From Nov. 30, 2009, email: I had a wonderful Thanksgiving out here in Connecticut. We started out with a Turkey Bowl over at Trinity College. I'd like to thank my brothers for teaching me how to play football....you should have seen the look on the Elders' faces when I caught a few long passes and even intercepted the ball. Haha! It was SO much fun! After most of the crowd left we sat on the field and played a few rounds of "Signs." Then we headed off to our Thanksgiving dinner.
Tim & Brenda Green had us over along with a houseful of their family. The dinner was yummy and the company was great. Some of their family aren't members of the church so we were able to talk a little bit about our beliefs. One of the old guys there was WWII vet who had landed on Omaha Beach on D-Day. The brutality of war had led him to believe that there was no God. How would that be? What would life be like without the knowledge of a loving Heavenly Father? There would be no hope, nor happiness, and nothing to look forward to. That's why at this Thanksgiving time I am grateful for my testimony of the gospel. I can't imagine life without it. And I'm also grateful for this opportunity to serve a mission because it has solidified my testimony.
It's quite a change adjusting to Torrington from Windsor. There isn't as much going on here, but there is lots of potential! We taught Debra and her family again this week, but it seemed like every distraction in the book was working against us. Debra's parents were there conversing between themselves, the TV was blaring, the phone kept ringing, and numerous other things. But that was because we were teaching the greatest message that we have to offer: The Restoration of the Gospel. Even though it started out rocky, I think they felt the Spirit. I feel that we are here more for the younger kids so they may accept the gospel when they are old enough.
We also taught Sister Senecal again. She's a less-active member who had deterred off the strait and narrow path a bit. But she is making progress to find her way back. She was going to come to church yesterday (which is a HUGE step), but her ride situation didn't work out. We used the conference talk entitled "Preserving the Heart's Mighty Change" for our lesson, which she really enjoyed. She realizes that her heart has slowly been hardened and she is seeing the need to change. I love working with less-actives. I love helping them rediscover their testimonies and recognize the feelings of the spirit. President Pehrson made a good statement when he said that when we re-activate a less-active, it's just like having a baptism.
Yes, I did get accepted to BYU and I'm planning to pursue a Family History degree. Since being on my mission, that is the direction that I feel like I should head in. Maybe it's all of these dead ancestors out here! I didn't think that the day would ever come that I would want to attend BYU...but I guess it's here now!
From Nov. 23, 2009, email: That's kinda funny that Joel [brother] got hit with some type of virus because I've been out almost all this week with the flu! Luckily it wasn't H1N1, just the regular flu. I spent most of Thursday & Friday in bed, which was a nice rest, but now I'm stir crazy! Sometimes as a missionary you hope for just one little break, but when you get it, you don't want to be there! I'm doing much, much better, just a little sniffly and coughs. Sister Murray got a little bit of it so we nursed each other back to health.
Before the flu hit, we were able to have some good lessons here in Torrington. Elder Carr, the vehicle coordinator (how ironic, eh?), befriended Susan, the lady that works at the auto body shop that we take our mission cars to. Sadly, there have been too many cars in the shop, but I guess that has led to teaching opportunities! She is definitely searching for something in her life and wants to pursue this course. She already loves the Book of Mormon and has committed to be baptized when she knows it's true. It's such a good feeling to be teaching people that understand our purpose as missionaries and understand how important the restored gospel is.
We also taught a family from the Dominican Republic. The kids are super smart and they love the Plan of Salvation cutouts that we made. It's so much easier for everyone to understand the Plan if they have some sort of visual.
Sunday was our first time out of the apartment in a few days. The Goshen ward is SO great! All of the members LOVE missionaries and we are fed almost every day out of the week. So don't worry, we are taken care of. Hopefully I'll have more exciting news next week. Pray that I'll be completely recovered so I can get back to bringing others to Christ!
From Nov. 16, 2009, email: I'll be spending Thanksgiving and Christmas in Torrington with Sister Murray! It was quite a surprise because we thought Sister Pulham would get moved around again, but she's staying with Sister Thomas in Windsor and Sister Mortimer will join them. I had a feeling I was leaving Windsor and I'm super excited to have another adventure in a new area. I hear it's the coldest area in the mission and the Sisters there said they saw a black bear the other day. Yikes!
Tuesday we had a great lesson around a campfire. A weird warm streak has been in the area so it seemed just like summer. Bob & Cindy are a couple that we tracted into a few transfers ago and now we are finally starting to teach them. They have so many questions about the church & they are so willing to learn. We talked about the plan of salvation by firelight. It was a new experience for me, teaching outside with the fire, but the Spirit was definitely there. We also met with a less-active sister in the ward, Elaine, who is preparing for the temple. She had been a bit hesitant about going, mainly because she didn't know what to expect. But we brought another sister who shared her amazing experience about going for the first time. I could see Elaine's desire to attend the temple grow just in that meeting. I'm so grateful for members! They add so much to the lessons & provide experiences that missionaries just can't relate. I'm so excited to help out the Sister missionaries when I get home!
Saturday we were able to help the Mejias family clean out their 150-year-old barn that they are turning into an educational center. I had flashbacks to Almo! They had sooo much stuff in there and most of it went into the dumpster & out of their hair. Hmm...that's what I feel like doing with all of my junk when I get home. On a mission, you learn that you can live without a lot of things. We're trying to work more closely with the family because they haven't been to church in months. Jonathan still comes faithfully each week, though. Well, I've got to go pack up all of my stuff for transfers tomorrow! Hopefully I'll have more spiritual adventures for you all next week!
From email of Nov. 9, 2009: The highlight of this week was going on exchanges with the Fairfield Sisters. I went down there with my old comp, Sister Monson, while Sister Johnston joined the Windsor trio. That was my first trip down there to the "richest county in America." Oh, boy! There definitely was a difference in the people! Up here in Windsor, most are humble and willing to talk. But in Fairfield, they run at a faster pace. They think that they don't have time for religion. There are humble people, though. I was able to help teach a new member lesson to a woman who was baptized last Sunday. I could see the light in her eyes now that she had followed the example of Jesus Christ into the waters of baptism. Things like this strengthen my testimony of the restored gospel. I've had these wonderful blessings my whole life, but it is something else when you see the light come into a once darkened spirit.
We also helped the Bridgeport Spanish branch prepare for their musical fireside. Sister Monson is a music genius so she was able to extend her talents to help them. They are a small, yet humble group. But it shows that the Lord's work is going forth to every people and every country.
We were finally able to meet with the Mejias kids after a long absence. We strung string all throughout their living room and kitchen and told them to follow the string, or as we called it, the iron rod. They had such a blast trying to "hold fast" and not following the temptations of the adversary (me!). We had been worried about one of the boys because he hasn't been to church in a few months nor sat in on our lessons, but he enjoyed the lesson. Jonathan, the other boy, is an amazing example for them and also for me! He comes to church by himself, reads his scriptures daily, serves others, shares the gospel, and he's only 13! And he's only been a member for about six months. We're predicting he's going to be a future apostle. :) I love these kids so very much! It's an honor to have been able to teach them.
Sunday was a special day for the Bloomfield ward. It was "Bring a Friend to Church Day." Members of the ward were encouraged to extend the invitation to their friends and family to attend church. There were three or four non-member families that came, which is a huge success for this area. The primary explained the FAITH aspect of the church through their annual program. It's amazing how much you can feel the spirit through the voices of children. As soon as they started singing, I felt the power of their words. Even some of the Sunbeams had their parts memorized and recited them without a single stutter!
The theme of Sunday School was HOPE. It didn't hit me until then that a life without hope would be so dark and dreary. Jesus Christ brings us that hope. Without him, dispair would take over and there would be no looking forward to the blessings that Heavenly Father has in store. One of the greatest things that I have hope for is the time that I can be with ALL of my family in the Celestial kingdom. I'd better see you all there! Relief Society & Priesthood focused on CHARITY. I'm so thankful to be part of an organization that gives so much. We truly are happiest when we are serving the Lord.
We've made a good friendship with one of the less-actives in the ward, Sister Perkins. She is originally from Jamaica, but just earned her citizenship in the United States this week. We celebrated with her by eating papaya and mango, Jamaican specialties! She has such a huge heart. At this time, she is taking care of a 96-year-old lady and is by her side every minute. Back in Jamaica, she owned a shop and whenever she would see a child without shoes or clothing, she would take those items from her shop and give it to them, free of charge. That is a perfect example of charity! I have grown to love the people that I serve so very much. At the beginning of my mission, I didn't think it was possible to love them like I do now. But the spirit does amazing things in the hearts of these Connecticans, and also in mine.
This is the last week of the transfer so I could possibly move, but I could also stay. I just don't know yet! I haven't had any inclination either way. I'm willing to follow whatever the Lord has in store for me. Keep reading your scriptures, praying and serving others daily! I promise you GREAT blessings from Heavenly Father when you do so!
From Nov. 2, 2009, email: I'm so excited to hear that there are Sister missionaries in the area! I've never known Sisters to be in the Declo area before. I'd definitely love to go out with them if they are still around. Now I know how important members are to missionary work! So I encourage you all to help them out before I get home.
I forgot to tell you that a few weeks ago at church I saw Jenna Peterson from Oakley. She was sitting on the back row in the Hartford Ward sacrament meeting so I popped my head in and waved at her. She had a confused look on her face for a second, but she definitely recognized me. But I still haven't been able to talk to her to see how basketball is going. Yesterday while we were having our missionary coodination meeting, I saw her hobble by on crutches. The Hartford Elders said she tore a few ligaments in her foot and basketball is out for now. I think it's crazy that we are both out here in the same place. What are the odds?!
This week has been a bit rough. A lot of our appointments have fallen through, but we still keep on truckin'. We've let out a lot of frustration in raking leaves. I can't believe how many leaves there are! At the Hahn's (part-member family) we built up a giant pile of leaves and then got pictures jumping in them. The wind kept blowing our pile around so we had to chase the leaves down and corral them back with the others. Bro. Hahn isn't a member so we got some quality time in with him as we raked. We're slowly working through all of his concerns and we think he is super close to making the dive into the font!
Did I ever tell you that Dominick was back in town? Apparently his move down to Miami didn't work out so he's in Windsor Locks for a while. He still wants to be baptized, but there are some Word of Wisdom issues he needs to work through. We're teaching him a couple of times a week and I'm always amazed at how smart he is and how much he retains. He says that he received answers to his prayers and that he feels different when he prays. I'm so happy that he recognizes the Spirit!
On Halloween night, we had to be in our apartment by 6:00 so we had some extra time to have some fun. We used our bedsheets to dress up like Greek goddesses and ate pizza and ice cream. We had so much fun! I love these Sisters. I'm excited to continue our friendship after our missions!
Sister Worthington, the office Sister, called the other day and asked which airport I wanted to fly into. Agh! That was a shocker to me because it isn't time for me to go home. At least I don't feel like it yet. It seems like I just got out here. But, alas, my time out here will end soon.
Keep praying for the missionaries around the world. Each prayer helps! We feel the power that comes from the members' prayers. I felt that in testimony meeting yesterday. The unplanned subject of the meeting was missionary work. Many convert members bore their testimony of their conversions which made me feel sooo good! I got to witness the fruits of earlier missionary work. I sat back and thought to myself about the happiness sharing the gospel brings. I've never been happier in my life. I love being a missionary and I plan on continuing that great work when I go home. I encourage all of you to reach out to those who don't have the wonderful blessings of the gospel in their lives. They NEED it! And they WANT it!
We've been having a blast 
raking up the leaves for the members and investigators. When we tell them we LOVE to rake leaves, they give us a funny look. We just explain that we don't really have leaves out West so it's fun for us to rake them. They gladly turn over the chore to us.I'm always amazed how the Lord prepares people to receive the gospel. We picked up a new investigator this week, Veronica, whom we had tracted into last week. She had missionaries stop by in the past, but things just didn't click. Then we taught her the message of the Restoration and she accepted everything! We asked her, "What would it mean to you to know that the Book of Mormon was true?" She replied, "Well,that means that I'd better get going to the true Church!" She was so humble and accepting. Great things will happen with her in the future.
We're running short on miles this month so last Friday we planned a no car/all walking day in Windsor Locks. We seriously walked about 10 miles! That was quite a bit for us since we're used to driving everywhere. But it feels so good to get out there and walk. Cars are definitely more convenient to get places, but you pass by so many people. I like to think of the 61st section of the Doctrine & Covenants which says, "But verily I say unto you, that it is not needful for this whole company of mine elders to be moving swiftly..., whilst the inhabitants on either side are perishing in unbelief." We were able to testify and hand out many copies of the Book of Mormon that day, thus fulfilling our purpose. It feels so good to be a missionary!
We had some wonderful speakers at Stake Conference this Sunday. First of all we had a new member bear his testimony about the blessings of this church and his fight to overcome an addiction to alcohol. His wife was a member, but she didn't want to push him into joining. Then he had that change of heart. He wanted to better his life because he could see the damage that his addiction was causing. He bore such a powerful testimony. Then a recently returned missionary spoke about the importance of sharing the gospel. He had just returned from South America the night before and hadn't been released yet! That's quite the homecoming talk. Then the granddaughter of President Monson, who lives in Avon, spoke on how she was using the scriptures in her family. She gave a lot of good examples that I mentally took note of for my future family. Now I realize the importance of teaching children. They are the future leaders of the church. We have to prepare them so they can "withstand the fiery darts of the adversary." I got to see some members from the Canton ward at Stake Conference and I was surprised that they remembered me! It feels so good to have made such an impact in their life that they remembered me after a year and many other missionaries down the line.
Since we have been focusing on the Book of Mormon these past few months, my testimony of it has grown immensely. I was reading about the account of Alma speaking to his son, Helaman, the other day and something really stuck out to me. At this time, Alma is passing on the records to Helaman and is explaining the impact that those words have had during his missionary service. Not only had those records brought many Lamanites to the knowledge of Jesus Christ, but also many Nephites had been sheparded back into the fold. Alma said,
"And now, it has hitherto been wisdom in God that these things should be preserved; for behold, they have enlarged the memory of this people, yea, and convinced many of the error of their ways, and brought them to the knowledge of their God unto the salvation of their souls. Yea, I say unto you, were it not for these things that these records do contain, which are on these plates, Ammon and his brethren could not have convinced so many thousands of the Lamanites of the incorrect tradition of their fathers; yea, these records and their words brought them unto repentance; that is, they brought them to the knowledge of the Lord their God, and to rejoice in Jesus Christ their Redeemer. And who knoweth but what they will be the means of bringing many thousands of them, yea, and also many thousands of our stiffnecked brethren, the Nephites, who are now hardening their hearts in sin and iniquities, to the knowledge of their Redeemer?"
That is the same for the Book of Mormon. Alma and his brethren had those records to bring souls unto Christ. We have the Book of Mormon. And I love the Book of Mormon with all of my heart. I'm grateful for Mom & Dad, for their examples of reading the Book of Mormon. I'm so thankful for the many, many Sunday School & seminary teachers who planted that seed within me so that I would eventually come to know it was true. And I'm grateful for a wonderful family who lives the principles taught in this book.
From email of October 13, 2009: We definitely got a touch of that cold weather. Burrr! There were a few days this week that we froze. Then to make matters worse, I picked up a cold of my own. But we're bundling up and plugging along. I love this cool, crisp weather because it's a fresh new start of the season.
The Lord is blessing us with new families to teach. In addition to the Campbells, we found another family of three that's really searching for something more. We had run across the mother right as we were leaving an appointment with Dominick on the same street. Her 11-year-old son had been asking a lot of questions about God and Jesus Christ for the past year and she decided she needed to address that topic. So she brought us over. We taught her, her son, and the boy's father (they're not married...yet!) and committed them to be baptized. And they accepted! They were super excited to come to church and to become involved in the community of Saints. But she works on Sundays so she won't be able to attend. We're still trying to figure out that situtation.
On Saturday we brought one of the Young Women out with us to an appointment, but that appointment fell through. So she consented to do some tracting with us! Since there were four of us, we could divide and conquer and we got a lot accomplished. She is the friend that invited Amanda to girls' camp, which led to her baptism last week. Because of this, she wants to be a sister missionary. She is going to make a great one, too!
The Relief Society had their monthly cooking class this week and the subject was, can you imagine, APPLES! I learned how to make baked apples and applesauce. Then we made "dinner in a pumpkin" which is a rice, cream of chicken soup mixture baked inside of a pumpkin. I'll have to send the recipe home because it was so, so good! Who would have ever thought to bake a pumpkin for dinner? There were lots of leftovers so they were kind enough to supply us Sisters with dinner for the next few days. That was such a blessing!
There is a new "mission culture" starting in the Connecticut Hartford mission. We are using the Book of Mormon more in our finding. Instead of handing out a BOM pass-along card, we hand out the actual book. Every person we come across we offer the book and commit to be baptized. I was a bit apprehensive to do this because I'm still a little timid, but since instituting this new culture, I've become much more bold. The Lord needs bold missionaries. We can't take the BOM lightly. It is evidence of the Restoration. It will bless the lives of people who are in darkness. My testimony of the Book of Mormon has increase dramatically in the past few months because of our focus on it. I love to read it! I encourage everyone to read from it daily. Make time for the important things in life!
