Sister Brianne Watson: June 2016

Thursday, June 30, 2016

So lucky.

Another week, another email! And again...its a day late.😁 BUT that's only because I had the wonderful and unique opportunity to attend GIRL'S CAMP for the day!! It was so much fun. I guess the kitchen staff was short so they asked the sister missionaries in the stake to switch off days and help out and yesterday was our day. I loved it! It seriously made me miss girls camp so bad and I wished I could've stayed there all week with them BUT ALAS I'm a missionary so I'm officially back in the beloved town of Ipswich :) we made 400 cookies, 7 giant pizzas, 75 ham/cheese wraps, and put together 30 sack lunches for the girls going on a hike.

This was held at a campsite called Camp Zion in New Hampshire and it's so pretty! It's literally in the middle of some woods and it's a dedicated area which enhances the feeling of the spirit even more. My favorite part was the realization that I was gathered with so many people who have the same goals, standards, and faith as one another. There was a defined feeling of home and safety which is something this world is starting to lack. It's the feeling you get with the members at church on Sunday or at the temple or in the comforts of your own Christ-centered home. We are all here trying our best to progress and become more like our Savior and we are so lucky to be doing it together under the direction of a loving Heavenly Father :)

I wish I could say that my entire week was that happy and uplifting, but of course we have days that are hard and stressful and this past week had a couple of those days. Sigh. Wednesday was an especially difficult day for Sister Brown and I... Many things were burdening us and we felt helpless. We literally ended up finding a park and swinging on some swings right in the middle of the day to give ourselves some personal therapy. To our astonishment, it worked! That relief lasted us until about Sunday when we experienced yet another hard day. We both felt sick and depressed and disappointed and we felt like there was nobody to turn to except each other.

Many people would ask us how we were doing and we told them we were fine...little did we know that they saw right through us! We received calls and texts from two different people that day, both asking us what was wrong. We finally decided to talk to someone and it was the best decision we've
ever made! I know that the Lord was hearing our prayers and He was preparing some of His children to bless us when we needed it most. Many of our burdens were made lighter that night and we felt so grateful to know that the Lord was aware of us and our struggles. I know that we are given trials and challenges for a purpose and we are NEVER left alone, even if it may feel like it. There is always something to learn and as long as we are patient and trusting, we will grow more than we could ever realize. In fact, we need to be thankful for the hard times we go through! It sounds ridiculous, I know, but we aren't ever given something that we can't endure, especially while leaning on our Savior and His atonement. We are so lucky..

On a happy note, I had the stinkin' awesome opportunity of eating fish and chips in downtown Newburyport right by the coast. The bishop and his wife treated us to The Grog which is a cute little seafood restaurant and I had my first plate of fish and chips. It was my first time ever and it was DELICIOUS. I felt like a true easterner :) Guess what?! One year ago today I was set apart as a full-time missionary. I have come full circle and I still can't believe it! I love looking back and remembering my first moments on my mission from the MTC, to meeting my new trainer, and to the start of my service in Bath, Maine. I have made so many memories and I've met so many incredible people and I've had so many experiences that have helped me grow. I have a great love for sharing the gospel with those who are unaware of the blessings that come from it.

Missionary work is the best and most rewarding thing we can ever choose to do! I will never regret a single minute of this. I will never feel ungrateful for the days that are long or the amount of rejection we receive. I will never forget the light and the spirit I feel as I testify of Jesus Christ and His restored gospel. I will never forget the companions, ward members, and investigators that have helped me become a better person and a better follower of our Savior. I will always cherish this dedicated 18 months and I know it will have an overwhelming positive impact on the rest of my life after I return home.

Please, if you aren't or haven't already, read the Book of Mormon. If I have a testimony stronger than anything, it's about this book. There truly is an undeniable power if you read it and study it with REAL INTENT. Before my mission, I read the Book of Mormon...but I didn't READ it. I read it to say that I've read it. It wasn't until I was out here that I really read the words and studied it and applied it. I have a deep sincere love for this book and it really is a gift that keeps on giving. In the introduction, Joseph Smith says, "...a man would get nearer to God by abiding by its precepts, than by any other book."

I can testify of this 100%. I have found my relationship with Heavenly Father through this Book of Mormon as I've put myself in the scriptures and feasted upon its words. You don't have to be a missionary to have this connection with Him or the scriptures! Please, read it and ponder it and I promise you (missionary promises are real okay...listen up) I PROMISE YOU that if you read it and take the time to truly search and ponder its teachings, you WILL be happier and you will find a source of joy that you didn't know was there. I love this gospel. I love my mission. I love the good days and especially the hard ones. I love the atonement of Christ that is so available to all of us. I love the scriptures and the words of our modern day prophets. I love all of YOU. Have a great week :)

Our lovely swing set :)

"Sister Brown, let's take a candid laughing shot."

"Okay"

😂😂😂

My dear mother sent us matching skirts. We sorta kinda LOVE them❤️

Downtown Newburyport with our frozen yogurt.😋

Girls caaamp!

WE GOT TO WEAR PANTS!

Making pizzas :)

#fishandchips #thegrog

"Lord Jesus Saves Life"

Hello hello hello! Happy (late) Father's Day to all you daddies out there. I had quite the interesting week so I'm going to jump right into it. I also have no idea how to start these things even after almost a year sooo here we go..

We taught our investigator Sandra on Tuesday and we talked about the Gospel of Jesus Christ (faith, repentance, baptism, gift of the Holy Ghost, and enduring to the end). She received it very well and it all was making sense to her and we had two members there with us to testify of it also. We are seeing such great progress with Sandra and it's the greatest miracle :) that night she even came to the Enrichment Night relief society activity with lots of sisters in the ward and she told us she loved it.

A few days later, some members scheduled to feed us dinner and we had the great idea of having them call and invite Sandra and her family to eat with us as well. They did, and she accepted! Sister Brown and I couldn't be more excited to see the members fellowship her. Sandra is from a part member family so her husband and 2 sons are members, but she isn't. She's been firm in a different religion her whole life and she's been too stubborn to seek out a different church until just recently. She still says "ya know ladies, I won't baptize into your church. I hope you know that.." but we see the spirit working with her each time we visit and she's making those small changes in her life SOO we will see about that :)

Then...there's Wednesday. The biggest question mark of my life. I seriously don't even know what to think about it but I ended up learning quite a bit! The day started out with district meeting which was great, I love meeting with other missionaries..its my favorite! Then afterwards we planned on tracting a street by the church and trying to find new people to teach. The first house, a man said "oh you're back?" thinking that we were the Jehovah's Witnesses that apparently came by earlier that day. We told him who we were, he rejected us, and we moved on.

The next 2 houses had the same experience-them thinking we were back again that same day as jehova's witnesses. NO. Sister Brown and I then had a mutual feeling that we weren't supposed to be there on that street. We both felt impressed that we needed to leave and work in a different town in our area called Essex, so we followed the prompting and left. On the way there, we were SO excited to see who we were being led to and what great miracles the Lord had in store for us. We would say things like "Heavenly Father is SO excited to bless us right now.." and "Here comes a new investigator!" Joke's on us.

We tried less actives, we tried contacting potentials from the area book, we tried tracting, we tried sitting in our car and praying for guidance on where to go and what to do...nothing. We talked to MAYBE two people. One being an angry atheist and one that wanted us off his porch as soon as he opened the door and saw our name-tags. Cool. After a few hours of what felt like pure failure, I started feeling discouraged. I was so angry and confused at Heavenly Father and I couldn't see any blessings and I didn't understand why. Thats when Alma 8:10-11, 14-15 came into my mind.
"10) Nevertheless, [Sisters Watson and Brown] labored much in the spirit, wrestling with God in mighty prayer, that he would pour out his Spirit upon the people who were in [Essex]; that he would also grant that he might baptize them unto repentance.

11) Nevertheless, they hardened their hearts, saying unto [them]: Behold, we know that thou art [missionaries]; and we know that thou art [missionaries] over the church which thou hast established in many parts of the land, according to your tradition; and we are not of thy church, and we do not believe in such foolish traditions.

14) And it came to pass that while [they were] journeying thither, being weighed down with sorrow, wading through much tribulation and anguish of soul, because of the wickedness of the people who were in the city of [Essex], it came to pass while [the sisters] were thus weighed down with sorrow, behold an angel of the Lord appeared unto [them], saying:

15 Blessed art thou, [Sisters Watson and Brown], therefore, lift up thy head and rejoice, for thou hast great cause to rejoice; for thou hast been faithful in keeping the commandments of God...."
We have great cause to rejoice! We are the Lord's missionaries and I know we were sent to Essex that day for a reason. Maybe we were being led away from danger and someone was going to hurt us on that street by our church? Maybe he needed us to feel that some days are harder than others? There are so many options as to why we were asked to leave but I know that the Lord is happy with us, and that's all that matters.

Yesterday was Father's Day and I was so sad that I couldn't talk to my dad that day BUT I just want everyone to know that I love him so much and I couldn't thank him enough for the sacrifices he makes in providing for his family. I'm so thankful that he makes a Christ centered home his priority. I love his humor and his love for my mom and his family and his desire to make life FUN. I am thankful for his strong testimony and his love for missionary work and the gospel. I miss him like crazy and I can't wait to see him again and hug him to death. LOVE YOU DAD!!!

Also, it's their 25 anniversary today!!!! Woo! Make sure you all go out of your way today to wish them a happy anniversary :)

Have a great week!!!

Welcome to Ipswich, everybody. 😂

We treated ourselves to ice cream in honor of "Transfer-Call Day"

Here we are on Wednesday in Essex smiling through the pain on the porch of yet ANOTHER person who wasn't home 😂

Last of all, my favorite picture in the world. One of President Stoker's counselors, President Hawkes, is a children's book illustrator and he painted this. He showed it to us at zone conference last week as part of his talk and I immediately fell in love with it. Somehow, one of the elders I'm serving with got it on his iPad and I almost cried with joy. It's his version of the Tree of Life and it's the most beautiful thing I've ever seen. I hope to one day get it blown up and hung in my own home. ❤️

Hardest Thing I've Ever Loved To Do🎶

"If I were a weekly group email, what on earth would I say?" are the exact words that just came out of my mouth. I have no idea what to talk about since I feel like I JUST wrote you...so we will see how this all goes!

First of all, the reality of having less than 6 months left of my mission is freaking me out. If there is a definition of 'bittersweet', it would be the day this mission ends...as great as it'll be to reunite with my friends and family and continue with life, I have learned so much from being out here. I've met so many incredible people, I've grown spiritually and emotionally through my many experiences, and I've made the best friends with my companions. New England is my home and will ALWAYS have a special place in my heart.

While listening to a song off of a missionary album by the Nashville Tribute Band, I listened closely to the lyrics which said, "the hardest thing I've ever loved to do, was getting on this plane and

coming home to you. In a million ways completely torn apart, as the land so far away still owns my heart. In the most sincere prayer I've ever prayed, I thanked my God for each and every day-for the blessing of the man (or woman) I've come to be..." I will thank my Heavenly Father every single day for the rest of my life for this mission experience I've had! I still have 6 months to learn and grow and teach and serve and I'm excited to see what adventures are in store for me :)

This past week we taught our investigator Sandra the plan of salvation and it went very well! She said that it all made sense to her and we ended up having two members there to teach with us as well. Sandra has been making such amazing progress...she used to never let the missionaries into her home. Once she eventually started letting them in, her setback was not being willing to read the Book of Mormon. Since I've been here, she's started to read it and she's keeping the commitments we leave her to read it on her own! I love seeing the spirit change people. I absolutely love it.

After church on Sunday, the bishop and his wife fed us lunch at their house which was actually an answer to our prayers since we didn't have food for lunch that day😁 but after we taught them a lesson about the Atonement, Bishop Adams said, "ya know, I meet phenomenal missionaries like the 2 of you and all i want to do is meet your parents. I want to meet them and thank them for raising such amazing daughters." Whaaat!

I immediately wanted to cry as I thought of my wonderful parents who made a Christ-centered home their priority. I felt so much gratitude for their faith and love and support! He then asked us what our parents did throughout our lives to make sure we grew up in the gospel. I told them, without hesitation, that my parents always led by example. If they wanted us to go to church every Sunday, it was because they were going too and they wanted us to experience those same blessings. If they wanted us to say our prayers and read our scriptures, they would do it themselves. There was nothing hypocritical about what they did and taught and that made the biggest difference. I'm so thankful for them!

We had zone conference on Thursday and those are always so good. It's full of rebuking and spiritual upliftment and I always walk out of them wanting to be a better missionary. This was President Stoker's very last conference so that was the last time I will see him until after my mission :( he leaves in two weeks and we will receive our brand new mission president, President Blair! It was so emotional...but at the very end we had the opportunity to go up one by one and hug both President and Sister Stoker one last time. We got to HUG him! Every missionary shed tears that day, especially the sisters. He's made such an amazing impact on each of us and on the mission, he will be deeply missed. BUT they said they'll be holding 'mission reunions' for all of us every 6 months next to general conference and that will be so much fun!

Alright, I'm not sure what else to talk about...the weather has been prime and the area is still as beautiful as ever😍 so yeah, here are some pictures :)

Have a great week!!!!
Love, Sister Watson💕

😢😢😢

Sister Adams is FINALLY back from her 10 day trip to Utah. We missed her like craaazzyyyy❤️

Birthd(AYYY)

First of all, thank you for all of the birthday wishes!! It was such a wonderful day. There wasn't really anything different than any other day since I'm a missionary and everything, but I felt so much love from people here and from you all at home :) i will get to my birthday later though.

I GOT TO GO TO THE TEMPLE TODAY!!!!! It was my first time going since I've been out and that's why I am a day late with emailing you. It was the best experience EVER and I truly needed that spiritual upliftment...the spirit was so strong and I was so at peace for the first time in 11 months. I had a really neat experience there which is something I prayed for before going. I had the chance to be the only person in the celestial room for about 3 whole minutes until my companion followed me in! I sat in tears as I felt so close to my Heavenly Father sitting alone in that beautiful room. I felt such a deep connection and I felt of His love so deeply. I never wanted to leave!!

When we first got there, Sister Watts (the member who came with us) said she forgot her temple recommend and the session was starting in about 5 minutes. We ended up having to wait an hour for the next session but after solving the recommend issue, we had the chance to do initiatories before our session. Two ladies that were doing them were members of the Georgetown ward! It was wonderful! Today will be a day I will never forget.

Back to my birthday...we started out the day going to two meetings and then church, then we went and had lunch at a member's home and they were so cute about celebrating my birthday! They made me a birthday cake and everything. I love them...then we went out to Newburyport to contact people but we weren't having ANY luck. It was pouring rain outside and nobody was home. BUT ALAS, we saw miracles!

There was one point where we were contacting a less active member of the ward and she lived in a big apartment building. In order to get in, you had to find their name on a list and use a buzzer to call them so that they can open up the door for you to enter the building. After searching the list, we couldn't find her name anywhere. Then, a cute little old lady walked past the doors/windows and saw us and asked us what we were doing. We tried yelling through the glass to communicate with her but it wasn't working so she opened the door for us and talked to us. We told her the name of who we were looking for and lo and behold, she knew her!

Apparently the member moved out a little bit ago but the lady talking to us (Hayden) knew the street she moved to. Yes! They were great friends and Hayden also told us that she's related to Joseph Smith. What. She proceeded to let me in to use the restroom since I had been dying to go for a long time and didn't think I'd ever get the chance....not that you needed to know that but it just adds on to the multiple blessings I saw on my birthday :) then we drove back home and spent the remainder of the night in our apartment eating frozen pizza, chicken, rice, and birthday cake. My ward mission leader surprised me by stopping by with a plate of cupcakes as well! Such a great day!

During one of the meetings on Sunday morning before church, we were with our ward mission leaders (we have 2) and the elders talking about the work in the area. One of the elders was giving us some advice about contacting people and he said, "ya know, there are a TON of embarrassing situations and lots of awkward people and experiences out here on a mission but something that me and my companions do is look at each other, say YOMO, and approach them to invite them to learn. You Only Mission Once!" I don't know why, but that struck me so hard!

I'm literally only out here doing this for 18 short months. This is my only shot at setting myself apart from everything else to bring others to the truths of the gospel...It's so important for me to remember THAT instead of shying away at opportunities to teach people because it's "too awkward" or "too embarrassing". I only mission once! I'm sorry this is a day late but I hope you're all doing well! Enjoy the pictures because I've got tons.😂

Love, Sister Watson

I decorated the apartment for myself ahahahah 🎈🎈

Oh yes....and we had to take a "birthday tracting" selfie in the rain😅

BIRTHD(AYYY)

My favorite place in the entire world. Rockport, Massachusetts. 😍😍

I got a Rockport hoodie because I like to spoil myself on my birthday.😳

scorched.🔥

I want you all to take a second and count your many blessings that you're receiving an email from me right now. Let me just lay out the scene for you....The day is Saturday, and Sister Brown and I are in the middle of our morning companionship study. We receive a call from our Ward Mission Leader and he said, "sisters, today is going to be pretty hot so I'm just calling you to prepare you to drink a lot of] water and try to stay as cool as possible." We realized that we would be fine since we were staying indoors nearly all day doing our Weekly Planning session so we kind of pushed his warning out of our minds.

Fast forward an hour or so and it is now 90 degrees with 80% humidity. There is no air conditioning in our apartment and no breeze coming through the windows. We were sitting in one spot for about 5 hours straight and I'm pretty sure I gave off 70 gallons of sweat...I have NEVER felt so hot in my life! All we had was an ancient fan that blew some more hot air towards us. I thank the heavens that we had a freezer because half of that day was spent with us stuffing our faces inside of it. Luckily, our Ward Mission Leader came over yesterday to install an air conditioner so we won't suffer like that ever again!

As I look back at this experience, I can see the symbolism and the lesson learned. Our ward mission leader was kind of like the prophet. The prophet warns us of things to come and tells us what to do to avoid getting scorched by the adversary. If we heed to the prophet's counsel and apply their guidance into our lives, we will be kept safe and protected from danger. If we push aside their advice and put our own wisdom above theirs, we will find ourselves being burned. I'm not sure if that made any sense whatsoever, but I thought it was so ironic and I've been studying about prophets a lot lately so that's most likely where that comparison came from :)

There is my experience of being physically scorched on Saturday. Now we turn to Sunday where we were emotionally/mentally scorched. I felt like everyone was out to attack Sister Brown and I...but in a good way! Our ward mission leaders (we have 2) told us about better ways of planning in our coordination meeting before church. Then, the zone leaders who are serving in this ward with us came up to us and asked us about different things concerning our investigator who wasn't at church, then our ward mission leaders came to install the air conditioner and while they were doing it, they gave us several different goals to work toward in order to keep the progression going in this ward/area. It was like we were being thoroughly rebuked the entire day! I feel like we needed them to straighten us up and tell us what to do to improve. I see wonderful things coming for this area! As painful as it was to go through the "scorching" process by being told everything we were struggling with, I know that Heavenly Father sent them to us to strengthen us.

It's my BIRTHDAY WEEK! I turn 20 this coming Sunday. 💥💕💥💕💥💕 June 5th couldn't come soon enough!! It'll be so weird spending a birthday on my mission but I'm super pumped. This ward will spoil me I'm sure :)

Oh! Here's something cool! We got 2 new investigators this week😄 we had a lesson with a man we tracted into a couple weeks ago and it went so well. We taught him the restoration and his daughter was there as well and she eagerly took a Book of Mormon and promised to read it. Her dad promised the same thing!! I absolutely love testifying of the restored gospel and sharing the story of Joseph Smith with a sure knowledge of its truthfulness. Feeling the spirit testify through me is such a humbling experience...its a reminder that none of the success comes from me. People are converted through the spirit, I am just the conduit that is used. Being a missionary is the neatest thing ever :)

Our other investigator that we got is a lady who used to be taught by missionaries a while back. She texted us 2 weeks ago telling us she wanted to meet with us and be taught again! Apparently she works in Boston so she's been going to the temple grounds after work to read and pray at the Boston temple grounds. WHAT! She is basically the dryest Mormon I've ever met. She could have been the one to teach us! We met with her this past week and she is so prepared. She told us she wants to be baptized, but she needs to move out of her parent's house first (long story). I'm so excited to see her progression!

I'm still loving this area and this ward and my companion. I'm learning so much during my service here and I know that my time in this area is so inspired! I love this gospel and I love the challenge placed in front of me to share it with everyone around me. I love stretching out of my comfort zone and seeing myself grow. I love serving people and seeing their lives change for the better as they accept the gospel into their lives. I love being in the service of the Lord and giving back to Him in this small way.

Love,

Sister Watson🔥

We had exchanges with our sister training leaders again in Portsmouth, New Hampshire!

Mission picture taken at mission conference last week. #findme

WOW.

Warning: this is going to be a long email. I'm sorry in advance.. I have so many thoughts and feelings and experiences and blessings that have come out of this week but I will most likely struggle to put it all into words. I will do my best, but words do not compare to how incredible this week has been! I feel like Heavenly Father made it His mission to bless Sister Brown and I the most He ever has and I am overwhelmed with gratitude for it. Let's start with the THREE member dates we got this week!

If I haven't talked about it already, we have a "mission vision" every year that our mission president prays about and sets up for us to fulfill and accomplish throughout the year. This year the mission vision is to have every member and family invite somebody into their home to be taught by the missionaries. To get this to happen, we visit the members and set up a date with them to work towards to find someone to invite into their homes. Sister Castleton and I weren't able to set up any while we were together and it was very frustrating but Sister Brown and I made sure we went out of our way to work towards the mission vision. The Lord saw our desires and our determination to do this and he made it possible for us to get three member dates in one week!! This is such an accomplishment for us and I am so excited to see miracles in the lives of the members as they strive to find someone for us to teach.

One cool example happened in the home of the Taylor's who offered to feed us this past week. When we finished introducing the mission vision to them and inviting them to help us out with it, Brother Taylor said, "Ya know, it's weird...I just had the date June 20 pop into my head. That is the date we will have somebody in our home for you." I couldn't believe it! This work is so divine and everything...I mean EVERYTHING...is in the Lord's hands. He knows exactly who is ready and I am so humbled to be able to see it in action and to be His tool in accomplishing His work.

On Wednesday we had the privilege of attending the funeral of the sweetest lady named Treasure. She's struggled physically for years and she has been known as the "walking miracle" for a long time now. I had the opportunity of serving her a few times in her home since I've been in this area but she passed away last week. It was expected because of how her health has been lately, but it was very sad to see such a strong woman of this gospel leave so many loved ones behind. The funeral was so wonderful though...she had about 150 people come and most of them were non-members. It was such a comforting experience for me to have the knowledge of the Plan of Salvation and to know for myself that Treasure is happy and free from ALL suffering. She is finally able to have her joyous reunion with the Savior and those that have gone on before her. If anybody had a testimony of God and His glory, it was Treasure. She was an amazing example to everyone around her! I am certain that her passing will change many lives in her family who aren't familiar with the church.

It is through experiences like this that reignite my testimony of the plan of salvation and remind me that this life on earth is so small compared to the eternal perspective of things. I picture it as a long string with a knot tied in the middle. The knot resembles our earth life and the long strings on either side is the pre-mortal and after-life. What happens here is so small, yet everything depends on it. The decisions we make, the people we impact, and the mistakes that are made. All of these things will determine our destiny and as long as we are worthy and righteous followers of our Savior, Jesus Christ, we will live with joy eternally with our Father in Heaven. What is greater than that?? (Nothing).

That brings me to Saturday. Oh my goodness. Where do I begin? We had a mission conference in Concord, New Hampshire and guess who was there? ELDER RASBAND, one of the newest in the quorum of the twelve apostles. I got to meet him and shake his hand and sit feet away from him as he addressed our mission. His grandson, Elder Chase, is serving in this mission which was way cool! I came out with Elder Chase...he was my district leader in the MTC and his grandpa is Elder Rasband! It was so cute to see them reunite and talk about each other at the pulpit (elder chase was called up unexpectedly to bear his testimony).

We thought at first that elder chase had something to do with his grandpa coming to our mission but the first thing he said when he got up to speak to us was that he was assigned this visit before he was even ordained an apostle!! They plan things like this very far in advance and the fact that he got to come right as his grandson was serving and in the area he was serving was such a huge miracle for them both. SO COOL. Usually general authorities are dropped into missions not really knowing anything about the mission, but Elder Rasband said he knew "10 months deep" into it since he's read all of Elder Chase's weekly emails. He told us that he had deep impressions to share with us because of that and man...everything he said was so amazing!

He brought up so many points that all of us in this mission needed to hear. The spirit was stronger than I have ever felt in the longest time and all of us were in tears by the end.

Main points:

1. He brought the love of President Thomas S Monson. "If he were here right now, he would tell you that he loves you. President Monson is all about loving people and he especially loves his missionaries. The other thing he say is thank you. None of you are forced to be here and you all made this decision on your own. Thank you for living worthy enough to have this sacred calling."

2. We are supposed to be in this mission right now, with the companion we are with, in the area we are in, RIGHT NOW, for a reason. I have always known this, but for some reason it was so different to hear it from an apostle who actually sits down and calls missionaries to their missions. He testified of the divinity of each calling and how clear the impressions are to know where each person is meant to serve. He gave a talk in conference in 2010 called "The Divine Call of a Missionary" that we were told to study in preparation for this mission conference and he relates an experience where he was sitting in with Elder Eyring as he assigned missionaries.

He did a question/answer with us about that talk and there is no doubt in my mind that my mission call was made just for me. I have been prepared my entire life for this short 18 months and there are no mistakes when it comes to my areas, my companions, and the experiences I've had. Someone asked him if it took a long time or a short amount of time to have the impression of who should go where and he said that it was different almost every time. There are some that he has an immediate prompting and there are some where he has to do a lot of studying and searching before he is impressed as to where the specific missionary should go. He also said that sometimes he has to go back a few missionaries to change their calling because he keeps getting the feeling that it isn't right. I think the whole process is so neat :)

3. The Lord's elect are in this mission. Our mission isn't a high baptizing mission which discourages a lot of us because we feel like we aren't being as successful as we'd like to be BUT he assured us that the Lord knows and has prepared those that are ready for us to teach. He knows every one of their names and He knows when their time is right. He knows the number of those that aren't actually "all set" which is something everyone says out here in New England (He learned that from elder chase haha). He said that some missionaries plant the] seeds (contact), some nourish (teach), and some get to harvest (baptize) them...ALL are the same work. So so so comforting to be reminded that it is truly all the same work. No matter what, it is preparing and inviting those that haven't yet accepted the gospel. Another cool thing he said was, "you can count the number of seeds in an apple, but you can't count the number of apples that come from a single seed."

4. We are our number one convert. Yes, our goal is to convert as many of our brothers and sisters as we can, but the most important convert we have is ourselves. I absolutely love this! I have seen myself grow and change and convert to this gospel and it is something I will be forever grateful for. It's hard to imagine the way my life would have panned out if I hadn't made this decision to serve a mission. My goals and habits and my perspective on everything wasn't completely in accordance with the gospel but now that I've been learning and teaching and experiencing the blessings of living righteously, my life will be so enhanced. LOVE LOVE LOVE.

On Sunday we had dinner with the Watts and I looooove them! Mckenzie Watts (once Fisher) grew up and went to high school with Jessica. Eventually she got married and moved out to massachussetts and here I am now in her ward! What are the odds?! They own something called a....swagway? Hahaha they're so sick! They're like Hoover boards or something and I want one so bad! They have two of them and they ride them around their house all the time. They clean, sweep, mop, and vacuum while riding them. They even go on "walks" outside on them! #goals

Okay I am going to stop before I take any more of your time, but I had such a great week and I'm so full of gratitude for this gospel :) Love you all!!!!