May Photos~

 Markus & Jessie

 Exchanges with Sister Adamson

 Moving rocks...

 ...and more rocks...

 ...and more rocks!

Me and Sister Moser

#blessed

Sister Moser and I are officially halfway through training....WHERE DID THE TIME GO??

 

anyway, this week was MAGICAL and GLORIOUS because the gospel rocks.  And the atonement is REAL. 

 

We taught Kathy the Plan of Salvation on Tuesday night, and we set her baptismal date for June 13th!!!  The lesson before, she told us she didn't want to set a date until she came to church, but Sister Moser and I just felt like we needed to invite her for a specific date anyways, so we did.  Sister Moser extended the invitation and Kathy immediately just whips out her calendar and looks at it and says, "well it looks like that day will work." and she just writes it down!  then Sister Moser, says, "so....will you prepare yourself to be baptized on that date?" and Kathy says, "well yes, I have to!"  Her faith is so strong and she's so solid.  We taught her the word of wisdom yesterday and she's good to go. :)  We had a mix up about church on sunday, so she didn't end up coming, so her date will now be the 20th, but man we're so excited for her.  Literally, Heavenly Father just dropped her in our laps.  #blessings

 

George dropped us.  He called us before he headed back up to shift work and told us that he has been fasting and praying and reading his bible, and that he just doesn't feel like he should join our church.  so after a few tears were shed, Sister Moser and i got some extremely overpriced ice cream from a nearby convenient store.... sometimes you just gotta do what you gotta do. 

 

We also moved a massive load of rocks from a less active member's truck into their backyard in our pros clothes, it was an adventure. 

 

All of a sudden, it's +30 and the sun is out and it's GLORIOUS!  and sweaty if you're in a walking area...... Friday, we were trying to contact less-active/part member families, and basically everyone was uninterested.  After helping an old man walk his dog (who was also uninterested), we decided to try one more that was a few blocks away.  I thought my legs and my entire body was going to just give out from all the walking and the heat, and we knocked on the door, and we just hear, "come in!" so we go in and they were the nicest people ever and we had a good message with them and they gave us water.  #miracleseverywhere

 

We had a conference with the entire mission last week to learn about our work in the DIGITAL AGE!!!  We started our training on the ipads.  Elder Brent H. Nielson from the first quorum of the 70 came, along with Brother Kelly Mills who is over the international MTC's.  We'll be getting ipads this next transfer! 

 

There was a lesson in relief society a few weeks ago about the Book of Mormon.  The sister who taught it told us that, "every book of mormon placed converts someone."  Even if the person who receives it doesn't read it, that book is now out in the world and someone somewhere sometime will find it and it will bring them to the truth.  Sister Moser and I decided to give away at least 2 copies of the Book of Mormon a day each, and even though we're not perfect at it yet, the miracles we have seen are SO REAL!  The Book of Mormon is true.  I know it.  And if you want your life to change for the better, start with the Book of Mormon. 

 

Heavenly Father loves us so much.  And our Savior, Jesus Christ, is a living testament of that love. 

 

i love this gospel so much!!!

 

Onward, ever onward. 

Sister Jones

because perfect people don't need a savior

hola mi familia y amigos!!!

(i started that in spanish because we've found like a bajillion spanish people to pass over to the spanish elders this week and that's always fun)

 

i'll start this off with a fun story. 

last week we got on a bus to head to the church and this man on the bus waved me down so i went and sat by him.  I was talking with him just about his life and such and invited him to come to church with us.  All of a sudden the bus driver YELLS, "YOU TWO GIRLS!!! YES YOU! GET UP HERE!!!" Sister Moser didn't realize what was happening so i just got up and was like..uhmm..yes?  and she just yelled at me about how we can't solicit here and i just told her we're not selling anything and invited her to learn and she was just not having it and everyone was staring.  our stop came up so i told her as she was yelling ruthlessly and she just says, "no, it's not!" so i just pushed the button and she had to let us off..ha it was awkward.  then two days later we had to go to the church for  a meeting so we took the same bus and what do ya know, same bus driver.  I didn't know what to do so after attempting to talk with her (then she just told me to sit down)  we just talked to people more...she kept giving us the evil eye.  then TODAY we get on the bus and it's her again.....there was only one other person on the bus, and i was so proud, Sister Moser went and sat down and talked with her anyway and gave her a Book of Mormon and just PREACHED like none other and i just prayed and prayed and prayed that the bus driver wouldn't ruin this and she didn't say anything.  just glared, but we can live with that. :)  Heavenly Father answers prayers!!!  "...NO UNHALLOWED HAND CAN STOP THE WORK FROM PROGRESSING!!! PERSECUTIONS [BUS DRIVERS] MAY RAGE,mobs may combine, armies may assemble, calumny may defame, but the truth of God will go forth boldly, nobly, and independent, till it has penetrated every continent, visited every clime, swept every country, and sounded in every ear, till the purposes of God shall be accomplished, and the Great Jehovah shall say the work is done."

 

I also had a super inspiring dejavu moment.  We stopped to talk with these people outside, one man was outside of the truck and two were inside.  We just talked with them and started teaching them about the gospel and all of a sudden the weirdest feeling came over me and i felt like i have KNOWN these people before!  The spirit was so strong and I just knew that this was not a coincidence.  I don't even know how to explain it, but I talked with a member about it after and she said that when we have dejavu, she thinks it means we knew each other in the pre-existance....so yeah.  My mind can't even comprehend it.  SO COOL. 

 

I got to see a bunch of my bff's from the MTC at the new missionary follow up meeting for trainers and trainees.  :)  it was such a blessed day. 

we also have a meeting this week for IPADS so that's exciting.  

 

we have been teaching George a TON before he has to go back to shift work this week, but he's struggling with Joseph Smith and the Book of Mormon.  The lessons have been CRAZY and he almost dropped us on Friday, but all of a sudden the spirit kicked in and I don't even know what we said, but he felt it and he knows he needs to keep with it. 

 

Kathy is doing well!  We felt like we needed to teach her the restoration again, so we did, and she just said it all sounds familiar and it rings true to her and then the member who came with was just like, THAT'S BECAUSE IT'S TRUE AND YOU LEARNED THIS BEFORE YOU CAME TO EARTH and she bore such powerful testimony and Kathy wants to be baptized.  We're going to set a date for her tonight for June 13th.  I don't know why Heavenly Father is blessing us so much, but I'm so grateful for it. 

 

there was one night where I felt like i was failing and I didn't know what to do.  After our comp prayer, I kind of just sprawled out on the floor and yelled, "WHY CAN'T I BE PERFECT???"  then Sister Moser just said, "because perfect people don't need a Savior."  (the quote is by some general authority or something...but we'll just say it's from Sister Moser.)  it really hit me though.  We're here on earth to try and fail and strive and fall short, because we need a Savior.  We need Jesus Christ.  and man am i ever grateful that because of his atonement, we can start new every day, every hour, every second, no matter how many times we have messed up in the past or how far we have gone, he can bring us back, and push us to the next level where we can become who he wants us to be. 

 

i love this gospel with all my heart and i'm so grateful for this work. 

Onward, ever onward. 

Climbing Mt. Everest

oh MAN this past week was an adventure to say the least!  It was so good to talk to the fam for mothers day.  i sure do love you all! 

here's some highlights/random/awesome/strange things that happened....

*the sister training leaders called us at the beginning of the week to see if we could do exchanges on really short notice, so we did and MY OH MY it was a good thing we did.  We had exchanges on Tuesday and Wednesday.  (just some background....it hasn't been that cold, but i guess i'm acclimatized to the weather here, but poor Sister Moser has been freezing her bum off.  It has been getting warmer, so she decided to wait on getting winter gear.)  For exchanges, I stayed in Forest Heights, and we woke up Wednesday moring to A BLIZZARD.  yep.  basically.  Sister Adamson and I had planned to contact this part member family that lives in this super weird place just outside of downtown, and we had to walk down and up the staircase of DEATH.  It goes down into the river valley so it's like a bajillion stairs long and after you walk up it you feel like you climbed Mt. Everest.  We got all the way to their house annnnnnnd she didn't even let us in even though we were soaking wet from all the snow.  We literally looked like we just jumped into the river... #welcometoalberta  we walked ALL the way back to city centre food court to eat our smashed pb&j's.  everyone just laughed at us walking through the mall...water was just squishing out of our shoes...it was so pathetic.  we just went to the washroom to ring out our clothes and such and it was just really ridiculous.  A DAY I'LL NEVER FORGET!   I was so grateful that Sister Moser had a car that day and that she didn't have to go through all that.  and don't worry, all the snow melted within a day and it's sunny as can be!  

*one night after visiting a less active, we had a little time left.  All of a sudden we both really were just craving some Tim Tams, so we thought we'd go into walmart and do some contacting and get some Tim Tams and potentials!  So we thought we should pray first to see if that's what we needed to do, and right after the prayer, we open our eyes and our bus was leaving....soooooo we took that as our answer. :) We caught a later bus after walmart, and I talked to the bus driver who is a sik and he was totally interested in the gospel so we're getting him set up with the missionaries in his area. 

Heavenly Father knows what he's doing!!!

*we've also been running to and from appointments to make sure we're on time.  Exact obedience is bringing forth the blessings of heaven!!! 

*We only had one investigator lesson last week....so we did a ton of finding.  We've been praying and fasting to find a FAMILY, and since we started, basically EVERYONE we run into and every door we knock on is a family.  None have been interested yet, but God is providing a way! 

*after only one investigator lesson last week, yesterday, MIRACLES HAPPENED!!!  we went to see Janet, and her friend was over.  Her name is Anna and she said, "I just knew you girls would show up, i've been needing to find some people like you to talk to, i want to start fresh with my life!" so we taught her the restoration right there and she said she'd be baptized.  WHHHHHHAT??  so cool. 

*George, our friend from Ghana, finally got back from work, so we taught him yesterday!  It was the biggest gong show lesson i've ever had (he just wants us to answer all these really complicated questions) but he decided for himself if he really wants to know that he needs to work for it.  we left his house feeling a little overwhelmed, and then he yells from his porch, "wait!  when is our next meeting???" :D just what we wanted to hear!

*and in the same day we taught our new investigator, Kathy!!!  she found a book of mormon in her father's things (he passed away recently) and she wants to find the one true church.  #holla! 

sorry this is really long....oops. 

i just can't even describe the joy that i feel...like....HEAVENLY FATHER LOVES US SO MUCH!  so much.  I just had this lightbulb moment the other night while writing in my journal, how neat is it that Heavenly Father doesn't expect us to be perfect to feel the spirit??  All he expects of us is to be striving to be better each day.  As we have been seeking his will over our own, the spirit has just been poured out upon us in such abundance.  I haven't felt the spirit this strong before this point.  I am so grateful that Heavenly Father is so merciful and loving, he'll give us the spirit if we truly desire it. 

"And they did pray for that which they most desired; and they desired that the Holy Ghost should be given unto them."
"Father, thou hast given them the Holy Ghost because they believe in me; and thou seest that they believe in me because thou hearest them, and they pray unto me; and they pray unto me because I am with them. And now Father, I pray unto thee for them, and also for all those who shall believe on their words, that they may believe in me, that I may be in them as thou, Father, art in me, that we may be one."
[3Nephi 19:9,22-23]

Onward, ever onward. 

Sister Jones

soaking wet....

our bff Janet;)

 Mt. Everest :)

many of the things you cannot count, DO COUNT.

just letting y'all know, Pdays will be on TUESDAYS instead of Monday starting next week.  so you'll be hearing from me then. :) 

well it has been a week.

Every investigator lesson fell through besides Peggy, who ended up dropping us.  She doesn't think she's ready, but she said she'll call us when she is.  

We taught Dipa, an 87 year old Hindu woman we met on the street. She is probably the sweetest thing in the whole world, but she can't read because she can't exactly see....and she is really hard of hearing.  :) the lesson was definitely a gong show.  We forgot to turn our phone on silent and our Sister Training Leaders called us.  Sister Moser thought she rejected the call in her pocket, but she actually answered it....and all of a sudden we hear, "hello?  uhhh....sisters?" hahahh...ha...ha..man.  Dipa completely rejected the baptismal invitation.  But she said we could come back.  Soooo....we'll see where this goes.  

Something is going on with Mary's family, so she's out of town for a while.  

By Thursday, things were still looking really dismal for the week, we hadn't seen very many people and we really had no idea what to do.  We had a lesson set up with a family in the ward Thursday night, and we were trying to see what we could do beforehand (because our other lessons fell through).  There is a less active I hadn't met yet that we have been trying for AGES and it turns out that she lives near where we were going to be!  So we ran (literally) over to her house (we had no time to lose) and we knocked on her door!  We only had 5 minutes to share a message, and she was all over it!  We showed her a video and she told us that she has been exploring a lot of different things, but she has decided that Jesus Christ really is the way.  And she started praying again!  She's ready to come back, we're so excited!!!  

also....Friday, some more appointments fell through, and so once again, we thought we'd go see Janet, the escaped refugee from Africa who can't come to church because of Health problems.  She's so wonderful.  We had the thought that we should get her some hot chocolate from Tim Hortons, (and sister moser hadn't experience the beauty of Timmy's yet...) so we got her a hot chocolate and a muffin and headed over to see her.  I have a testimony that ANGELS ENCIRCLE US CONSTANTLY!!!  We have to walk through a pretty sketchy part of town full of homeless people (unfortunately, the percentage of homeless in edmonton is HUGE).  here we were, holding a hot cocoa and a muffin walking by all these people, and I so badly wanted to give them some food, but this was for Janet and we NEEDED to get it to her, we weren't sure why we felt so strongly about it at the time.  As we walked through, not one person came up to us or cat called us or anything (and let me tell you it happens every time we go).  We got through and I felt the spirit so strongly in my heart.  I could feel God's protection.  We got to Janet's finally, and read the Book of Mormon with her.  She told us that she knows that God answers prayers, because when she woke up in the morning, she felt really exhausted and hungry.  She said a prayer that God would send someone to bring her food that day.  my heart just filled with love.  It was such a humbling experience to see, firsthand, that God used us to answer someone's prayer.  We were instruments in his hands.  HOW COOL IS THAT??  man.  it's such a wonderful work, isn't it?  

We had Stake Conference, and one of the biggest things that stood out to me was this quote: 

"Many of the things you can count do not count; while many of the things you cannot count DO COUNT."  

It's easy for us to get caught up in to do lists and the tasks we need to get done, but the real joy comes in doing the things that really do count.  I don't think that Heavenly Father has checklists at all.  I think he finds the most joy when He can work through us to the blessing of others.  No, I won't be able to put these experiences into the numbers we put in every week for the mission, but I will be able to keep them written on my heart forever.  

"To pity distress is but human; to relieve it is Godlike." [Horace Mann]

I just love this gospel and this work, there is nothing in this universe that I would rather be doing.  

Onward, ever onward.  

Sister Jones