From 24 Nov 2008 email:

I'm glad to hear that gas prices are going down there, too. The lowest I've seen is about $1.94 on Friday. Who knows what they'll be today! And yes, I've used my long coat. I've never been so cold in my life! The chill just bites you to the bone. It's time to layer up. Soon I'll look like a giant marshmallow under my coat, but who cares because I'll be warm.

The only investigator we met with this week was Lillian. We taught her the plan of salvation which she was very interested in. She had told us when we first met her that it would be quite a miracle if we ever got her to change. But I'm seeing the Spirit work it's magic with her. She had so many good questions about it & wanted to be sure that she had it down right. Two of her sons showed up & took part in the lesson. Maybe something will become of that, too. We're meeting with her later this afternoon because our P-day is cut short. We get Thursday off for Thanksgiving & we have to make it up today.

Yesterday we attended an inter-faith Thanksgiving musical event at the Collinsville Congregational Church. A youth choir from the ward was singing & we wanted to show our support for them. It was a great program. But it made me appreciate belonging to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Some other churches have some crazy ideas of how to run things. However, I respect their members because they have that religious base in their life. Hopefully we'll get some support from the community for our Christmas program/nativity we're having on Dec. 6.

Saturday we joined forces with some of the ward members & helped the Burwoods clean up their yard. Boy, it was good to get out & do some work! We raked leaves, whacked weeds & other yard jobs. It was bitterly cold, but we all braved the weather to do some service. The Burwoods were VERY appreciative because they are older & have a hard time keeping up with their couple of acres. Sister Burwood even baked us pumpkin pies to show how much she cared.

We had another member move into the ward, making a grand total of 32 new members since I've been here. This ward is multiplying as fast as the mold in our bathroom. Sister Woodward (left), originally from Ohio, just got done serving in the missionary department at church headquarters. She provided counseling for missionaries who were going home because of emotional problems. I didn't know such a thing existed! She's always willing to help us missionaries & has opened up her home to us whenever we're in the area (Norfolk).

This week I've realized that I haven't been working as hard as I could be & that I'm not as obedient as I should be. But I'm changing . . . becoming more of what Heavenly Father wants me to be & less of what I want to be. I know that it's going to be a rough journey to
get there, but it will be worth it. The hardest thing for me is asking for help. When I first came out, I didn't want to turn into one of those cheesy missionaries, but now I know that they are the best ones. They know without a doubt that every effort they make to bring others to Christ is worth it. So watch out . . . I might be one of those weird missionaries who has a hard time adjusting to "real life" when I get home.

Thanks for all your love & support! You keep me going through the hard times. Love you!

Another Week

From Monday, 10 Nov 2008, email:

Sounds like more exciting things are happening back home. Did you get to learn a little bit about Connecticut from "Elder" Taylor's talk? I hear from people out here that he was a pretty awesome missionary. Elder Carr always tells me stories of him. Did he talk about the time he got to bale hay for a preacher of another church? Must have been right at home on the farm equipment!

There hasn't been anything too exciting going on this week. We met with the Perdomos on Thursday, but there were so many distractions. We used a cute object lesson about the gospel of Jesus Christ that the kids really liked. The family loves us to death, but are still a bit hesitant about being baptized. They aren't sure that it is true so this week we will be giving a lesson on prayer & fasting. Hopefully they will take it to heart & learn for themselves that this church is true & Joseph Smith was a prophet. They have so much potential!

Friday we went to Norfolk to help Ky Byrne (right) split wood.

We work with her doing service at the soup kitchen in Winsted. She instantly took a liking to us & has been a bit curious about our beliefs. It's kind of funny to say, but I enjoyed splitting wood. The rewards were about 1/2 cord done & a sore body. It was nice to break away from the usual missionary work & do some actual manual labor. Ky has been working on her 1850-ish house so we chatted a bit about fixing up old houses. I thought of Almo & all the work that you have been doing there. Save some for me when I get home! :) Hopefully she'll be calling us back this week so we can help her out some more.

We had a great meeting with our new district on Thursday. We talked about how we can gain back our enthusiasm in doing missionary work. Most missionaries hit a wall where they lose their steam. But this is the perfect time to do a personal inventory. Why are you out on a mission? What has kept you going? How will you feel when you step onto that plane when you're flying home? These questions have helped me to keep going through this rut my companion & I are in. We've put ourselves in order & set new goals so we'll make it the best transfer ever!

Sister Haueter says she knows of Devery Greene & knows who her brothers are. What a small world! And I remembered that Paul Allred had emailed me before my mission saying that he grew up in Burley & knew some Darringtons. I thought about it for a while and it hit me that there was an Elder Allred in my zone. And it just so happens to be THE Elder Allred. He's a great missionary.

I hope all continues to go well at home. Let the branch know that I'm thinking of them & that I miss them. And tell them good luck in all that they do! Love you all! Keep praying for the missionaries. And I'm extending a commitment to you all to read & study Preach My Gospel. It's not just for missionaries!

Transfers & no snow

From email of Nov. 3, 2008: There were tiny snow flakes on Wednesday. Nothing too bad . . . yet! It feels like it is wanting to snow today. Ugh. Time to start layering up! We had to be in at 6 pm Halloween night so we turned on the Christmas music & relaxed. Sister Haueter & I LOVE the Mo-Tab Christmas concert with Sissel. I'm very much excited for Thanksgiving. We already have Thanksgiving dinner & Christmas Eve planned with members. Apparently there's a rivalry between a couple of members to see who can get the missionaries over for Christmas. But I might not still be here then. All the Connecticut Sisters

I am staying here in Canton with Sister Haueter another transfer. YAY! We are going to really dig into the work these next few weeks now that we've cleaned up the area a bit & have a game plan down. I was worried they would ship me out after we got things going here. None of the Sisters are moving this transfer. They are making big changes regarding the zones & districts. There are only 3 stakes in the mission so they are making just 3 zones to coordinate with those stakes.

We finally met with the Perdormo family Thursday night. We haven't been able to sit down with them this whole transfer. They are such a golden family. They had a baptismal date a few years ago but got pressured too much by one Elder so they backed out. They know it's true so we'll be working with them to strengthen their testimonies & get a baptism date. The gospel will bless their lives tremendously especially knowing that they can be together as a family forever. Their kids are the most important thing to them & they are such a close family. I hope that we can get them baptized so they will have the fullness of the gospel in their lives. I have pictures of them which I'll send home sometime soon, hopefully!

We had dinner with the Walburger family last night. They are seriously one of the coolest families in the area. They would do anything for us & their kids love us to death. Those kids are sooo smart. We were carrying on a conversation with them about the history of America & the Revolutionary War & such, & they are only 9 (twins) & 4! They are smarter than me! Haha! I'm going to ask [the mom] what she did with those kids. The family recently moved in from New Jersey & had previously lived in New York City. Brother Walburger worked for a bank on Wall Street when Sept. 11 happened & they lived only 4 blocks from the towers. Soon after, they moved to New Jersey & he had to commute to work. But he decided to change jobs & move to Connecticut & is very glad he did because of the financial crisis I hear so much about.

Elder Udy [in her mission] is from Washington State somewhere. I'm not sure exactly where. I wonder if there is any relation to the Idaho Udys. Speaking of relations, there is a family in the Bloomfield Ward that traces its roots back to the early days of Connecticut who we might be related to. The name is on the list [Mom] sent me, but I can't remember which one it is! They own the original house & farm that their (& our) ancestors had. Sister Rail from the office knows them & is going to introduce them to me when we get the chance. How exciting is that?!

Holly sent me pictures of the little Durfs in their Halloween costumes. I don't think they could get any cuter! I'm sad I'm missing time with them & the rest of the family, but there will be time after the mission. Maybe everyone needs a friendly reminder that they have a poor, tired sister on a mission who doesn't get much mail from family! I want to know what's going on in everyones lives. Even if you haven't written me yet, I still love you . . . for now! Just kidding! Thanks for being so wonderful!

We just keep plugging along!

From Oct 27, 2008, email: There was a pretty good wind/rain storm this weekend. Today has been pretty warm, but maybe that's the calm before the storm.

In regard to our investigator, "King Arthur," he decided that he liked his beer, tobacco & women too much to be baptized right now. He knows that HE needs to have the desire to change. I'm glad that he didn't just jump into being baptized & then not live up to his commitments he would make. There have been so many new members fall away & I don't want that to happen with him. But he did come to church yesterday & seemed to enjoy it. I was a bit anxious about it because that was my first investigator at church & I wondered how he would behave.

Saturday night we were doing some former-investigator stop-bys to see if they were interested in seeing the missionaries again. We stopped by one in Collinsville & were very surprised that she welcomed us right in. It just so happens that she was already a member & the Elders that were there previously didn't figure that out. She was baptized when she was about 12 & had lived next to the Sisters in Goshen back in the day. But she has had a horrible life these past few years & to top it off, she has terminal cancer. She just wants to die & wonders why she is still here. I couldn't hold back my tears as she described the pain she has gone through physically, mentally & emotionally. We shared a little thought with her & also our testimonies, which brightened her up a bit. She even agreed to come to church next week. Hopefully that goes through! She's such a special woman.

Friday night Elder & Sister Carr took some of us missionaries to the infamous TSB--Torrington Super Buffet. YUMMY! It's the best Chinese Buffet I've been to. Sister Haueter, along with AP Elder Udy & Office Elder Sheffet, downed a little octopus. YUCK! I could never do that. This evening out was our payment for helping Elder Carr with some office work. The other AP & OE are leaving this transfer so this was their first & last hurrah at TSB. Their companions just HAD to come along.

Well, that's about the excitingness of the week. We just keep plugging along at the work. No matter how many times we get told that people are "all set"--Catholic--we still keep going. There are people out there who have been prepared to hear the message of the Restoration. We have to find that needle in a haystack. But we will do it . . . with God, anything is possible!

Canton District: back row, Kanaga, Christensen, Kirkham, Aplanalp. Front, Darrington, Haueter.

First baptism commitment!

From email of Oct. 20, 2008: Each week I'm surprised by more good things happening in the [Marsh Creek] branch at home! How many baptisms & weddings & such have there been since I left? Tell them all "Hi" for me & congratulations!

Thanks so much for fixing my shirts & sending out all that I've needed. I like to brag to the other missionaries that I have a personal seamstress [Mom]. I've gotten so many compliments on my clothes. Maybe I should learn how to do a bit of sewing when I get back . . . maybe :)

We had the 1st frost of the season today. These past few days have been bitterly cold, even though it's only been in the 40's. I'm not excited for the snow to come, but hopefully it won't be for a while. The leaves are falling quickly so everything is covered in the colorful crunchiness. And the cheapest gas here is about $2.89.

Thursday we had a very spiritually uplifting zone conference. Pres. Pehrson started out with a training on "Teaching By the Spirit". He said the reason we are not teaching by the spirit as well is because we are not exactly obedient to the rules. We have much improvement we can make to our lives to make us better missionaries. This really made me think about my commitment to being a missionary. I know that there were things that I was holding onto from home that took my focus off of the work, but I recommitted myself to the work. The zone leaders presented a training on reaching our highest potential as a missionary. There are things in our lives that take up room in our "circle of potential" that prevent us from being the best we can be. Again, this was kind of a kick in the behind to get rid of things that don't pertain to the work. I know that I have so much more that I can become which can only happen when I "forget myself & go to work" as Pres. Hinckley's father told him. Overall, it was such a great conference. It's funny how all of these meetings seemed to be tailored to what I needed to hear. This conference was held in Southington which is a bit further south than Bloomfield. The sad thing is that I was excited to be on a freeway! It was the first time that I was on one since I've been out here. I really felt like I was flying along at 55 mph. And Connecticut drivers are a million times worse than Utah drivers. I never thought Utards could ever be outdone. We were up to 75 mph just so we didn't get run over by all the crazy drivers.

So "King Arthur" has decided he wants to be baptized for sure, but we have not set a date yet. We teach the Word of Wisdom, Law of Chastity, and obedience tonight so we'll see how that goes. He's got a big smoking & drinking problem, but I know that he will be so much happier & healthier if he follows the Word of Wisdom. It looks like all 3 companionships in our district will have baptisms in November. Yay! The Torrington elders are teaching a guy that we Canton sisters ran into while contacting in Winsted. They say that he is really soaking up the lessons & committed to be baptized when he found out the church is true. That makes me happy because he was one of the first people I talked to on my second day in the mission. I was scared to death to talk to him, but I was definitely kicked in the shins by the Spirit to say something to him.

I got a call from Sister Rail, the mission office secretary, who asked if I knew any Rossers from Las Vegas. She saw that I had gotten a letter from my MTC companion, Sister Rosser. It just so happens that Sister Rail went to school with her mom! It's a small world. And Sister Rail served her mission over here in Connecticut many years ago.

Things are great here! I'm finally getting comfortable with everything & now I can focus all of my attention to sharing the message of the Restoration with the inhabitants of Connecticut! I know that the Lord is behind this great work that I am participating in. I'm so grateful that He has found me worthy & capable of bringing souls unto him.

I'm not dreaming of a white holiday!

From 13 Oct 2008 email:

I'm writing from the mission office today because we are doing some service for Elder Carr, the housing/vehicle coordinator. Isn't it some holiday today? Maybe the library isn't even open.

Sounds like exciting stuff going on back home! I'm VERY glad that I'm not there for the snow [Friday night/Saturday we had from abt 5" here in Malta to 18 inches or so in Declo/Burley!]. Ick . . . I don't even want to think about snow. We've had some beautiful Fall days the past week. And the leaves are almost at peak! It's breathtaking to see all of these colors. I'll get some pictures for y'all to see, but I know it won't do it justice. You'll just have to come out here and see them sometime!

We have made progress with "King Arthur". We were so close to setting a baptismal date last night, but he said he had to think about it just a little bit longer. He is right on the edge of baptism; he just needs that little push. He's such a funny, little old man. He's coming to church the week after next because this weekend is the Renaissance Fair that he's been looking forward to for months. We have an appointment with a new investigator on Wednesday that we met tracting in Winsted. She's from the Dominican Republic & is always open to talking about God. Hopefully we'll spark her interest & give her a little taste of the spirit. Other than that our week has been pretty uneventful. We hiked up a driveway in New Hartford that was 0.7 miles long one way & practically straight up. (We had to drive up it afterward to see how far it was.) The house was nestled up in a little canyon in the hills. Sadly enough, there wasn't anyone home. We saw 2 deer on the way up & that reminded me of Almo. Crazy!

We have Zone Conference Thursday. I can't believe I've been out for almost 2 transfers. I looked up my release date which will be either January 30 or February 8, 2010, depending on when I want to come home. My actual release date is January 23, 2010, but that's in the middle of a transfer & leaving then is just retarded because it would throw all of the sisters off with getting a new companion & such.

I'm still loving my new companion & I hope we stay together another transfer. We're doing our best here in Canton & hopefully things will start to pick up from now on. Please pray for all of the missionaries! We need every single prayer that we can get. I'm so glad that I decided to serve a mission! It's the best thing that I've done so far. We had interviews with Pres. Pehrson last week & he told me that I was a totally different person than when I first got out here. So be expecting a better daughter/sister/aunt/granddaughter when I get back! Love you all!

Conference!

From October 6, 2008 email: I'm jealous you got to see the little

Durfs [sister Holly Durfee & family in Colorado]! Holly sent pictures

of them & they are the cutest things ever!

Makenna looks even more red-headed

than when I last saw her. I hope you

gave them all some squeezes &

moochies for me.

Conference was the most exciting thing to happen this week. I think back to the times when I was younger & conference dragged on for hours. This time it flew by & I was yearning for more. The talks seemed to be a refresher for all we should be doing but obviously aren't. We have to master the basics before moving on to deeper things. I like how Sister Allred called on EVERYONE to do missionary work, not just the full-time missionaries with the name badge. As we take on the name of Christ at baptism, we also take upon ourselves the responsibility to share what we know with all we come in contact with. I never realized how important members were in missionary work until now. Sometimes they have a greater influence on people than we do. So do as much missionary work as you can right now! We got to watch conference at the stake center in Bloomfield with about 12 other missionaries. A few people came on Saturday, but it was a full house on Sunday. I'm spiritually filled up now & ready to get to the work again.

We're having a tough time finding new people to teach, so we're trying to expand our horizons & think of new ways. I found it interesting that in Preach My Gospel, it tells of other ways besides tracting & contacting. I always thought that missionaries just did those 2 things all day to find people. But it suggests service, firesides, teaching classes & much more. Hopefully we'll think of some good ideas & be able to implement them.

Tonight we have an appointment with Arthur King, an investigator in Winsted. He's a very interesting but fun character. He likes to call himself "King Arthur" which very much fits his personality. We'll be teaching a 3rd lesson which is the Gospel of Jesus Christ, & hopefully we'll be committing him to baptism. I've never taught a 3rd lesson so I'm a bit nervous, but I know it will go well. There have been so many times that there have been words come out of my mouth that I know weren't mine! The Spirit definitely directs us in every aspect of the work, especially in teaching.

Friday we had a mission-wide apartment cleaning day. We were excited for this because our apartment was a disaster. It hasn't been taken care of very well so we had lots of work ahead of us. We worked from about 1 pm until bedtime & it still wasn't done! We had some nasty mold growing in the bathroom so I spent a few hours scrubbing that off the walls & ceiling. Ewwww. But now it's clean so I'm happy.

Sister Haueter (Howter) is a hoot. I remember when I was set apart, Pres. Turner told me to have fun on my mission. Missionary work doesn't have to be boring. So she helps me live up to that. We have many laughing moments & we can be a bit crazy at times. But she has an amazing testimony & I've learned so much from her. I love her! :)

The conference talk that really hit me was by Elder Carlos A. Godoy. He talked about gaining his testimony, that it didn't come in some big miraculous way. A testimony comes as a collection of experiences. That made me think about my testimony. It didn't come all at once in a big-bang theory way. Little experiences all through my life have shaped it to what it is now. And it's still growing as I'm out here on a mission. I thought I had a strong testimony before I left, but now I realize that it still has so much room to grow. I welcome those experiences that will try my faith & help my testimony to strengthen.

Thank you for being such a great family. I know that I say it just about every week, but I truly mean it. You have helped my to become the person I cam. I've looked up to all of you & have learned so much from your examples. I love you all!