Baptism Date and Good People!

MONDAY AUGUST 31

Hiiiii!

Oh my goodness I am always excited for email time.. But this week I was more excited and anxious than usual! 

How the heck are ya doing? I sure hope good! 

This week was real good, we had some pretty fun stuff happen including setting a baptism date for our investigator Debbie!! She is so prepared, and so ready for this gospel. September 26th is what we're shooting for. She loves God, and is just simply wonderful to teach. She about blew a gasket when she found out we lived with God before we came here to earth! It was the cutest thing. It amazes me how I've known that for forever and that there are so many people out here in this world that don't know too much about the glorious plan God has designed for us! Makes you think about not taking certain things we know for granted. I love Debbie, and I love to see the light in her shine more and more each day. It's fun to watch her feast on this gospel and the happiness it's bringing her. 

We even had some interesting things happen like on Saturday morning we were heading out after studies and heard all this commotion... What was right around the corner from us.. A big Indonesian festival! It was pretty neat, and all the food smelled amazing. People dressed up and dancing. It's really quite cool how diverse New Hampshire is. We decided to do a walk through to see if any of them would be interested in what we have to share. We ended up being stopped at one booth, and met some very kind kind Indonesians, that wanted us to go visit Indonesia with them! A little old lady gave me a free wallet. 

So Brother Knight is the ward mission leader, him and his wife Sister Knight are wonderful. Brother knight took us out to subway after our meeting this week. I call them "my missionary parents" haha they make sure we're taken care of and are truly just great people. It's more of like the whole ward taking care of their shelders, (that's what they call us, the she elders!) They're all wonderful they help us out so much. Dad, brother knight and I talked about you this week, at the end of our conversation he said, man I can't wait to meet your dad! It really made me excited for when you two meet. I know I say this like every week, but I have just developed such a love for these people, ward members and just random friends we've tracked into. I was just talking about how great this ward is yesterday with a brother from the ward (brother Chesley)  he said he felt bad for missionaries who start out their missions here because it all just goes downhill after you leave the Somersworth ward. Lol ;)  Between the pizza night at the Davis', and a birthday/dinner for brother Pouliot with the Pouliot family, dinner with the crazy, but extra cute Thomas twins (both two years old), and a "get to know you better party/dinner" thing at the Hollways with 4 new families of the ward it turned out to be a fun fun week! I'm just grateful they are kind and invite us missionaries to all these fun things. Mom- I'm so happy to hear my bishop called you to talk, what an incredible man Bishop Hunting is. 

Many may not be interested in the gospel here, but there are good good people here. For example this week we were tracking a neighborhood, it was warm and not really the best time of day to be out. And a lady declined our offer and we went on our happy little way.. Well about twenty minutes later she comes running down the street with some water for us. More times than not that happens. I just think to myself what a Christ like person to do such a thing. God has some amazing children, and I know He pours out tender mercies upon us all. 

I know that God will give us tender mercies and blesses us when we're obedient to the things He asks. Yesterday in church there was a great talk in sacrament on tender mercies. What I really got out of the talk was that there are two parts to tender mercies. Number one being able to recognize the tender mercy, and that it is a tender mercy. And number two receiving the tender mercy. 

Friends and family.. I know that there is no such thing as a coincidence. Our loving God is in every fine detail of our lives. I've seen it take place in my life, and in others. Look for those tender mercies from God, they'll change us, and make us marvel even more at how great God is.

A few thoughts I have had this week that I wanted to share is how grateful I am for an UNCHANGEABLE God! One sweet lady we teach and read the Book Of Mormon with belongs to another church, she brought up that the laws and doctrine of her church are changing with the world.. As I was reading in Doctrine and Covenants section 20 verse 17 I found this verse I really liked, it said:

"By these things we know that there is a God in heaven, who is infinite and eternal, from everlasting to everlasting the same unchangeable God, the framer of heaven and earth, and all things which are in them;" 

That scripture took me on a scripture chase cause it reminded me of the scripture mastery Moroni 8:18 "For I know that God is not a partial God, neither a changeable being; but he is unchangeable from all eternity to all eternity." 

Have you ever been playing a board game and the older sibling or friend changes the rules in the middle of the game when they are losing? Haha it is the most frustrating thing in the world! I think of others times when things change and it's frustrating or confusing. Well not God! He's the same yesterday, today, and forever! I'm beyond grateful in this time and day that we have the doctrine and Christ's gospel set, and we know our path and what we need to do. 

"Mans laws cannot make moral, what God has declared immoral." -Dallin H. Oaks. 

I'm grateful for inspired men, like our dear Prophet, and his Apostles that are so in tune with God and our Savior. They help us out extremely, and I know that they've been called of God. I'm grateful for Heavenly Father who sent His son for us! So that we can return with Him again. 

"I marvel to think that the Son of God would condescend to save us, as imperfect, impure, mistake-prone, and ungrateful as we often are. I have tried to understand the Savior’s Atonement with my finite mind, and the only explanation I can come up with is this: God loves us deeply, perfectly, and everlastingly. I cannot even begin to estimate “the breadth, and length, and depth, and height … [of] the love of Christ.” -President Uchdorf 

God loves you, trust in that love ALWAYS! (I've had to learn the meaning of trusting, it's such a hard thing to do, but once we do that we never want to be selfish and not trust again.) I'm so grateful for a trustworthy God that loves us. I've been extremely thankful for the listening ear of our Heavenly Father this week. I don't know what I'd do without Him honestly. During the lonely times He is the one I have to rely on. He hears my prayers, and I know He hears yours as well. 

The church is truer than true, and so is the Book Of Mormon.

Have a great day, and an even greater week! 

AND..NEVER forget that Sister Bee loves you with her whole heart.

Miss and love you.

XoXoXo 

-Sister Bee 

The weather is FABULOUS today. Not too hot, not too cold! Hello fall :)

So it's almost a month till my birthday, so I'm going to start celebrating now. Haha just like if I was home, I made sure everyone knew that it was my birthday month, and that we should be celebrating it all dang month! ;) 

BTW: My apologies.. my whole life I really haven't liked reading long things... (Maybe because I don't have too long on an attention span lol) Any-who this is a really long email.. Haha I know life is busy, and most of you don't have time to read this. BUT I just had so many thoughts I wanted to share! So sorry...

OH... 

PS: I can read emails anytime through the week during dinner breaks, or after planning.. So therefore you can send me pictures or little note anytime you want, and I would sure love it! 

Elder Millet and Elder Lou with the pictures Brother Coombs drew of them just for fun!

Tay's best friend Gram!

Indonesian Festival

President and Sister Hawks surprised us and came to our ward
yesterday!! They are President Stokers counselors and truly terrific! I
was so excited to see them :)

Climbing the Ladder

MONDAY AUGUST 24

Welp.. Ladies and gentlemen... We made it into the double digits. Gah! 

10 months down! 

Wow oh wow! 

How's it going fam-dam!? 

Thank you so very much for your emails, your love, and your support.

So our car has been in the shop for a bit longer than we had intended for it to be.. Going on a second week without a car... Which means lots of walking! Luckily the Elders took us to church yesterday and took us grocery shopping with them today, bless their souls! :) I really don't mind the walking. We get to talk with more people, and have some funny stories from it. And It also just makes me more grateful for a car! Our area is so big, and covers so much ground that you can get so much more work done when you have a car. One of our walking days this week just happened to be the hottest and most humid day of the New England summer. Blah! Luckily we had two members see us walking at different times of the day, and they came to the rescue with some water! Nothing tastes better than some ice cold water on a warm day. I truly am wet all the time. I jump out of the shower, dry off and I'm wet, I step outside and I'm wet again. It's quite a cool experience actually. For all the walking we've been doing I sure hope I will get me some good ole calf muscles or a killer bum ;) You know what they say, what doesn't kill ya makes you stronger! 

We've been very blessed with member meals this week.. We had a meal appointment every night this week. Good people, good food. I truly love the Somersworth ward SO much. They're becoming more and more like family everyday.

I love training, and I love Sister Dickson. We get along really good. It's like doing missionary work with a really really good friend. On the hard days, I feel like we're both good at helping each other see the positives. We also laugh, and then laugh some more. I love hearing and learning from her testimony daily. 

My studies were kind of everywhere this week... It's hard to summarize them into just a few paragraphs...But I still loved every minute of it. I was thinking the other day of what I want to go to school for... And I decided I just want to study the gospel for the rest of my life and then call it good.

In gospel principles class yesterday at church I really liked a teaching from our Prophet Joseph Smith, He said: “When you climb up a ladder, you must begin at the bottom, and ascend step by step, until you arrive at the top; and so it is with the principles of the gospel--you must begin with the first, and go on until you learn all the principles until exaltation." I loved that so much, we need to remember life is not a sprint it's more like marathon, and all we're asked is to move onward and upward. And when we do take a few steps down the ladder we look back to Our Savior to helps us in the right direction. There really is no need to feel anxious or scared in this life, because we have Jesus Christ on our side.....it is very important to take the time and learn and live the principles of the gospel. It'll bring us nothing but joy. 

I was reading a good talk from this months ensign on one of the first sister missionaries, her names was Josephine Booth.. One of her journal entries said how we need to "work more, think more, and pray more." So that's what I'm going to try and apply this week. 

I know this church is true with all of my heart, I'm grateful for the ways Heavenly Father has helped me change out here. I'm grateful that this is a gospel of change.. I marvel at the workings of Heavenly Father, and grateful for the times he allows me to have simple opportunities to share my simple testimony of the truthfulness of the gospel..

One of my favoritest things about life and the gospel is we can change constantly. Because of the Atonement, and Jesus Christ we're able to always become something.. And more importantly become better. We have our perfect example, and can constantly strive and endure to the end to become more like Him.

"GOOD, BETTER, BEST, never let me rest... Until my good is my better, and my better is my best!"

-I know I sure needed that reminder this week! We have the greatest gift of all to become better and to become more like Jesus Christ. 

Just like a parent would never want to hold back a blessing from their child, Heavenly Father never wants to hold back a blessing from us. So look to Him in ALL things. 

WELL... 

"May God Bless you in Jesus Name, Amen"

^^ we had a random lady yell that at us this week. So kind, but a little interesting. We happened to run into her again, we talked for a bit and as we went our separate ways she said the exact same thing again... So that's what I'm passing on to you this week.. May God Bless you in Jesus Name.  

Know Sister Bee might be missin you a lot a bit this week.. Enjoy me some good Box Elder County Fair for me this year... Eat a big burger, sit at the band stand for hours.. Go and look at all the cute lambs and pigs.. And go on the zipper just enough times to make ya sick :) Yee-Haw!! Also don't forget to cheer loud for those cute bull riders ;)

Haha, hope you enjoy your day, and week! 

Today we enjoyed a relaxing day. Made a delicious cake, and some blueberry muffins. I also had some good tacos from Taco Bell... And then plan to go out and do some good tracting tonight at 6:00. So hope and pray that we'll find someone to listen. Have a fun week! 

Love you always. Xoxo

-Sister Bee 

- sorry if the email is err where, I took some time to reply to little emails this week, and ran out of time. 

That humidity though!

Cute Companions!

Tay and Sister Dickson were really sad that their awesome neighbors were moving. They packed most of their stuff in Vodka boxes and left a bunch of empty boxes right in front of their apartment door haha (probably as a joke!)

"The little girls in Africa finally got our dresses we made for them. It was a wonderful relief society activity and it touches my heart to see them in the dresses. The sweet girls can't go to school there unless they have a dress. Lots of women worked really hard in our ward to make this happen, and I was grateful for this opportunity to be apart of it. Andddd one of our investigators is a beautiful seamstress and came to the activity, it was neat to see her in the church. Little things like this are so humbling, I feel so much love for these sweet girls."

Transfer Meeting when Tay received Sister Dickson! This is her and ALL of her companions she has had up to this point! Such a neat picture! And they all wore blue. :)

Festival Fun

Hi guyss 

Hope all is well! Thank you for your emails, and updates. I care about you lots and love hearing how you're all doing.

Things are wonderful here in Somersworth! 

So a few weeks ago we prayerfully and carefully pulled out our little map and wanted to choose one street to go tract the next day. The lane was at the edge of our area, but both us felt like it was what we needed to do. So the next day we headed off to the lane we both felt good about. When we pulled up and saw the lane we realized there were only 3 houses on that lane.. We were expecting a few more.. But that's okay! We jumped out and started knocking. The second I saw the house, I told Sister Dickson that something good was about to happen. First house on the right, a sweet little lady comes to the door. To our surprise she had been praying for God to help her some way. I think when she told us that my heart dropped to the floor. We chatted a bit and she told us we could come back another time. We set up an appointment and were looking forward to it all week long. The morning of her appointment she gave us a call and wanted to cancel, she said she didn't feel good about letting two people into her house that she didn't know, because she had never heard anything about the church. Understandable, I'm not sure I would let just any random people in either. But I really was sad, because she just didn't quite have an idea on what she was denying. We gave her the bishops number and a few other numbers that she could call to know that we were a real church. Two days later we get a call from her. Her prayer was answered and she felt good about us coming over. We taught her all about the restoration and how Christ's church has been restored back on this earth. The spirit was oh so strong, and I know that she felt it. We left her with a Book Of Mormon and asked her to read the introduction. The next day we called her and she was very far into it, she said she knew what she was reading was true. Sunday comes and we found her a ride to church. Yippee. She was so happy to be there and loved all three hours. Man oh man it was so great to see her there. It was a perfect day of church, and I was happy she came. At then end of church she gave us both big hugs, and said "thank you for knocking on my door." << that moment right there made the thousand doors shut before her all worth it. I know she'll stay strong, I have so much faith in her. I really know with all my heart that God is preparing people to accept the gospel all around us. He answers prayers, I know she is an answer to my prayers, and that the church and the great teachings is an answer to her prayers. God is so mindful of each of us, I know that He hears our prayers and will answer them.

We also had a lesson with my most favoritest person in the world yesterday, a member returning back into the church. She is great, I know you would all love her too. She is one of those people that is just so easy to love. She had us over for dinner and a lesson last night. We started a program ran by the church with her daughter called the stop smoking program. At the first of lesson we asked the daughter to say an opening prayer. It was the most powerful and sincere prayer ever, and the spirit filled the room immediately. I know when we pray with real intent and a sincere heart, God knows, and will help us through the good and bad.. I'm thankful to know that Heavenly Father knows all of our hearts, especially mine. -- If it matters to you, it matters to God. 

"There is nothing that we are enduring that Jesus does does not understand, and he wants for us to go to our Heavenly Father in prayer. I testify that if we will be obedient and if we are diligent, our prayers will be answered, our problems will diminish, our fears will dissipate, light will come upon us, the darkness of despair will be dispersed, and we will be close to the Lord and feel of His love and of the comfort of the Holy Ghost." -Elder Robert D. Hales 

Have a fabulous week.

Xoxo

LOVE YOU SO MUCH 

-Sister Bee  

PS: worked at a fun festival during the day for family history with all the missionaries in our district. It was a blast!!

Adventures with Sister Olsen in Kennebunk, Maine!

Best dinner break yet! Beach contacting and PB & J's on Gouches beach!

This sweet man sketched Tay at the festival!

BEE KIND!

Until next week... 

GRATEFUL

Hi there family,

It's been a good week here in Somersworth. Have seriously been as busy as a Bee :)

So funny moment from this week. Mom do you remember how we were shopping right before my mission, and I had pretty much everything I needed? Well I remember being in a store and seeing a skirt that I really really liked.. You told me I was good and didn't need any more skirts. Somehow I pulled out the killer one liner that you couldn't say no to... "But mom... I know by wearing this skirt it'll bring the people there unto Christ." I still remember the look on your face and the laugh that followed..Yep the skirt was mine! Haha it's been my most favorite skirt on my mission, so thank you for buying it for me. So Wednesday this week I wore that skirt.. "The Jesus skirt"..  And guess what happened!? A brand new investigator!! Not any investigator, a golden investigator :) haha she's wonderfulllll! I barely know her but have so much love for her. we knocked on her door a few months ago and just haven't been able to catch her home.. Until last week we caught her home and set up a return appointment and ended up having a very spiritual lesson with her this week. It was in her backyard by her nice blue pool, it was very heavenly. (I had day dreams of me doing big cannon balls into her pool... Haha just kiddin) I love seeing potential in people, and I see such potential in her.. And I know that she'll be able to grow in Christ. I admire her humble heart to listen to us. The first time my last companion and I tracked into her she stopped what she was doing and we were able to teach her a little bit of the restoration. She mentioned in her lesson how her neighbors saw her meeting with us, and he told her not to let us come back. I'm grateful she pushed that comment to the side and was humble enough to hear us out. I know it's because the spirit has touched her heart.

 

So this week I got bit by a freaking dog. Haha he jumped up out of nowhere and bit the back of my arm. I was so thankful to have had a cardigan on, truly that was what helped out the whole situation.  It didn't break skin or anything where I had layers on. So it just bruised. I acted like it didn't hurt because I could already see how the owner was so sad and upset. But really it hurt and I was crying on the inside. Lol but that was like Wednesday and I'm fine now, and I don't have rabies so all is well :)

So we don't live too far from Joseph Smiths memorial! How neat is that? I hope to be able to go there before I leave, or am able to come back with you guys and check it out. I hear it is a very sacred place. Anyways last month there were two elders that were there, and they see this big van pull up and all these people jump out of the van.. Little did they know Elder Holland and his whole family jump out of the van. How neat is that! And what an experience for those two elders from my mission! 

Yesterday our relief society president, Sister Elsworth gave a great talk in sacrament. I probably will butcher it, but I want to share with you a few things that stuck out to me from it! It was on doing our family history work, and doing temple ordinances for them. She mentioned how her doing her family history work was like a new kid trying to learn how to drive a stick shift... Ya start, and ya stop... And then start and stop again.. Until you finally get the hang of it. Haha I thought it was a really cute way of putting it. 

She also asked us all to think of family dinner... A time when your sitting around the dinner table to eat family dinner and you notice someone's missing. You feel an absence, and feel like something or someone is wrong.. She said that's how it will be when we cross over the veil to the other side and some of our family members haven't had their temple ordinances such as baptism and sealings done. She encouraged us to get family names to take to the temple someday, and to make sure everyone will be sitting around that table when we cross over. It really got the gears a turning in my head, and really made me realize and remember even more how important temple ordinances and temple work is! 

I truly have came to find how it's feels to be mentally, spiritually, and physically tired every day by 9:30.. But I love it so much. It's the weirdest thing really. I have never been so grateful in my life. Im even grateful for the hard days, because that's when I've truly had to look to the Lord for help, and have had to look to him. I am so grateful for the gospel of Jesus Christ. I'm so grateful for these new iPads, they help out with the work so much I'm grateful for how I get to share the gospel daily, it truly brings so much happiness into my life being able to teach the gospel, and to talk about our wonderful Father in Heaven and our Savior. They love us so much! I'm grateful for all of you, I've been blessed with great family and friends. I'm grateful for the lifelong friends I have met out here. I'm just going on a grateful tangent.. Once we notice things we're grateful for, I always seem to find more. Well...email time has ran out.. But as missionaries we always try to leave commitments with others.. So I invite you all to focus this week on things you're grateful for. An attitude of gratitude truly makes the biggest difference in life. 

D&C 78: 19 And he who receiveth all things with thankfulness shall be made glorious; and the things of this earth shall be added unto him, even an hundred fold, yea, more.

PS... Check out a great talk called the divine gift of gratitude. It's by Thomas S. Monson.. It'll change your life for forever ;) 

"To express gratitude is gracious and honorable, to enact gratitude is generous and noble, but to LIVE with gratitude ever in our hearts is to touch heaven."

Sure love you.

Remember to smile, and to have a good week. 

XoXoXo

-Sister Bee

Tay's District

I  have no clue what is happening here... haha she said "When you can't express your feelings, just kick em'!"

And she definitely should not become a baker :) haha!

Morning Study

Fun with Sister Dickson

A pretty p-day hike

Cute companions

Ice Cream from Dover Delite! Except she says it's not Dover, it's 'Dovah' :)

The Elders sweet investigator was baptized! Such a special day.

Their awesome investigator and friend Eileen