Helaman 5:12

I feel like we have been talking a lot about strong foundations this week and the tools and resources that we can use to gain one. We really have been given so many resources to help us gain a solid foundation in the most stable rock there is, being Jesus Christ. One tool that we have been focusing on as a mission is the Book of Mormon. We have all started reading from the beginning and President Gardner has asked us to mark any time that Christ is mentioned, His doctrine and His attributes. By doing this, it has been amazing to see that the Book of Mormon truly does testify of Jesus Christ. He is everywhere in it!

Another resource that we have been given is the temple. That has been another big theme of the week. During Stake Conference this weekend, a lot of the talks mentioned how important it is that we make attending the temple a priority. The temple provides us with so many incredible blessings that we really can't get anywhere else. Not only does it provide us with power and knowledge, but also clarity, peace, comfort, revelation and so many other things. Who doesn't need that in this crazy world? It also gives us the opportunity to do service for those who have passed on. I learned this week that when we do work for others in the temple, we become a "savior on Mount Zion". We become their savior because we are doing work for them that they can't do themselves. I though that was pretty amazing and it made me realize how truly sacred that form of service is.

There are so many other things that help us gain a foundation in Christ and there has never been a greater time when we need to testify and stand strong when our faith is questioned and tested. Our testimonies need to be in a place where we can undeniably say "I can testify this is true. I know it." And as we use these tools that we've been given and build on the foundation of Christ, we "cannot fall".

 Highlight of the week" $1 Jimmy John sandwiches

 I kind of like them.

 We painted a house blue. So that was fun.

 Also, I got to take the Model A Ford Car Club on tour. How cute are these cars?

I know I'm not supposed to covet, but I want one! Maybe someday.

Chat With a Mormon

Because we serve at a Visitor's Center, we get to talk with people online from all over the world through "Teaching Center". We chat with them through instant messaging and talk with them on the phone to help answer any questions that they might have about the church. On Tuesday, we had man named Stefan message us and said that he needed to talk with someone about his faith and was wondering if he could call us. Of course we said yes and we came to find out that he has been investigating the church for a couple of months and was hoping to find some hope to keep enduring. He is one of the most prepared people that I have ever met in my entire life. He's 20 and already knew all about patriarchal blessings, endowments, and even asked if he could go on a mission. I'm pretty sure he knows more about the gospel than I do. We talked with him for almost 2 hours and when we were able to answer his questions he kept saying, "That makes so much sense!" He told us that he has talked to his Mission President about being baptized and that he is set for 4 weeks from now. He just needs to get dunked if you ask me. After talking with him, it confirmed to me that there truly are people prepared to receive the gospel, it's just up to us to find them.

We met two new investigators this week as well. Their names are Eli and Christine and they were a referral from another set of missionaries. They have been meeting with missionaries for a little bit you can tell that they are so prepared for the gospel. Eli opened up to us a lot and we learned that he has been through a lot in his life. Both his dad and mom left him when he was little and he ended up getting into drugs and alcohol at the age of 13. It got to the point where he knew that he needed to turn his life around and he found Jesus Christ. We are so excited to get to know them better and to see what is in store for them!

It is strange how, as missionaries, people feel more comfortable opening up to you. Maybe it's the tag? It almost seems to give people permission to tell you their entire life story. Sometimes it can be a good thing, but other times we have no idea what they're talking about. It does, however, help me see that these are real people with real problems and I am so thankful for this opportunity that I have to 

help and serve them.

 This basically explains how exchanges went. Sister Jensen and Sister Johnson are the coolest.

 Clean up crew part dos.

 Taking "Instagram" pictures without Instagram is the best.

 Tulips and the Trail Center. Couldn't ask for anything better.

I know I say this every week. But I just love them so much!

The Good News

I was able to take the cutest family from Provo on tour this week. You know that you have a great tour when you can both laugh from having fun and cry from feeling the Spirit. The little boy, who is 5, is completely and utterly obsessed with temples. Throughout the tour he drew all of the temples that the pioneers built and his parents told us that his favorite movie is "Mountain of the Lord". We teased his mom and said that there are much worse things that he could be obsessed with. But after the tour, I was thinking about the love that I have been able to grow for the temple and I can't help but smile every time I think about going inside. We were able to help clean the temple this week and I don't know what I would do without the Spirit that I can feel every time that I'm there or the knowledge that we have from temples. I am so grateful to know that families can be together for eternity and that as we make covenants with God, we can feel even more of His love for us. There isn't anything greater that you could ask for.

We were also able to have an incredible lesson with our investigator, Danielle on Friday. As we were talking with her, we came to find out that she is having a hard time trying to gain a relationship with God and that the idea of having Him as a Father on Heaven kind of scares her because she doesn't feel worthy of that. Sister Abbott then asked her "Danielle, do you know who you are? Because we are going to tell you the most amazing thing." We were then able to bear testimony to her that she is daughter of God and that He sees so much potential in her. She cried as we were telling her this which made me started crying because I could literally feel the love that Heavenly Father has for her. She told us that it made her feel like she now has purpose to know who she truly is. It absolutely breaks my heart to think that people don't know that they are a child of God. We learn that song before we can even talk most of the time in the church, but do we really believe what it says? Do we really understand what that means? That is why I am on a mission: to help people know their purpose, see their potential, and to know that they are never alone. We all have a literal Father in Heaven who loves us more than we can comprehend. Everybody deserves to know that, and that is why there truly is no better calling than to be a missionary.

We love to clean the temple.  We went inside Monday. (Please feel free to sing along)

 Some of the greatest people from Provo you'll ever meet.

 Happy 14 months!

Yep. That's us.

It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like Conference

For a missionary, General Conference weekend really is better than Christmas. It started off in the best way with the General Woman's Conference last week and I absolutely loved what they had to say about service. Learning how to serve and love others is something that you are kind of forced to learn as a missionary, but it has been the best thing for me. It has been amazing to be able to see others through the eyes of our Heavenly Father and really learn to love them for who they really are.

One of my favorite talks that was given during conference was by Sister Bonnie L. Oscarson about asking ourselves the question "Do you believe it or not?" For myself, I feel like I can answer with an absolute yes and I have my mission to thank for that. It still amazes me to see how much I have seen not only my own testimony grow but also the people we work with and other missionaries. I have come to learn that in order to really say that we believe something, we have to live it. That is the only way that we can find our for ourselves.

I also loved President Monson's talk. To be honest, I was a little bit worried that we weren't going to hear from him so I was so excited when they announced his name. Although his message was short, it was powerful. I learned that repentance really is such a gift. Our Heavenly Father knows that we are going to make mistakes and that we are going to choose wrong sometimes. Because of that, our Savior has given us a way to come back. We never have to be weighed down by our bad decisions. I love President Monson so much. Sister Abbott and I wanted to yell from the car windows "Don't you know that modern-day prophets and apostles are speaking to us? It's a big deal!" We get to hear God's words through His servants. How amazing is that?

The church is so true. I know it. I believe it.

 You know that's right.

 We helped clean up a park in 40 degree weather, it was so fun.

But when you have these people with you it makes it all worth it.

#hallelujah

A public service announcement to all of you missionaries out there: don't let your companions go home. It is not fun. At all. Even though I miss Sister Fronk so much, we unfortunately can't keep her all to ourselves anymore. We have to share her with the world. So dumb.

We all knew that I would be getting a new companion, and on Tuesday I got the call from President asking me if I would train the new sister coming in. I'm getting another baby! Her name is Sister Abbott and she is from Rigby, Idaho. She actually went to high school with Sister Chappell so both of my children knew each other before which is so crazy! That also means that my past 4 companions have been from Idaho. I wonder if that's supposed to mean something? But Sister Abbott is so great! I sometimes feel like she's training me. It's been amazing to see each new set of missionaries seem more and more prepared. The church is so true! I am so excited to be serving with her and to see what is going to happen for her on this journey.

Easter on the mission is the absolute best. In order to prepare this past month, Sister Fronk and I came up with a "hallelujah challenge" to find a "hallelujah moment" each day. It could be a tender mercy, an act of service, a free ice cream cone, anything that makes you say "hallelujah!" and helps you feel of the love that Heavenly Father has for you. Easter really has become one of my favorite holidays because of what it represents: new life. We really can find new life each day through our Savior. We can have second chances and look for ways to get back on the path home to our Heavenly Father. I know that Jesus is the Christ and the He lives. I can testify that He is our Lord and Redeemer and I know that, if we let Him, He can be our best and truest friend. I love my Savior.

I wanted to send another special "welcome home" shout-out to my baby sister! I love you so much Sister Slater Jr. Now make the world a better place with the amazing person you have become.

 We got grilled cheese donuts. And yes, they were amazing.

 Love them all. So much.

 Sister Irwin and I decided to match. Apparently it's the thing to do.

Meet Sister Abbott!

It's the Little Things

There were too many little moments that happened this week to just write about a few, so I decided to list off some of the highlights. Here we go:

-Went on exchanges for the first time in 4 months.
-Got free ice cream cones at Dairy Queen.
-Smashed a cake in an elder's face.
-Got body slammed by Sister Murphy.
-Made a late night Zesto's ice cream run after shift at the Trail Center.
-Talked to an Irish man on St. Patrick's Day.
-Brother Washington took us to a bar for lunch on St. Patty's Day. Not the best idea.
-Saw an ambulance pulled up at Which Wich during lunch.
-Within a 2 hour period we received and contacted a referral who became new investigator after we taught the Restoration. So. Many. Miracles.
-We had yet another musical fireside. Always a good time.
-Helped Sister Fronk pack. That was not a good time. At all.
-Survived a snowfall. In March. Not ok. But it's now officially Spring so all is well!

Yes, I am aware that more than half of these are about food. But I guess that's the life of a missionary. Moral of the story: I love being a missionary. So much.

I can't believe that my baby sister comes home from her mission this week. I love you my little Allie Wallie! I also can't believe that I won't be there to welcome you home, but know how proud of you I am and how much I love you! You're gonna rock this "real world" thing.

 God's work is the best kind of work. It's a fact.

 Found this little gem on exchanges. We were pretty excited.

 Meet Sister Taggart. She's a gem too.

 Awkward district photos are my favorite.

 How am I so lucky to get to see these girls everyday?

Goodness, I'm going to miss her. So much.

"Smile. It Shows Your Faith."

On Tuesday we had a special sisters conference with the Gardner's. It was incredible! President Gardner talked to us about how, as sisters, we are hard on ourselves a lot of the time and sometimes it can be hard for us to see what we are truly worth. But the truth is, there is nothing that can really measure our worth. We already have worth because we are His. At the end of the conference, President Gardner looked us and said "For a minute, I'm going to take off my 'Mission President' hat and just be a dad." He then proceeded to tell us how much he loved us and, of course, we were all crying. It was amazing how much love was in that room and as I was looking around at the other sisters, it made me so thankful and privileged to be serving with these incredible daughters of God. I really do love them so much!

Wednesday was completely exhausting, but in the best possible way. We had our district meeting and then had our investigator, Paul meet us at the church for a lesson. It went really well and we are really hoping to see him at church on Sunday. After that, we saw Sister Checkett for a few minutes and proceeded to visit a less active member. We then headed to our dinner appointment which was also with a less active member and we had a fish fry. (Mine was more of a chicken fry but it was still really good!) Right after dinner we visited a part member family and the father told us that he wants to be baptized. So happy! To end the night we visited a recent convert named Lindsay. I don't think I have seen anyone so excited to go to the temple. She's amazing. If you count those up, that's 5 lessons that all went through. I can't remember the last time where nobody cancelled on us and we had 5 lessons in a day. If that isn't a miracle, I don't know what is.

I also realized this week that our Heavenly Father really does want us to be happy, but happiness really is a choice and it is so much easier to do so if we are positive. I learned that negative thoughts and words cannot contain faith and without faith, we can't be successful. So I just need to remember to be happy! And remember that your Heavenly Father loves us more than you can we could ever imagine.

 Who needs Elders?

 I love the temple. And these sisters. So much.

 Our "Instagram" picture.

 And I love Sister Fronk. A lot.

 The new banners came! I love being at a Visitor's Center. Everybody watch the new video. It's. So. Good. #hallelujah

Happy 13 months!