What a Wonderful Sunday!!

So this week was great and super super busy!! I truly cant believe this week is over already!!! 

Vermont is treating me well!!! Right now it is a continue struggle to find people to teach but i know that with the Lords help we will and we will see miracles!!! 

So Sunday was by far my favorite day this week... well every Sunday is my favorite day. So in Sacrament meeting I heard probably the best talk i have ever heard it was by the 1st counselor in the Branch presidency. Brother Vaughn told a story about a biking race he did and how through out this race he met and made a lot of friend. But also during the race he have alot of road blocks. Such as hypothermia and his knee starting to give out on him. He talked about Trail Angles and how as he hit the road blocks and was ready to quite there was always a trail angle there to help. As he had many people back home cheering him on he know that he need to make it to the end but the only problem was there came a time he needed medical help with his knees. He then tied the story to our journey here on Earth and how we have people cheering us one here on earth and beyond the veil. (i didnt tell the sorry to well sorry) And how no matter what we can return to our father because we will have our own trail angles helping us get there.

Then we had a wonderful Sunday school lesson on Covenants. We talked about how a covenant is a 2 way promise and the through our obedience to the promises we make we will be able to see wonderful blessings and be able to dwell with our Heavenly Father again! A great scripture that describe the importance of keeping our covenants is D&C 82:10, " I, the Lord, am  bound when ye do what I say; but when ye do not what I say, ye have no promise." We must always follow all that the Lords asked of us so then we can all receive all the promised blessings the lord has for us! Sister Linda K. Burton once said, " The Best way to Strengthen a home is to Keep Covenants! Promises we've made to each other and to God." Build your faith in the lord and please strive to keep your covenants with the Lord.

So now for amazing story time!!!! So after church on Sunday, Sister Thao and I were going around town called Dorset trying some potential investigators. I needed to pull over to find which person was closes to where we were. As i was driving i felt i need to pull into a Cemetery on the side of the road, me being stubborn I thought to myself, "no, i will pull into the restaurant up the street." So i did just that after we figured out where we were going. I ended up making a right instead of the left, so then i felt I needed to turn around in the Cemetery again. Me being stubborn again said to myself, " Fine Heavenly Father I will!" So as we drove though the Cemetery one of the last head stones we say said in big letters LOVELAND. I was so happy! After i took some pictures, I felt I need to write down their names, as i did so I heard a faint voice say, "you found us!" I was ready to cry! I know that Heavenly Father was leading me to them so then they can have the wonderful gospel. 

It is such a blessing to be a missionary!!! Thank you all for all your thought and prayers and all of your support!!

Crazy Fun Week!!!

This week has been full of adventures!!! And lots of gratitude for having the wonderful companion that i do. At the begining of this week it went by pretty slow, then on Wednesday we have a wonderful Zone Training Meeting were we felt the spirit so strong as we learned about the importantance of being a "Urgent Missionary". All i can say is WOW being a missionary is great!! I really do know that as we put the Lords work first we will be able to see so many miracles in our lives! Then after all that we went on exchanges with the Saratoga Sisters, man that was a gratitude experience! I am so grateful for Sister Thao!!!! The Saratoga Sisters house was a mess and they were just so lazy and taught as if they didn't really care about the people they were being unto Christ and more like they just wanted baptism! I am so so so grateful for Sister Thao and the fact that we truly love and care for those we teach!!

So awesome news!!!!! I got fresh milk!!!! there is a sweet member in the branch that goes to a local dairy and buys fresh milk and bless her sweet soul, we went over for dinner and she gave me 1/2 a gallon!!! with some home made butter!!! MHMM I was just on cloud nine!!!! I just love fresh milk!!! Then a sweet brother in the ward gave us fresh eggs! I was so happy!!! I just love when people help me feel a little at home :) 

So i have officially tried Shark meat...yes you read that right shark meat! its not that bad, it kinda taste like awkward tuna but with more meaty flavor. I liked it, but the real question is will i eat it ever again probably not. It wasn't my favorite fishy food :)

So the work is going good, we met a lot with less actives this week. And that was lots of fun! It truly is such a joy to share the restored gospel of Jesus Christ! This Sunday I spoke in church on the wonderful talk that Elder Holland gave i focused a lot about Gods love for us and how he will never desert us in our time of need. I share a wonderful story that i remembered hearing in a past General Conference its all Footprints, "One night a man had a dream. He dreamed He was walking along the beach with the LORD. Across the sky flashed scenes from His life. For each scene He noticed two sets of footprints in the sand. One belonging to Him and the other to the LORD.

When the last scene of His life flashed before Him, he looked back at the footprints in the sand. He noticed that many times along the path of His life there was only one set of footprints. He also noticed that it happened at the very lowest and saddest times of His life.

This really bothered Him and He questioned the LORD about it. LORD you said that once I decided to follow you, you'd walk with me all the way. But I have noticed that during the most troublesome times in my life there is only one set of footprints. I don't understand why when I needed you most you would leave me.

The LORD replied, my precious, precious child, I Love you and I would never leave you! During your times of trial and suffering when you see only one set of footprints, it was then that I carried you." 

I truly love this story simply because i know that Heavenly Father does love us and care about us and he will NEVER leave us during our times of trial. 

We need to always remember if we want to be blessed awe much do as the lord commands and that is to "keep his commandments" even whent he going gets tough, the tough must keep going! We are all sons and daughters of god! We can not let the world over come our discipleship! Stand tall and know you are love and you will be blessed!

Thank you so much for your thoughts and prayers!!!

Vermont Fun!!!!!

Well this week has just been so much fun!!! Sister Thao and I have probably laughed enough for all of Vermont! We truly are just having a blast! So this morning we had the best member ever take us out to Breakfast and a cute little diner! That was a blast, we talked about everything under the sun when it came do to topics about the Gospel!

So this week has full of spiritual highs and downs. We were super busy with many service opportunities and if anyone knows me, I am a service junky so we put on our service clothes and went to work! We first did our usual service which is at the Food bank, the Library, and at the Habitat for humanities here. Then there was my favorite part of our service! We helped so members that did lawn keeping do some fun hard work. We helped them gather up sticks and old broken branches for him to burn. I don't know why i think gathering stick to burn was fun but it was out side out in the woods and it was just beautiful to be there!

So all the people we are teaching are doing great!!! Larry is doing good, pray for him. He starts he radiation and chemo therapy this week so we wont be able to see him as much. He has such a heart of gold and it breaks my heart to see people go through this. But on the plus side, Larry watched General Conference all on his own with out us even inviting him to. He knew it was coming up and asked his son to direct him how to get there and he watched all 5 sessions (Saturday morning and afternoon, Priesthood, and Sunday morning and afternoon) Oh my goodness!!! It is truly amazing to see how the lords prepares his chosen people! All I can say is I truly love being a missionary during this time!!!

So recently I have been doing alot of thinking of why I am on a mission. As I have thought about this it it me that i have about 7 months left! Oh how i wish this time was longer. 18 months truly is not enough time. In this process I was continue deeply reading and studying the Book of Mormon for the first time. As I have been looking back on my study journal I noticed how the faithfulness of Nephi son of Lehi played such a huge role in the faithfulness of the future generations to come through out the Book of Mormon. I am not excitingly in Alma 34! and man there is so much i have learned!!! On of the major things i have learned over and over again in the Book of Mormon is Faith in your Savior and his Atonement = Everlasting and Eternal Life. Which truly is the greatest gift we have been given from God!!! I would like to leave you all this a scripture that has sunk deep into my heart and pray it will sink deep into yours Alma 33:23 " And now, my brethren, I desire that ye shall plan this work in your hearts, and as it beginneth to sell even so nourish it by your faith. And behold, it will become a tree, springing up in you unto everlasting life. And then may God grant unto you that your burdens may be light, through the joy of his Son. And even all this can ye do if ye will. Amen" I know that though our faith we will be able to see miracles happen and we will be blessed so very much!!!

Thank you all for all your thoughts and prayers! 

It Snowed :( in APRIL

So it was a start to a wonderful Spring here in Manchester Vermont, but then the weather had a mood swing and well today it decided it needed to snow!! Why?!?! I dont know!!!! we now have about 4 inches and well lets just say its less to be desired at this time. I was so excited for the warm weather but noooo I dont get it for another week or 2. 

So other then that is had been a wonderful week!! We have been so blessed to see many mighty miracles here in Vermont! We have 3 sold investigators and that is great saying when i got here we had none. One of them name is Larry (funny because my first person i baptized name was Larry) He is amazing, he is currently fighting throat cancer and man is he a fighter!!! His son is a member and has been for the last 7 years and he feels he needs the blessing of this gospel in his life, because he has seen how it has blessed his sons life. He has such a strong desire to be baptized the only thing preventing it right now is that he has a whole in his throat do to the cancer. But he is going to talk to his doctor and see if there would be a way to make it work out so then he can. Oh my  Goodness!!!!! the Lord is softening the heart of the people here!!! and man am i so grateful!!!! 

The funniest thing that has happened this week was a member so kindly informed us that the town hall was going to quote " kick the Mormons out of town" because we are quote " disturbing the peace" All we could do was laugh because all we could thing of is how in the heck our they going to kick all the Mormons out of town??? even though we both clearly knew that they were talking about us. The Sisters before i came knocked on ever down here in Manchester and well the humans here weren't to happy about that at first so we got permission to go visit members at night instead. So then we would be "kicked out of town" So since i have been here we have not knocked on one door besides the people that welcomed us back. HAHAHA!!! I wonder if this is how the members felt when they were being kicked out of New York? I know it was worst for them but sometimes you just got to laugh things off. 

As most of you know this weekend was General Conference, and all i can say was WOW!!! What a wonderful spiritually filled weekend!!! I received so much enlightenment for all the wonderful speakers that were chosen i swore they were speaking directly to me :) I know we are not suppose to pick favorites but i am going to today of course on of my favorites was from our beloved prophet, with the sweet words he said of " Always choose the harder right instead of the easy wrong"  and how he simple exclaimed " that the choices we mane now determine our eternal destiny" Then of coarse no one can beat the profound works form Elder Jeffery R Holland when he so spiritually exclaimed the 1st greatest truth of the Gospel, " God loves us with all his heart, might, mind, and strength." and how he testified so strongly of the atoning power of the Atonement of Jesus Christ as he said " everyone stumbles, the Savior is always there to get back up and keep going" I am so grateful of this conference and every conference we have ever had. I know that all these wonderful and faith men and women are called of God to lead and guide is church in these latter day so then we can be spiritually ready for our Savior Jesus Christ to walk the face of the Earth again. 

I love you all and thank you for all your thoughts and prayers :)

Manchester Vermont!!!

Hello my wonderful Friends and Family!!!!  This week has been great! It was rough leaving Watertown, NY. But  I know that there are people some where here in Manchester VT that the Lord needs me to find. The Fun part is being able to find them. 

So a little fun info about Manchester Vt is it is a giant Tourist town!!!! So basically everyone that is here doesn't actually live here. They are usually only here for a week or two. So finding people to teach is really hard. The town is beautiful though and everyone here is super friendly! There is alot of places to go hiking so Sister Thao and i have planned Hiking trips till the end of our transfer. We have non members taking us so that will be lots of fun!

So my new Ex-companion Sister Thao is awesome! We severed in New Hartford NY together. We are getting along great! Sister Thao will be going home at the end of this transfer so we are going to work hard and play hard!!! She wants to end her mission with a bang and so i get to make that bang a big bang!!!! We have set goals for the transfer and by George we are going to reach them!

So this week alot has happened and of course being a missionary you pray alot! So as i was studying this week, my mind was on the Saviors Atonement alot. The Atonement is truly the most amazing thing in the world. I came across this scripture in 3 Nephi 13:24, its  reads; " No man can serve two masters; foe either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will hold to eh the one and despise the other. Ye cannot sever God and Mammon." WE need to remember always as we are disciples of Jesus Christ we need to look through the window of service and not the mirrors of selfishness. When you are stressed or depressed, role up your sleves and go to work, serve those around just as Jesus Christ would! If you want to get closer to your Savior. lose yourself in service and there you will find true happiness. 

I love you all so much and thank you for all your love and support!!! you are all amazing Sons and Daughters of God!!!!

" Mom Im a Mormon!"

This week has been a rough but good week. I sadly had to say "so long" to all my favorite humans here in Watertown. But it was good because sweet Jaycob got baptized Saturday !

I have learned that with in a s,all time spanned you come to know and love some many people as if they were your family! Every-time i leave a area i fell like i am leaving my family. I truly love all the people here in Watertown. 

So the baptism was amazing!!! I absolutely loved it! Jake was so happy and excited to be baptized!!! He was like a little jumping bean all day until he was actually baptized. His hole family was there and the spirit was so strong! Jakes mom is actually thinking about starting to take the lessons herself. When i first got her she didn't want anything to do with the Gospel, she was cool with Jake learning and with him getting baptized. Now her heart has been softened and she is at least thinking about it. I know the Lord is so merciful, and he placed me in Watertown to help soften her heart. She is one of my close friends and she is just amazing and i cant wait to her of the day when she has accepted the gospel into her life and is going to enter the waters of baptism herself. After Jake was baptized he got changed and a member was so sweet and got him, his own suit and tie. He got all changed and ran out of the Bathroom and said ," Mom Im a Mormon!" That was the most sweetest moments ever because you could see the spirit just glowing with in him. It really pays off to be a missionary!!!

Also we received transfer calls, I got the wonderful news that I am going to go to the farthest east part of our mission. Its not even in New York. I am going to Manchester Vermont. My new companion will be Sister Thao. She was my companion for 2 weeks when i was in New Hartford. So that will be exciting. This will be my 5 area and my 11th companion. I am pretty sure I am on a role for Sister missionaries. Sister Tesch will be training a new missionary! She will do wonderfully!!!

So this week as we were studying Sister Tesch found a awesome scripture that i just absolutly have to share with you all today; 1 Corinthians 5:7 " for we walk by faith, not by sight" This scripture has helped me alot lately more then what I  thought it would. As i have reflected back on different things. I have realized that as you are going through your different trials you walk by faith alot. Because there can be those days you dont know where to turn but to the Lord. I know it is so important to have a faith in Jesus Christ. 

Thank you for all your love and support!

So Excited!!!

This week will be a wonderful week! Jaycob is getting Baptized on Saturday!!!!! He is so ready!!! Sunday his whole family came to church plus his moms Boyfriend! Oh i know in time his mom will come around and join the church. Heavenly Father just got to work on her a little more. Jaycob is so excited to be baptized and Sister Tesch and I are excited for him as well!

This week we have been able to see so many miracles!!! Like being able to go up to to a small town called Cape Vincent were we have 1 less active. The Senior Couple in this area really is amazing and helps a lot!!!

Also on Sunday Sister Tesch and I got to teach the Restoration to the Relief Society! Wow what a great experience! Being able to help the Sisters in the Ward rekindle that fire of the Gospel that was once there when they started to learn of it for themselves was truly such a great blessing! The spirit was so strong and man I know the words that came from Sister Tesch's and my mouth was strictly from the Spirit. I invite you all to take a moment to read Joseph Smith recall of his experience in the Sacred Grove. There is such a powerful Spirit with in those pages.

So all week I have put a lot of my focus on the Atonement of Jesus Christ. All I can really say is wow! every time i study the Atonement it never ceases to amaze me. Our Savior Jesus Christ is truly the most loving man to ever walk the face of this earth. To do what he did for every single one of Heavenly Fathers Children is so amazing it every time it touches my heart. To know that I can always be forgiven. I am sure I have shared this scripture before but it gives us a brief idea of what Heavenly Father went through for all of us. Alma 7:11-13, " And he shall go forth, suffering pains and afflictions and temptations of every kind; and this that the word might be fulfilled which saith he will take upon him the pains and the sicknesses of his people. and he will take upon him death, that he may loose the bands of death which bind his people; and he will take upon him their infirmities, that his bowels may be filled with mercy, according to the flesh, that he may know according to the flesh how to succor his people according to their infirmities. Now the Spirit knoweth all things; nevertheless the Son of God suffereth according to the flesh that he might take upon him the sins of the people, that he might blot out their transgressions according to the power of his deliverance; and now behold, this is the testimony which is in me." I know that Jesus Christ is the Son of the Living God and that it is through him that we can find peace! I am so grateful for this Easter season and the opportunity I have to be a missionary at this time. Being able to share the wonderful message of the Restored Gospel of Jesus Christ is absolutely amazing and such a huge blessing!!!

The new Easter Video has come out I invite you all to watch it ponder the powerful message with in it. Then to share it with those you love. Post it on Facebook, share this powerful message of the Atonement and how our Savior Jesus Christ is Risen and Lives again!

https://www.mormon.org/easter

Thank you so much for all your love and support!!! you all are such a huge blessing in my life and i am so grateful for the impact you have made.