The Final Chapter

Well, this is my last email . . . for real, this time. Wednesday will be my last day as a full-time missionary. I love my mission. It has been incredible, and I can't fully express how grateful I am for the opportunity I've had to serve God in this way.

It wasn't always easy, but it's not meant to be easy! "Salvation is not a cheap experience"- Elder Holland "It takes a price to come to know God"- President Nakken. Not easy, but worthwhile because I can truly say that I know God is real, that Christ is real, that they love us, and that they guide us through the Holy Ghost! I can truly say that I know my Savior, and He means everything to me. 

Christ is the only reason we can live with God again. "There shall be no other name given nor any other way nor means whereby salvation can come unto the children of men, only in and through the name of Christ the Lord omnipotent"- Mosiah 3:17 As we use His gift of the atonement to change and progress, we unlock the gate to eternal life. When we have the chance to share that with others, we should never pass it up.

I will miss my friends here, but will keep in touch with all of them. I am so grateful for the opportunities I've had to meet all the people I have taught and served with.

Our friend Nahum is getting baptized today, and it is the perfect finish to my time here! He has incredible faith and is so ready to make this covenant. So often when people are baptized I feel like I had only a small part in their journey. Christ is the one who truly carries them, and they are so, so strong to overcome temptation, preconceived notions, as well as opposition from family and friends! I am truly amazed by these people and their faith! 

Thanks for coming on this journey with me! I have learned and grown so much, and I hope that I have changed. I hope I have become more like my Savior and come to know Him! I think I can say that I have! 

See you in a few days :) 

Pictures: Christmas!!!!, the beautiful place I live, the beautiful person I live with lol, Nahum, Christmas packages in the office 

Mansion Baptism

Ruben got BAPTIZED this Saturday! We had it at this members house and it was fancy! It was in the country on the outskirts of Ventura and it was massive! Everyone got lost trying to find it though so we ended up starting about 20 mins late! All worth it in the end though, the service went really well without too many hiccups and he was happy!

Nahum is doing awesome and has decided to be baptized this weekend! I am so excited for him!

Zach is doing great as well, and is building a stronger and stronger testimony! 

We have been getting out and talking to people way more! We talked to lots of interesting people this week! It's something I haven't done in a few transfers, so I'm getting back into the swing of it. It makes me really nervous, but I love talking to people after the initial contact!

Today for P-day we did a white elephant gift exchange and built gingerbread temples! It was so fun!

This is the last week of my mission! I'm am feeling all of the feelings and it's a bit overwhelming knowing my time here is about to be finished. I am happy with what I have been able to accomplish, but I am not going to waist a second of my time here! Full send!!!

Turkey Season - Christmas Season

It was Thanksgiving this week! I hope you all had fun stuffing your bellies! Such a strange holiday! haha! We got to eat with a member couple and it was sooo yummy! It reminded me of home! They had the works :turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, yams....but no ham :(  I definitely went home full! 

We also had Zone Conference this week. It was over zoom, but with our districts...half of our district was speaking, so it was us and two other companionships! It was really cool though. You could feel the Spirit, and we had a fun time!

We met with Nahum this week, and helped him set a goal for baptism! He will be getting baptized on the 12th of December. He is so ready, and could be baptized now but wanted to wait a couple weeks! 

Our friend Ruben was able come to church in person!! (we meet outside in the parking lot). He also came to a baptism in our ward and loved the experience, it got him hyped for his own baptism next week!

I went on two exchanges this week, they were the last ones! Both sisters I exchanged with (Sister Sellers and Sister Ofa) are going home with me! We had some emo talks about it and also talked about what we were excited for. 

Sister Ofa and I were in my first area and we're on our way to try to contact this potential person in area book. As we're driving I got the feeling that I'd been there before. We got to the dot and it says Ami... memories started flooding back I had tracted into her almost two years ago on my first day in the mission! We also drove past the first door I ever knocked! It was a trip down memory lane! I have come sooo far!

Pictures:

Thanksgiving, all our friends, zone conference, some food, Tessa, exchange with Sister Ofa

No Time!

We have been sooo busy! 

I went on an exchange with Sister Poulson in Westlake YSA (the area I

was trained in)!

My companion went through the temple in Frezno...no I didn't get to go with :(

We had MLC!

We had CDC and I gave a discussion/role play on the gospel of Jesus Christ!

We had a Plan of Salvation lesson with our friend Zach! 

Our friend Nahum is doing great!

Ruben is on date for the 5th of December! He's full of faith! 

A member made us Japanese curry!

Funny story: So. . . For the past 2 weeks weeks that I've been in Ventura we've had a spider living right above our doorway, and finally Sister Dahl and I decided to name her, and when we found out she was a black widow, of course we called her Natasha. Well, Natasha started out pretty small, but over the past week she's gotten HUGE! And since she's nocturnal, every night when we came home, she'd be out on her web, and she got the the point where she wasn't scared of us. So we decided it was time to take action . . . We called the Zone Leaders that live in our complex, and told them to come kill Natasha. Fast forward a bit, and now she's dead :( as sad as it is, I'm not scared to walk in the door now!  haha!

Time is FLYING! I love my mission! 

 

Loving Life

    

Change is good...but I will always miss the people I served with in Fillmore! I love that place! 

My new area is the Ventura side of the Camarillo YSA ward. I served here over a year ago with Sister Turner just on the Oxnard/Camarillo side! It is such a great ward and it's YSA! I love YSA work! 

Our people are incredible! We are teaching the most elect humans on the planet! 

Nahum (pronounced Na-oom) is 19 years old from Ventura. He is literally flying through the lessons! We had three this week! He loves the Gospel and Jesus Christ. The only thing holding him back from baptism is that he is afraid of what his family will think. Pray for Nahum to have courage and for his family to be supportive!

Ruben is a guy I FOUND with my companions in Fillmore! We passed him off to the YSA ward about a month ago! Now I get to teach him! He is also flying through the lessons and through the Book of Mormon. He's already in Alma chapter 5! He is so humble and prepared for the Gospel! 

Zach just turned 21 yesterday! We brought him some cookies and a card. We have met with him twice this week and just started the Plan of Salvation with him! He is full of good questions and is very open to learning. His family is very against the Church, but he says he wants to find out for himself if it's true! 

This is already so long, but I'll tell you about one more person...my companion! Her name is Sister Dahl and she is from Utah (somewhere between SLC and Provo). She played volleyball and is super chill! We are having a blast and getting the work done too! 

Last transfer = best transfer! I'm excited to learn from these people and serve them! I love my mission!

Sister Marissa Hadden 

Pictures: goodbye to Fillmore friends, Tessa got me a pomegranate, Nahum with Sister Dahl Tessa and I...not that you can really see what he looks like! LOL!

Trunky Transfer

This week has been great! We had a spooky Halloween...not really. We stayed in our apartments and cleaned out our clothes! It was so fun though! My companions are the best and we had a party! 

We did some super fun service pruning olive trees. I was literally a laborer in the vineyard! I got a ton of little cuts and scrapes and some gnarly blisters from the hard work, but it felt great! 

Venice is doing so great! She wants to "live for God and not for the world". She calls us sometimes when she is feeling overwhelmed or tempted, just to get back on track! She has a real desire to do and be better. 

Transfer News: 

I am being transferred to Ventura YSA (which is and area in the Camarillo YSA ward). I served in that ward over a year ago and loved it. It is one of the only places I would be kind of okay leaving Fillmore for.

My new companion's name is Sister Dahl. She is sooo cool. I've met her a few times. Her original assignment was Japan. 

I am sooo sooo sad to be leaving Fillmore. It has become a home away from home. I LOVE the people here, and will miss them with all my heart! I have made so many friends and memories here. 

Sister Stock will be staying here and training a new missionary! She has grown so much and I'm so proud of her! I wouldn't trust this area to anyone else! 

Sister Olson is going to be opening a new area in Ventura with a sister named Sister Hansen. 

I am going to MISS THESE TWO!! 

Pictures: RIP the Trio, an olive tree, our friend Melissa (who we had to stop teaching), last district excersise=frisbee, the Halloween fits 

Prayer is Mighty

 We had zone conference this week! That was a blast! I spoke about how praying in faith effects our desires to do the work! I learned so much preparing for my discussion. Prayer is so powerful and can bring miracles! Here's an example: 

We met this man named Michael a couple weeks back while out walking in Fillmore. He called us a few days later and we were able to help him through a really tough spot in his life with prayer. He has seen miracles happen this past week, and is on track to sort his life back out! He also has had his heart softened to the point where he wants to learn about the Gospel! He lives in Santa Clarita, and so we passed him off to the missionaries there, and he is doing great! All we did was pray with him, listen to him, and be there. God did the rest. He is in control! 

I am so grateful for prayer! I have seen the way I pray change over the last little while. It has become more of a  conversation with God and has helped me to develop a real relationship with Him! I am able to do all things through Christ! 

Pictures:

Service, Zone Conference, Begneits at Rabalais