Happy New Year

​Not much time to write today, but Christmas was a good one! Sister Goold and I decorated ugly Christmas sweater cookies and made each other gifts. Mine was a shirt made out of phone book pages. Complete with chicken nuggets hanging off the sleeves. My companion is so creative! It was fun! 

We had a blast serving a lot this week. 

We went with the YSA Sisters during our exchange to a nursing home to Christmas carol. And that was probably one of my favorite parts of the week. They rang their jingle bells to the music! And then we went caroling later in the week with the Spanish Sisters. 

It was fun to just bring a little extra cheer to some people. It sure made me smile and helped warm my heart this Christmas. 

For the first time my whole mission I was actually attacked by a dog. 3 dogs actually. 3 little dachshund to be precise.....We're still laughing about it. But I do have a pretty nasty bruise to show for it! 

And thank you to everyone who wrote us! We loved opening up the notes at the end of every night. It was the perfect way to end our days. Love y'all!

 

Happy New Year!

Merry Christmas to Y'all!

​How is Christmas is one week?? Time is flying! 

We kicked off our week with a special Zone Conference, featuring Elder Claudio R.M. Costa. So we had about half of the mission here in Hattiesburg, but it was such a good meeting! Sister Goold and I had been talking a few days before about the needs of our zone, our sisters, and our area. There are so many different things going on right now, and we weren't sure how we could help everyone. But then in one conference, I felt like everything we had talked about was brought up. I know it helped me, and us. It was just another testament to me of how inspired this work is. There's no way all of those struggles could have been addressed if our leaders weren't called of God. 

​Zone Conference! Lunch with 4 Generations! Me, My baby, My grandbaby, and my great-grandbaby! (Haha, yeah I'm kinda old in mission age...)  

I also learned about some new muscles I have in my arms this week, because they got so sore! On Friday night we went to Nikki's house to help her move some dirt. So for about 2 hours we were out there with our rakes and a shovel, but man it felt good to get dirty and work hard! We've been able to see Nikki a lot this week, and she is doing so well. We had the coolest experience a couple of weeks ago, when she received a priesthood blessing at the end of our lesson. And it was answered a few days later. She's gaining a testimony, and slowly but surely, she is gaining more peace. 

We had our Ward Christmas Party that night as well! Sister Goold and I helped to decorate that morning, and then we got to meet Santa!! He asked what we want for Christmas. Haha, well all we really want is a "white Christmas"-Baptismal White, that is. ;) 

Now, if we're being very honest, I was fully planning on being home this Christmas. I didn't think that I would have another one as a missionary. But I'm so grateful I am here, and that I have another Christmas as a missionary. I have learned a lot from the Savior these past 18 months, and it's pretty neat to have such a unique opportunity to serve and share His love when people's hearts are a little bit more receptive to feeling the spirit. 

I hope you each have a Merry Christmas! 

Find some time to take a moment to think about the life we are celebrating. 

It's Beginning to Look a lot Like Christmas!

​Never did I ever think that I would go to bed here in Mississippi and wake up to see a blanket of white snow! 

It's been a week for the books here! 

It all started on Tuesday when we had an exchange with the Laurel Sisters. Then, that night, we got a call from the Spanish Sisters when they had a bit of a car accident. Everything was okay, but they didn't have a car or keys to their apartment. So Sister Goold and I took a late night trip to the ER and waited for them, then brought them back to also spend the night with us. So we had 6 people in our apartment that night! But it was a party!

Then on Wednesday night, the Sumrall Sisters came and we had another exchange. I got to be with Sister Josie, and my goodness, I just love her! We had a good time together, she's super cool, and I am so excited for her and the rest of her mission! 

Thursday night was when the snow began to fall! And so on Friday morning...well, we ran outside in our pajamas at 6:35 because we just could not contain our excitement!!! Then we got dressed and went back out and made a snowman named Thilbert. Our cute next door neighbors had never seen snow, so we then taught them how to make a snowman! Then inside to warm up and eat breakfast. Man, I missed snow y'all. It was a good day for these Utah girls! 

Thilbert

But the snow did cause some power outages, so the Sumrall Sisters ended up back with us for another day and night!  

Yesterday we taught the 14 year-old Sunday School class while their teachers prepared a waffle and ice cream party for them. So then I ate the most delicious waffle of my life. 

We went Christmas caroling as a ward last night, and man I just really love the people of Purvis! Sister Goold and I laughed so much yesterday! I love this time of year and the joy it brings! 

I hope each of y'all can feel it too!! 

He Will Lift You

Happy December!! It's been foggy this week, and it's kind of like the winter inversion of Utah, so Mississippi winter really isn't too different from Utah after all! 

Sister Goold and I just looked at each other and said, "What even happened this week?!" It's just been one of those weeks, y'all. But I'm lucky I got to spend it with her. We have fun, that's for sure. We road-tripped it up to Philadelphia and back on Wednesday, so that was a total of 5 hours in the car. It got long, but we just listened to Christmas music and talked a lot (Sister Goold tells the best stories). It was actually a good time to just think about things.

I got to thinking about Jesus Christ and how He (the very same divine person who created this world and everything in it) was born into humble circumstances, as a helpless child, surrounded by the very things he himself had created.

And then with the Christmas Devotional last night, I have also been thinking about how much Heavenly Father manifested his love by sending this one, perfect son-the creator of the earth- to vicariously atone for each of us. 

He deserved none of the pain he received, and even asked if there was some other way. 

But because he was perfect, he also submitted to the will of Heavenly Father, and he allowed himself to go through that heartache, and pain, and torment for us. 

For me. 

For you. 

For Brad. 

For Sister Goold. 

For the people of Mississippi. 

For every single person who ever did, does now, or ever will live. 

It's easy to get caught up in all that is "unfair" or "undeserved". But Jesus Christ created this world for us and he atoned for us, so that we could find peace, and joy, and love as we walked our own paths back home to our Father in Heaven. 

I am so grateful for that love and for his life. He has carried me throughout my mission. And even now, as we set out to work hard and to bring light to others this Christmastime, I know he will carry me. He will smile with me when I rejoice. And understand when my heart breaks a little and I cry a tear or two. 

Let the light of Christ into your life, and you will never be the same. Allow Him to change you.

He can and will make up anything "unfair". He will lift you higher.

​Pictures this week: 

I was a Spanish Missionary again! With Hermana Morales!

Got a Christmas package! Perfect timing too, because we had already planned to decorate that night! 

Nikki's goats 

Had some cookies in the car. Then had some cookies in my face. (That's what I get for telling Sister Goold I want to take a selfie with the cookies!) 

Brad

What a week! Things get crazy with transfers, and with holidays, but even crazier when you combine them. But all in all, it's been a good week! 

We had a fun time in Laurel for District Meeting on Wednesday. We always get some prime quotes when we go visit other districts. 

Thanksgiving was so great! We spent our morning baking cookies and writing thank you notes for people in the ward. And then we had dinner with the Gwin/Wittwer family. I absolutely love them! They have a tradition to go around and say what everyone is grateful for. And I am grateful that I get to spend my last transfer here with the people of Purvis. It feels like home here, and I already get sad when I think about leaving. 

We finished our night by delivering cookies and visiting people. I think that might be a Thanksgiving tradition I keep. It's way more fulfilling than shopping all night. Haha!

But the greatest blessing of our week was Brad. Do y'all remember him? He's the guy that we went to talk to one night out by Lauren's house. We've seen him sporadically since then, but this week the spirit has just taken over and he is progressing so well in the gospel! We read Alma 36 with him, and all on his own he started likening the scriptures to himself. It was incredible! He is experiencing a lot of pain and heart ache right now, so he really felt like he could relate. We also read 2 Nephi 31 and talked more about the joy and peace he can feel when he's baptized. He said that's something he definitely wants, and he can tell that we have it. He came to church yesterday and for the first time I actually saw him smile a real smile. 

It makes me smile to know that the spirit is touching his heart and bringing him light in ways that only the spirit can. 

As we talked to him about answers to prayers, I decided to ask him a time when he had felt the spirit. And after he thought for a moment, he said, "Right now. Talking with y'all. It feels so peaceful." 

Brad is just another testimony to me of just how true this Gospel is. It's people like Brad that remind me why I chose to serve a mission, and how much I love being an instrument in God's hands. I love Brad.

Pictures:

Transfer Day: Working on USM Campus

Laurel District

Went for a run on Thanksgiving morning, just for you dad. ;)

Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving with the Gwin/Wittwer Family

Sumrall and Purvis

Sister Goold is just a little bit sick