On the phone to Washington

Nov.8,2010 I {me,the mom} was able to talk with Sister Shaw, a member of Sister Lauren's ward. The Shaw family was going to Disneyland and Lauren was going to send home, via the Shaw's, some of her extra things to give to her dad and me. Anyway I felt just a little closer to my daughter on the day I talked to Sister Shaw. Lauren writes." I love Sister Shaw. She's so sweet. You guys would really love this ward alot! I sure do!

Sister Denison is awesome and fun to be with. We get along great and she speaks so clearly when she talks about the gospel. Something I strive to develop each and every day! She is very needed here in Duvall. She has lots of faith and works hard. Missionary work is hard but it gets easier as time goes on. And as you truly come close to the Lord, you realize how little this is about you. At the beginning you try to think"forget myself", but it takes time to truly put all your might. mind, and strength into it. Think about it ALL...how hard is that! Not just some time or a few hours here and there but ALL! I don't think I've ever done that until I came on my mission. It literally is no longer about you. It's about everyone else, about the Lord's work, about serving and talking to everyone. It took a good while to really apply that into my missionary work. It's amazing what you can accomplish when you do it the Lord's way.It's amazing who the Lord puts in your path and the people you meet and the tremendous amount of JOY that comes. I JUST LOVE MISSIONARY WORK! I LOVE MY SAVIOR! I LOVE HIS CHILDREN!

{Feast upon the words of Christ} AND good food !

I testify that FAITH alone is not going to get us that divine help even though the 1st step is faith, we must act! We must do our part which is just so small in comparison to the rewards we receive [Mosiah 2:41,Alma 32:42-43,Jacob 2:18-19}. So great are our blessings if we just stick with it! We are not alone. We are never alone. Elder Holland,"I testify of angels both heavenly and the mortal kind. In doing so I am testifying that God never leaves us alone, never leaves us unaided in the challenges that we face." How powerful that is coming from God's chosen apostle at this time. Another talk from the same conference,Elder Lawrence E. Corbride," No institution, plan, program...ever conceived by men has access to the power of the Atonement of Jesus Christ and the gift of the Holy Ghost, therefore,while the Lord's invitation to follow him is the highest of all, it is also achievable by everyone, not because we are able but because HE IS ABLE."

" The Lord's way is not hard...life is hard, but life is simple. Get on the path and never give up. You never give up. You keep on going. You don't quit,and you will make it."

I know I am here today only because of our Savior and Redeemer and through the power of the Atonement. As I was reading these talks they just spoke directly to me. I knew God heard my prayers because He answered them by directing my attention to these particular scriptures and this exact Ensign {magazine}. I want you all to know He loves us and is right there. Have FAITH, believe, stay on the path and apply the Atonement. Life is hard but it's simple. I am called to do the work of the Lord despite how inadequate I feel.

Elder Anderson said," We each have moments of spiritual power, moments of inspiration and revelation. We must sink them deep into the chambers of our souls. As we do, we prepare spiritual home storage for moments of personal difficulty." Then I recalled times that I felt His spiritual power which wasn't long ago that I felt peace and comfort. If we just look we can see how much the Lord's hand is involved in our daily lives and just how much spiritual guidance we receive. Sorry I shared so much But I was just so excited.

A miracle!

We were able to get into a home at a former investigator who is a widow. Me and Sister Chhoeun had been trying to see her for the longest time. { now with my new companion,Sister Denison} she let's us in, finally. We were able to pray with her and she accepted {our challenge} to take the lessons again. She felt the spirit last time with the sisters and she was so close to being baptized but she wasn't really ready. She finds hope in the Gospel because she has trouble getting out of bed because of the loss of her husband. I've been thinking about her and praying for her.In the next week or so she said that we can come back. This could be her time! So this area could be a very discouraging area, however, it is my favorite area. It requires so much hard work,great faith and trust in the Lord. It requires all you can give and almost more. This area stretches you and sharpens you into a finer instrument.

We are to search diligently, pray always, and be believing.{then} all things shall work together for our good IF we walk uprightly and remember the covenant where with {we} have covenanted." The key action words to me : LORD WILL FIGHT...{our part} DO..SEARCH...PRAY...BELIEVE...REMEMBER

I am so grateful that the Lord called me to serve here in Duval and to be here with Sister Denison who is awesome! She is doing a great job!

"Oh How Beautiful Upon the Mountain"

Nov.5,2010...I miss going to the temple alot. I hope we go in January. I try to think about the temple often and the covenants I've made and the experiences I've had there because as you know, the temple is the only place you can feel so close to Heavenly Father and the veil between us and the other side is so thin! I definitely want to be a temple worker when I get home.

Anyhow, now let me tell you about our wonderful week of missionary work here in the small town of beautiful Duval.We met a real cool guy who is a Washington hippie, one that is very chill, teaches kids bird language,lived in the mountains in a YERT.He seemed interesting and very nice. He actually met with Elders before I know it was not coincidental at all. We're excited to start teaching him.

We also worked alot with the members this week. Our mission president said to me," the way we're going to have baptism here is through the members." We have alot of Doctrine of Christ lessons helping the members do missionary work. we still do our very best to find by tracting and visiting former investigators. I have no doubt in my mind that there is someone here that is seeking for truth and for the restored gospel but just doesn't know where to find it.