amazing church tour with a less-active sister. Sister Tew had seen her right before I got here about 3 months ago and she was not interested at all. I have a true testimony that the Lord can soften hearts. The sweetest spirit was there the entire time and she shared with us her desire to come back to church and to become more than she is right now. We also contacted a former investigator who really wants to learn again. We also have an amazing new investigator named Sam whose friends are all Mormons! She is so prepared! Plus she is from Thailand! She wants to learn because Mormons are the calmest, most peaceful people she knows (in my head, I thought she clearly doesn't know me haha). She is really confused by all of the other religions and I am so excited to share the truth with her. I love when I have moments where it really just hits me that we have the full truth and because of that can have so much peace and happiness. 

Patty is one of our progressing investigators. Her husband is less-active and they are both learning together. They are in their 80s. This week they both expressed to us that they feel like this is the way that God wants things to be. They feel the spirit at church and are reading the Book of Mormon together. I am so excited for them! They are helping me remember why missionary work is so amazing! Plus Milt always wears Canadian tuxedos. What more could a missionary want?

We had a fabulous district meeting this week. Every companionship in our district has one companion changing. It was great to be in the best district in the mission while it lasted! We had great trainings from 2 Elders who are going home and from Sister Tew. We also made sushi! I really can't express how much I love my district. I have learned so much from them!

One of my favorite moments of the week was eating at the Ludwig's home. They have a 9 year old boy and 4 year old twins. They are quite rambunctious and their mother is sassy! In a rush to leave for a baptism, we had to eat the delicious cake she made as fast as we could and then quick say a prayer before we left. The children were being quite rambunctious. The mother then yelled, "Fold your arms, heathens!" I decided right then and there that that is the kind of mom I want to be! 

The baptism we went to was Indica's, who is in the 6th ward! She is 12 and is so cute. Of course, Sister Tew and Sister Winkelman sang "Saviour, Redeemer of my Soul" and I accompanied them for the 12th time. Luckily it never gets old. 

Saturday night we found out Sister Tew is getting transferred. SAD. But we went to the Spanish branch's baptism, Flor! She is the best and has quite a story! She met Elder Ballard while he was staying here for a conference. He said a prayer with her and then sent the missionaries to bring her his book, "Our search for happiness." And now she is baptized! My absolute favorite thing about baptisms is the spirit right as they are being baptized. Her face expressed such joy. There is nothing that can compare with that feeling. Plus her little son Carlos decided I was his best friend halfway through the baptism and came to sit by me. That made my year. All the little Hispanic children speak to me in Spanish so I just nod and smile because I have no idea what they are staying. 

I love visiting Erin! She is so prepared. We were able to teach faith and repentance. She said she knows now that there is a difference between faith and belief. She had always believed but now she has faith because she is acting on it. Plus her children are hilarious. Her 18 month old sings "Let It Go" from Frozen and it's the cutest thing ever! 

Also today marks the end of our 3 months of not eating sugar! It was completely no sugar as we could eat what members made us but I truly can't believe how fast the time has gone. I already ate some jelly tots this morning! Thanks britt-dawg! 

Church was fabulous! No one was there to play the organ so I randomly got to step in. That was fun. Also the less-active family from Collbran all came to church to bless their baby! Woot! We had a great day saying goodbye to people. It really reminded me how fabulous and how excited I am for the new sister to meet all these people! 

I hope you all have the best week ever and that you remember who you are as children of God! 

Love,

Sista T

THE BEST DISTRICT IN THE MISSION.

doing yoga during weekly planning.

Erin's family. The only way Kenzie would be in the pics was if she wore my name tag! 

The Hike!

May 19

So because I am not feeling top notch, I am sending sister tew's weekly email! 

We were sick...

So Sister Turner and I alternated being sick every other day so it was kinda a bummer. I got to know our apartment super well. It was an amazing learning experience and it set us up for the amazing miracles that I'm about to tell you about!

Collbran! Tomarra! Espanol!

We went up to Collbran this week 2 different times. The first time we went up, we ate dinner with the Newitt family and they are the cutest. The Dad cried when he told us about his family and you could just see the love that he has for them as he spoke. Their youngest daughter, Amber, was there as well and she is an amazing missionary! She served in Las Vegas, speaking Spanish, and she loves the gospel with her whole heart. As we were finishing dinner, they listed to us all of the people that they know that they feel like would be open to the gospel, including some Spanish people! (And because Collbran is so far away we get to teach them in Spanish!!!!) We left their home with 8 referrals, and the even more amazing part is that Amber took us to 2 of their homes to have us meet them and one of them, Tomarra (whose house has the knight), became a new investigator and we're having dinner with both of them this week! There were just so many miracles and I am soo grateful!

Craziest Saturday of My Life! (I wrote this part)

A sister in our zone decided she wanted to go home. When we first heard we were a little shocked, to say the least. We didn't have a car so after being dropped by a member in our area we knew we needed to go to their house. So we walked a mile to get there! We both had the strongest impression that that was where we needed to be. We waited there for an hour (but didn't tell them that). We had decided we were going to do everything we could to keep her here but when we walked in their house, her bags were packed. It was shocking! She was 100% determined to leave. We weren't really sure why we needed to be there but we know we did. Friday morning we headed back over to their house to spend the day with them. When we got there she was sleeping. That is when we all decided we weren't going to let her go without a fight. Her comp, (my MTC comp), Sister Gregerson had so much faith! sis Tew stayed and we both left to make a plan. We decided to throw a surprise party for her so she could know how loved she is. We invited all their investigators and some ward members she is close to. They all came. The entire day we were guided in everything we did. I now understand the phrase "ministering angels". And in the end, she stayed! It was the most exhausting day I've ever had. I have so much respect for Sister Gregerson. She is so selfless and giving and was willing to do anything to keep her here. She doesn't have really anything to go home to and we all felt very strongly that going home would affect her for the rest of her life. I can't even begin to tell you how many miracles occurred this day and how much we truly saw the Lord's hand in everything. The timing was exactly what it needed to be. I know the Lord has a plan for each of us and our choices do affect us. But if we align our will with the Lord's, things will work out the way they are supposed to! 

Milt and Patti

Are the cutest! I love them with my whole heart! They came to church on Sunday, after an awesome lesson earlier in the week. It was the sweetest thing. I sat down in the row behind Patti and asked how she was. She started crying and told me about how her neighbor had passed away Sunday morning. She truly was heart-broken and it touched my heart. I listened to her and as she finished I shared how happy I was that she was able to come this morning to feel the peace of the Savior. Her answer touched my heart and made me sooooo happy! She said, "When Milt asked me this morning if I wanted to go to church I told him, 'I think we better.'" She knew where she needed to be because she has felt the Spirit and recognizes it in her heart. She is so close to her Savior and I feel so privileged to be a part of her life!

The Most Miracles I've Ever Seen!!!

I felt so blessed as I sat in church on Sunday, between all the sickness during the week and the crazy weekend we had, I wasn't sure what church was going to be like. I was overwhelmed with gratitude when we were surrounded by amazing people at church. Erin and Patti were both at church with their families. A less-active family from Collbran drove the hour to come down! Another less-active family that we weren't expecting because they told they weren't going to come ended up being there. The miracles and blessings are too many to name. I feel so privileged to be in this area of the world, of the country, of Colorado serving the Lord. I love this work! It's the best!

I love you all!!!! You're wonderful! Have the best week in the world!! (ditto from sista t)

While carless, we had a member drop us off in palisade so we could see our investigator for her birthday. Her dream was to ride a horse so we asked sis majors if she could ride hers! Woot! Also this horse is famous. It was the horse in the lone ranger that the lone ranger's brother rode! 

We had to give up our car this week so we were carless for 3 days. The Elders in our war dare the best and found us a car to drive as ours will be in the shop for 3 weeks!

I found this at the habitat for humanity we volunteer at and it was just too good! (a picture where Elder Turner is) also we went up to collbran this week and while eating dinner with members, their friends drove up in this thing! 

May 12

This week was fabulous! Our most progressing investigator is Erin. She is on date for July 19 (because she has to get married) and her 7 year old daughter turns 8 on July 18 so she will be baptized with her! She has come to church faithfully ever since she moved into our ward and is so ready to learn and do. She amazes me every time we meet with her with her desire to be obedient. She is one of the most prepared people I have ever met. We have so much fun teaching her little family. Her daughters are really trying to understand (they are 7 and 4) and it's so sweet. Right now we are focusing on the Book of Mormon so she can gain her own witness of its truthfulness. She is meeting with the Bishop on Thursday night. She is already becoming a staple in this ward!

We are also teaching Patti! She's about 80 and her husband of 8 years is a member. They have come to church 3 times already! She is a cowgirl artist and every time we go over they feed us ice cream :)

We've also been working with Jennifer, Genesis, Mo, and Risa. They came to church a week ago from Sunday and we saw them again Monday night. Genesis, the 10 year old, was in a lot of pain in her legs, so we offered for her to receive a priesthood blessing. She really wanted one. Brother Dalton, the sweetest, kindest, man in our ward came and gave her one. I love priesthood blessings because it truly is what the Lord wanted her to hear. She learned that she is a very special daughter of God with a purpose. The spirit was so sweet and so strong there. Genesis even asked if she could have Brother Dalton's phone number so they could still be friends. A family in the ward, the Redds, had them over for dinner on Wednesday and it was awesome! Jen, the mom, is a pretty tough cookie. As we were teaching them, I knew I had to invite them to be baptized. I was really scared but I did it anyway. Jen answered for the whole family and said that they don't need to be but the positive is we now know their concerns and how to better help them recognize the truth!

On Tuesday we headed up to Collbran and had a day of tea parties. First we had the best luncheon ever with the sweetest old ladies who live up there: Sister Tolman (who is 82 but looks 60), Sister Newitt, and the new Sister Litton. Sister Litton just married an older gentleman who lives up there and Sister Tew and I are certain that she is going to get the branch started up there again. She is a firecracker. We dined on dainty little sandwiches. It was probably the cutest thing I have ever done in my life. They each shared how they met their husbands and how they came into the church. All 3 of them were converts! The second tea party we attended was the senior tea for all the graduating seniors. Karlee, a less-active we've been working with, asked if we could come with her because she had no one else to come. At first, we were thinking "is this an effective use of our time?" and then we got our heads on straight and thought "What would Christ do?" So we went! There was even a mullet magician! The RS president is a principal of the elementary school and she was there so we were able to introduce she and karlee! It was perfect! 

Once again I saw SO MANY miracles this week. One of the most affecting was talking to my family :) It really put things into perspective of how imperative the gospel truly is and how real life is. Their examples have motivated me to be better, to be more anxiously engaged in this great cause I am a part of! Another miracle was Chris' baptism, in the 7th ward. I can't describe the incredible spirit I felt there. I felt God's love so powerfully and so purely. You can just feel the pure and courageous spirit that emulates from Chris. Chris was in an accident about a year ago that left him paralyzed from the waist down. He is so happy and such an example and I am so happy he has the gospel! This is what life is all about: helping people recognize the amazing power the can come into their lives as they put God first. I am determined to be more focused and hard working this week to help more people! President and Sister Murdock also came to this baptism. It's always great to see them! Sister Tew and Sister Winkelman also sang the song they sing at every single baptism, "Saviour, Redeemer of my Soul". I have played that song so many times I almost have it memorized. Everyone just loves it though so I am sure glad I brought it. 

Our district leader, Elder Hewlett, sure makes district meeting interesting every week. This week we shot rocks at eggs he duct taped to a fence with a sling shot. If we hit one we had to role play a teaching situation or answer a question from PMG. Too good. The sisters ended up having to shoot 2 to every 1 that an Elder shot because we just couldn't hit them! 

We were contacting referrals in a trailer park when we saw some people outside, so naturally we went and talked to them. Turns out they are meeting with the missionaries in Basalt (another town about 3 hours away) but they are moving here to Palisade! Such a huge miracle that we have met them already so we can help them get settled in and they won't get lost in the move!

Sister Tew is helping me learn so much about charity.  She truly loves everyone and is helping me see how important it is to God's work because that is what He is all about. I am going to continue working on this attribute this week. My goal is to have love become the motivation for everything that I do, not just as a missionary, but as a daughter of God! 

On Saturday I went on an exchange with Sister Winkelman. She is the best and one of the funniest people I have ever met! I laughed all day long. She hasn't been feeling too well as of late so we spent a bit of the day inside playing "Biblequest" where I discovered I literally know nothing about the Bible. It was great! I got to jump on the trampoline for a minute too! Sister Wink has the greatest desire to go and do. She is such an incredible example to me of diligence! Even when she can't go outside she wants nothing more than to do that! She's amazing! 

Yesterday we had 3 investigators come to church! I really love the ward I serve in and I love how much all the wards I have served in have felt like home.

And there's my week! While on exchanges we also shared this super cool video with a family and I loved it! I love seeing the juxtaposition between Christ's time and ours. They don't seem relate-able because they are so different but Jesus Christ and real people are the most connected of anything! 

https://www.lds.org/media-library/video/2014-00-1420-because-of-him?lang=eng

Hope you all have the best week ever! 

another service project, staining another fence! 

We found sheep in Collbran. 

I jumped on a tramp. 

I love these sisters.