GRATEFUL

THURSDAY DECEMBER 3

Hi family and friends!!

Long time no talk :) I hope your thanksgivings were full of lots of

food, fun, and love! Mine was great.. To start off the exciting week

we went with our Bishop out to lunch, and then after we went grocery

shopping and put thanksgiving dinner baskets together for some people

in the ward that were in need, I was grateful to be able to help with

that! Thanksgiving day we had three meal appointments... (The life of

being a missionary in America) All of them were so yummy! I ate

like I had never seen food before, lol. First we started off with

lunch with our lovely neighbors Karen and Kathy, (Kathy was the one

that called you mom and Tawn, haha she's such a goof!) then we stopped

at our bishops for dessert, and last but not least we had dinner with

the Bank family. I was so stuffed, and so grateful for the people I

got to spend it with. I love this time of year to take a step back and

to remember the things were grateful for! I loved from one of Elder

Uchtdorf past general conference talks when he said that "there is one

thing we can do to make life sweeter, more joyful, even glorious... We

can be grateful!"

It's been a big week, but a GREAT week here in Manchester. I truly am

just thankful to be here. I love every single thing about Manchester,

sometimes I just take a step back and think, how did I get so blessed

to be here? The area, the people, the city, the companion, the ward,

our investigators... I just love with my whole heart! 

Can you believe it's December!? I sure can't! Such a wonderful time of

the year. I love Christmas season, it truly is something that changes

the whole world.. It's the best time of the year, especially as a

missionary, people's hearts are a little more softer, and a little bit

more turned towards Christ. I love new englanders, they're different,

but oh so great. I feel like over time here that I have finally put it

into words on how to describe them. They're like a chocolate chip

cookie... Crunchy and sometimes a little hard on the outside, but once

you get to know them they're gooey and soft on the inside! Haha it's

great to serve the Lord, there is a special spirit that comes with

serving Him, and I feel like around this time I can always feel Him a

little more nearer. The church has came out with an awesome new

website called Christmas.mormon.org. It's phenomenal! It's got the new

Christmas video, "A Savior Is Born" and also a video called "A world

without a Savior" (pretty intense video!) I love them both, it helps

remind us the true reason for the season. A Savior is Born! And He's

changed the world for forever. I love Jesus Christ, He is the most

precious thing in my life.. He brings us hope, love, happiness, and

every good thing on this earth. I can't begin to thank Him for the

help and strength He has given me. What a wonderful time of year to

celebrate Him.

So here's a funny little moment that happened this week.. Our ward had

a ward temple night. A lot of the ward members went down to

Massachusetts to the temple, I was really happy to she how many

members went down!. Anywho, we as missionaries were assigned by the

bishop to set up the church for a dinner after all the ward got back

from the temple, and we also had to go pick up the Chinese food for

them to eat. Well we go to go pick it up, its a Friday night and it's

packed in there, and here comes this little Chinese man walking out

with three huge beer boxes with bud weiser and coors light on the side

of the box and says "here is your food, I put it in boxes so it'd be

easier to carry!" Haha so we grabbed the boxes of our food and were

walking out of this busy restaurant holding them, I don't think there

has ever been a moment on my mission that I wanted to cover my name

tag, until then. Haha so off we go to the church and in we go with the

boxes, all the members had already gotten there, and you should of

seen the looks we got walking in with the "Chinese food."

Many have asked about our investigators, and they are doing good for

the most part! A lot of problems we have here is with our solid

investigators getting into anti. Man oh man, how I hate anti. You

wouldn't imagine some of the questions we get. But I am very grateful

they feel comfortable enough to bring up there concerns with us. I

mean questions are great, but anti is not. If you really think about

it, this gospel wouldn't be here if Joseph Smith wouldn't of asked the

question "which of all the sects are true!?" Its just hard to find a

balance of, yes questions are a very good thing, but not so much that

you research too much and find very untrue things. I'm grateful to be

in a church that with our questions we may have that we are told to

take them to God, and the scriptures, and that He will give us an

answer through personal revelation from the spirit. I've have my

studies this week centered around personal revelation and how we can

better communicate with God. I've learned lots, now I'm just trying to

apply it. There was a quote from true to the faith that says "The

witness of the Holy Ghost makes an impression on the soul that is more

significant than anything you can see or hear. Through such

revelations, you will receive lasting strength to stay true to the

gospel and help others do the same. Although we often describe

communication from the Spirit as a voice, that voice is one that we

feel more than we hear." I know that The spirit testifies of all

truth, and that if we have that with us we can never go astray,

because we'll know what's true and what's not. We don't have to know

everything is true all at once, we're just asked to hold on to what we

do know! The gospel is like a big puzzle, you put it together, and

sometimes you run across a piece that doesn't fit in the puzzle (or

make sense in your mind) but as you put it aside and work on what you

do know, the puzzle comes together and then we see how the piece that

is set aside, soon fits right in.

Last in the email...Saturday!! It was a special day. We tracked a lot,

and after walking 5 miles in the rain it was nice to sit down for an

hour and a half and drive down to Charron Vermont! There was a live

nativity, and we got to watch all the Christmas lights turn on for the

year with our investigator Pauline. She loved it, and so did we! It

was such a neat neat night. I also got to see the Sargent family from

Somersworths which was really exciting. Lots of the Manchester ward

went, and President and Sister Stoker! Pauline was amazed at the

beauty, and I was happy she got to feel the happiness and spirit that

is at the Joseph Smith memorial. Our other investigator Kiks is doing

amazing, she has a baptismal date and is just too cute. She's from

Hawaii, but lives with the Bank family and each time we have a lesson

Sister Banks feeds us dinner! We're there a lot and it's so fun to get

to know them all. It was exciting to see on Sunday both Pauline and

Kiks at church, it was a good good Sunday, after many Sunday's of no

investigators at church it was great to see two finally come! After

church we had dinner with the amazing Spencer family.. Well, that's

about all for now, but I hope you all have a good good week as well!

You're all in my thoughts and prayers.

Sorry for the big update.. And for it being all over the place..

I know the Church is true, I love Jesus Christ, and His gospel. It

will bless you. Hold on to what you know, and keep on keepin on :)

Remember...All it takes is faith, trust, and a little pixie dust ;)

Have a good good week!

LOVE YOU SO MUCH 

Have a fabulous week..&&

Thanks Be To God.

Xoxo

Sister Bee