Time is flying!

MY HALF-WAY MARK IS IN TWO WEEKS. WHAT. The thought makes me want to scream and cry but it also makes me want to throw a party. I don't know man...I wish I could stay out here with the New Englanders forever and embrace the dense forests and their accents and their animals and their love for everyone and the tourist towns and the rivers and lakes and eat their whoopie pies BUT I'm excited to jump into life again as a new person with a brand new outlook on life.

It makes me crazy to think about how bittersweet the whole idea of leaving this place is...good thing I still have a little under a year!! Heavenly Father certainly knows me inside and out since He sent me to the beautiful, humble, and unique mission of New England. I have grown so many deep connections with people that I couldn't have lived my life without knowing. He knows my strange infatuation with nature and the beauty of lakes, trees, rivers, bridges, etc. I am so overly thankful for everything I've been blessed with out here!

Here is some bad news though...we dropped Vivian.😥 it was so painfully devastating to sit in front of the sweetest woman on this earth and tell her that we need to stop meeting with her twice a week. I was so nervous walking in to her home because I've never dropped someone before but I knew that it's what we had to do. With a prayer in my heart, I just talked about our purpose as missionaries. recited to her Our Purpose which states: "Our purpose is to invite others to come unto Christ by helping them receive the restored gospel through faith in Jesus Christ and His atonement, repentance, baptism, receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost, and enduring to the end." 

She seemed to understand and she was happy to hear that we were going to use that time with her to go find other people instead. I'm going to miss visiting Vivian A LOT but we can't do anything to help her if she isn't going to be baptized! 

So here's a little bit about Bethel...its just a small, quaint, little tourist town where people from all over the world come to ski at Sunday River. Almost all the houses here are seasonal and are only lived in during the winter which obviously makes it very difficult to do missionary work. It's either that or people become snow birds and escape the cold snowy weather and move to Florida for the winter. Whyyyyy. But this past week we decided to tract at Sunday River! We were literally tracting at a ski resort! #welcometomaine Hahaha i never imagined myself doing something like that on my mission but we were desperate AND it made a good journal entry. 

I don't know if I've mentioned this in past emails but since we are currently living an hour away from the church, bethel is completely worked over, and all the members are also an hour away, our mission president is having us move to Norway in April! Right by the church! Right by all the members! AND WE WILL BE BY A WAL-MART! That right there is the biggest luxury here in the wilderness of new england...it is every once in a blue moon that we get the opportunity to walk the aisles of wal-mart and now we will be right down the street from one!!!

Are you all ready for this hilarious story? Oh my gosh...okay, so we were getting a ride from one of the members last week and we were talking about "claims to fame". We were sharing stories that we've had that could potentially make us famous so OBVIOUSLY I share my story about my wisdom teeth video on YouTube. When I finished talking about it, sister crockett was like, "so THAT is why you are so familiar to me!!! I knew I recognized you from somewhere!!" Hahaha she saw my video before coming to this area and she shared it with her niece who fell in love with it and shared it with all her friends and it became this huge thing in bethel. Her niece even wanted to be "just like that bri girl" and record herself after she got her wisdom teeth out and so she did! WHAT!!! That's it. I am famous. Wow. 

Sigh...the weather has been ridiculous this week. It can't decide whether it wants to be spring or the depths of winter and it's getting really old. One day we were prancing around in 50 degrees and the next day we are slipping and sliding on the dangerous icy roads in the freezing rain. H e l p. 

The McLaren's got sealed in the temple on Tuesday!! AHH! I can't even explain to you over email the glow and the joy that was in their countenance when we went to visit them that night. Brother McLaren suffers from depression so he's been a little bit down recently but that night and the days since then he has been so happy and so much more talkative! The temple is such a wonderful place and I don't miss anything quite as much as I do the temple. I am so beyond happy for the mclarens and their sacrifices they made in being sealed together in the house of the Lord.

Well, that's all that I can think to talk about right now. I love being a missionary and I love this area and I love my companion and I love this opportunity I have to dedicate to service. Have an amazing week!!!!

We love the mclarens and sister mclarens mom!!!!!

Exclusive pic of me tracting in the pouring rain. Embrace it

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Whatta Week!!

Well hello everybody!!

What...a...WEEK. So many emotions and so many blessings and I don't even know what to say first. As I said last week, I have a new companion and I am now senior companion in this area of Bethel, Maine! Her name is Sister Black and she is from Provo. She has 9 siblings and man...she is a hoot. We get along very well and she just understands me and my humor which makes things so great :) oh, and she's been telling me a lot about the Topsham ward and the Bath area which has been lovely. I LOVE to hear about the fruits of my labors in that area! She's filling me in on so many different people and how the people I found/taught are progressing and are still being taught! It's amazing to hear those things and to be told that my efforts meant something. But sister black has been in a bit of a culture shock since she's coming from Bath where everyone lives close together and the members live around you. Ohhhh how I know what she's feeling...whew! This area truly is a doozy.

You should all be shocked that you're receiving an email from me this week due to the devastatingly low temperatures. HOW did I not get frostbite. How did I not have to amputate a limb. It was -30 degrees with wind chill which made it even colder. Then we go to church where the heat was broken so everyone had their winter coats on and we all sat there shivering smiling through the pain :,) I went up to bear my testimony and pointed out that "if we all didn't have a testimony of Jesus Christ, we wouldn't be sitting here. We would be in our warm beds. We are all freezing to death, yet here we are in church because it's where we need to be." It's amazing to recognize the faith of these members and of the saints here in the Oxford ward! They all live quite a ways from the church yet they know the importance of coming to church. My testimony of church attendance has grown so much...Man. 

Can I just remind everyone of something? We are so loved. We have a Heavenly Father who watches over us and loves us and helps us and strengthens us and comforts us and reassures us and protects us and WOW we are so blessed. I have seen all of these things given to me just this past week...I have relied almost completely upon Him this week as I've struggled adapting to my new companion and my new responsibilities and all that fun stuff. I am so thankful for this challenge and for the variety of things I am learning! I could NOT do it without my Savior and I could NOT do it without the prayers and uplifting words from you all at home. #iamblessed 

Here is the miracle...every day this week has been so full and so good and we've stayed so productive and it has been glorious. I was so stressed and nervous about leading a new sister around but I have felt the hand of the Lord help me every single day! I am so thankful! We taught the plan of salvation using the Bible at our bible study at the nursing home. We are so sneaky...and they loved it!!! It is so rewarding to see them learn and listen to us in amazement as we talk about where we came from, why we are here, and where we are going. I LOVE BEING A MISSIONARY!! 

Brother and Sister McLaren are getting sealed this Wednesday in the temple! Holy guacamole I can't even explain to you how exciting this is. Sister McLaren has come SUCH a long say since I've been here and I have admired her growing testimony and her desire to grow closer to our Heavenly Father. She is so giddy and excited about getting sealed this week! I wish I could go with her but President Stoker said I live too far away from the temple. :( I can't wait to hear about their experience!!! 

Well, that's really all I have to say this week. I love you all and I hope to hear from you soon! In case you forgot, people still write letters. 

Postal mail is still a thing. 750 North Road Bethel, Maine 04217

.....WOW these are the only pictures I have from this past week. Fail.

Don't ask. This was our first picture taken together sorry sorry sorry

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Bill, Bible, Bethel, and Black

Transfer calls have come...the results are in...and Sister Cox will be getting transferred outta Bethel :( I am staying here and becoming senior companion! What! And since they're doing transfer meetings
differently (by not having them at all) they have already told us who our companions will be and where Sister Cox is going. I will be receiving Sister Black which is actually quite interesting...when I was transferred out of Bath, Maine after being trained by Sister Crook, Sister Black is the one that replaced me to also be trained by Sister Crook. So we know each other already and we were both trained by the same person and we both started our missions out in the cute little town of Bath :) it's very cool and I'm very excited to get to know her better and to hear how that Topsham Ward is doing!! Aaaaand I will be able to DRIVE for the first time being out here!!!!! Yay!! I miss driving more than anyone will ever know but my time has finally come. Besides all of that, I am incredibly nervous to be senior companion. There are so many responsibilities and the rules are very strict and I don't want to let the ward, my companion, or the Lord down. He is trusting me to lead this area and I am anxious to see how it all goes. Hmmm. 

But anyway, this week has been SO GOOD! We have been able to stay productive and busy and we had a lot of awesome lessons. There was even one day that we had SIX lessons! And two of them were member present lessons! That does not happen very often in this area..we were so blessed to have so much success in one day. AND nobody cancelled on us. Miracleeeee

On Saturday we went to contact someone which ended up being the wrong house (oops) but these people let us in anyway. There were three of them and they all looked as though they were in their 20's. Two were in a relationship and the other guy (Bill) was just the friend. So they immediately let us in and starting badgering us with questions about what we believed. The couple (Adam and kaylie) were very nice and respectful and willing to listen but Bill....oh bill....he was just a drunk angry mess. Every time we would try to answer one of his questions he would stop us and tell us in some way that we were wrong. He was so contentious and he thought we were absolutely crazy for believing what we believe. He was very rude about it and told us that we should rethink what we were doing and just join another church. HAHA okay bill, thanks for the advice...

Having that experience was bittersweet. It helped me realize how strong my faith actually is, yet it was painful to be hearing those things being said straight to my face. There was even a time where he was annoying me SO bad that I kind of raised my voice and bill said, "woah, someone is getting fired up!" I would have never defended my religion like that before my mission. My testimony was not where it is now and I love having that firm knowledge of this gospel. I love standing in front of people like Bill knowing that everything I'm preaching is truth and nothing he could have said would shake me. He ended up leaving the room with his beer in a fit of rage. Sorry Bill. 

Of course on Saturday we had our weekly Bible Study at the nursing home which went very well. We shared a ton of different miracles that Jesus Christ performed in the bible such as feeding the 5,000, raising Lazarus from the dead, healing the woman with the 12 year blood disease, walking on water/calming the sea, etc. It always makes me so happy to see the excitement and astonishment on their faces to hear these stories and miracles! Being a missionary is so cool...I wish everybody would choose this incredible opportunity to sacrifice 18-24 months of their lives to serve. 

I have met so many amazing people that I will be close with for the rest of my life. I have had companions that I ended up becoming best friends with that I would have never met if I hadn't ever made the decision to serve. I have helped people to recognize the light of Christ in their lives and I have seen their countenance and view on life change for the better. I have seen myself grow and change and progress in more ways than I could ever imagine. I have a relationship with my Heavenly Father that I'm sure never would have grown like this unless I came out here. It is extremely difficult and many challenges arise on a constant basis but there isn't any better way to grow. I'm sure I've said that a million times before but again, 

I am so thankful for my trials and the chance I have to be molded into the missionary I was sent here to be. Something that has helped magnify that thought this week was this quote I found: "Just when all seems to be going right, challenges often come in multiple doses applied simultaneously. When those trials are not consequences of your disobedience, they are evidence that the Lord feels you are prepared to grow more. He therefore gives you experiences that stimulate growth, understanding, and compassion which polish you for your everlasting benefit. To get you from where you are to where He wants you to be requires a lot of stretching, and that generally entails discomfort and pain” -Elder Richard G. Scott 

He doesn't send us trials randomly or only to punish us. We are given challenges when "the Lord feels we are prepared to grow more." I absolutely LOVE that! The Lord loves you. Heavenly Father loves you. This church is true. The book is blue. Have a lovely week :)

Us with Michael and Sister McLaren

Our best friend Norissa!

A little change never hurts nobody :)

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Dubb-C Rapzz

Who would've thought that a white girl in the new england wilderness would become a hardcore rapper in only a week? Sister Cox and I got a bit spazzy the other night and decided to rap about our area and record it...best decision we've ever made! Our name is "Dubb-C Rapzz" as you probably gathered from the subject title of this email. Let me know if you want our autographs now or later!! Haha maybe we've just been out here too long, who knows ;) maybe we will rap our lesson next Saturday to our nursing home residents during Bible study! I'm sure they would absolutely love it. Yep.

Now that I got that confession off my chest, let's talk about the past week! I'll be honest, it was very long, but it was great! We had the opportunity to have zone interviews and meet with President Stoker one on one. LOVED IT. It was so refreshing to finally sit with him and talk to him about all my thoughts and feelings, pooooor man. he's so supportive and so loving and it was very nice to talk with him. He told me he could see a huge change in me from the beginning of my mission! I love being told that because I know I can see it in myself, but I'm glad other people have noticed as well. Missions truly change people and I will forever be thankful :) 

Zone interviews were two hours away BUT twenty miles of the trip was on a FREEWAY!!! You Utahans better never ever take your beloved I-15 for granted...I haven't seen a freeway like that for 7 months and it's truly sad..The next time I drive on I-15 I'll be throwing my head out the window praising and singing and being so grateful!!!! Hahaha the things you miss while on a mission...seriously.

On the way home we stopped at the hospital to visit our investigator Annette which was a cool experience. She thought she was having a miscarriage but the baby ended up being fine, thank goodness. She was so thankful for our support and our friendship and she said we are truly her angels and she thanks Heavenly Father for us every day. Being a missionary is so humbling and I just LOVE THESE PEOPLE. speaking of loving the people, we also got to eat breakfast/lunch with Michael!! I'm not sure how much I've said about him but oh my gosh, I'm so glad I met him! He's so sweet and he's progressed so much since I've been here. He was baptized last year but has been struggling staying active and continuing his journey to come closer to Christ. He told sister cox and I how much of a blessing we have been to him. He has been so much happier and there is such a light in him that wasn't here when I first got here. He's even been striving for the temple as of recently! He told us that if we hadn't of been here, he wouldn't be going to church. In fact, he said he wouldn't even be on the earth still since he struggles really bad with depression. Again, I LOVE BEING A MISSIONARY. Man, nothing compares to the feeling of truly helping someone the way we are able to :) 

Transfer calls come this Sunday and president actually told us what will be happening. Sister Cox will be leaving and I'll be staying! Ahhhhh! I'll be leading the newbie around the cute town of Bethel and I'm pretty excited about it actually. I'm excited for a change and a new chapter of my mission with a new companion although I will truly miss my sweet Coxie...

The weather has been so beyond interesting. Today is reaching 60 DEGREES! What! We haven't had a single bit of snow for two weeks and we are in February. The mainers are slightly freaking out about it but I think it's quite lovely :) it's better than suffering in 5 feet of snow and negative degree weather!

Today is my 7 month mark!!!!!! Time is going by too fast and I wish it would just slow down. Before I know it, it'll be summer and I'll only have a few months left. I only have this opportunity to serve as a set apart missionary ONCE and I've loved making the most of it! I have met so many wonderful people and I have enjoyed every experience I've had so far. I can't wait to see what the rest of my mission has to offer! 

I don't know what to say in these dang things anymore....ask me questions!!!!!!!

Love you all!

Our Dubb-C Rapzz cover photo!! :D

One of my absolute favorite families that we meet with every week for dinner..the Twitchells!! OH MY GOSH AND GUESS WHAT! Brother Twitchell came to church yesterday! Since I've been here, he said he's felt a lot more comfortable and he sits in on lessons. He's never done that before! We invited him to church since we were both speaking and he ACTUALLY CAME! I almost burst into tears when I saw him :)

Don't mind my name tag...No idea what was going on.

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