Monday, September 26, 2016

Hello!

This past week has been another good one! First of all, it has started to rain again! It flash flooded the other night and Sister Lovell and I were freaking out! It was awesome! We got soaked just from walking from the church building to our car in the parking lot.

Nita is still doing awesome! We had two lessons with her this week. Every time we teach her, she gets more and more excited! She says that she can't wait to make covenants with God and that she will do anything she needs to get to baptism. We taught her the word of wisdom last night, and she agreed to give up coffee and tea without any hesitation! Nita is the most dedicated person I have ever met! We also took Nita to dinner with us last night at our Bishop's house, along with about 10 other members from the ward. Nita fit right in! One of her worries about being in the young single adult ward was that she wasn't going to fit in with people her age. But the members welcomed her with open arms and accepted her wholeheartedly. YSA IS THE BEST!

Here are some funny things that have happened to Sister Lovell and I these past few weeks:

- The cashier at Arby's asked us if we were nuns.
- A recent convert's step dad asked us if we were witches. He was semi- joking, semi- serious..
- A member from one of the family wards mistook me for his wife (Don't worry, nothing weird happened).
- I got hit in the face with a volleyball on Friday night.

BEING A MISSIONARY IS THE BEST!

Love,
Sister Hanna

P.S. Here's a scripture that I found this week that I love!

Hebrews 4:16 - Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.

PICTURESExchanges in Albany with Sister Lancaster ~ After exchanges ~ Getting soaked from the rain ~ Zone training meeting









Monday, September 19, 2016

THIS WEEK WAS SO AWESOME!!!!

So remember how I wrote about the referral we got last week from a member of our high council? Well..she's on date for baptism!!! Her name is Nita. We taught her the restoration on Tuesday night, and to sum up how it went, she said that two strangers she had just met an hour ago were able to give her feelings and answers that not even her parents could give her. She accepted everything we taught her and was so relieved to find answers to questions that she's had for years. When we taught her about the Book of Mormon, she was ecstatic! She asked where she could go to buy one, and then could hardly believe it when we handed her a copy. She held the book reverently in her hands and said that she would be up all night reading it. Then, we had another lesson on Friday night and we taught her the plan of salvation. Again, she was so excited to learn about this plan! She said that it gave her a lot of hope, knowing that her family would get a second chance. She really loved this plan because it was in line with God's character. We asked her if she believed that the things we had taught her were true, and she said that she believed everything that we had taught her! AND! We committed her to be baptized on October 8th! She committed to baptism right away! She also came to church on Sunday and loved it! She's also coming to FHE tonight. SHE"S AWESOME! She's the most prepared person I've met on my mission. I love her so much!

So yesterday, I got attacked by a sprinkler. We were on our way up to the front door of our dinner appointment's home last night when we heard this really loud clicking noise and saw a stream of water shooting out across the walkway. We thought it was strange, but we kept on walking. And then, before I could even register what was going on, I was being fire-hosed by another one of the sprinklers! I was standing right in front of it, so the front of my dress from the waist down was soaked! The member who was feeding us must have heard me squealing outside, because he ran out the front door and said "Didn't you read the sign?" No, I didn't read the sign! We asked why he had ninja sprinklers in his front yard, and he said they're heat sensored to scare away the deer when they try and eat his flowers. So, that is the story of how I ate dinner last night soaking wet, feeling like I had wet my pants. It was awesome!

Love,
Sister Hanna         

Monday, September 12, 2016

Hi!

So this past week, Sister Lovell and I have seen LOTS of miracles! Just a few weeks ago, both of us were really down and depressed because it felt like NOTHING was happening in the area. But, I have learned that God likes to test our patience so that we will be able to develop greater faith in him. And this week, we have seen the miracles that come from faith! We got three new investigators this week! 
Earlier this week we got a call from Brother Garner. He's the high council representative in charge of missionary work. He called us up and said, "Hey Sisters! I have this friend who I went to law school with. She's agreed to take the missionary discussions! Can you come over next Tuesday night and teach her the first discussion?" UM, OF COURSE WE CAN! We were so excited and so pumped! So, we'll be going over tomorrow night to teach her!

We also got into contact with a former investigator named Julian. He agreed to meet with missionaries again! During our lesson with him on Wednesday, we asked him why he agreed to take the discussions again, and he said that he was able to find his faith with the previous missionaries. He feels like he's lost it again and wants to get it back. And then, without us even asking, he brought up baptism! He said he's thought a lot about getting baptized and he feels that it would make him happier in his life. We bore testimony that it would absolutely help him to be happier and that baptism is definitely a possibility for him. We're meeting with him again on Thursday, and hopefully, he'll commit to a baptismal date!

Lots of good things are happening here in Salem YSA! I know that God is in all the details, and that His hand is evident in all things.

Here's a scripture that I found during my studies this morning that I really like: Psalms 91:1-2 He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God, in him will I trust.

Love,
Sister Hanna

PICTUREIt got a little rainy, we got a little wet!

Monday, September 5, 2016

Hello hello!

This week was so much better than the last! We had an incredible lesson with our investigator Austin! We went over to teach him about keeping the Sabbath day holy and also about the importance of the sacrament. Austin hasn't come to church yet, so our goal was to help him feel the importance of church attendance. The lesson was going really well and we decided to show him the video 'Always Remember Him' (watch this video, it's awesome!). Before we showed him the video, our ward mission leader Dylan asked him how he felt about baptism and what he was going to do if he found out that everything we have been teaching him is true. And then, Austin opened up for the first time since we've been teaching him! He talked about how he and everyone else in the world has inner demons, and how good it would feel to be clean from all of those things. He wants to be baptized, he just has to figure out if all of this is true or not. The spirit was so strong! After we showed him the video, we asked him how he felt, and he said that he felt very grateful for Christ and grateful for what he did for us. AHHHH! We are SO excited for Austin! He's also been coming to Family Home Evening, Friday night volleyball, and he recently started coming to institute on Thursdays!

Also, here's an update on Ryan, our investigator who was baptized a few weeks ago. He received the Aaronic priesthood last week, has his temple recommend, and has some family names to take to the temple for baptisms for the dead! He is on fire!

Oh! Transfers are here and...Sister Lovell and I are staying together! Yes! We are both really excited and motivated to make this next transfer awesome!

Love you all and have a great week!

Sister Hanna

PICTUREThe District