Olo....from Texas! 8/27/12

Salutations!

How are you doing? I hope all is well with you. I'm sure there are many adventurous things happening this week. I pray you will listen to the Spirit guide you through the chaos. Those of you starting school, or embarking on a new part of your life, or if you just need a hug from Heavenly Father; I would encourage you to consider receiving (or offering) a priesthood blessing. Such an action will greatly add to your strength to get through whatever you're in or that's coming. Ponder on the things Heavenly Father has said to you recently...I'm sure He's been trying to get your attention about something.

Anyway, a story about my mission...mmm....Well, I can promise you this: If you EVER thought that the Lord doesn't know you by name. You were wrong. Simple as that.

We received a call from a less active, well, inactive member of the church. The missionaries before us were trying to get in to visit her, but she wasn't interested; however, she had our number (when the missionaries leave the phone stays). She called because her in-laws were having a hard time. Her father-in-law was on life support, and her mother-in-law couldn't let him go. She knew she needed the gospel to get through. (At this moment we see: life really does go full circle -- we always go back to the One we can truly rely on. We all know who is sincerely our strength in life.) She called and asked us to come over and visit. We did. Sister ---- and I prayed, pondered, and studied what message we should share with her. When we combined our efforts, we felt like we had a decent plan.

We went over for our appointment with the sister, and we got to know her. Then we shared the lesson we had prepared by the Spirit. I can tell you this: I knew nothing of this woman, except her name, address, and she was having some family sorrows. The Spirit knew everything about this woman.

Perhaps your natural instinct when you here her father-in-law is dying, "Oh, the plan of salvation!" But that is not what we taught. At the end of that lesson, we all knew, how much love Heavenly Father had for this daughter and how well He knew her. That lesson coming from a combination of 1 Nephi 8 and a short article in the this months Ensign (when reading them separately would have no correlation.) propelled into our hearts by the Spirit leaves no doubt in my mind. Heavenly Father prepared that lesson through us; it was His lesson, not ours.

He knows us, our goal is to remember Him. Remember your loving Heavenly Father, He remembers you every day. Pray, and let Him know you're thinking about Him, you'll hear how He thinks of you. Listen for His soft whispers of love, feel for His warmth to surround you, watch for the tender mercies showered down upon you.

I may doubt some things throughout my life, but I will NEVER doubt this gospel or my Heavenly Father's love for this daughter. Who is one among many, yet, He still knows my name, my dreams, my goals, my favorite color, He probably even knows about my Charlie Bear, and he most preciously loves me! and You! I know this to be true with all my heart, in the beloved name of my Savior. Even, Jesus Christ. Amen.

 

I pray you all have a most wonderful week! Be still, stay strong, and see the goodness in your life!

Know that I love you will all my heart!

Forever,

Sis. Chris.

Miracles in Every Moment 8/20/12

Hello my precious family!

I pray all is well with you, and I'm sure the Lord is directing your paths as He is directing mine. :) I have a couple stories that I would like to share with you today....

 

         First, There is a member in my family ward who is a single-empty-nester. She agreed to come out teaching with us earlier this week. However, like happens more often than I would like, our appointment ditched out on us. Unfortunate but true, So the member asked if we had eaten dinner, and we had not. We were going to try and schedule another lesson real fast that she could help us with, but he didn't answer his phone. And she responded, "It's a sign. Let me take you out to dinner." And she did. She took us out to a nice restaurant and it was delicious. I was very grateful. During the dinner we just listened to her. Which I feel she really needed. There was a question pressing on my mind, but like a fool, I never asked it uncertain where to slip it in. When we went our separate ways both my companion and I felt like what we did was good, but not the best. There was something more we should have done for her.

         Later in the week we invited her to come out teaching again, and again our appointment canceled. And the first thing the member said was, "Well, maybe it a sign, have you eaten dinner?" with a huge smile on her face. We all giggled a little, but that night we had already eaten dinner. So, we asked if we could just give her a lesson at her home. She agreed and we followed her there. On the drive there my companion and I discussed a few things and came to the conclusion, we were being given a second change to do what we were supposed to do before. We pondered the message that the Lord wanted her to hear.

         After we got to her apartment and got situated we started the lesson with a prayer. After that, the first thing I did was ask the question that had been pressing on my mind during the dinner we had shared earlier in the week. She then expressed some of the things she had been going through these last three years.

         She had her own company, and was doing pretty well for herself and her family as a single mother. When she found out that her eldest son had been stealing her money and her product designs. She was basically broke, and extremely heart broken. A hurricane had hit her home and destroyed that pretty bad not long before she found out about her son. It was a very hard experience for her. She expressed that one day she was in a boat on the water looking at her home when the Spirit inquired:

"Your house that you remodeled so you could retire and be safe there the rest of your life, how's that goin' for ya'?

Your business that was supposed to financially support you the rest of your life, how's that goin' for ya'?

Your son, who was supposed to be the only man you could trust and who was going to take care of you the rest of your life, how's that goin' for ya'?"

In response she thought, "Not very well, thank you very much!"

          She expressed that she came to realize that up until that point, she was trying to do everything by herself. She wasn't relying on the Lord as she should have been.

           There are many other pieces to her story, and the sorrows are carefully woven with the tender mercies of the Lord. You can see the intricate design He laid out to keep her safe, and also bring her close. Anyway, while she was expressing these things, and sharing her story. I received and solid thought in my mind. Go to the parable of the Good Samaritan. After she was done, that is what I did. It was a beautiful experience to see how similar her life had been to that parable.

She had been stripped by robbers, and wounded. Her home could not shelter her, her business could not support her. They passed her by as the Priest and the Levite. But the Savior came, and stopped. He helped her, cared for her, and carried her to safety and there He stayed with her all through the night, in the darkest moments of her life. He was with her. And when it came time for Him to depart, He left her in the care of those He trusts to care for her.

         The parable is in Luke 11, I believe. At the end of the chapter. I would encourage you to read it, and ponder how the Lord has been with you in your darkest hours. I promise you He has.

 

I'm already out of time, and I had so much more to share! However, know that I love you! I look forward to hearing from you, and I hope this experience I had will bless your life at least a little. Because it has truly blessed mine.

Love you!

Forever,

Sis. Chris.

Hello Everybody! 8/13/12

Hey my wonderful family!

I hope all is well! I'm sure you are looking for the tender mercies that surround every moment of each day! :)

I hope life is getting to frustrating with school starting, moving around, people coming, people going, and I'm not there to wreak havoc and lighten the mood....Sorry. :) Really though, I truly pray that everyone is safe and sound and moving forward according to that path which the Lord has set.

Anyway, I received a letter this week asking me to express more of my mission experiences instead of my testimony. I'm sorry I'm not giving everyone what they want to read. I just don't really know what to say for a couple of reasons. First of all, I've never been a missionary before, nor have I had an example of what missionaries are supposed to write home; Second, my mission has been truly unlike any other. Do you realize I'm currently with my 8th companion and I've only been out 2 months? My companion has been out a little over a year, and I'm her 9th companion. It's kind of a weird thought, eh?

So, my mission:

I super enjoyed the MTC, it was a beautiful place where the Spirit can do just about anything. It is also a truly exhausting experience to prepare you for what is coming.

My first three weeks out here in the mission I had one solid investigator, Bro. ----, we taught him way too much, way too fast. So much so he postponed his baptism. He is a precious man with a kind heart. He was prepared by the Lord to receive His gospel at this time. The Spirit has guided all of the lessons I have been a part of and I'm grateful for it. And is now going to be baptized on Aug. 25.

My other investigator that I had, something happened and the father went anti and I haven't seen them since and they wont answer our calls. It makes me sad, and a pray that the Spirit will be able to direct their paths back to the gospel sometime soon, but in the long run it is up to them.

I have a bike, I have yet to ride on it. However, I plan to convince my new companion to let me ride on it a little... :) She doesn't want to, because she has been out long enough riding her bike isn't fun anymore. ;)

Now, let me explain why I have no fruitful stories to share with you about my time in the field.... My first three week have been very hard. I have been mostly in the apartment or at a recent converts house.... I'm only supposed to write letters on P-day or I would've been writing up a storm with all that time gone by. I read a lot, organized and re-organized my thoughts. Shined my shoes a couple of times. Things of that nature. I did my best to do what I could. I feel now like I could've done more. I should've been better. I don't know....

...In any case, it was hard to... be kept inside, and hard to not be who I promised the Lord I would be. In large part, the reason why you have been receiving nothing more than stupid stories and my testimony is because my testimony is all I've been able to work on. I'm sorry I couldn't give you more....

Know that I am grateful for the hardship that has come and gone these last few weeks, and I have found strength and comfort through the scriptures in every way. The windows of heaven are opened when we study the words that God has given us. Like this relationship we build from far away. We can only grow together if we read the words that were sent to us, and cherish and use wisely the time we've been given to call home.

I love you my precious family. You have all been a great blessing in my life and I'm grateful to you. Thank you for taking a few moments to read my silly e-mails. Thank you for taking the time you did to love me throughout my life. Thank you for sharing what little time we have with me. Thank you for being you and allowing light to shine in your eyes.

Have a most wonderfully, truly fantastic week!

With all the love of my heart,

Forever,

Sis. Chris. :)

 

Post Script: My new companion, Sis. ----, lost her nametag and is totally wearing mine right now! :) It makes me laugh a little.

Also, I'm exctied to start working has hard as I ever have!  Love you!

Fire Hydrants

Angell mentioned in her 'last' email (8/6/12) the fire hyrdants. She sent us so many pictures of them, I figured I'd put them all in their own post. :)

Brought to you by: Random Things of Texas!

L-R:
Top: Weird fire hydrant, sky crossing (the sign is upside down), Lime green/yellow fire hydrant :), they have caution church signs-- funny, right?
Bottom: Giant "arrow" sticking out of the ground at the tee pee motel, caution - fire hydrant w/ a dunce cap, it's a smurf! (fire hydrant).

A minor example of the randomness expressed in my e-mail Aug. 6, 2012. :)
There is no explanation of color schemes.

L-R:
Top -> Hurry! This way! - just a funny sign really, Teepee motel teepees, fire in a fountain - it's pretty cool. :)
Bottom -> More fire hydrants - varioius shapes and sizes.
The one on the end is the "medium sized, green haired troll" hydrant (Let Shannon know that. :) ).

Hello Everybody! :) 8/6/12

Hello!

                So my first transfer is this Wednesday, AND......I am staying in Memorial Park; however, my trainer is not! Which is weird because I was supposed to be with my trainer for 12 weeks, and I have only been with her for three. So, basically I'm getting a new trainer! I'll tell you about her next week I guess. :) I don't know my new companion, but I know that my current companion is leaving. They called this morning to tell her to pack and get ready for transfers. Crazy!

                I can't believe I have been on my mission for such a LONG time! It's amazing how time warps in the service of the Lord. the days are long, but the weeks are short. I've already been out for two months exactly! Crazy, crazy.... :)

I'm sorry I didn't get to really e-mail you last week. The day didn't go as planned, it got us quite a bit off schedule and prevented me from really being able to e-mail.

There are so many things going on right now.

                I have a little twelve year old girl investigator and her mom as well, but the father is causing lots of conflict. If you could take a moment to offer some prayers for the ---- family I would appreciate it. However, I don't remember if I'm allowed to ask you to do that or not.....mmm. Well, I think that prayers are okay.

                Bro. ---- ---- is planning on getting baptized but he postponed his date. He doesn't feel like he's ready. He is such a precious man- he doesn't realize how ready he is to enter into the fold of God. However, he is full of faith that the church is true. It's actually really cool. And he's going to put in more effort in reading the Book of Mormon to know and be ready and everything. He has come so far since I met him. The gospel has already blessed his life. He is much happier than he was. He smiles more, and jokes a little. It's beautiful to see how much all of us need the gospel in our lives, and how special the blessings are for each one of us.

                 I love the Lord teaches us individually in the way we will understand. He has always taught us one-on-one, and all of our tests have been open book. He has never asked us to do something or endure something that He hasn't given us the strength to complete and accomplish. And He even loves us enough to pull us up out of the holes we get ourselves into as well.

                I want you all to know how special you are to me. I love you very much, and you have been a wonderful and lasting influence in my life. I am grateful to have been blessed with the time I was given with you! My heart will always hold spots reserved just for you, forever and always. Please remember that I love you!

                I am actually going to go to the alligator park today! That sounds exciting....hehe! I'll send you some pictures, or at least the boys some pictures. ;)

Me-rockin' the sign. :)
It's like Yellowstone, but with gaters!

                I don't remember all the wonderful things that have happened these last few weeks, normally I make a list of the things I want to tell you. Just to make sure I don't forget anything! But I don't have my list with me....so I basically forgot EVERYTHING! Some strange things about Texas:

• There stop lights are horizontal instead of verticle.
• They have the most obsurd colors of fire hydrants. I call some of them smurfs because they have a blue body and a white top.
• They have the funniest advertising....They totally do the whole made by Texans for Texans in the fresh produce section. :)
• They have a street in Houston named Texas.
• They have caution church signs. :) That one made me laugh so hard!
• They also have streets that were designed by 6 different minds and 7 different organization patterns....or somebody woke up one day and said to themselves, " I am going to make a road system that will wreak havoc on Sis. Chris. when she comes to Texas on her mission!!! HAHAHAHA!" I'm fairly confident it is the latter. :)
• Sigh, there are so many things I would love for you to know, and share with you! Nevertheless, the one thing I need you to know next to that fact I love you, is that I love the Lord. I am so grateful I made this choice. I have so much to learn about the gospel, but I know what I need to know to be an instrument in the hands of my Savior. And come what may, I hope it will be said of me: Her life was lived for the Lord. He died for me, and I live for Him. I pray that my desire will spread like wild fire to the people I meet. That they will have a desire to come unto Christ as well, with me.

                 I know life gets pretty crazy, but take time this week to sit down with each other and share your testimony with those people closest to you. Let them know you love them but sharing your love of the Savior with them. They are precious, and it will be a precious experience. Help each other learn and grow. Lift each other. That is what we are here for! And especially come to know your Savior, know Him and He will know you. I love you and pray that all is well with you. I pray that you see the gospel is blessing your life as I know it is! Look for the tender mercies!

              I'll remember my list next week so I tell you everything, and I want to close with a quick testimony:

My dear friends and family,

I want...I need you to know: I know that I am a daughter of a loving Heavenly Father. I know that He knows my name, and has prepared a path for me to walk. He has a specific and individual plan for me, and for you. I know that my Heavenly Father loves me, and is VERY patient with me. I pray that I can emulate such behavior with those around me. I want to become who He meant for me to become. I want to go home and have Him recognize me, and for Him to tell me: : Well done, my precious daughter. Welcome home!

I have a knowledge of the Atonement. It is far more expanding than most people allow it to be. Christ's Atonement is a sacrifice to cause healing. We have fallen, we are broken and ONLY He can lift us up and heal us. I am grateful to know that He knows how to run to me and give me aid in my sorrows, pains, and afflictions. I am grateful to know Him and to grow closer to Him the rest of my life! My Savior is my friend! A dear, dear friend who I come to know better every day.

The church is true. It's as simple as that, and if you will follow the council given by the Prophet and Apostles, if you abide by the precepts of the Book of Mormon, if you make convenants with the Lord, if you strive to follow His example you will receive the greatest, purest happiness you will ever know, and you will endure to the end.

I know this to be true, I carry it in my heart and thank God that I know it. May His peace be with you. In the name of Jesus Christ. Amen

Love you!

Forever,

Sis. Chris.

All different gaters - all wild gaters - all seen and photographed by me! :)
Oh, and a banana spider - which is HUGE!

Olo...! 7/30/12

Hey everybody,

I hope all is well! I don't have a lot of time today, so I just wanted you to know that I love you. I hope things are going well. I pray that you are all having meaningful experiences with the Spirit, and with the scriptures. I know that if you will strive to have these things happen your life will be blessed.

Remember that I love you forever and always. I'll try to write more next week.

I'm safe. Love you!

Your missionary,

Forever,

Sis. Chris.

Made it through my 1st week! 7/23/2012

Hello everybody!

I just want to say hello and remind you that I love you, and if there are ANY thoughts in your head to the contrary you are WRONG! I love you! Each and everyone of you connected to this e-mail....

Now, I have a couple things I want to share with you about my first week here:

• I became a true Texan and stood in a red ant pile....good stuff. Bites all up my leg. Thank you to the Sheffers for my first aid kit. That came in handy and the anti-itch cream helped the bites a lot. Also, I survived. :)

What happened was I was backing up my companion, because we have to spot every time a missionary is backing up it's the rules, and I was watching her and the cars in relation to her and didn't realize that I was standing in an ant pile until my leg started burning and they were all over me. Good experience. I stare at the ground more when backing up my comp. :)

• This is for everyone, but make sure Bugs hears about it. Because I think of him sticking his face in the dishwasher and pulling it out smiling and laughing because his glasses are all fogged up when he was younger-ish every time it happens. :)  Here in Texas, when you walk outside, leaving an air conditioned car and building into the night air, guess what happens? Go ahead, guess? That's right...those of us cool enough to have the honor of wearing glasses can no longer see! My glasses fog up every night! But it makes me think of Bugs and smile even more. :)
• Next Monday, I'm totally going to try and go the the Alligater park! Yeah, I'm going to get eaten, but it will be loads of fun! I'll send you pictures. :)

Now, that I've gotten the random things out of the way, let me tell you about the gospel, It's AMAZING! Let me tell you abou the Lord, He's AMAZING!

Now let me explain. :)

I want you to know that the Lord knows and loves each of us individually. He loves us deeply and perfectly. He loves us so much He died for us, AND He lived for us!

We can see His example in the scriptures. We can come to know our Savior, and become close friend, even best friends with Him. I invite you to write down something about the Savior every time you read a passage of scripture. Write down His nature, His love, His service, any thing that is His, AND then write down how that specifically was for you. Because it was, and it is! He love YOU!

The Lord prepares us to be helped by others and to help others. We are receiving strength and comfort from as much as we are serving others and strengthening them! The merciful obtain mercy.

I want you to know the the gospel of Jesus Christ is the way by which you will return home to your Heavenly Father. Fact. I want you to know that the Savior lived that gospel, and also counseled me to write it in the scriptures. The gospel of Christ is: Faith in Jesus Christ, Repentance, Baptism, Receiving the Gift of the Holy Ghost and Enduring to the end. Study His gospel, and happiness with enter life. You will be fortified by the Holy Ghost.

I want you to know that I love what I am doing out here. I know the church is true, and I know it because the Holy Ghost testified of it to me. I know for myself that Heavenly Father loves me and you, and that He sent His son, even Jesus Christ, to satisfy the demands of justice so that He could be merciful to us. We are loved by an all knowing God and His son, our brother. Grow closer to them, build that relationship.

I want to share with you a little more about Bro. ----. He is looking forward to being baptized at the beginning of next month. We had a lesson with him everyday last week, and I have seen how much the knowledge we have been blessed with has changed his life. He is happier, he is hopeful, he is growing in faith. It is beautiful how much love from the Savior blesses, changes, and heals hearts. I would like to share more of his story, but I'm running out of time. So, I will try and tell you next week.

I'm sorry I haven't written any letters yet, but I should be able to get some written and sent out today. I love you!

Thank you for your letters, your e-mails, your love, and your support. Thank you for who you are, for following the Savior, and blessing my life because of that.

I'll love you forever, and remember always. May God be with you, and watch over you while I am so far away.

Forever,

Sis. Chris.