Monday, June 24, 2013

Week 21? I am amazed at how Good God is!

HELLO!!!
This week went by wayyy too fast! I can not believe it's already been a full week!
Some good news:
R now has a baptismal date set for September 14. He originally wanted September 16, but we are working on pushing it closer. He is SO READY!! I have never seen somebody more prepared than R. He is amazing. I could go on and on about what a fun, kind, prepared soul he is. I think you get it :)
This week was a rough for my tummy. Mom, remember how when I was younger I would always get stomach aches? Well this whole week I have been having horrible stomach probs. I don't really know what the cause of it is, I had to call the mission office medical sister about it and she didn't know what to tell me. So, I just kept trekking on like usual! Aside from the weird stomach aches, this week was a great one. We had the opportunity to help R out with his frozen yogurt shop's grand opening. That was fun. Met some awesome people, especially this one catholic man who was definitely searching for more.  He asked us questions when he saw our name tags and modest skirts. He was very impressed by the church! Sadly he lives in Florida, so we gave him a pass along card and bore strong testimony of the truthfulness of the gospel and invited him to go on Mormon.org and request missionary visits!  The spirit was strong. I love how anywhere we go, we are always witnesses of Jesus Christ, and there is always a chance to share the gospel! You can feel the Holy Ghost bare witness of the truth of your message whether you are outside of a frozen yogurt shop, standing on the street in the ghetto, or teaching in a home. I am so grateful for these little but powerful moments of pure happiness and joy that is brought about through the Holy Ghost!

On Tuesday we went on exchanges with the sister training leaders. I got to see my dear sister W again! It was awesome.

I don't know how much I have mentioned about what is going on with the work in this area or not, but I'm going to go for it anyways!
For the past 3 Sundays in a row we have gotten a phone call from our zone leaders who are freaking out because we have had the highest key indicators that Nags Head has seen for the past 3 years. We use key indicators to measure progress, but as missionaries we know that they aren't important to measure how successful we are. . But they do show our progress. The first week I got here, we had no investigators, no progressing investigators, no member presents, nothing. Now we are teaching sooo much and we have no time to keep track of everything and everyone! okay that was an exaggeration, we keep track of everyone don't worry. But I am AMAZED at how GOOD GOD is. We work hard, we are obedient, and we have faith, and God does the rest. He is preparing his children EVERYWHERE. They could be next door, they could be your doctor, they could be ANYONE!!! Don't hesitate to share the gospel with anyone!!!!  When I was serving in Norfolk I saw the other side to missionary work. When you are working your hardest, but all your are doing is planting seeds and not seeing any baptisms. In Nags Head, I am seeing the blessing of harvesting, and family, it is the greatest joy I have ever felt in my entire life.
THIS CHURCH IS SO TRUE!!! Everyday my testimony is strengthened. There is no way that I could ever deny it. When the Holy Ghost bears witness of the truth and impresses on the soul the reality of God, of Jesus Christ, and of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ, no earthly power can separate man from this knowledge! President Faust said this, and I 100% agree with this statement!
If any of you have not seen the broadcast "hastening the work" that was aired last night, GO WATCH IT RIGHT NOW! we were all bawling the whole time. It is such an amazing thing that is happening right now. So many members are "catching the wave" of missionary work and rising to the call. We have so much to do, and it is such a comforting thing knowing that this is the Lords work, and as long as we are trying our best, we can not fail. He will not allow it. I know this to be true.
Alma 13: 29- this scripture is a huge comfort to me. if we are humble, have faith, are obediant, repent, we are promised to have the love of God with us always and to have eternal life. Who wouldn't want this?? the Lord PROMISES that when we do these things we will have eternal life. So why not do them? why withhold these blessings from ourselves, and why not share these things with others??

I love you all!! Sum Sum, looks like your party was a "treat" hahahaha I am so funny. So glad to see the family had fun at the fam reunion without me and Jake there to make it really fun. Keep trying ;) Hi Jordan!
xoxox
Sister Snow

Monday, June 17, 2013

Weel 21 Final conference with Old Prez, waiting for the new Prez

Hello Beautifuls!
This week went by so fast! I don't really know what to think of it all. We have a new investigator named Robert who came to church last Sunday and gave the bishop his number for us to contact and then he gave the bishop tithing! haha so we got the privilege of meeting with him twice this week. The first minute with him he told us he is quitting smoking and plans on getting baptized in September. What??! this never has happened to me. Miracles. Heavenly Father truly prepares his children, and I have seen evidence of that throughout the week. We also met a very drunk/high man who told us all about his views of philosophers and how important it is to "let your minds think for themselves" he called us the second we left and left a long drunken voice mail on our phone about Confucius.

This week we had our last zone conference with president Perry. We sang God be With You Till We Meet Again of course... and i was bawling like a girl at a mission farewell ;) it was pretty sad to say goodbye to such an amazing, inspired man. Our new mission president arrives next week! President Baker! I am so excited to be able to meet him. He sounds like an amazing man, as well as his wife!
Every single day I have been a missionary I am more aware of my weaknesses and how much I fall short of perfection. But the beauty of this realization is that we have a loving Savior and Heavenly Father who are always there to comfort us, to help us when we need to change, and to forgive us when we fall short. It is such a blessing to be able to feel the spirit and to be able to feel the spirit testify of my words. I know that this is the most important work that I could be doing, and I am so grateful to be able to have the privileged to serve Heavenly Father.

So, we had a tropical depression and a murder suicide last week, and this week we had warnings of tornadoes! We got an urgent text to stay indoors and seek shelter as we were driving to our dinner appointment. Luckily there were no tornadoes in the Outer Banks. The East Coast is cray. There is always some sort of disaster around the corner.

We were expecting a lot of our investigators to come to church this week, but only Alex came. We were still so excited to see him walk in! Last time (the first time he came to church) he was wearing a t-shirt and board shorts with flip flops. This time he walked in with a dress shirt on and dress pants and these black tennis shoes! I almost cried. It was amazing to see him changing his life. The talks in church were about worthiness and being worthy to enter the temple... he had a lot of questions afterwards haha.

We had some amazing lessons this week with some investigators, and they are progressing towards baptism. Keep them in your prayers! It is an exciting and busy time in the Outer Banks! So many tourists everywhere, blazing hot weather and super humid air. Life is Good :)
Summer, looking good! no more braces! And good job on your duet. I am so proud of you :)
love you all!
xoxox
Sister Snow

Monday, June 10, 2013

I survived Tropical Depression Andrea, big whoop. Also "I'm so excited I am making a Gilly face right now"

Family,
A lot happened this week. Probably the most crazy/ terrifying/hilarious/ spiritual weeks so far out of these 5 months. 5 months whatttttt???! crazy.
 Sooo ill just start off with crazy.
 #1 Tuesday I ate chicken legs with peanut butter. yolo.
#2 We had a break through with the L family. Sis L really opened up to us and told us what she really does for a living. She wants her children to be missionaries and has the desire to live a good life. She feels like she is a lost cause. We bore our testimonies to her and felt impressed to share my FAVORITE scripture in the worldddddd Alma 26:36-37. 36 Now if this is aboasting, even so will I boast; for this is my life and my light, my joy and my salvation, and my redemption from everlasting wo. Yea, blessed is the name of my God, who has been mindful of this people, who are a bbranch of the tree of Israel, and has been clost from its body in a strange land; yea, I say, blessed be the name of my God, who has been mindful of us, dwanderers in a strange land.  37 Now my brethren, we see that God is amindful of every bpeople, whatsoever land they may be in; yea, he numbereth his people, and his bowels of mercy are over all the earth. Now this is my joy, and my great thanksgiving; yea, and I will give thanks unto my God forever. Amen.  She loved it. After that day we got a call from a member who told us how Sister L called her and told her how she was very impressed by us and that "shes met with a lot of missionaries and never has she expressed such appreciation for missionaries like you sisters." We were jumping up and down in our worm and cockroach infested cottage. Hard work and trusting the spirit pays off. We finally seem to have gotten used to each others teaching patterns. We taught some solid lessons this week and were BOLD. I've never been the type to be bold, but something finally came over me and I got over it. Being lovingly bold is so important, and I think after 5 months I am finally getting the hang of it. But I'm still not even close.
#3 L R. She was a former investigator, when me and sister H got here we became attached to her.  She has major health probs and we haven't been able to meet with her. Finally this week we did. She told us how she knows that this church is true.  She was crying and saying how she knows it's good. We committed her to be BAPTIZED!!! She doesn't want to pick a date yet, because she wants to figure out if she can get baptized b/c she's on an oxygen tank and her hernia is huge. Shoot. She can still get baptized. She said she knows she needs to get healthy and expressed to us her desire to be "dunked." I love it. We were so giddy the whole day!
#4 Me and my beautiful companions got proposed to by an 80 year old man on Tuesday.
#5 We found out one of our investigators used to be the mayor of kitty hawk. cool huh. "We goin ta get the ex mayor baptized!!"
#6 We helped an investigator move on Saturday and it started pounding down rain. I have never seen rain this hard in my life. We said a prayer that the rain would stop so we could move her things, and it stopped 1 minute later. faith=miracles
#7 We had such a spiritual lesson with Sister Q  and her son who is not a member. We were all crying as we talked about Joseph Smith and how much God loves us and has not forgotten us. The gospel is So true. It just makes sense! I am so grateful for the opportunity I have to teach others this true gospel. It really is the most amazing experience.
# 8 Feeling the spirit speak through me and touch the hearts of another. We were teaching the gospel of Jesus Christ to a less active member, and for some reason I just went off about Heavenly Father's love for her. I didn't know what I was saying or why I was saying it but I knew it was what she needed to hear. Tears fell from my eyes as I testified to her, and as soon as I finished, I looked around and tears filled the room. The spirit is so essential to conversion!! Without the Holy Ghost, we wouldn't know what these people need to hear, we wouldn't know what is true. I am so grateful for the knowledge I have that I am teaching TRUTH to people.  This truth will change lives. The hardest part is their agency. We tell people all the time the importance of reading the scriptures, praying, and coming to church. We need to accept their agency as well. That's the toughest lesson to learn.
#9 So I don't know if you heard... there was  "Tropical Depression" here on the east coast. They even named it Andrea. I am proud to say that I survived the storm Andrea. It was the wimpiest thing I have ever seen. Only a couple trees were bent, and some branches were on the street. big whooop.
#10 On Saturday night we went over to teach A F, set for baptism July 17. We knock on his door and he's like, "Y'all just missed it, I just got interviewed by fox news! So we walk into the trailer and apparently there was a MURDER three houses up in the late afternoon. Wanna know the craziest part?? WE were supposed to be in this neighborhood then, but we decided to help our investigator move and cancel our apt there. Sketch. Apparently it was two men, one man shot the guy and then killed himself. This all happened literally half a mile from our home. CRAZY!!
# 11 On a lighter note... remember K B? Last time we talked to her was the night of institute when she learned about blacks and the priesthood. She wouldn't answer any of our calls and we were about to drop her. Well, we were passing out programs on Sunday and in through the church doors walks K B! She stayed all 3 hours!! Sadly A didn't come because of miss communication about rides, but we got to meet with him after church....
#12 A has been praying. He said he feels good about church and the Book of Mormon.

I LOVE BEING A MISSIONARY!!!!!
I love you all. Sorry if this letter is long and confusing. I am having a hard time typing because I'm just so "friggin excited" I'm making a gilly face right now as well. TURGET
Happy father's day Daddo. Hope its amazing. Love you all
xoxo
sister snow
ps:  Have fun at your party Summ! Dont eat too many cupcakes!
 

Monday, June 3, 2013

North Carolina Pics, delicacies and what nots

Sister H and I

Praying in a North Carolina Grove, or a Joseph Smith Moment

Eating a Soft Shell crab, NC delicacy

Eating a dragon fly

Now, tell us what you really think

It's official, I'm serving in a new Mission!

Hey Y'all!!!
SOOO last night was transfer calls! This was the transfer where we find out which mission we are going to be in. I am now officially in the Virginia Chesapeake Mission.  Me, Sister M and Sister H are staying in Nagshead for at least 5 more weeks! (this transfer is cut a week short) My new mission president will be President Baker!! Sweet huh???? Just like Dad,  I have the awesome rare chance to serve two missions in 18 months! I am super excited. Sadly, a lot of my dear friends are staying in the Richmond mission, so I won't see them at missionary conferences or have the chance to serve with them, but its okay :)
I HAVE THE BEST NEWS  EVER!! Well, not a baptism... BUT Mr. A. CAME TO CHURCH!!!!! It was honestly the BEST sacrament meeting I have ever been to in my life. The spirit was SO strong. We had many visitors (like usual in the summer time) and we got the privilege to hear from a senior couple who just got back from their mission in Africa. I didn't get a chance to talk to them and ask if they knew elder Dirkmaat, but their testimonies were very powerful. Alex was leaning forward and saying AMEN after the testimonies. Sister M and I looked at each other with tears in our eyes. Seriously, it was the best moment of my life. We found out a lot about Mr. A. this week. I'm not going to go into details. But he wants to keep meeting with us and coming to church.  He is making some amazing progress. The most I have seen so far in these 4 1/2 months of being a missionary.
This week was very interesting... remember how I said last week how we have been having some unfortunate experiences with some men in this area? Well, its starting to get worse. Luckily, one of the members bought us each some pepper spray, just in case. Some how, gossip spread throughout the ward that I am a black belt.. and everyone just laughs every time they see me. They think that I am the sweet one out of my companionship, so apparently its pretty unbelievable that "sweet sister snow" has a black belt in karate.
Funniest/most horrific teaching experience ever....We brought K. B. to institute with us on Tuesday night. The man that was teaching was a substitute teacher. He went into a discussion on the lamanite "curse" and the controversy over blacks and the priesthood.... this was our second lesson with KB, and her jaw was dropped the whole 15 minutes this went on. We had an hour and a half car ride home so we explained what it meant and hopefully cleared it up for her.
This Wednesday we are teaching a lesson in espanol. All I know how to say is we are missionaries for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter day Saints. And I know this lesson is going to be very amusing.... hahhaha
We have had such a blessed week this week. We have seen strong evidence that everywhere we go is truly guided by the spirit. I have such a strong testimony and passion for missionary work. It still is terrifying for me every time I see someone walking on the street, and I know I need to talk to them. I still get freaked out before I knock on a door. But I know that Jesus Christ is my rock. He is with me every step of the way and I am strengthened by his love for me, and all of his brothers and sisters. I know with all my heart that this is the true restored gospel of Jesus Christ on the earth today.  Every day I am more and more converted and changed.
I love you all! Thanks for the constant love and support. It means so much to me to know that I have a family back home that is doing their part and being missionaries alongside with me! I know that we can be together forever, and that is the greatest blessing of all! We have such a wonderful gift to share with the world! Be bold and share your testimony with others!!!
xoxox
Sister Snow
PS: Chan, I'm sorry to hear that you are following in my footsteps and crashing cars...you will be happy to know that yesterday I ran into a mailbox. But its okay, there was a bush blocking it and nothing got hurt :)