Happy Fall Y'all

Having another beautiful week in NC. We received great motivation from Zone Conference, and General Conference-- a double whammy of spiritual juice. At Zone Conference there was a surprise for the missionaries-- we got to watch "Meet the Mormons" to prepare to share it with members and non-members. It is a great film! Not what I expected, but very informative and pretty funny. I was mainly inspired by it; inspired by how the gospel changes lives. Living the Gospel of Jesus Christ feeds the light within each of us. There is no doubt in my mind that the gospel of Jesus Christ creates a marked difference in the lives of those who apply it. It is my lifestyle of choice :)

 My favorite talk was definitely Elder Klebingat's. It just spoke to me.

An aside on the lovely Fall weather: I love waking up in the morning and feeling a chill in the air. We've been running again, and it feels so brisk and alive outside. A big practice in NC is having a "chili cook-off" around fall time. I am looking forward to that. I made a pumpkin roll. It was addictive. Not doing that again. The Trueloves gave us some maple cookies from Aldi. They were way too yummy. Sister Hudson makes the most amazing german apple cake I have ever tasted in this life. It is incredible. I got the recipe, so never fear, I have many treats in store when I get back. The recipe actually comes from some pecan farmers outside of Lubbock. Brother Hudson is a cotton farmer, so we have that connection :)

Back to business: We had 2 investigators come to 2 sessions each of general conference, and they surely received a lot of spiritual strength and peace from the answers to their prayers. It is so meaningful to seek revelation for our stewardships from prophets of God. I would add in Elder Packer's line-up of revelation: the missionary for her investigator. There was a talk for every one of our investigators! Heavenly Father knows their names. He knows what they need. I don't always trust Him to give them what they need, but He always does. He is consistent.

I'm really glad to be here in Dunn. I like hearing our 9-year-old investigator pray for us. I like talking with everyone and demystifying their concept of mormonism. I like listening to elderly black ladies talk. They can spin a yarn and a half and have you bent over crying with a stitch in your side in no time at all. I like how everyone waves to each other.

Please pray for me to be more humble and sensitive to the Spirit, so I can do the Lord's will, and help our brothers and sisters effectively.

All my love, Sister Boucher

Thank you

Thank you for your prayers and for seeing all the good in me! I feel great support every day :) Two weeks ago, Jeanette sent me this beautiful letter, and she says it much better than I can, so I have to share with you: "As Moroni is trying to convince the Lamanites to give up their weapons of war for peace he declares that the success and happiness of him and his people was caused by their "faith, by [their] religion, and by [their] rites of worship, and by [their] church, and by the sacred support which [they] owe to [their] wives and children." There was a happiness that they had that tied them to their "lands and [their] country; yea, and also by the maintenance of the sacred word of God, to which we owe all our happiness; and by all that is most dear unto us" Alma 44:5. I just want all of you to know how grateful I am for the "sacred support" that I am receiving from each one of you. Sometimes that sacred support comes through your prayers, your letters, or even just a thought sent my way, but I want you all to know that these methods and efforts of support are so appreciated. Thank you. So much." -J.M (She is on her mission in Tokyo Japan now!)

I am finding hidden treasures in the war chapters too this week. Today, in Alma 60, I felt Moroni's words speak to us as members of Christ's kingdom in the last days:

21 Or do ye suppose that the Lord will still deliver us, while we sit upon our thrones and do not make use of the means which the Lord has provided for us? (He has provided SO MANY ways to share the gospel!)
22 Yea, will ye sit in idleness while ye are surrounded with thousands of those, yea, and tens of thousands, who do also sit in idleness, while there are thousands round about in the borders of the land who are falling by the sword, yea, wounded and bleeding?
(The spiritual attacks of Satan claim casualties every day. Are we aware of those around us who need us to fight for them with the sword of the Spirit, and the power of the Word of God? To remind them who they are, and why they are here? To be a source of Christ's love for them?)
23 Do ye suppose that God will look upon you as guiltless while ye sit still and behold these things? Behold I say unto you, Nay. Now I would that ye should remember that God has said that the inward vessel shall be cleansed first, and then shall the outer vessel be cleansed also.

Our mission has been discussing and pondering the concept of consecration. The full sacrifice of our will to God is the price necessary to become filled with pure love, and to receive the capacity to effectively hasten the Lord's work. I feel happy to know consecration does not mean perfection. It means setting ourselves aside and relying on the Atonement of Jesus Christ every day.

These words are SO POWERFUL and full of meaning for me and for each of us. The joy and peace we are seeking will never be found in worldly successes. Our true joy and peace will be in doing the work of the Lord. How grateful I am for this knowledge. I don't know it of myself, but I know it by the witness of the Holy Spirit.

So that is what I am excited about this week :) Also: The hispanic mother and her 9-year old daughter came to the Women's broadcast with us, and we rejoiced! It was great to see them exercising their faith. Betty received an answer to her questions about Joseph Smith through the testimony of a member that came with us. We found a new investigator who is honestly seeking for truth, although he doesn't know where to find it, and he probably isn't humble enough to receive it right now. I know we are doing the Lord's work. It is so much fun! I want you all to receive this joy. Time is short! We must fight hard and win. Mind over body; Spirit over carnality.

I pray for you <3 Love, Sister B.

Alma 30:9

Another fantastic week in North Carolina! One of our sayings in the mission is "we love hard days" and it makes life a lot better, a lot happier, when we strive to be, like Elder Uchtdorf asked us to be, grateful IN all things.

I had a great time last night visiting with all of Sister Olive's nurses at the ER. She has stomach problems, so we got to have potential investigators come to US. It was brilliant. Not the most effective finding net, but, still, one of the nurses is friends with two member families, so that was pretty neat.

I'm really getting set on this missionary schedule though. I feel old saying it, but I don't like staying up later than 10:30. It really hampers my style, which I find amusing, since I used to love sporatic scheduling and spontaneous events.

The Elders finally went to teach Jorge, since he prefers to speak Spanish, and the lesson went really well! We have the best Elders! Jorge and Gabby and Joscelyn still didn't show for church yesterday though, so something fishy is going on there... Please do pray for them! I need to get a picture with Joscelyn and little 2-year-old Sophie. She has more personality than a lot of grown-ups I know, and is a total riot during lessons.

I am gaining such faith in the members of this church. Our lessons with members are so wonderful! I wish we had full-time member missions... oh wait. Well, you know what I mean. One of our favorites to go out with is Sister Underwood, (the southern bell, who taught me what a tobacco plant looks like). She came with us to teach a slightly mentally disabled member's slightly mentally disabled girlfriend this week, and it was a powerful lesson. Sister Underwood has a dynamite connection to the Spirit, and when she speaks, it blows us away. It's as if we had role played it!! So, don't underestimate how invaluable you are when you go out to teach with the missionaries. WE LOVE MEMBER PRESENT LESSONS. Especially with members who sacrifice to be filled with the Spirit.

I can confidently identify the worst meal I have had on my mission: uncooked rice and barley mixed with raw hotdog chunks, mushy squash, and onions. It was difficult, but I successfully consumed a polite portion :) Oma can be proud of her missionary :)

I love you all! Please, if you have any advice on how to be better at introducing the gospel in casual conversation, or becoming closer to the Spirit as we teach and invite, I would really appreciate it. I feel desperate to become a better missionary and would love all/any ideas from you experts out there.

Love, Sister B

More more more Miracles

Every day we see more miracles. And every time, I'm like "nuh-uh?!" You'd think I'd be used to it by now. A few of the miracles this week:

Sister Olive and I have to use the bikes about 2x/week. We decided to contact former investigators, and when I plugged the address into the gps, it said it was about 7 minutes away, so I thought "perfect it'll take us just 15 minutes to bike there." Much to Sister Olive's disappointment, it turned out to be about 7 miles away, instead of 7 minutes. But it felt so good to be out in the sun, I loved it (: I'd taught Sister Olive how to bike just over a month ago, and she still doesn't quite have the swing of things yet. But she soldiers on. 

At the former investigator's home, we met a bunch of new people and one of them came to the fish fry on Saturday which was a great blessing. We start teaching them tomorrow!

Quick funny story-- we taught a man outside that families house (it was actually that lady's grandson) and it was the most ridiculous contact I have ever had in my life. He called himself a "hood nigga" and launched into his belief system which he described as "atheist, but believing in God and the devil..." and then he stopped mid sentence and said "y'all are cute, you know that?" and it was the best we could do to not crack up right then and there. When he found out the fish fry was free, he gave us each a fist bump and said y'all are gangsta! which definitely made my day. Hopefully, he makes a turn around in his life sometime soon... in any case, it was a comic relief in the middle of a very sweaty day (:

The son of one of our less active sisters agreed to be baptized (: I met her on my birthday, and have been up with her almost every week for the past 3 months. She is exceptionally good at survival skills. She lives all the way out in the boonies of the area, so no one really reached out to her consistently before, and she chose to stop coming to church. She's been 2 times now, and her son will be baptized this month. It's amazing.

Alma 26:35-37

Last, but not least, we got to go on exchange with the Sister Leaders in Fayetteville on Thursday. They live with a little old lady named Mrs. Ratledge. She bakes them desserts every day, and much to my joy, she had baked a lemon cake for them the day I was there. <3

We had interviews with President and Sister Bernhisel this week. It was so good to be with them! I can't describe how much they love us. It feels so good to be around them. Over the course of the past 6 weeks, we have studied a Christ-like attribute per week, and we got to report on it in interviews. The Christ-like attribute study was a beautiful experience. What stood out to me was how the attributes build on each other; one focus would produce strength in another area and so on. It explains to me why Christ asks us to be "perfect:" whole, complete: to "giving all diligence add to our faith, virtue, and to virtue knowledge, and to knowledge temperance..." 2 Peter 4:4-7. The course of the Lord is one eternal round.

I know this is where I'm supposed to be. In the end, nothing matters if we do not bring as many of our brothers and sisters home as we possibly can. This is the only work that truly matters. Everything else feeds into it, or takes away from it. It is up to us to become transparent, so whatever we are doing, others will see Christ in us. Then, when we enter into the celestial kingdom, our joy will be full, because they'll be there with us. I'm really glad I have my whole life to figure out how to do this effectively :)

Moroni 10:32-33

Love, Sister B

Hola?

Sister Olive and I have decided to learn how to bear our testimonies, and invite people to hear our message in Spanish, since 50% of the people we meet are immigrant workers from Mexico. It's terrible. We just smile and make a lot of hand motions, and give them the Spanish Elders' number. And afterwards we laugh and laugh at our stupidity and we laugh with joy, because the Spirit still speaks, even though we are so inadequate. 

This week was sooo funny. We started talking in broken English with one man, and all we had left in Spanish was a restoration DVD. So, we gave it to him, and asked, "will you watch it?" and he looked surprised and said, "right now?" And we said, "sure!" Tender mercies (: 

That street was probably more like 80% hispanic. We were laughing about how we seem to be the headquarters for our Spanish Elder's referrals.

Then, of course, the classic missionary experience took place. Buckle up. So, Sister Olive and I continue down the lane, and see the next house has a long, muddy dirt driveway. (Picture our Texas home in January). I smile, and turn to Sister Olive and say "opposition in all things," wink wink and we jump puddles to the front door. THEN. We notice on the front step it says "Welcome to the Moreno Family's Residence." We resigned ourselves to the inevitable, and loosened up our tongues to roll a few R's. Much to our delight (this is not meant to be a racial slander. not in the slightest.) they weren't Mexican! They were from New York, and spoke good English, and now the mama and her daughter are planning to be baptized on August 31st! 

BEST DAY EVER!

I am continually amazed at how the Lord is hastening His work. The greatest Spirit and motivation comes from the families of the Dunn ward. They are stepping up their game and the increase of the Spirit is tangible. 

We went all out today, splurged on miles, and drove out to Raven Rock to go hiking (for the first time in waaaaay too long.) So, here are some pictures of, in President Bernhisel's words, "the Garden of Eden."

I love y'all. I know this is Christ's church. Like Sister Moreno said to us the other day, "so many people from different churches have knocked on our door, but none of them felt right, until you came." Brother Pipkin's favorite quote is: "Doubt your doubt before you doubt your faith." Seriously. Without faith, what are we living for? This life is the time to prepare to meet God. I'm so glad we know why we have to suffer. I was totally inspired by Sister Thompson's courage to come to church only 2 weeks after knee surgery with her little walker. She is one of my heroes. 

Thank you all for having faith in Christ. Moroni 7:33

Love, Sister B

Thanks be to Jesus

I love these days. 

About a week ago, we went to visit Ms. Mildred. She shies away from set appointments, but loves to have us teach her, and wants to learn more. This last time, she taught me how to sing a southern baptist hymn based on Psalm 23. It was so much fun.

The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want

He maketh me lay in the pastures, so green

Beside the still waters, He restoreth my soul

Thanks be to Jesus, I'm clean and made whole

On Wednesday, after zone training, I got the sudden urge to stop at Panera (kin to Kneader's) for lunch. Lo and behold, one of the people sitting kitty corner from us had a little tattoo on her arm that read: made in germany. Interesting societal commentary.. anyhow, I got to speak with her for like 15 minutes about religion and Frankfurt and studying in Germany, and it was great. She loves to read, and agreed to let me send her a Book of Mormon ((: 

I caught a little cold this week, so that was fun. We have been having very strange weather. On Wednesday, the temperature dropped about 25 degrees, and it's been rainy and chilly since then. It's okay though. A nice relief from our muggy, hot weather.

Gospel principles had to be my favorite part of the week this week. Our ward mission leader just returned from army training, and had so many great insights and stories about enduring to the end. He told us about this ridiculous set up: they'd been shot up and blown up and it was raining terribly, and had rucked 20 miles that day, and he was laying in the mud with his weapon, getting ready to shoot people, and he said he couldn't stop laughing. He couldn't stop laughing, because he was getting payed to have this crazy adventure. He knew where he was going, and he knew the bigger picture, and it made the whole thing awesome and hilarious. So, the parallels to life are pretty clear. We just can't forget who we work for. Jesus Christ is at the head of this work, and He knows why we need to have certain experiences. So, come what may and love it. 

I love how people in the south respond when we ask them how Jesus Christ has blessed their lives. The first thing they usually say is that he woke them up that morning. And they say it with a smile. And they say it with faith, because they refuse to take this life for granted. Every moment is precious.

I love y'all! Isaiah 40:28-31

Sister B

The Gift of Discernment

Hey y'all (:

Life is oh so good! I get rrreally stressed thinking about the joyful responsibility we bear, but the Lord is teaching me a lot. I am a big fan of the book they gave us to help with stress, it's called Adjusting to Missionary Life. I read yesterday Elder Uchtdorf's talk about being grateful in our circumstances, and that is going to be my main focus this week. We deal with crazy people sometimes, but the elect are out there, and finding them is just so much sweeter after dealing with disappointment. I read in the bible dictionary the other day that discipline and patience are born of disappointment, so that's my little insight into Heavenly Father's plan for me (: 

President Bernhisel sent us this quote from President Eyring on what he did as a missionary to have the Holy Ghost working in his life:“I find that it only comes after prayer, searching the scriptures and the words of the prophets, exact obedience, loving others, humbly listening for the Spirit and after long and painful labor.” In other words, it isn’t easy, but it is sure worth it. 

Sometimes I feel like I must be doing terribly when the Spirit isn't with me super strong, but it is reassuring to know that an apostle of the Lord also must commit to "long and painful labor" in order to have the Spirit with him. Our level of commitment to the Lord determines the level of spiritual sensitivity we have.

We have been working hard this week to overcome our weaknesses. I was touched in my heart to realize that serving the Lord "with all your heart, might, mind and strength" means being more disciplined in healthy eating and cardio exercise. We can't just let ourselves go, in other words...;) 

I recommitted this week to do those things, and have been seeing miracles from it! We found 4 new investigators!!! What a merciful God we have. We are teaching Soyoung and Brad again! We got to go out teaching with Sister Bernhisel this week, and it was so neat! She has such a high level of the Spirit with her. It was incredible to watch her listen, observe, ask questions, and discern the needs of our investigators. Although Brad's washer exploded yesterday, they are planning on coming back to church, so we credit that miracle completely to the Spirit working through Sister Bernhisel. She is our inspiration (:

In addition to that experience, we had an interesting encounter with a referral who was so frightened by our uncanny ability to locate him even after he gave us totally wrong instructions, that he lied barefaced to us. I have never had someone lie to me like that before. It was interesting. I guess I have to admit that there are some people in the world who are intentionally mean to others. This came as quite a shock. Anyway, we called him out, and he sheepishly went inside and had his girlfriend come out and apologize for him... very interesting/ helpful experience in learning about how to discern the truth from people. We had two or three other experiences like that, and then they were complimented by several experiences where the Spirit helped us recognize prepared people as well. In short, the Spirit of discernment is powerful in helping us not be confounded before men. D&C 52:14

One of our new investigators came from offering to serve, and using the Book of Mormon. We contacted her while she was watering her garden, and shared the pictures from the front of the Book of Mormon to explain what it was. She agreed to let us help her garden next Tuesday, so we came back on Tuesday in our service clothes. She was so surprised to see us actually wearing sweats and T-shirts, she invited us in, and asked us to share our message with her. Word. We felt inspired to read from 3 Nephi 11 about baptism and the priesthood, and the spirit bore witness to her of the truth of the Book of Mormon. She re-read the part where Jesus talks about the atonement 3 or 4 times out loud, and then looked up and said "I really want to read this book!" It was so exciting to hear that!

Sister Olive has been asking EVERYONE for referrals. This has never been my strong suit, so I am extremely motivated by the competition. Similar to a "Costco with Caroline" experience ;) She constantly motivates me to humble myself, and be more exactly obedient, and also to not be so hard on myself. I have been memorizing my patriarchal blessing, and find great strength to not beat myself up as I recite passages of it to myself. It is a great shield against negative thinking and self-criticism, which we all need, so I definitely recommend it!

When I find myself wondering why I am stressing so much, or why our friends are facing such great opposition, or making poor choices, I am reminded that the Lord's ways are higher than our ways. He knows what it takes to bring souls unto Him. He requires everything we've got, and I don't want to hold anything back. 

1 Corinthians 9:22-24

Still running.

Love, Sister Boucher

Mosiah 28:3

Every week seems like a year. I don't even know where to begin!

One of the most lovely moments this week was contacting less active sisters with Sister Thompson (a returning less active, and a kindred spirit). We stopped by a lady's house whom we had never met, and knew nothing of, and got to share with her Romans 8:37-39. She loved it. Then we sang "I am a Child of God" and her little 3-year-old granddaughter was so enraptured, she looked at us with big eyes, and begged for us to sing it again (:

We are finding prepared people. On Friday, we stopped by a former investigator's house quick before weekly planning (my most favorite thing to do... ;) and lo and behold, he welcomed us in with open arms! We barely had a chance to ask if there was a woman present! He set us down in his library FULL of every religious work I have ever heard of, and commenced sharing with us his concerns about mormonism. It was miraculous. Sister Olive was sure I had at least met him before, but he was just very nice and welcoming. I love people like that.

Another couple like that are Richie and June. (I always think of Juniper when we teach them.) June and Richie are from Long Island. They grew up there, and have the thickest new yorker accents I have ever heard. I LOVE it. Missionaries had been helping June with her family history, and she was glad to see us again. She loves to talk about our purpose, tolerance, how to find a good spouse, how to raise your children... and then Richie will chime in, and they start teasing each other, it's so great. It makes it all the greater since he broke his hearing aid last weekend, so he was shouting out his comments about the plan of salvation. Bless his heart. We all agree that we were brought together for a reason. I learn so much from them. They make us feel like family, which is a much needed feeling for me lately.

The Hudson's and the Ramages both cooked us AMAZING southern home-cooked meals this week. I love banana puddin' and flakey buttermilk biscuits. :)

I hope I am learning to follow the Spirit more accurately. We just pray and pray, and sometimes I feel like we have no direction, but we go and do and try our best, and then miracles happen. I know I prayed for greater faith, so this is probably why Heavenly Father is letting me act on my own, without a clear answer. Ether 12:6, right? I received a beautiful feeling at the first transfer training for Sister Olive this week. I was overwhelmed with the knowledge that we are witnesses called, and there is no higher calling than that. It is like Elder Packer said, "at once a light to follow, and a burden to bear." I am so grateful we can be yoked with the Lord.

What are y'all doing to hasten the Lord's work this week? I hope you know how much Heavenly Father loves you! He has a plan. We finished studying the old testament in institute with Brother Jester and Brother Pipkin, and I was struck with how repetitive it is! Over and over again, Heavenly Father reaches out to us. "25 Behold, doth he cry unto any saying: Depart from me? Behold, I say unto you, Nay; but he saith: Come unto me ALL YE ENDS OF THE EARTH, buy milk and honey, without money and without price. 27 Hath he commanded any that they should not partake of his salvation? Behold I say unto you, nay; but he hath given it free for all men; and he hath commanded his people that they should persuade all men to repentance." -Nephi

There is no greater joy, than the joy in service to God.

I am grateful for the gospel, and for the little, beautiful, wonderful things the Lord allows into my life. Things like the sunset yesterday. North Carolina is the garden of eden- quote, President Bernhisel (: Wish I could send you pictures, but I did get a copy of Brother Pipkin's baptism picture from the Elders, so enjoy. Pardon my bad hair-do, it was a hectic day.

Love, Sister B

So run, that ye may obtain

How are you all, my wonderful family and friends? Brother Pipkin was BAPTIZED AND CONFIRMED this weekend!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Can I even express what a miracle this is? Moroni 7:35-37, 41 I bear my solemn witness that the Lord, Jesus Christ is at the head of this work. There is no other force or power great enough to transform individuals, to take them from the dregs of society, to heal them physically, mentally, emotionally, and socially, and then to redeem them from their sins and purify their hearts and grant them the hope to live a joyful life. If any of you need proof that God is real, that Jesus Christ is His only begotten son, or that they are personally and intimately aware of you individually, consider the story of this man. Kenneth Pipkin grew up in a segregated community on the other side of the river where blacks were not expected to go anywhere or become anything other than manual laborers. He experienced substance and physical abuse, and ultimately lost everything about three years ago, when his work position was eliminated from the health care system. Brother Pipkin wandered homeless for 3 years searching for a job. He traveled from state to state, and never wanted to come back to North Carolina, where he would be judged and categorized by the mistakes of his youth. He was led back to North Carolina to live with his sister in May of this year. Late this May, he met the Sister missionaries coming out of the Library. He had hit rock bottom, and was smoking his last cigarette. A week later, he had read through 2nd Nephi in the Book of Mormon, and called us for a ride to church. His transformation has been total and complete. He has fought an uphill battle that has tried all of our faith, but through the grace of our Lord, Jesus Christ, He has come through VICTORIOUS. I know that our Redeemer lives. We sang "Our Savior's Love" at Brother Pipkin's baptism, and my heart was so full, I can't explain it. The gospel truly can help and heal us. It is the key to living a happy and whole life. At Zone Conference this week, I cried to see some of my long-time brothers and sisters bear their final testimonies to the missionaries. They are going home already! President Bernhisel calls it an Alma 26 experience when we come together at conferences, and are so happy to see each other and know that we do remain faithful to the truth. I am especially going to miss Hermana Richardson. If any of you out in Provo this fall get a chance to see her, give her a big hug for me. President Bernhisel is so inspired. He taught us at Zone Conference about raising our vision and of having the faith to accomplish miracles for the Lord. I felt impressed by the thought that I NEED to Baptize my brothers and Sisters. Just like I need to eat, or sleep, or make music, pray, or be connected to my immediate family, I NEED to baptize my brothers and sisters. A quote from Elder Oaks came to my mind: "We do not preach and teach in order to bring people into the church or to increase the membership of the church. We do not preach and teach just to persuade people to live better lives... We invite all to come unto Christ by repentance and baptism and confirmation in order to open the doors of the Celestial kingdom to the sons and daughters of God. No one else can do this." Brother Lykins counseled us last week to focus our efforts on serving the ward members. We have had so many miracles doing this this week, plus it makes missionary work more fun (: I have baked more in the last week than I have on my entire mission! Thank you for all those delicious recipes (: I love you all. I know we are chosen to represent the Lord because of the covenants we made with Him when we were baptized by His authority. It is an immense privilege. In every little way possible, we need to discipline our lives to become more consecrated followers of Christ. This morning in study, I had an epiphany about Charity and Virtue. Possessing the pure love of Christ gives us the capacity to discipline our lives. When we know how much we and those around us are worth to the Lord, our desires change. I guess I already knew this, but I didn't know it. Charity gives us perspective. So, in the words of Paul, "Know ye not that they which run in a race run all, but one receiveth the prize? So run, that ye may obtain. And every man that striveth for the mastery is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a corruptible crown; but we an incorruptible. I therefore so run, not as uncertainly; so fight I, not as one that beateth air" When we remember the purpose; when we have a vision of what we are working towards, our every day actions become more meaningful, and we run and fight with certainty and intention. I love you all. Sister B

Freedom

Alma 58: 10 “Therefore we did pour out our souls in prayer to God, that he would strengthen us and deliver us out of the hands of our enemies, yea, and also give us strength that we might retain our cities, and our lands, and our possessions, for the support of our people. 11 Yea, and it came to pass that the Lord our God did visit us with assurances that he would deliver us; yea, insomuch that he did speak peace to our souls, and did grant unto us great faith, and did cause us that we should hope for our deliverance in him. 12 And we did take courage with our small force which we had received, and were fixed with a determination to conquer our enemies, and to maintain our lands, and our possessions, and our wives, and our children, and the cause of our liberty.” "God is in control of the planet" was one of my favorite quotes from fast and testimony meeting yesterday. It was from Sister Mona. Sister Mona suffered from a brain aneurysm about 7 years ago, and stays in the scariest "nursing home" that I have ever seen. It literally makes you want to cry. Yet her testimony is amazing. She simply loves the Lord and trusts Him with her whole heart. It seems that much of the time it takes a huge event like a brain aneurysm to shock us into putting our full faith in Jesus Christ. Why is that? I am grateful this week for our country. I love the United States. The principles we were founded on were inspired of God. This week we had a great experience fasting. We have been praying for our investigators who are living together to be able to get married, or separate so that they can continue to progress spiritually. Yesterday, after church, she called us to let us know that they were separating for now, because she knows its what she needs to do in order to heal, and come closer to Christ. We were floored!!! We found her a place to stay with a member, and are excited to set a baptismal date with her today. I know that Jesus Christ is at the head of this work. He will do His work. I am grateful that we can influence the world for good through fasting and mighty prayer. There are so many wonderful blessings we need to be grateful for!!! I am studying the New Testament after numerous promptings to do so, and have been finding answers to the questions in my heart about our Savior. I am astonished at how consistently He gives of himself. He truly has the answers that we seek. He is mightier than all the Earth. He knows what we need, and what our families need. It's the best (: I love you all and hope you are feeling close to the Savior, and the warmth of His Spirit. He really is there. Love, Sister B

Life's a dance you learn as you go

Today I learned that my hope comes from stories. Scriptures, family history, memories, books, pictures: stories. (I feel this would be an effective 2 voice poem ;) ahhh those were the days. Soyoung is from Korea. She and her fiancee came to church yesterday, and it was miraculous. They enjoyed it. She took notes in her korean book of mormon during the entire meeting. It was wonderful. Kenneth is from here, and he never wanted to come back ever again, because people here can be straight up racist. (False traditions of their fathers) So, when we approached him and he was at his lowest low, he felt like Heavenly Father sent him angels. Angels outside the library in Dunn, NC. Pretty neat. I love the people of North Carolina. I feel my perspective morphing into a strange, versatile thing. I have a harder time defining my experiences, and the people I meet and talk with. Life isn't what I thought it was. There is more to it than I even now know. When I talk with strangers, I like to think about how much Heavenly Father loves them, and wants them to be successful, and wants them to find joy in this life. Satan works pretty hard. I don't feel bad for him. He knows exactly what he's doing, and he is evil. We were driving along the country roads, and I was singing in my head the John Denver song, and Miss Dot was driving and telling us about how Erwin and Dunn have changed since she was little. And I looked out the window at these strange green plants; I had been noticing that field after field of these strange green plants were speeding by, and I didn't know what plant it was, so I asked Miss Dot, and she says "Haven't you ever seen a tobacco field, Sister?" Wow. Culture shock. So, I feel I am becoming more educated (: We were told before we came out that swimming would be forbidden. On the contrary, we sweat so much, I feel that swimming is all we do out here. Yummmmy humidity. Feels like walking through a fluffy pillow (: Well, I love you all. Scripture of the week has been Mosiah 7:33. The Lord's timing is... not my favorite. BUT I am trying to bend my will, and hoping it will become my favorite soon (: Love, Sister B

Malolelei

It's been another great week in Dunn, NC! We are tremendously blessed when we are obedient to the Lord. The week started with a whirlwind: packing, cleaning and preparing for our new sister. I was bent and determined to vacuum the car before she got here, so getting that done a bit was a relief (: Tuesday morning, we left at 7am for Raleigh, and I got to learn about how to be a good example (inspired instruction). Right before we met our new sisters, President Bernhisel mentioned that she pronounces her name: Oh-LEE-veh, and I had to laugh. I said "well, we're two peas in a pod." It's nice to have a companion whose name is harder to pronounce than mine is hehe. It's actually spelled: Olive. So we have an olive and a butcher, nearly a round meal. We have gotten along great since the get go. Sister Olive comes from San Francisco, and she's Tongan, so she teaches me a lot about how to be pc and relax and go with the flow. It's very good, since I tend to stress out about being a good missionary etc. and she knows just what to say to put things in perspective. I am looking forward to this week, since she will be cooking me some tongan food (: I feel Zac should be jealous about this... Brother Pipkin had a very spiritual experience with us when we taught about patriarchal blessings. He changes every time we see him, he is becoming more peaceful and confident in the Lord's plan for him. We are excited for the changes he is making! He has gone almost a full week without smoking, and we fasted with him to help him curb his addiction. I think we often underestimate the power of fasting and prayer. We had a great experience this week with finding. We made a commitment to be early to every appointment on Friday, and to leave on time. When we arrived at our first appointment 5 minutes early, and were making a few calls, a neighbor of the less active woman walked out of her trailer, and over to her truck. She climbed in the truck to get something out of the bed, and tripped and fell. We quickly pulled up, and went over to help her. When we got over there, she looked relieved; she stopped calling for help, and began speaking with us. We introduced ourselves, offered assistance, and then explained to her that we are representatives of Jesus Christ. We taught about the Book of Mormon and read with her. She eagerly accepted an invitation to read it, and meet with us again this week! We are amazed at the blessing Heavenly Father provided as we sought to be exactly obedient. There is NO WAY we will ever again let ourselves be late!! Funny how the Lord is really targeting my weaknesses, and helping me become strong. I am grateful for the atonement. Ether 12:27. Love, Sister B

Desires

"Wherefore if ye have desires to serve, ye are called to the work." D&C 4:5

It is always a joy to see your desires being realized. One very obvious lesson learned over the past few months is that the Lord's ways are not my ways. 

We have the funniest ward mission leader. He is an army guy with 7 kids, and a firey testimony. He talks with us a lot about lining our will up with the Lords. A couple Sundays ago, he was teaching in Gospel Principles about Agency, and how the Lord lets us help in His work, even when we can't do much. He compared missionary work to an experience he had with his oldest son, Peyton. When Peyton was 3, he saw his dad working on a car, and wanted to help. He found his little plastic toy hammer and hard hat and eagerly came out to the carport. With great hopes, he asked his dad if he could help. His dad smiled, and nodded, and Peyton commenced tapping the front fender with all the joy and muster he could. 

I often feel like I am doing a great work, when really, I am learning to take part in the great work of the Lord. It is really good to know that our desires are in the right place as we try to line our will up with His. We are finally beginning to see some fruit as the ward joins with us to hasten the work. Members are the only missionaries, as far as I'm concerned.

I got the picture for you all, so hope you enjoy it (: I dreamed last night that I was showing Gram my bike and telling her how great it was (: It really is a comfy ride. I hope you are all having a wonderful week, and I can't wait to hear more of your graduating and massaging, and knitting and color guarding and organ playing and world traveling adventures. The greatest adventure is definitely ministering to our brothers and sisters. I'm glad we share those desires. Together, we must do a bit more than tap on the front fender of the work of salvation (:

Love,

Sister B

p.s. chocolate would not be good to send for the next few months. It is SO HOT. and humid sheesh, I didn't know it could be so uncomfortable to wear long sleeves! (: 

The great part about agency:

What a glorious week. Well, let's have any bad news first, I guess.... um... can't think of any (: That's just how wonderful this week has been! We got to bike down to the post office after emailing on Tuesday, to pick up some of Sister Turley's Birthday packages. I was super excited to test out my carrying rack. We bungeed the packages onto the back of my bike, and took off along the 421 back to our little abode. The honks and waves from people were abundant. They loved to see the Sister missionaries with little packages strapped to the back of their bikes. It was so cute. Sister Turley took a picture, but she forgot her camera cord today, so that's a bummer. Next week. 

Wednesday, I rolled down to Clinton to exchange with the trio of spanish-speaking sisters. 2 exciting firsts. I have never been in a trio, nor taught a lesson in Spanish, so off I went! We saw miracles everywhere we went. I guess miracles just seem more apparent on exchange, since you see the area with fresh eyes. One of our miracles was when we went to contact a potential investigator. She was in the shower, but her husband listened to a brief restoration lesson. We could tell he felt something, but he said he didn't want to learn more. We knew that we had been led to that neighborhood for a reason, so we went ahead and knocked on the next door. The lady we met happened to be the sister of the man we had just met. (This happens frequently, since the country folk like to keep their families close. They often live on streets named after their parents or grandparents.) I immediately wondered if she would have her brother's same reaction, but the Spirit knew otherwise. We listened to her talk about her life and her family, and we testified of eternal families. We were wrapping up, but I felt impressed to invite her to be baptized. So I did. We explained that baptism is part of what we have to do to be with our families again, and she said she would like to be baptized!! We prayed with her, and there were tears in her eyes. As soon as we finished praying she stretched her arms out to us, and said, "Can I have a hug?" We couldn't stop smiling. We exchanged hugs and set up a time to come back the next day. It was a fantastic experience! It is so important for us to focus on the Spirit to teach people how the Lord would teach them.

I admit, my experience teaching Maria en espanol was eye-opening. I understood everything she said, even though I have never learned Spanish! I still couldn't speak it, but the Spirit was strong, and I could understand her. Crazy! Sister Page and Sister Driggs both definitely have the gift of tongues. They have only been out for 3 and 10 weeks, yet they speak very well. 

We had an exciting time trying to save on miles, and decided to walk a mile or so down to another former investigator's home. It just so happened to be the most humid and hot day we have had so far this summer, and we were soaked by the time we got there! It was worth every bit. We met Priscilla at the end of the walk, and she let us in! The Hermanas hadn't been able to get up with her for at least a month, so we rejoiced. Another Miracle!

The last great thing I wanted to share was yesterday. Back in Dunn with Sister Turley, we kept finding and teaching and having a great time. Friday, one of our library contacts gave us a call and said he had been reading the Book of Mormon and wanted to come to church! He not only came yesterday, but bore his testimony of Jesus Christ, and asked Brother Lykins how he could become a member of our church. WOW. 

So, the moral of this week is: never doubt the Lord is preparing people for us to teach. Keep going, even when people say no 70x7 times, because there will be ONE who is ready and searching, and you never know when the others will come around. We met Brother Pipkin (the one who came to church) a week and a half ago before we heard from him, so, you never know. That's the great part about agency (:

Love you all! 

Sister B

Go Get 'Em!

What a wonderful week. We have been having a great time challenging the adversary with our diligent efforts. I often think of Connie's little quote about being the kind of person that when you wake up, the devil has to get his game on. Here we go!

Can I just say how much I love the Holy Bible? It is such a beautiful companion to the Book of Mormon. Together, with the Spirit, it is impossible to doubt the Love and saving plan Heavenly Father has for His children. We have been avoiding Bible bashes at all cost. The last one we were in was quite interesting, and proved again how important it is that we choose into the gospel. We stepped outside the library last week to hop on our bikes after a great session on facebook, when our old friend, Mr. Thomas (a library regular) approached us again with a smile. He had been looking up anti-mormon literature, and was concerned for our salvation, so he tried to argue with us about the Bible. He finally admitted he still hadn't read the Book of Mormon we gave him, so that was that. We really do need two witnesses. Otherwise, we just argue ourselves silly.

The Coupee family got the flu this week. BUT we started teaching their grandma, Bobbie, because they were sick, so that was good! Everything that happens can be turned to divine good, through our faith. 

It has been a week chockful of less-active member lessons. They know a lot of non-members, mainly we get to help them to enlarge their vision of who they can become. Often, people get stuck in our own little concepts of who they are. I really like Elder Hallstrom's talk from the priesthood session about having faith that we can change through the atonement. I am such a lucky person. Let's all go out and open our mouths this week, so that our brothers and sisters can have the blessings of the gospel, okay? Okay. Sounds good. I love you all. Thank you for praying for us, and for keeping your covenants, and magnifying the good that is in the world. 

"Every good thing you do increases the sum total of good that is in the world." (quote from a general authority, i think)

Love, Sister B

Quickie

I fail at writing fast. I just want you all to know, the Lord IS hastening His work. It is such a great thing! We are teaching a wonderful little family that really need prayers, to help them progress. There is a lot of opposition from other churches around here. Pray for the Coupees! 

Sister TUrley and I have had a great week. WE just keep working and praying and studying and planning. The ward is supportive and we get to go on a lot of member exchanges (my favorite). I apologize for this tiny little email :( Can't wait to email you again soon!!!

Birth, Mother's and other days

I love skyping. Then again, I am so miserably scatterbrained, I can barely hold a conversation with all of y'all (: I hope I was mostly coherent.

 

I failed to mention some of our most daring adventures/funny mishaps that have occurred over the past two weeks:

A week before the birthday, I got in my first "accident." No serious repercussions aside from a torked neck. And we got to literally "contact" someone, and share a mormon.org message with him. (: His name was Zebulon... perhaps we are gathering the 10 tribes. We have determined not to instate fender-benders as a permanent finding net, although it was effective. We believe the colateral damage is too much. So, what happened was: Sister Turley and I and Sister Bush and Sister Tanner were all drving up to MLC. When all of a sudden, the bumper to bumper traffic turned into a standstill. Sister Turley was slowing down just in time when we heard a screech of the tires, and Zebulon ran into our rear, crushing the bikerack into the trunk. Luckily, we had the bike rack-- we gave him a card, and exchanged information adn that was that. I get jumpy every time we're in heavy traffic now though, and remind Sis. Turley to slow down a lot more often :)

 

Next story, Neil L. Andersen: In the surprise mission conference with Elder Andersen, I had a Donald Davis experience. For the first time, I experienced one of those moments when my hands were doing things without my permission. My left hand peeked up to answer a question, and he called on me. :S Then we had a one on one discussion about inviting people to come unto Christ and how we extend commitments to help people change. I have never been more nervous to speak in my entire life. Yet, I have never felt so loved and validated in my entire life either. It was incredible speaking face to face with a prophet of God. It did a lot to strengthen my testimony. His main message to us was how specifically we could share the gospel with those of other Christian faiths. He taught us about the Atonement and the Book of Mormon and how we need to assure people that Christ LIVES. He prophesied that there would come a day in the near future when the majority of American's would not believe in Jesus Christ, and exhorted us to strengthen the faith of all who choose to believe in Him. He was also quite, quite humorous. At one point, we were talking about grace "the enabling power of the atonement," and how Elder Bednar stole that line from the Bible Dictionary (: Then he called on a Sister to share how she had been enabled, and she talked about being able to play the piano. He sheepishly admitted that of the 12, Elder Nelson and he are the only two who can play, but none of the other 12 know that Elder Andersen can play yet. hehe. He emphasized that he is praying for Elder Nelson's continued health. (:

 

Many other stories to come! The Lord is hastening His work. It's great. (Rae, is this a better email? I love tips on how to share these experiences better.) Missionary life is great! It is so hard to stay within this email time this week. I love hearing from you all. Hope your Mothers days were wonderful.

 

xoxo

Sister B

just a quickie

This week has been great! We have had so much success working with the members this week. The best part was that we got a surprise visit from Neal L. Anderson! Our whole mission was driving like crazy to get up to Raleigh on Saturday. I was deeply impressed by his authenticity and kindness. He has a great sense of humor too. I wish I had more time to tell you all about it, but we'll talk on Mothers day, so I can tell you the really great stories (: I love you all! Praying for you, and hoping you are all reading the Book of Mormon daily and studying to deepen your tie to the Savior. I know it works. He is so real, and His love is the best thing to help us through hard times. Thanks for being so supportive and wonderful. I felt your prayers every day this week.

Love, Sister B

Hello again!

This week has been quite interesting. This Friday we had scheduled to attend a temple session, so our regular preparation day (aside from email time) was moved to Friday for last week. This means that we had a week and a half between preparation days, and it was surprisingly trying. We understand a little better why Heavenly Father had a day of rest after 6 days of hard work (: Being at the temple made me think of all of you! I can't wait to be in the temple with you all again.

 

It is great to see how our faith grows through trials. It really can't develop any other way. Realizing that faith is the power by which Heavenly Father created us, and that Jesus created the Earth helps me understand the necessity of our mortal adventure! We need faith, and the only way to get it is to grow it through trials. Pretty neat (:

 

Sister Turley and I are looking for creative ways to find new investigators. There are a lot of christians in the country out here who are "Already Saved," and who "Have Jesus in their hearts." One question we came up with yesterday was to try asking them how they gained a witness that the Bible is true. It is very tempting to bible bash... I love Elder McConkie's talk about an opportunity he had to teach at a christian church in Georgia. He was SO BOLD. It can be kind of overwhelming to prepare to teach so many people we haven't met yet. It is such a blessing when we get to share messages with the members whom we already know. There is a tangible difference between the Spirit in homes where the gospel is taught, and the homes of those who do not live it. I am so blessed to come from a home full of the Holy Ghost! It is worth every sacrifice to have it there, and have it with us always.

 

Family, I love you always. I hope you never doubt the reality of God and Jesus Christ and the Holy Ghost. They love us truly. Also, a word of advice to any prospective missionary: just memorize scripture mastery. It's worth it. Do personal progress! It prepares you more than you realize. I love hearing all your missionary adventures and especially your experiences lately at home and in Cali! Life is so good. These verses so apply to you all-- Doctrine and Covenants 31:3-5. Our mortal missions are now! Let's open our mouths and do what we came here to do. Our brothers and sisters surround us in need of the light that we have! We have such great reasons to rejoice and to share! Drink in the blessings of the gospel.

 

Love,

Sister B

Because of Him

Easter day. “And they entered in, and found not the body of the Lord Jesus...[but] behold, two men stood by them in shining garments. And as they were afraid, and bowed down their faces to the earth, they said unto them, Why seek ye the living among the dead? He is not here, but is risen.” Luke 24:3-6.

It would be kind of creepy if the center of our beliefs was in a man who was raised from the dead... (zombie apocalypse?) BUT. It's not, because He wasn't just a man. He was and is the Son of God. He only died for us. Think about that-- He never would have died if He hadn't chosen to give up His life. What a powerful act of love was the suffering, death, and resurrection of our Savior. I know that my redeemer lives. Because of Him, I can change! I can leave behind my mistakes and become full of faith and hope and light and love. 

I hope you all got or get to see the Easter video "Because of Him" that was up on lds.org and mormon.org. We saw miracles through using that video with people!! One young man we met happened to be on his lunch break for an hour before going back to work. We knocked on his door, to contact his mother, but he was the only one home. After introducing ourselves, we invited him to watch a short Easter video with us. As we watched, we could see his reflection in the tablet. It was miraculous to see his face take in the personal message of Easter. The Spirit bore witness of the resurrection of Christ. We committed him to meet with us again and invited him to learn more and watch more videos on mormon.org. As we walked back to the car, we heard another mormon message starting up on his tablet! It was such a sweet feeling to see him eagerly embracing the light of the gospel.

So so sorry for not sending my usual letter last week! There is a reason, but no excuse. Last week Harnett and Cumberland counties had their Spring Break. Little did we know, this would mean our usual library time was packed! So I got to read your emails and feel totally uplifted (: Then we came back later, and the library was closed, so thank you for giving me all of your love, even though I didn't give anything back last week!

I love Dunn! I also love being a Sister Leader. We had so much fun going on exchanges with the Spanish speaking sisters this week (: Hermana Page joined the church a couple years ago, and brings a completely fresh perspective to the gospel. It was so enlightening! Especially since she used to go to baptist services. Now, let me tell you about Southern Baptists: If ever people don't like us before we've even talked with them, they are usually southern baptists. Naturally, I am racking my brain to figure out what they possibly heard from their Pastor about us. Hermana Page wasn't quite sure,  but she did describe their services-- still somewhat of a mystery why we make them angry. Maybe they're just scared of change. I know I am. I see so many ways I need to change to be a better missionary. It is overwhelming. 

For Easter, we were invited to the Ginn family's home. They have four daughters ages 17, 16, 14, and 8. Same ages as my Caroline and Emma! It was sort of strange, because the Ginn girls are so grown up, and I kept thinking Care and Em can't be that old!? We taught them how to do familysearch indexing (: Those were the days.

I love you all so much! I know I couldn't love you all this much if I hadn't chosen to serve the Lord. It is one of His promises to us that He will fill us with His love as we serve His children. Do it! It's the greatest feeling. Also! Read and study Preach My Gospel. Members have so much more power to create meaningful relationships with those searching for truth! I hope you are all having many wonderful missionary experiences.

Doctrine and Covenants 121:45-46 Also, check out Elder Uchtdorf's talk "the power of a personal testimony"

Love love love, Sister B

Dunn dunn dunn...

Well, here we are. Dunn is... different (: It is the biggest area in our mission and includes a collection of 10 or 11 little towns. One of the best experiences so far was- 

We were trying to contact a referral one morning, and stopped at a gas station to get directions. As we walked into the gas station, a live rooster decided to strut right in front of the doors. It was HUGE. But that wasn't even the best part! Inside, we found Larry and the Hardison brothers drinking their Saturday morning cup of joe, and talking about the farmwork. They were pleased to meet us, and Larry accepted a Book of Mormon. They had farmed in that town their whole lives, and one of the Hardison brothers was in his 90's. He was excited to hear we were preaching "the word." It was just like in the movies!!!

Generally, the folks in Dunn are wonderful, and super southern. Everyone sounds like Donald Davis! Except for the more diverse areas. There are some pretty hard characters on the other side of the tracks... it's literally the other side of the tracks. (: I don't know why some people are sent to have a more difficult life than others. I am so blessed.

Our week started out with my first bible bashing encounter. Not pleasant. We walked away (: It was nice to know that she would get another chance at the gospel later in life... or at least on the other side. We are definitely incompetent to teach those who do not want to listen. I guess the Savior couldn't teach those who didn't want to listen either though, so it makes me feel like we're doing ok. 

Today I was studying about how the Savior taught the pharisees and rabbis and scribes who were so hard-hearted. I was reading in John 8 and 9 and reading from Jesus the Christ, and it was good to hear the Savior's invitation "go and sin no more." HE gives us permission to let go, to change! I love Him with all my heart. He was so patient with the people who rejected and mocked Him and called Him bad names.

Sister Turley and I were both relieved to hear Elder Holland's story about the mashed potatoes to the head. We definitely don't have it that bad. Faith is virtually indefinable. It is believing in things we cannot see, and acting on that belief. I am learning that there are different kinds of faith. Faith to endure, and faith to make things happen, and faith to heal and be healed, and faith to repent and be baptized. All of these are faith in Christ. My biggest focus for the next 6 months is to come to know our Savior. I was impressed by the promises of our prophets that as we are obedient, and believe in Christ and His Atonement, we will receive the gift of faith to make. things. happen. It is a divine attribute if ever there was one. I am grateful to know I can receive faith from Heavenly Father as I pray and study diligently. Through faith we will have the strength to teach and serve the hard-hearted, the down-trodden, the ignorant, and all those who have no idea how good life can be! And then we will be blessed with Charity. I am so grateful these gifts are available to us. We really can't DO anything without the Lord. I found this quote on a chair in Sunday School as we sat down for Relief Society a week ago, and it really struck me:

"[The] ability to turn everything into something good appears to be a godly characteristic. 

Our Heavenly Father always seems able to do this. Everything, no matter how dire, becomes a 

victory to the Lord." - Hartman Rector Jr.

In the words of one of my fellow missionaries: The odds can do their worst, for the Lord of the vineyard labors with us. 

We found 4 new people to teach this week! We aren't teaching as much yet as we were in Fayetteville, but I am determined to never ever ever give up. After all, "there is a way to reach every human heart, and it is [our] duty to find the way to the hearts of those to whom [we] are called." - Lorenzo Snow

I LOVE Sister Turley. She reminds me of Rachel and Caroline and Emma by cracking me up over the silliest things. Laughter is such a healing thing. She has great faith to endure opposition. 

I love you all! What are y'all planning to apply from conference this week? There will definately be many more stories to come! Pray for Sister Turley! 

Happy trials this week!

Sister B

Goodbye Fayetteville!

Well, everyone, it is our final day in Fayetteville, NC! What a crazy week it's been! I found out early about transfers, and was able to prepare myself for this Sunday. Three of the four people we have helped become members of the church were there! One of them was confirmed, another one brought her non-member spouse for the third time, and we are teaching him now too (: And Chelsea helped teach in Relief Society! As she bore her testimony of the importance of reaching out and sharing the gospel, I got goosebumps. She is a living, breathing example of why we do what we do! The light of Christ is given to us to share (: I love sharing. Sharing is caring.

1

1.Sister Arave and Me at Zone Training (This is where we think the temple will be in Fayetteville some day (: 
2. Iron Mike... not sure what I was looking at

 We attended 2 baptisms this weekend. Aiden, Chelsea's 8-year-old, was baptized on Sunday. He picked "Book of Mormon Stories" as his closing song. I got up to lead the closing song, and had planned to conduct in 4/4. As soon as we started singing, Aiden started doing the hand actions, and I started conducting. He looked at me, with his eyebrows furrowed as if to say, "what on earth are you doing Sister Boucher?" So, I had to give in. I started doing the actions, and all of the primary kids started doing them with me, and some of the grown-ups too! It was so fun! And the best part was the smile on Aiden's face. This may be a small example, but I see the fruits of the gospel blessing and brightening lives every day. It's a real thing. There was a lot of teasing after the song, but it was worth it. 

Joy and Me

The other baptism was for Joy! She finally got baptized!!! She has been coming to church and taking lessons since October, and before that she was coming off and on for six months. Her conversion began with the death of her husband, who is a member of the church. After he died, members of the church, life long friends, came to her aid and comfort. She was invited to a weekly home evening with other members of the ward, and started coming regularly. Joy is so happy knowing that the gospel has helped her to become a better person. She mentioned today that she was always searching for happiness, but felt she was a bad person. The atonement has opened windows for her to see herself as a daughter of Heavenly Father. What a miracle!!! Moroni 7:35-37

One of the less active families we are teaching is moving to Italy tomorrow. We went to help her wash her walls, before the military comes in and paints everything white again. She is so excited to go, and I am so grateful that we are members of a world-wide church where she will have people to count on, even so far away. Plus, there is facebook. (:

One of my recent past-times is license plate hunting. I have found pretty much all 50 states here in Fayetteville, NC-- credit goes to the US Army. I'd have to say my two favorites are New Hampshire (live free or die) and Alabama (it's just cute). Sister Arave gets a little nervous though, if I divert our course to quickly get close up behind another car to see a new license plate... it's probably not a good activity.

Today, Joy had to take us out to eat, so we went to Cracker Barrel (such a fun store!) for some southern style homemade cookin'. As we got ready to leave, Sister Arave and I pulled out a pass along card for the waitress and wrote a little note on it with our number. Joy was so tickled, she started talking to everyone on the way out, and kept telling me to give them pass along cards. It was so great!!! She is fearless!!!

District oldies-- all four of us are leaving!!

2 of the Elders in our district are also being transferred, so it was a teary district meeting. I wish I could get the memory card in this camera to work! I bought a new one, but the camera just doesn't like it. We might experience a famine of pictures over the next few weeks, until I can figure out why the camera thinks this memory card is locked... any ideas? Love you all!

Sister B