The Sun Will Come Out!

Dear Family!

After a very cold cold week, it finally warmed up yesterday! I love the sun! Sunday after church I just sat on our porch basking in the sun and napping and eating. Mmm, so good! And it is warmer today. I am going to have to re-adjust to not wearing tights however. 

This week went by so extremely fast, I don't even know where the days would go. We would start it and then it would be done! I don't know how missionaries function out west. Doing 2 wards is exhausting let alone 3 stakes. I can't believe May is next week! Ahh! Anyways enough about time, I'm getting old.

So we finally had the break through with Barbara! We figured out her problem with baptism. She had an absolutely scarring experience when she was baptized into a different church then a member may have put false ideas into her head about what our baptisms are like. So she feels a lot better about it! Thank goodness. She has still been pretty sick. We decided that when she comes to church we will show her the font and room and we will set a date with her there. So pray that all works out. So she is doing pretty good! 

I just have been feeling my testimony strengthened so much this weekend! God puts us at the right place at the right time. He is definitely there for each of His children. I love being a missionary and being aware of that. He puts us in the paths of people that need Him. That is how great His love is! We learned even more about that at Stake Conference this weekend. It was so good. I love stake conferences! Especially Saturday night sessions. It's just a hidden treasure! The whole weekend was just a spiritual power house. Elder Ward, our area authority came. He is an amazing man! It is incredible how he can just get up there and go. He doesn't have a talk prepared he just says what needs to be heard. he gave some powerful talks.Saturday he talked about the proximity principle, how we are all placed in our own "field", the Lord places us in specific places for specific people. We are meant to be in their lives! That was cool. He had all of us missionaries stand up and quote D&C 4 from memory. That was cool and nerve racking. I was worried he was just going to call one missionary out and we made way too much eye contact to make me feel comfortable, thankful our mission president suggested all of us! Whew! A huge focus was councils. Family, ward, stake, couple, just every type of council. Then the stake president tied all the counsel of councils to how we need to apply it to our prayers. That is so neat, that we can council with Heavenly Father about our lives. I am just in awe with how aware He is and will help us. It is neat to sit down and ponder what His answers are, you realize He answers more than you can think! 

Cool story! I met Brad and Amber Simmons also at Stake Conference! They are in the North Stake but we had a meeting during their time. Brad is Camille's bro-in-law. Gregg's brother. They just moved out to Waukesha. Small world!

Well it sounds like you have had a fun week with the boys and now with Lindsey! I love you all so much! I am so happy out here! Prayer! It keeps me happy, I am learning how to access the atonement so much more. We can always live joyfully, even with the hard times. I know I probably won't always feel this way, I have got to grow somehow but I love this feeling. This is truly the Lord's work, it's his rescue! It will all work out because He is in charge! I am just so happy, I love it!

I love you more than I love this warm sun!

Anne

Feeling Good!

Dear Famille
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Life is just good. The gospel is just good. I love it! I do have a bitter sweet relationship with food though. We fasted twice and over indulged twice in four days. Monday, I think I was the most full in my life. We spent the day saying goodbye to people for Sister Caramia. We ate at 2, 4, 6 and 8. I couldn't fall asleep I was so full! But it was good! Tuesday I realized I needed to pack too. So I packed one suitcase to take with me and let me just say, it made me want to get rid of everything because I have been living just fine with that one! We go back to my apartment every couple of days, so you can still send stuff to that one. We went and dropped off the temple square sisters at President Cutler's house and Sister Green and I were sent off home together. It is strange to be in two areas because I feel like I have left and then we just go out.

Sister Green and I are doing really well together. It is kind of difficult to have non-english speaking companions so we are having a very good fresh start together! We both have the same desires to be obedient and just to find and teach. So we are very united which makes a huge difference! It just feels like a perfect fresh start, it feels so good.

Tina is doing fantastic. It was sad for Sister Caramia to say goodbye to her. Tina shared with us what she wrote in her journal about her baptism and confirmation. It was so beautiful! One of the best moments of my mission. This gospel is so real. I cannot deny the Spirit I feel and the miracles I have seen. It is the sweetest of experiences. I brought Sister Green to meet Tina and we taught her the Restoration again. Church this week I think she felt a little stress about being new and not knowing everything, but we pointed her to the Book of Mormon and she felt a lot better.

We got to go to church from 8:30-4:30 yesterday! That was exciting! 2 wards and being in President's ward. His daughter just came home from her mission last week and it was her homecoming talk this week, that was neat. It was crazy to see President Cutler with his family. It is a really good ward! For me church just flew by! And after we got an awesome rain storm! Hours of rain! That is how it is done! I love when Wisconsin does that!

I haven't got to teach in ASL this week sadly but there is a deaf member in our ward so I got to talk to her. It was intimidating signing again to someone who actually signs. We worked really hard to find new people to teach this week. Lots and lots of doors, sometimes it is hard. Which just makes it better sometimes. I learned a lot about grace this week. That enabling power of the atonement. I really just feel a fullness of joy. When times get hard, I always know I can turn heavenward and I just feel buoyed up. I am just so happy, I love being a missionary!  We are working hard and one of the best feelings is when you go home at the end of the day and you know you have done all you can. You are so tired and just sleep like a baby and then it is time for round two! I just want to do this all my life. I love it.

It sounds like you are having a great week with the kids! They look like they are in heaven. Boy heaven. Lindsey and Abe need to go on a cruise again so I can watch the kids. I hope you continue to have fun!

I love you more than all the rabbits in Wisconsin (there are a lot btw)..the whole world...(even more)
Anne

A Wonderful Morning

Dear Family,

It was just a beautiful week. I won't keep you waiting! Tina is officially a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints!! She is baptized! Wow! It was a beautiful day! All week it has been rainy, which I absolutely love and adore, stormy, hailing, you name it. Apparently there were tornadoes down south. In the apartment we are in I am okay with that now, we have a cement basement so if needed we can hide! Anyways, Saturday morning the clouds parted and we just had a wonderful sunny day. I told Tina it was Heavenly Father smiling down on her :) 

She was beautiful! 

We had a really good turn out too! over 40 people came! Tina was so happy! She was talking and laughing and smiling! You could tell she was super nervous though but more excited. One of her biggest concerns was that she would disappoint people with her reaction because never really acts to happy but her happiness was contagious! 

​Sister Askerland is the one who found Tina with Sister Wu and then Sister Caramia and I have been teaching her. 

It was so good! She said she just felt so warm inside and that while she was being baptized it felt like she was in a different world. She was beaming afterwards!

​After! This is with her housemate Robbie! The Sisters actually contacted her but she dogged them! See her beautifully marked Book of Mormon?! It's awesome! Members gave her the pictures! Robbie insisted we hold everything up for the photo! So cute! She loved the scriptures you gave her! She brought them to church and started marking them! While we were waiting for her and Ted to get changed (he got baptized too! double baptism!) We gave each of the members note card to write a testimony and favorite scripture for each of them. Our plan was to make a little book and give it to them but after the baptism everyone came up and gave them the note cards and introduced themselves. It worked even better that way! It made Tina a little emotional! They could just feel the love! Then she said she couldn't wait to get the Holy Ghost! Sunday she was confirmed and received the gift of the Holy Ghost and she just came of the stand beaming! She said she felt hot! Not just a warmth! So happy! So this is Tina! The newest member of the West Allis ward!

Everyone was super sad when they realized Sister Caramia was leaving this week. So we are having a crazy week saying goodbye. We are having a goodbye dinner with Tina tonight. She is sad she is leaving. Sister Caramia is sad. It is strange having this be the middle of the transfer. We got a very good phone call saying we only have to take over two areas and not three after all! So yay! Just West Allis and Muskego Lakes. Muskego Lakes has deaf members so I will be able to do more ASL! That will be exciting! 

More exciting news! I finished my first journal! I have never finished one before! It only took me a year! I thought you would be happy mom! That means I do write in it :)

We had a wonderful missionary fireside last night! I was so nervous but it turned out so well! We talked about non threatening ways to do missionary work and discussed ideas for family mission plans. I just love this ward. I am very happy here! I just really love this work! There is no where I would rather be! The happiness and joy that fills my soul is wonderful! It is all because of Him. On hard days I always have hope in His plan, as Ether says it is in an anchor for my soul. The Savior atoned for us so we don't have to be alone in this world and so we can make it back home! I love it! I love seeing Tina make those steps! She is now on the path! The gate is unlocked!

I love you more than all the rain this week!

Anne

I love Conference!

Dear Family,

This was a great crazy week! We had a lot of planning we had to do! So last transfer there were 6 missionaries in our ward (3 companionships) and 3 of those missionaries were going home so one of the Elder's areas got closed and now we are down to 4 missionaries. Which I might add is the least I have ever served with, crazy! But those 3 Elders thought it would be great to hold a fireside, and they decided it should be held after they left. We tried and tried to meet with them to plan, but Elders :) So we ended up planning that whole thing for the 12th and then Tina's baptism for the 11th. Which it will actually be a double baptism because the Elders are baptizing someone as well. So a lot of planning and calling and asking! I guess I am just preparing for future callings. Props to mom and dad for doing this for years! I bet you are just pros by now! So that was fun, it actually relieved a lot of stress just getting it taken care of and not putting it off until the last minute. 

We finally got to see Barbara this week! We just ended up stopping by because sometime the whole appointment thing doesn't work. She is just having some fears of what the actual baptism will be like so we invited her to Tina's and hopefully it helps calm her fears! We will keep praying about her! But Tina is doing amazing! We watched both Saturday sessions with her at her house because she has BYUTV! Awesome! Hopefully she will stumble on that channel more often! She is just doing so well. It is amazing to just see her testimony grow and grow! I think she is ready for Saturday! I am so excited for her! She knows that this isn't the end, but the beginning of her journey back home. I just love seeing this gospel change people! I would do this forever! I will in my own way when I get back home. Watching conference was so great! It just instilled in me a greater desire to follow our Savior. I loved Elder Bednar's talk about Godly Fear. I can't remember if it was his or someone elses who talked about obeying the commandment's out of a love for God. I think that was Uchtdorf, so good! So many good things. I just downloaded all of conference to listen to at home. 

One of the returning less actives had his mom break her hip this week. I was concerned this would shake his testimony pretty hard, but I think it is doing the opposite. He asked if his mom could get a blessing and he just loved it and held dear to it. He has been sitting in the hospital reading talks and scriptures to his mom too! And just receiving amazing spiritual strength! We just keep seeing the gospel in action everywhere! 

This week will be crazy with everything going on, but it's hard to believe next week will be crazier. Sister Caramia will be leaving on the 15th and then the crazy hits. Our mission president doesn't want to close any sister's areas because more sisters will be coming and he would just have to reopen them. So just how everything is happening and with the temple square missionaries we will be short a few sisters. So me and another missionary will have to take over 3 areas for 3 weeks! Ah! It's crazy! So wish me good luck for next week! I will still be in the West Allis area but we will be covering Muskego Lakes and Oak Creek as well. After 3 weeks I will just be back to West Allis. It is weird knowing what is going to happen before it does, I am positive I will be here until at least the end of June so that is nice! 

I hope you had a happy easter! For us it was good! A nonmember family invited us over for dinner! We have tried teaching them but they wouldn't listen. But, they love the missionaries and feed us occasionally. It was so kind of them! We watched Sunday conference at the church and I just loved it. I loved all of it, I was sad we didn't get to hear the prophet as much so I can't wait to listen to priesthood session.

I am sorry my letter is all over the place, I hope it makes sense. I am just a little tired and all over the place. But I still love you! I am grateful we got to see conference all at the same time! That is cool! All your kids watching at the same time! I enjoyed every minute and I cherish the words said! I am so grateful for this beautiful Easter weekend to remember what the Savior has done for each of us and how we can have His help everyday! 

I love you more than all the Easter feasts!

Anne

I Believe in Miracles!

Dear Family!

Sorry about that! This week was awesome! So Tina is just on fire! I have been so worried making sure she is ready so we have made sure to teach everything! I have never done this before, it's wonderful! 

We had interviews with our mission President this week and he asked what my Preach My Gospel Studies are. I replied it's just been for Tina and Barbara because I have never been able to teach some of these lessons and don't know what I am doing! But it is so good! So we met with her this week three times :) 

We started on Tuesday with the Law of Chastity. We were really straightforward about the whole thing, because there is no other way to do it. After she just had this face that seemed to say, "Why in the world are you talking about this right now? Why would you talk about this?" So we felt a little awkward. 

We came back two days later and talked about temples with Sister Cutler and Tina told us after we left Tuesday she just started laughing about these two 20 year olds talking to a 50 year old about chastity. She remembered teaching her kids and just laughed. She thought it was sweet. But our lesson about the temple was really good! I think she likes that whole idea of being sealed. 

Sister Cutler also left her with the For Strength of Youth because if we live those things we can go in the temple. We saw her again on Saturday with our Relief Society President and went over the baptismal interview questions and she then asked us to teach her about tithing and fasting! We were shocked but realized she read the For Strength of Youth! So we ended up teaching her that on the spot too and she accepted it no problem! It was great! She officially is ready to be baptized. She knows everything and has a testimony! 

We asked if she remembered what visiting teaching was as well and responded with, "It's when two sisters will come into my home and teach me the gospel and then me and and another sister will go into other sisters home and do the same." AHHH! She is ready to do visiting teaching too! Ahh!! I was so excited! So was the Relief Society President! Oh boy! It's music to the ears! 

Also her prayer when we closed was absolutely beautiful! She is so excited to be clean, to have the Spirit and to be a part of this church. She loves the Book of Mormon. She was talking about the Bible and how it is so good but things got lost. And that is why she loves the Book of Mormon because it is 100% true! She has such a strong testimony I feel of everything! Book of Mormon, prophets and baptism! And she quit coffee officially! And she is defending the church! And defending her baptism. I could go on forever about Tina. I just love her and I love how much Heavenly Father loves her. 

She is incredible. I also should mention she finally stayed for all three hours! And she made comments in Sunday School. She is also making friends with the member and even had a member ask if he could baptize her! It warms my heart!

Barbara has been sick this week so there will be more to come. We may have to push back her baptism a little bit, but that will be ok. We have had an awesome crazy week! I got to see Sister Morales before she left. We snuck into transfer point during our lunch hour and saw her. I also got to say goodbye to Sister Homan before she left and say hi to Sister Goldwater my MTC comp. She is training a new missionary now! It is so exciting! I don't know what else to talk about Tina is just a rockstar and has taken up a lot of my thinking space!

It's been cold but now it is warming up! I can't wait for rainy season! It is about to start! It is just a beautiful time of year! It is a beautiful time to be a missionary! I love this work! I don't think I could be happier. This is definitely where I am meant to be! I love it! I love all of you! Thank you for all the support! Easter is this Sunday. 

I am assuming all y'all with Facebook and internet use know all about the He lives video, if not watch it! It's beautiful! I am so grateful for this time of the year to have an extra reminder of the resurrection of our Savior. He is everything! Have a Happy Easter! This is my first second! My second easter away from home! Crazy! I just love my mission and the path it has put me on to my Savior, I cherish this time!

I love you more than I love all the Easter candy in the world!

Anne