Miracles and awesome people!

What's up everyone?? :) 

So many miracles this week! It's awesome how many you can find if you just look for them! We are so blessed! 

Last Monday night we cleaned out an inactive lady's fridge. It was super funny because she had some "science experiments", as she called them, in there. She also doesn't pay much attention to expiration dates so things from like 2006 are still good for her. She is an awesome lady and so funny. We had a good time and she told us the other day that it really helped and she can actually find things to eat now! We also talked to her and asked if she would like to take the discussions again because she got baptized a while ago and didn't really have a testimony, she just did it because the Elders said it would be good. She said it would be fine if we taught her again as long as she can talk. And we were like of course! We totally want to know how she feels about everything. So we're looking forward to teaching her soon! 

On Tuesday we visited a lady named Charmane and taught her about the Gospel of Jesus Christ and how Jesus Christ is central to everything we do. She is the sweetest lady. Like two weeks ago 8 Elders and the Sisters came to her house and put turf down in her yard. She was amazed that people she didn't even know would do that for her. She's had a tough life and suffers from depression. She told us that never in her life has she not had to pay someone to do something for her, even her family. People haven't been very nice to her, her whole life. She told us some sad stories. I was glad that we could be there to invite the spirit and keep her company (she lives alone and her daughter lives down the street). It was a wonderful discussion and we were all able to share how Jesus Christ has blessed our lives. I know that I wouldn't be able to pick myself up after difficult times if I didn't know about Jesus Christ and the power of the atonement that we can access through the spirit and prayer. 

Wednesday we had a bunch of lessons planned all in a row basically. We were kind of stressed about being so busy. But our first appointment stood us up. We waited for a half hour with the members we invited and then left because our investigator didn't come. So then we went home and our next appointment cancelled and rescheduled for this week and then our next appointment called and rescheduled for the next day. It was pretty crazy. So we went home and finished studying and ate and then we did some member tracting. If I haven't explained that yet, it is when you pick a street and visit all the members on that street to get to know them, maybe share a message or pray with them or both, and then see if they know anyone we could teach. It's awesome. Every time we do it, we don't even have to ask if they know anyone, they usually just tell us. It's like they've just been waiting for us to show up! I guess they couldn't find our number...haha Also on Wednesday, we went to The Kennedy Family's house for dinner and found out that President Hutchins (my home stake president) used to be their Bishop when they lived in CT! It was pretty cool. They know Naomi and Derek and all the kids. They also told us how they met and that Brother Kennedy wasn't a member when they got married but Sister Kennedy knew that one day he would come around and she wasn't going to force him. He was baptized 9 years later and a year or so after that they were all sealed in the temple as a family for eternity! They had 3 kids by then. 

On Thursday our miracle was that our appointment that rescheduled didn't reschedule again! His name is Viet and he is the guy who was studying to be a Catholic priest that we met my first day in the field!  He is really nice and genuinely wants to know more about our church. He said that his testimony that Catholicism is correct is based on knowing higher up Catholic clergymen who have studied the beliefs of the Catholic church in depth and he sees what they have given up to be clergymen and he says it must be true because of that. He told us that he hasn't found anything that makes more sense than Catholicism, but if he did he would be open to it. We told him that we know that our church is true because the spirit of God has testified to us that it is. We know that living the teachings of Christ and following our Prophet Thomas S. Monson makes our lives happier and we feel closer to God and more at peace as we do. The discussion we had was kind of all over the place because he had a lot of questions but we gave him a Book of Mormon at the end and asked him to read Alma 32 which is about faith and we also gave him pamphlets about The Restoration and The Plan of Salvation. We also told him how we pray and he prayed at the end of the lesson and it was awesome! He was totally just talking to God like they are best friends (I'm sure they are actually, but you know what I mean). So it was really cool and we're going back this week to talk about more cool things!

We had District Meeting on Friday and we did some role-playing! We practiced door approaches. It was kind of fun. After that we went to visit Lois in the nursing home. We did a puzzle with her, shared a message (Alma 7: 11-12 which is about Christ taking on all our afflictions and infirmities so he could know how we feel and so he can help us), and then she had to go play Skip-Bo (my fav game!) so we stayed in the puzzle room and finished her puzzle for her (she asked us to!). At first I thought that might be a waste of time, but then I realized that that old woman needs just as much spiritual uplift-ment and service as anyone who has heard the gospel or hasn't. I love that there are so many different things we can do to build the kingdom of God on earth and help God's children. I think that Christ often comforts us through our friends and family and we can also be the person who is the answer to someone's prayer. 

We also met with a recent convert on Friday. He's having some trouble because his family is not supportive of him being a member and they don't make it easy for him to live with them. He has a lot on his plate but when we met with him we were able to be someone he could talk to. We couldn't give him the answer, but we told him that if God isn't giving him an answer then he should just do what he thinks is best and then God will stop him if it is wrong. We also talked to him about missionary work because he wants to serve a mission in a year! 

On Saturday we went to a baptism! The Gambino family was baptized! Dad, Mom, and 4  beautiful daughters! It was an awesome experience because the spirit was so strong and they all chose to make the step of baptism together. I just know that they are going to continue to progress spiritually and become close to their Father in Heaven and their Savior and in a year be sealed as a family in the temple! The dad has seriously changed his life around. One of the ward members is really good friends with the dad and he got up and bore his testimony and you could just feel the love he had for his friend and was joyful day it was to baptize him. 

After the baptism we helped a family move. The daughter's name is Abby and she was baptized about a year ago on her 18th birthday! Her parents are divorced and her mom joined the church when she got remarried to an LDS man. That was when Abby was 10. Her father would not give her permission to be baptized so her had to wait 18 whole years! She was going to church and basically being a member that whole time! When she was 13 she was asked to bear her testimony in church and she knew from that day on that it was true because the spirit was so strong when she spoke and she couldn't even remember what she said. I love hearing conversion stories. People are so amazing!

On Sunday we went to a YSA's house for dinner. It was really fun! Her and her family are Tongan and then Sister Chadderton is from New Zealand and it was just cool to see all the islanders talk to each other. They can just ask what the person's last name is and then find a connection for how they know them! It was fun. We showed a video about the life of Christ and it was exactly what Sulia said she needed that day. You should all look up "Reflections of Christ Come Thou Fount" on Youtube. Christ cares about us so much that he came down here and lived among us. 

We also went to a YSA fireside on Sunday night! It was in Boise so I saw the outside of Boise State! Brother Corbitt spoke. He is a public relations person for the church in New York. He has met so many diplomats and famous people! He told awesome stories about famous people working with the church and becoming friends with apostles. He said he is in the business of making friends. 

Well I must be going soon!

Shout Out!

-Kimmie and Andrew, thanks for writing me!

-Remember to send letters to my new address, not the mission home (it'll just take longer if you send it there)

Sis. Chadderton's awesome words she said this week: 

-Rubbish Day, Rubbish Man, Rubbish Bin

-Bench = kitchen counter

-I Reckon

-Stuff it up = mess it up

LOVE YOU ALL!! 

-Sister B 

 Me with President and Sister Cannon! 

A fuzzy tree we found! Yeah, I know it looks like I'm eating it. haha

Companions under the fuzzy tree!

My new planner that I start using today!

Me e-mailing wonderful people!! :) 

Being A Missionary Is the Best!

Hello All! 

I had a great first week in the field. It has been great visiting and teaching real people (as opposed to practicing in the MTC). They each have their own story and I love them already. I feel like I can feel a small amount of what their Heavenly Father feels for them. It's so awesome being able to serve people ALL the time and to focus our studies on our investigators, less-actives, and recent converts. I love it. An awesome experience I had so far happened when we were going around delivering progress records (updates to the ward mission leaders about what we've been doing). On our way out of dropping one off we saw a less-active young single adult walking down the hill towards us. We were totally in the right place at the right time. She was walking to get away from her mom because they are having problems. We were there to listen to her and to be her friend and remind her of her Savior's love for her. She also accepted our offer to read the Book of Mormon with her every day because she was struggling with that. We read with her last night and it was awesome. We really can minister to people like Christ would. Being a missionary is the best! Even though I know there are more difficult things to come. 

On Thursday we went to a member's home for dinner and then to teach a girl who is preparing for baptism. She's dating a less-active member and she's already had all the lessons, but we taught her about faith. We did the object lesson where you stand the empty tea bag on someone's hand and light it on fire and then the fire gets super close to their hand before the tea bag flies into the air. They don't get burned. It took us a while to do it successfully because of the wind but we eventually got it. The symbolism is that there are going to be hard times, but the Lord will always deliver us in the end as we stay faithful. The person had to have faith that the fire wasn't going to burn them because we told them it wouldn't. Knowing and believing that God will deliver me from my trials helps me to be able to get through them, because I have hope in Christ. Mosiah 24 in the Book of Mormon is a chapter I have shared in lessons a few times this week. Alma and his people were being persecuted by Amulon who ordered that anyone who prayed out loud would be killed. Alma and his people stay faithful and poured their hearts out to God in faith for deliverance. Verse 15 says "and they did submit cheerfully and with patience to all the will of the Lord." And it was because of their great faith that the Lord caused a great sleep to come upon the Lamanite guards so that Alma and his people could escape. I want to be more cheerful through my trials and I think I can do that if I remember that the Lord knows best and just trust in Him. 

Every night Sister Chadderton (I might have spelled her name wrong last time -oops) asks me what miracles I saw that day and every day I can find one! Yesterday it was that the YSA ward we are over got a new ward mission leader and 6 ward missionaries who are wicked excited about doing missionary work this summer. They are going to reach out to less-active members and those in the ward that they know who need help. They have great plans and we're excited to see the miracles that come from that! On Saturday the miracle was running into the less-active YSA after dropping off progress records. On Friday we were met with a recent convert and talked to him about patriarchal blessing and the priesthood and he's really excited about both! He also gave the most honest heartfelt prayer ever at the end of the lesson. It was like he was talking to his best friend. It just got baptized two weeks ago and he's on fire! We also secretly left bagels for the Elders who were running out of food. We left them on their doorstep and today they asked us if we did it and we were like "What Bagels??" haha But we both were trying not to smile and they pretty much knew it was us. On Thursday a lot of out plans fell through. We visited a less active in the hospital after her surgery and found out that she thinks her relationship with God is a lot stronger since she started saying gratitude prayers. It was really cool. And after that we tried to see some people but no one was home. Then we thought to go see a 17 year old named Levi who is an investigator who is on parole (his mom had to be there when we were there. we also brought his member friend). Missionaries have been teaching him for a while. He has ADD so it hard to keep the lesson focused but it was great to meet him. He says that his purpose in like is to protect his family. He really wants to change his life around and be the best person he can be. He's awesome! He was also reading this book about how the gospel of Christ changed this person's life for the better. I know that it can seriously make people's lives better than they could imagine. With Christ at the center of our lives we can do anything. 

New phrases/words I learned from Sister Chadderton so far: 
1. Like a box of birds. 
2. Shopping cart = a trolley (Harry Potter!)
3. This isn't new but she told me that some people in NZ call a drinking fountain a bubbler too! I'm not alone! ;)
There are probably more but I can't remember them...

Today was my first Preparation Day. We studied in the morning and then we basically just did laundry and wrote letters and we watched the movie The Testaments, which is about Christ's ministry in Jerusalem and in the Americas. I would totally recommend it! It's really good. And now we're sending e-mails! 

Favorite talks I read this week: (look them up on LDS.org!)
1. That the Lost May be Found - Elder Ballard 
2. The Laborers in the Vineyard - Elder Holland
3. Thanks Be to God - Elder Nelson

We plan on finding new people to teach this week through tracting and street contacting. Prayers are always appreciated! 

Thanks for all the love and prayers and support! I'm having the best time! Letters and prayers are all I need! 

Shout Outs!
-I don't know if I ever thanked Andrew for the letters, so thanks! And Dan, Andrew is seriously beating you on keeping your promise to Brother Hutchins! ;) 
-Happy Birthday to Kimmie this week!! I love you! 

Much Love from Meridian, 
Sister Bishaw 

"I'm in the Field!"

Hello Everyone! 

I'm am now in IDAHO! I flew in Tuesday morning and the Mission President and his wife picked us up. There were 14 new missionaries on my plane! Only 3 new Sisters though! We went to the mission office first. The office is literally right next door to the Boise Temple! The temple is still being remodeled on the outside, but sometime this fall it will be done and us Sister Missionaries get to be tour guides for the open house! I'm SO excited for that! We'll get to meet SO many people and answer some of their questions about the temple. After we did some training stuff and ate lunch we went out and did missionary work! They put us with a temporary trainer and we went out with them for a few hours. We went to try to visit some people, but they weren't home so then we tried tracting a street and we saw ZERO people. So then we learned that all of that was not what we needed to be doing and we tried tracting an apartment complex. We learned that that was where we needed to be. We met a lot of interesting people who I can't wait to visit again. We met a Catholic Priest who wants to meet with us to learn more about our church. He was really nice. We also met a woman who grew up in the LDS church but is now inactive and gay. She still prays every day and believes in Jesus Christ but she doesn't agree with some doctrines of the church. We were able to tell her that the church does understand that being gay is something that is difficult to control and that there are support groups for members who are gay. We prayed with her before we left. She was grateful that we were there and told us we could come back any time. We also met the 2 sons of a less-active woman. Their mom had just given them mohawks and died one of them blue and they looked AWESOME. One of the sons had already been baptized and he asked for some of our pamplets to give to his mom. He remembered when he received the gift of the Holy Ghost after he was baptized and he said that he had felt sick before the confirmation but after he felt better and he recognized that that was the Holy Ghost making him feel good. I love tracting now because we get the chance to invite the Spirit into people's homes and doing so could be an answer to their prayer, or could just make their day a little brighter, or we can also serve them in any way we can. I know that through missionaries people can feel God's love for them and feel how much we love them as we strive to see them the way that God sees them. 

After that we had dinner at the Mission Home (pork sandwiches) and then had a testimony meeting where we all shared what we know to be true about the God's plan for us and how we know it. We also shared why we are serving missions. I'm serving a mission because so many people don't know that God loves them and that Christ died for them. I want everyone to know those things so that they never have to feel lonely because they really aren't. 

Then I stayed in Kuna, Idaho with some of the sisters. Then in the morning we went back to the Mission office for breakfast and some training. Then at 11:30 we got out trainers (companions)! My companion is Sister Chatterton and she is from NEW ZEALAND!! (Margo will think that's cool!) She's the coolest and I love her! She's the one that I went tracting with on Tuesday! She has the best accent evah (that's how she says it) and I find myself mimicking her in my head and outloud sometimes! haha It's awesome. Also, she doesn't have a license so I am the designated driver! It's weird because I'm younger! But yesterday we met with a few great people. First we visited Anthony who is preparing to be baptized. We shared 3 Nephi 8-11 from the Book of Mormon with him. It's about when Christ came to the Americas and what he said to the people. Anthony had a lot of great questions and he told us a lot about what was going on in his life. It was so awesome because I'm used to role-playing in the MTC and the pretend investigators never gave us much to work with. Then we visited an 11 year old girl named Taryn whose mom is less-active. Taryn's mom won't let her be baptized unless she reads her Book of Mormon and prays every day for 3 weeks straight. Taryn has done it for one week so far and I know that she can do the next two weeks. She is a special girl and she knows that God loves her and wants her to be baptized. We had dinner at a member's home last night - The Price's. The members feed us every night Tuesday through Sunday! It's amazing! They are SO nice! We are over six wards in the Meridan South Stake. (Nathan, what stake are you in? Either way I'm still really close to where you live. haha). Each ward has a night that they feed us and different members sign up. The Price's have 3 sons and a daughter. Sister Chatterton taught about the 10 commandments and she taught the kids these cool hand signs you can use to member the commandments. I will help her teach next time now that I know the hand signs! haha It was awesome to spend time with them though. Then we visited the Blowers who are also less-active in the church. They are really sweet people and it was nice to get to know them better. We shared the "Reflections of Christ" video with them (you can look it up on YouTube - it's to the song Come Thou Fount). They liked how simple it was and the spirit was totally there. 

Shout Outs!
-Happy Late Birthday Amber!!
-Happy Late Birthday Maddie St. Andre! 
-Happy Father's day to all the fathers out there! 
-Anyone else, if I missed your birthday, HAPPY BIRTHDAY!
-Oh, SERGIO! I never saw you at the MTC! SO SAD! Where were you??? I'm sorry I never found you! But you're awesome and I'll write you if you e-mail me you address. Are you still in CP? 
-MIKEN I LOVE YOU! (Random, I know)
-Carissa thanks for the letter!
-Nathan thanks for the letter! 
-Elder T, I didn't get your letter that you send 2 Mondays ago to the MTC. Hopefully it gets to me! The mailman doesn't like me! haha

Love you all!! Thanks for all the support! I'm so taken care of here so all I really need is letters! We live in a member's finished basement and it is so nice! It is so wonderful of them to let us live there!

Much Love from Meridian! 

-Sister Bishaw 

Pictures: 

1. Dork Dot (red dot = new missionary)! Waiting for my companion to get some immunizations at the MTC!

2. First full day in the MTC! So excited! 

3. THE BEST DISTRICT EVER! 

4. Beautiful companions!

5. Favorite picture. Just being goofs!

5. Classic map picture!

6. Sister Chatterton is the one with the long dark hair who is to my left. Sister Lee is from Korea and she has dark hair and bangs. And Sister Cline is the tall one and she is companions with Sis. Lee. 

7. All the new missionaries with their trainers and the mission prez and wife in the middle! 20% of the mission right there! There are 200 missionaries and 20 of those are Sisters. 

8. Mission Prez and wife. 

Life at the MTC

Hello Family, Friends, and whoever is reading this!

 

So my second week in the MTC was awesome! I have learned so much and I am really starting to get better at teaching the gospel. My 2 companions and I are a lot more united in our teaching than we were at first. We are all contributing equally to lessons. Being here is exhausting and humbling. The most important thing I learned this week is that teaching by the Spirit is key. It really doesn't matter what I say to people, if the Spirit isn't there to testify that what I am saying is the truth and is from God, then people are not going to believe and come to know Christ. We had a testimony meeting in my class on Saturday and we all went around and talked about how we came to know that the LDS Church and the gospel of Christ are true. It totally brought us closer together.

 

We got our travel plans a few days ago, we leave Tuesday, the 12th at like 8:45 am and it's about an hour flight to Boise! My whole district (6 Elders, 3 sisters) are flying together. 

Shout Outs!

• Elder T - Thanks for the letter!!
• Carissa, Margo, and Kim - Thanks for the letters!
• Family - thanks for the e-mails! Especially Amber for using Dearelder.com! Remember that you can use that to send letters to the MTC for free! But only until next Monday! After that send letters to the Boise address!

 

I really appreciate letters! You all are amazing!

 

The computer at the MTC won't let me send pictures so I will send some once I get to a computer in Boise.

 

love you all!

Sister B.