Aloha!!!

I thought I'd start out with a big AHOLA! Because there still isn't any snow and there is no sign of it coming! Boo. It really does not feel like Christmas yet.

So the weeks are flying by. I can't believe that I will be talking with ya'll in a week!! Have we figured out timing yet? I think I should be able to do whenever. :)

We are starting to work hard at finding this week. There are lots of people who need this gospel but no one who seems ready yet. It has been hard but we are continually trying to show are faith so that we can see miracles! 

The Lord loves everyone of us and does have a plan for us. I know that! I have truly learned that for myself. He knows what will be best for us to learn and to grow. Some days I feel like I've grown a lot and other days not so much, but I sure hope that there has been a change. 

Not much to report on!! I love you all and wish you a very merry Christmas!!

      love

        Sister Fish 

Final Transfer...What?!?!

Carlin is my new home!!! I will be in Carlin for another 6 weeks! Yep. Sister Rogers will still be my companion and she will now have been my longest companion. Good thing I now can keep a companion for 3 transfers! haha!! 

AHAHAHAHAH!!!! I feel like I have a panic attack just about everyday thinking about how close the end is near... It can't be over can it? Well good thing it won't be. I won't be teaching full time but I will be looking for ways to be a missionary full time. Everything we learn through trials or experiences are being learned so we can use it in the future. Does that make sense?

It was a rough week, but a good week. We have been seeing lots of miracles but lots of challenges too. That's how we know we are doing something right!!

A lot of our investigators have been really flaky lately and are just using their agency not to meet with us. I really hope that they will be straight with us if they don't want to meet anymore or that they will keep their appointments. I really appreciate honesty and straight forwardness so much more now!!! 

We were able to see this C. family this week. They have been having a  struggle in a lot of different aspects in their life. They are a part member family and we invited the father to hear more about the restored gospel this past week. He accepted!! I am so excited. I love this family so much and I can just feel how much he needs to be baptized and how much that will help him in his life especially at this time.

One of my favorite things about being a missionary is feeling the Savior's love each and everyday, but not just His love for me, His love for everyone. When I invite people to learn of how they can have an eternal family I can feel the Savior's love and concern for them! He is so real and so aware. I know that to be true. He knows us deeper than we know ourselves. He knows what is best for us and I just love that about Him.

Sunday, we monitored at the creche! It was lots of fun. I am grateful to be here in Elko for it again this year. I learned so much about the nativity that I never knew. Just to name a few, there was a taco truck there, a back hoe, and also a dragon. ; Every community needs something like this. A place where everyone can display their nativities to the rest of the neighborhood. It is just the perfect way to celebrate the Christmas season. I loved the First Presidency's Christmas devotional as well. Everything that was shared related back to the testimonies shared in our testimony meeting at church. 

The Christmas season is one of the best times to share your light of Christ. Share the knowledge and truth that we have with everyone around them. Our Father in Heaven gave us the most precious and greatest gift of all, His son. Because of that gift, we need to share the gift of eternal families with everyone!!! Don't be afraid! Just share it! 

I love you guys lots and lots and lots!!! Miss you too!! Have you heard anything about skyping yet? Just wondering! I think I should be available whenever but can you convert the time you give me to Nevada time! I would appreciate that!! 

miss ya lots! See ya soon!

          Sister Fish 

He is the Gift

Aloha!!

So how are things? The weather is starting to turn cold again. It threatened to snow yesterday, but that didn't last long. 

Have you seen the new Christmas clip that is on christmas.mormon.org? It is sooo good. watch it! Such a great way to kick off the holiday season!! I have watched it like 10 times I swear, and it still hasn't gotten old! You can just feel the spirit as you watch it and it reminds us of why we celebrate Christmas.

It was a really good week!! We had exchanges on Wednesday! I was with Sister Coy in Carlin. If you don't remember who Sister Coy is, she was with me in the MTC. We were in the same district and roomies!!! It was a lot of fun! We saw a lot of miracles. We contacted 3 people right in a row! And all of them seemed fairly interested!! It was awesome! We have a return appointment with one tomorrow! 

Thanksgiving was great! We had dinner with a family in the ward, the Winegar's. Their kids are so different and all have big personality's so it was tons of fun! We played hacky sac before dinner and then settler's of Catan afterwards. Don't worry my skills at board games have not improved so I will have to work on that so I can beat ya'll! 

I am so grateful for this time of year that we have to remember our gratitude and our Lord and Savior, even Jesus Christ. It truly is through Him that all things are possible!! I love and miss you all soooo much!!! Hope you have a happy holiday season!!

I love you more than Hot cocoa!

           Sister Fish

Happy Turkey Day

Another year has come and gone since the holiday all about gratitude. Somehow I still find my self in the Elko zone!! Haha!!

I am so grateful for the holiday season. I am grateful that the Lord is mindful of us and knows our needs. I love you all so very much and hope you enjoy your turkey comas!!

This week was rough but we received lots of blessings.

The members were so great this week too! Sister Burton invited us over for dinner with a part member family and we were able to bear testimony of the Savior and Sister Burton was too. The family was touched. The husband who is a non member has been struggling with his health and is worried about accepting the Savior because when people accept the Savior, they die. That is what he believes. He is so worried, but his wife who has the gospel is so calm and confident in the promises of the Lord. We are excited to help the husband build his faith in the Savior, Jesus Christ.

Then Sister Cordova invited us to take dinner over to a former investigator/part member family's home. We bore testimony of the Book of Mormon and it's witness that the Savior lives and He loves us. They have also been battling some health concerns!

Cat our investigator has some questions about the 3 Kingdoms of Glory so we dropped off the triple combination scriptures for her to look over Doctrine and Covenants. She is amazing and has a strong desire to be baptized. As we were talking, you could see that the Spirit enlightened her mind with new knowledge. At one point, we were talking about alcoholism and she looked at us and was like, "Wow, ladies, I am just like those alcoholics, but with cigarettes." It really hit home for her.

The best part of the week was that the night before we were supposed to see Cat which was Wednesday, Sister Rogers and I both had some crazy dreams. We were sitting at the table, doing our studies and I just looked at Sis Rogers and said, Cat needs a baptismal date and I think it should be January 8th.  I told her that the night before, I had had a dream about it and that was the date we set her with. Then Sis. Rogers told me that she had a dream that we saw her and another investigator baptized. My heart was pounding. And I was geeking out!!! I know that those were given to us from the Lord. It was one of the most precious experiences I have had as a missionary.

I learned a lot about charity this week. I have realized that I could be better about having Charity. This pure love of Christ should be the driving force of everything we do!!

Well I love you and miss you all more than butter loves toast!!!

                     Sister Fish 

Love this Black Tag

Bon-Howdy!!

I got that greeting from our assistants to the president. One is from the south and the other is from an island where they speak French, New Caledonia I think? So I stole their greeting! :)

So how are things with everyone? From what I hear, it sounds like things are good. Things are good out here. It is starting to get a little chilly. Not excited for that. We haven't had snow yet though. That is super nice.

We had a  pretty okay week. Satan was kind of getting us down but we were able to push through and have some pretty awesome lessons. We truly are our own worst enemies when we let Satan belittle us and make us think we are less than we truly are. I have been studying a lot about Jesus Christ though. It has really helped me to understand how he truly is our Savior and Redeemer. I am always so grateful for His atoning sacrifice and His love for each of us.

This week we were able to visit with Kim an investigator! She has the desire to read the Book of Mormon and we were able to testify to her of the Plan of Salvation. She had a daughter who just had complications from a pregnancy so she was a little stressed and worried. The spirit was so powerful and I know she felt the love that He has for her. This past week I was reading a talk from Elder Christofferson and in it he quotes a missionary who said, "Thank you black tag for allowing me to have intimate experiences with compete strangers." I love that quote now. I kept thinking that as we walked out of Kim's home. I am so grateful to be a representative of the Lord Jesus Christ.

We were also able to meet with the Engle's. They are a great couple who love the Lord and are already striving to follow Him. We taught them about the restoration and introduced them to the Book of Mormon. Sister Engle was thumbing through it as we spoke about it and how it is another witness that Jesus is the Christ. I hope that they read it!! I feel like they will. They said they would try to be at church and weren't there. That was a bummer but hopefully they will come soon!

I have to get a flu shot today. Not excited... at all. That's like the worst thing. Hopefully I survive. haha!

Well I hope all is well and that ya'll are staying warm now that the weather is cooling off! I know I'll be trying me best not to freeze! I love and miss you all sooo soo much!!

                             Sister Messervy

Long Winter...

It is going to be a long winter. It just barely got cold and I already am sick! Ugh... I spent like a day and a half in bed because my head was just so congested and my throat hurt like no other. I am up and moving, but still have a linger cough. And I don't think it has any intentions of going away soon.

This week was really good! On Tuesday, we went on exchanges with the sister training leaders. Both of them came to Carlin and we blitzed our area. So we were able to meet a lot of people and get a lot done that day! It was awesome! Tuesday night, we also had the ward trunk or treat! There was actually a pretty good turn out and a few non-members came! It was a lot of fun to see all the costumes that people come up with. Some of them were really cool. Like Nolan was Bettlejuice and his makeup for it was AWESOME!!

We were able to meet with investigators that the elders had been teaching this week. We answered questions about the plan of salvation and taught about the restoration a few times this week. It was good! I could really feel the spirit as we spoke about how the church was restored to the Earth.

The gospel is true everybody! I know it!! I was also reading an article on grace this morning by Sheri Dew. She gave it at a women's conference, and it was really good! She just talked about how we need the Savior's grace in pretty much everything we do!!

The hills or mountains are covered in snow! I can't believe that Christmas and Thanksgiving are just around the corner! Love you all and miss ya like crazy!
               Sister Fish

P.S. Here are some pictures of me and my friend Bambi! He made really good jerky!

 

Another Picture Post

 

 

This picture made us think of a movie. So if my missionary service was a movie this would be the poster for it!

 

 

The only time to say it is now...

Okay everybody so kind of starting to freak out... 12 weeks! That's the only time I'm saying it and lets not remind me how unbelievably close the end is. Ok. Now that that is over, moving on.

I keep forgetting to write this but a few weeks ago, I got to skin a deer! Yep! That was a blast! Kind of smelly!  

This week was great! We weren't able to see as many investigators as we would've wanted, but we were able to visit with a lot of less actives. It's been good! I love Carlin. It's insane how you can love the strangest, smallest, towns! It's great!

In Crescent Valley, we met a less active member named Bob. He is great. He lost his wife about a year ago and has been less active for many many years. I love being able to invite those people back to the fold, because they know, but they are just choosing not to participate at the moment. I could just feel that one day, he will come back and that he really needs this gospel in his life at this time to help him heal and find the peace that he is searching for.

We heard the greatest prayer ever in sacrament meeting yesterday. Scotty is the sweetest guy. He is 31ish with down syndrome. He wants to get to the temple, but needs to be attending church more regularly and become more active. He gave the prayer and it was just so heart felt and really touched me. It reminded me of the importance of making sure we are really talking to God when we pray. It is a conversation and He wants to hear from us because He is our Father.

Yesterday was just really spiritually uplifting. In Relief Society, we were discussing the talking that Elder Holland gave on discipleship and this is what I got out of it. As followers of Christ, we are commissioned to share His gospel with all the world. Often we are too afraid to share it with the people that we love the most. Why? We are afraid that they will either be offended or never talk to us again. They are afraid of losing those people or pushing them away. (This is where the epiphany comes in) So as I was pondering this, I just had the thought that we may be afraid of losing them in this life, but if we don't share what we know, we will lose them in eternity. It just really hit me that we should be more afraid of not seeing them in God's Kingdom in the next life.

It's been fun in Carlin! Tuesday is the ward trunk or treat at the chapel and so I'll let you know how it is. To answer your question, for Halloween, we have to be in early. Pretty much after our dinner appointment if we have one! So yep that's Halloween for ya!

Well I hope ya'll have a great week! Work hard and pray hard!

                              Sister Messervy

I forgot to mention that I am staying in Carlin for another transfer with sister Rogers!! WOHOO!!!

Anything Can Happen...

Miracles are happening, miracles are happening!!! This week, the Lord blessed us with so much!!! He truly does love us. There are miracles that happen in our every day lives. Have you taken the time to notice them lately?

We have been able to meet so many new people in this area! It has been great! We were able to meet with an investigator this week who just had a baby and is in her early 20s. We brought a member with us and she was able to bear a powerful testimony of how the gospel blesses families. It was awesome!!

It was great to have Sister Hermansen come out with us yesterday evening! She has so much energy and such a love for the gospel. I love how she just has an instant love for people and wants to share what she loves with them! We were able to see an investigator while she was with us. She is part Native American and had some concerns about having to give up her culture to join the church. We were able to resolve her concerns and testify that the Book of Mormon is a part of her heritage and can bless her life!

Sacrament meeting was wonderful! The speakers were just incredible! They both spoke on the importance of love in missionary work. It just really reminded me how important it is that the people we meet and talk with feel the love of their Savior! That even goes for just being Christian. Everyone we interact with in our daily lives should see the Savior in our countenance since that is who we are trying to be like!

It was a really good week! Even though some of the days were hard, it was an overall successful week!

I love you! Sorry it's a short one! Have a good week! God Bless!

          Sister Fish

Dust is in the air...and it's in my hair!

Soooo.... it was kind of nice when I was in Sparks and missed home because I was really just missing Elko. But now that I am back in Elko. I just miss real home! Haha! It's a vicious cycle ya know!!

Things are good in Carlin. Still loving it. The Elders left lots of potential sheets (lists of people who could potentially investigate the gospel). So we have pretty much just been going through those and contacting everyone!! I'm surprised we haven't met the whole town yet! haha.. I'll let ya know as soon as that happens

We have had lots of fun here. When we went to Crescent Valley this week I saw a house that looks exactly like the one from the cartoon Courage the Cowardly Dog! It was the funniest! We didn't have as much success out there as we would've wanted this week, but it was still fun! We met a less active family and they are awesome! They have a desire to go to the temple and were at church on Sunday! Hooray!! Other than that we didn't really get to talk with anyone. So we ended up helping the Copen's clean up their triple wide that they are going to rent out soon!

I love the member's here! They are so unbelievably awesome! There is such a sense of family here. They really just take care of one another not because they have to, but because they want to.

I loved Conference last week! The talks were so inspiring and just lifted my soul! I felt like every talk was meant just for me! It is incredible how the Lord can do that! :)

Not much else to report on! Love ya'll! Have an awesome week! Remember that God loves you! 

                         And I love you too!

                             Sister Fish 

Picture Post..

I think this week's letter is just going to be pictures!!  So I hope you enjoy.  Things are good in Carlin.  The work I moving along slowly, but surely!

Monday we hiked to the hill on the C in the cold...

Missionary selfie!

Liver and Onions and Stuff

Well hello there! 

Well the weeks here are kind of slow going! We are having a hard time finding people here which is funny because we have a huge long list of people we need to contact but no one is ever home! So it's been loads of fun!! :) It really has there is no sarcasm there.

I did try liver and onions this week. Yeah... not my favorite meal ever. Liver tastes super super gross.

It has been raining all weekend long! I am so happy! And there is a chill in the air. Everyone, fall is here! Buya!

I have been reading the Book of Mormon everyday and seriously there is so much in it that I didn't notice before! I have learned so much! I truly do know that it is the word of God. He loves all of His children so much that He gave them another witness that Jesus is the Christ. I will always be so grateful for that!

I loved the General Women's broadcast this past weekend! I am so grateful for the temples! They are the house of the Lord where we can make promises with God and receive so many wonderful blessings! I really felt like President Uchtdorf was really talking to me!

Have you guys heard about the movie, Meet the Mormons. It is all about how average people live their lives as Mormons. You should find it in a theater near you go to meetthemormons.org.And maybe invite friends or family to go see it with you to! Great missionary opportunity.. hint hint!

Well I love you all so so so much!! More than a hundred buckets of rain!

Have a great week!

      Sister Fish

Back in Black... Or in Carlin

Hey everybody!!!

So things have taken a dramatic turn here in the Nevada Reno Mission.... I am back in the East!! (Dun, Dun, Dun). Who would've thought that I would be on the East side of the mission again! I seriously thought that I would never see Elko again until after my mission, but here I am. The Lord truly works in mysterious ways!! I am in the small town of Carlin, it is just like 20 miles outside of Elko. The area we cover is huge too!! We cover a place like 40+ miles away. The area we are in was closed for 12 weeks and so my companion and I opened it back up again. It is kind of like we are starting from scratch, but with a little more guidance than just a blank piece of paper.

The ward here is incredible!! We live with Brother and Sister Knight. They are awesome and just take such good care of us!! The members are so strong here, the ones who are active in the faith that is. There are a lot of people who are not presently participating! Hopefully that changes soon!!

So last week was crazy! Monday night we had the sisters from Winnemucca stay with us because one of them was headed home. So we dropped her off at the mission office Tuesday morning and then we spent the rest of Tuesday in a trio! It was fun! We had a great lesson with Pat. I think he really felt the spirit. We are trying to make sure that his lessons are just really spiritual experiences so he can't deny that he is feeling God's love for him and that what we are telling him is truth.

Tuesday evening, we had transfer meeting. We got to see all the new missionaries get paired up with their first in-field companion. Then President and Sister Hermansen spoke to us! It was a truly wonderful meeting! Five missionaries stayed in our apartment Tuesday night! 3 of us were on the floor in sleeping bags! That is just mission life for ya!

Wednesday morning, Sister Irwin, Sister Rogers, and I went over to the mission office with all of our stuff, in our new Chevy Colorado!  (That is what we drove here to Carlin and now drive in Carlin). So we caravan-ed behind the transfer van and trailer all the way to Elko, all day Wednesday!! It was crazy! I drove, but I hadn't been sleeping at all last weekend!! But we made it safely!!

The rest of the week, Sister Rogers and I were figuring out our new area and getting organized!! We were even able to meet with a few people! I am so excited to be serving here!! To give you an idea of just how small our ward is, there were only 7 women in Relief Society on Sunday! I just went from a super huge ward to a really small one! Kind of weird!

I love and miss you all! Hope you have a great week!! 

            Sister Messervy

Sorry it's Short...I already know it!!

So I am getting transferred!! No more Highland Ranch ward for me. So sad!! I am going to miss so many people here!! Crazy!! 

Guess where I am headed though... haha!! I will be in the Elko zone once again!! But I am actually serving in a town called Carlin. We are getting Double transferred in (pink washing an area!) My new comp will be Sister Rogers. I've heard good things so I am excited. And I'm excited to go back to the East!! 

Sorry it is short. There is so much to do. Lots of packing and I am just a bundle of stress!! 

Thank you all for your love and support! Love and miss you lots!! 

Sister Fish

Rolling...Rolling...Rolling

I can't remember how the rest of that song goes... is it even the word rolling? Oh well, who knows!!

So this week was pretty dang slow! Not a whole lot to report on because not a whole lot happened! 

We had a really great lesson with Dee on Tuesday about how baptism is essential and so necessary to our salvation! We also saw Pat and we were so sure that he'd make his baptismal date, but we have to push it back again! At least this time he is actually making progress. Slow progress, but still, progress is progress! 

For dinner Tuesday night, we had dinner with the women and young women of the ward. They had a summer salad social that we were invited to. It was a lot of fun and the salads were so yummy!!  

Thursday night, we did family history at a member's home with a recent convert family! Family history is the coolest thing. I think when I get home, I might become an indexing addict, but we'll just have to wait and see! It is so much fun to search for ancestors and link generations. It was really exciting to watch this family enjoy it as well and to see the success they had in growing their family tree!! 

So we have actually been talking with the maintenance man of the apartment complex we live. It has been super fun to talk with him and to slowly share the gospel with him. He is a riot too!! Remember that there are always people around you to share the gospel with!!!

Well not much else to write, so I better quit!! Sorry it's a short one this week! I do get a call on Sunday to hear if I'll be staying or going! So I'll let you know next week when I know!!

Love you all more than a hungry bear loves salmon!!

                        Sister Fish

Labor Day...Already?!?!

GAH! Can you believe that it is September already! That is seriously so crazy! Even the leaves here are showing signs of fall! It is coming quick I tell ya! I hope it comes fast because I can't wait to wear cardigans!! I love layering! It is probably one of my favorite things! (Thanks for letting me ramble off for a minute about how much I love fall!) 

 

Well.. what to say, what to say... This week was pretty good! On Monday we did that usual p-day thing and met up with other missionaries! Then we had dinner with our ward mission leader and his family. From there, we went and did family home evening with a part member family. We talked all about the restoration. How Christ established his church, how after he was crucified, the authority to act in His name was taking from the Earth, and then finally, how the church was restored through Joseph Smith! We even taught all of that, using visuals of a piece of paper, and cups! Pretty cool! 

 

Dee is my favorite! She is just the neatest lady! She is all about gardening and being thrifty and frugal! She also doesn't sugar coat a thing and just tells it how it is! We were finally able to teach her about the restoration as well in a member's home! Sister C bore a powerful testimony about why baptism is essential, and now Dee wants to know why! 

 

Shawn and Pat crack me up! We met with them at the Aland's home and taught about Christlike attributes! After we went running with Pat. We are trying to help him replace his smoking and drinking addiction with other things! So, tonight we went running! It was pretty funny! I think Pat wanted to cus us out the whole time, but he seemed to enjoy it too! He was laughing and talking most of the time :) 

 

Wednesday was a great day too! We read through the introduction to the Book of Mormon and a few chapters in it with J. Seriously, the Book of Mormon has become my favorite book as I read and study from it each and everyday! I love the stories in it and I love how applicable they are to my life! Sooo relatable even though these people in it lived like, what, hundreds of years ago! Make time to study from the scriptures! It helps your day go so much better if you've read the word of God.

 

We also had lunch with an investigator who we haven't seen in forever! Which was great! We were able to answer some of her questions and chat with her some more!

 

Of course, we saw Pat again with Bro Fritter. We talked about the Doctrine of Christ! It was a pretty good discussion! On Saturday, Pat was able to attend another baptism. As he talked to some of the other missionaries there, he admitted that there is no place for sin in God's kingdom! WOHOO! He admitted it and even out loud!! Yea! I hope he remembers that because it will really help him as he works to overcome some of his struggles!

 

Zone conference was on Friday! I love zone conference, but at the same time, I don't love being reminded just how much I still need to work on as a missionary and as a person!  But there will always be something to work on and perfect.. what's a girl to do? 

 

We were able to see Destiny and her family and it was a really good time! We read through some of the Book of Mormon with them and even had some dessert! "When Mormon's meet, Mormon's eat!" has never been truer since I've come on a mission!!

 

We had a really great week and lots is happening!!!! I am so grateful to be in the service of my God and your's! I am grateful for the Atonement! I know that it is infinite and because of that sacrifice, we have the power once again on earth to bind families for eternity. Through the priesthood power, there is no till death do you part, there is only eternity! I love you all so much! Thanks for all the love and support!

          LOVE!!

             SIster Fish

 P.S. Look up the talk by Jefferey R. Holland "Missionary Work and the Atonement" because it applies to you as member missionaries!  

Slow Week

This week was kind of a slow one! I don't know why, but not a whole lot happened! So sorry for the short letter!!

 

We were able to see Pat this week! We talked to him more about the Book of Mormon and how it answers questions of the soul. We read through Helaman chapter 5 with him and there was a verse about peace that really touched him. You could see how the spirit behind the verse affected him. 

 

I heard from Juan this week!! He is a recent convert who just left on his mission! Now he is officially in his mission as of today!! It sounds like he loved the MTC. He was actually a district leader while he was there! He is going to do great!

 

J seriously kills me! She is the funniest old lady on the planet! She is just so spunky! We talked to her about the apostasy. She had heard it all before and she told us that she has been praying about whether or not Joseph Smith was a Prophet for a really long time, but hasn't felt like she's received an answer yet. We plan on reading the Book of Mormon with her, because it is through reading it that you come to know whether or not he was a Prophet. Because now 17 year old boy with a fourth grade level education could have written it without the power of God. So I'll keep you posted on what happens there!!

 

We were also able to get in touch with a family who we haven't seen in forever. They are going through a rough patch, but are turning completely to the Lord to help them go through it! It is wonderful to see them at church and really ready to move forward in the gospel! 

 

Exchanges was good! I learned a lot from Sister Rae!! She is awesome!! 

 

Lauren's birthday was on saturday, she got a quad for her birthday and is so happy to have all the scriptures in one!!  We of course gave her a picture of her two favorite Sister Missionaries!! 

 

Well, I don't know what else to say!! Not a whole lot going on! I love and miss you all like mucho mucho mucho!!!

                    Sister Fish

 

Back to School

School started this week in good ole' Nevada. I feel like school just keeps starting earlier and earlier every stinkin' year. So everyone who is going back to school, I want to wish you a happy year of learning. :)

 

This week was awesome!! We found two new investigators. One is a man in his 60s. He recently had a stroke so is now in the local nursing home, Manor Care. We were able to leave him with a Book of Mormon and a pamphlet. We will be going back to read the Book of Mormon with him and teach the discussions. Our second investigator is R. She was referred to us by a less active member in the Eagle Canyon Ward. R has been going through a rough divorce and already has such great faith in the Lord. She is Christian, but hasn't been attending a church around here. She is currently looking for one and we were able to show up at just the right time! She has been so prepared. R was very receptive to all we had to say and she is planning on reading the Book of Mormon! We are excited to see what happens as we go back and visit. 

Pat is continuing to progress. Sunday morning, he called us before church to let us know that he'd be there! He also called us this morning to confirm that we'd be meeting with him this week! It is exciting to see that he is contacting us before we are contacting him. That is huge!!! 

Rita was able to share her testimony at a fireside yesterday evening. She was telling us just the other day how she feels that she needs to share her conversion more so she can keep the fire of her testimony alive. She has one powerful testimony of the gospel of Jesus Christ too! Her son Cameron blessed the sacrament for the first time on Sunday! He did so well! Their family is doing amazing and are continuing to progress in the gospel.

We are starting to work with Sister H's mom Janice. Janice is a hoot and a half. She has a lot of spunk and just recently lost a sister. The Bishop went over to talk with her and provide comfort during her time of loss. She told him that if it weren't for her smoking habit, she would be a mormon. So we are starting to build that relationship with her and build her faith so that she will have a desire to quit smoking and be baptized. Janice was a church on Sunday and she really enjoyed the service! 

I just have this strong feeling that we can see a miracle this transfer. That someone in our area is prepared for baptism. I don't know if we know them or not, but I know that someone is ready to receive the gospel with their whole heart. I know that as we strive to be diligent and exactly obedient, we will find them!

It's crazy how time is flying by and everyone is growing up! I am so grateful to have this time to be a missionary in the Lord's service, on His errand! 

I love each of you so much and hope you have an awesome week!!

           Sister Fish

END WEEK...

So... last week was the end of the transfer and I know you all are wondering and waiting, like you do for the next episode of your favorite soap opera, for what is happening with me, my companion, and the area. I'll end the wait now by letting you know that Sister Knight and I are staying together and we will be in Highland Ranch ward for another 6 weeks! We are just switching apartments!!  So my new mailing address is...

           6717 Rolling Meadows Dr. APT 2414

           Sparks, NV 89436

That's pretty much effective immediately! So we move in on Tuesday! That'll be a fun Tuesday!

This week was pretty good! We met a new investigator. This man was working on his boat, and so we just started talking with him. Which lead to us telling him who we are and what we do. We left him with a Book of Mormon and a pamphlet. We have a return appointment to see him this week too!! 

Instead of interviews this transfer, we received a special training from President and Sister Hermansen! It was amazing! It was all about how we can be better dedicated and more consecrated missionaries!! 

We met with Pat a bunch this week! A few of the lessons were rocky because he likes to be contrary to everything. But in the other lessons, he was more humble and you could tell that he was feeling the spirit, especially when we talked to him more about the Atonement. How God sacrificed His son, Jesus Christ, for us! 

Not much else to write about this week! We had a going away party for Elder Jones at Rita's on Sunday! We are all sporting some pretty nice wigs! Love you all to pieces!! 

            Sister Fish

 

Wig Party!

My district

Me and Knight

 

 

July's last post! Already?

Your trip to the Redwoods sounds like soooo much fun!!! Seriously.. I miss vacations. Is that weird?!? haha. So there may be a lot in my future!! I can't believe how big those trees are. Actually, I can't believe trees exist! 

This last week was kind of crazy and a bit of an emotional roller coaster, but we made it through!!

This week was great! We spent a lot of time with our favorite family, the Healy's!! We are helping them to get into the habit of building their testimonies daily, by reading the scriptures and praying together as a family. I love them! They have thrown themselves into this gospel head first and want to know everything about the church. I am so excited for their family and for the blessings that the gospel will continue to bring them!

Pat is continuing to progress. He is changing for the better and it is so exciting to see. He was at church (2nd week in a row!) in a white shirt and tie. We taught him once again about the restoration and it was such a different lesson. I don't think we were teaching the same person. He was so much more humble and willing to listen and didn't go off on crazy tangents. Then yesterday he asked for more moral support from us by attending this thing with him. I can't wait till he is baptized!!

We were on exchanges all day Friday! And I just have to say that I love Sister Sweany! Seriously, I was able to learn so much from her and we were able to just help each other a lot! It was a really great day! And the spirit was just so strong! 

Sunday evening we were able to teach a youth fireside in the home of a member of the bishopric. We had the youth role play answering questions about what we believe that their friends might pose to them. It was so fun!! I hope the youth enjoyed it too and felt the spirit of missionary work! 

I am so continually grateful for this gospel and for the love that our Lord and Savior has for us!!! I love you guys and am so thankful for your love and support! I hope you guys have a great week!! 

                           Sister Fish

And I know just why I like the rain .....

I hope you got the song reference in my subject line! And I sure hope that is the song you were playing as you drove through, since that's my favorite one and all! It has been raining like all weekend! Was I really called to Nevada or am I in Oregon? haha! It is really good though because we are in a serious drought. I've missed the rain and I am so happy that it is here to stay for a bit. The thunderstorms have been pretty awesome and there have even been a few dust storms!! The weather is crazy and the wind never stops here. Should Chicago have the title of windy city or should Sparks? Right now it seems pretty debatable!

This has been a really great week! Pat is taking huge steps to be baptized. We met with him almost everyday this week! It was great! Friday evening, he called us to see if we knew how to cut hair. We told him that "for you we do!" Seriously his mane was getting pretty mangy. We were cutting his hair outside and the wind started to pick up. Hair was flying everywhere, it was kind of gross. Pat looks like a totally different person now.After we left, he shaved too!! Then on Saturday night, he and his brother came to a baptism. Pat told us that his heart was fluttering! He could feel the spirit!! And Pat was even able to come to church on Sunday! We are seriously so excited to see the progress he is making! He is taking much bigger steps towards baptism now!! 

Wednesday, we met Mike and Marty. Mike is terminally ill from brain cancer and is not completely coherent all the time. He is getting some stubs to grow on his head, but is as skinny as a rail. As we were talking with him, he would sometimes be there, but other times be chatting with someone the rest of us couldn't see. His friend Marty cares for him 24/7. He gave up everything. He sold his home, business, motorcycle, etc., and moved to Sparks to take care of his best friend. It was amazing to see the love that Marty had for Mike, it was definitely the closest to Christlike love that I have ever seen.

Mike kept asking when they were going to a place, but they hadn't made any plans to go anywhere. Marty had to keep telling Mike that they'd leave soon, even though they never would. How hard would that be to live in 2 different realities. 1. the reality that your friend is going to die and having to take care of everything for him while 2. having to pretend for him so he doesn't get upset and to keep him happy at the end of his life. A few times, Marty had to walk out of the room and compose himself. I looked out into the hall and saw him weeping those times, but in the room he was strong for Mike. 

As we offered a prayer with Mike, I wasn't sure whether to laugh or to weep. As I was talking to God, Mike kept interjecting, "sounds great", "that's great." We left in tears, but with the faith in our hearts that Mike will rest once he leaves his ill body. Watching how Marty cared for Mike really made me think about if I would show that kind of love for a friend, or even a stranger. I pray that each of us will strive to show more love for the people around us, because they truly are our brothers and sisters. We are all children of God. 

Those are just a few highlights from the week! I hope everything is good and that everyone is doing well! I love and miss you oodles and oodles!

              Love.

             Sister Fish

Miracle Week?

To all the most wonderful people in the whole wide world......

It has been a week of miracles seriously!! We have done a lot this week and there is still so much more to do! The Lord's work is never ending that is for sure! 

On Tuesday, we met with a part member family in our ward. I am not sure if I already wrote this or not, but we found them coming out of Rita's one day and were able to set a return appointment. So we went back, established expectations for our visits, got to know them, and answered questions! Their kids are the best! They are so attentive and listen and really ask some great questions! We met with them again on Thursday to talk about the Book of Mormon and what it is! It is a record, much like the Bible, another testament that Jesus is the Christ. We went over the introduction with them and explained what it was saying. 

Right after that appointment, we booked it over to another one! Thank goodness it was only a few streets over. A Bishop here in Sparks invited some friends to learn more about what we believe. So we met with them and talked a little about the Restoration of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We talked about why there are so many churches and how we can know which is Christ's church, with all of His teachings in it. She was so excited and everything seemed to make sense. It was amazing!! Thank goodness for wonderful members who fulfill their covenants to share the gospel!! We are hopefully going to see them again this week!! 

Sister Knight also got her first taste of the M. brothers. We recommitted Pat to baptism and hopefully everything works out so he will be able to be baptized on July 26th.

We've received a ton of referrals lately and have been contacting them like crazy!!! It's been awesome!! 

The Fourth of July was great!! We still had to be out and about doing missionary work, but we were able to see the fireworks!! We met with Deby that morning and invited her to church. Her family dynamic is a bit different so getting to church is kind of difficult, but it sounds like they are going to try to be there next week!! 

Then around dinner time, we went to the Nugget with Rita. We sat outside, with everyone else and their dog!! Seriously so many people were there eating food and enjoying the company of friends and family. So we had dinner there and watched the firework show. Our President gave us permission to be out late to watch them, but the show didn't start on time because it was soooo windy! We waited for forever!! We went to bed by 1 in the morning!! I was so tired on Saturday morning!! I could hardly function! It's so funny how I used to be such a night owl and now I have to be in bed by 10:30 pm or else I'm exhausted! haha :) 

Saturday morning, we had breakfast at the Stake President's home and had a little devotional given by him and a high councilman. It was great!!! Then Sunday we had Family Home Evening (FHE) with Rita and her kids!! Lauren taught the lesson and it was amazing!!!! She did everything for it. She taught the lesson and assigned people to pray and even picked the hymns for it!! Love her! She is so stinking cute!!

It was a great week!! I can't believe that I have been a missionary for a year in like 3 days!!! That is so crazy! Where has the time gone!!! I love and miss you all, hope you had a wonderful 4th of July! It sounds like it was a blast!!! 

 Much love and lots of hugs!!
             Sister Fish 

Temple & Slurpees?

Stopped by for a slurpee on 7/11

Temple trip!!  The sisters of my zone at the temple!!

Just another Manic Monday!

Haha... don't worry mom I totally got your musical reference! It may be old, but it's a good one! Sorry I stole your subject line! :)

So last week was great! On Monday we just hung out at our apartment complex. It was nice and relaxing. We played some pool, wrote some letters. Good Monday! We started to finish the lessons for Benji so he would be completely ready for his baptism on Saturday. Thank goodness we were able to finish them in time! haha.

Tuesday was weird because it was Sister Sheppard's last full day here in Sparks. She is now in Ely. She went from the big city to the middle of nowhere! I hope she is loving it!! We went over and helped Cam pack his bags for trek! He got home on Saturday and he loved it! We were so excited! Rita showed us a picture of him in his outfit. Cutest pioneer ever! While we were helping to pack his bucket, we shared some pioneer stories to get him excited to go and walk all day everyday!

I dropped off Sister Sheppard at the mission office, where the transfer van was waiting, early in the morning. Then I got to spend the whole day with the YSA sisters. It was weird, because we were in my area the whole time, but we were looking for young single adults! Then at 7 in the evening, I got my new companion, Sister Knight!

I am so grateful that the Lord is a part of His work. We were able to find so many potential investigators this week, just by talking with everyone! The Lord does place people in our paths. We are so excited to see what happens in the next few weeks with the people that we've met.

Saturday was the best day because Benji was baptized!! It was sooo fun too cause the Elders were able to come and be a part of it too! Benji was so happy! I don't think he stopped smiling that whole day! He was so excited to be baptized!

I love this gospel! I am so excited to be out serving the Lord. To be teaching the people of Sparks, NV about His gospel! I love you all and pray for you often!! You are the best support a girl could ask for! Love ya lots!

                               Sister Fish

Out the Window

     Hello, Hey, Hi, Hola, 

So this has been a crazy transfer! It has been so long... but quick all at the same time! A lot happened in such a short time. At the beginning of the transfer, we had a trio of Elders in our ward and then in the 4th week, Sister Sheppard and I took over the whole ward again! It has been a lot of work, but it's been great fun!!! 

The verdict on transfers is (L O N G  D R A M A T I C  P A U S E) I am staying in the Highland Ranch ward in Sparks for another transfer! And on a really sad note, Sister Sheppard is no longer my companion. She ships off to Ely Wednesday morning. I am so sad. We have gotten way close, but the Lord has his reasons. My new companion is Sister Knight! I'll have to send you a pic next week when I even know who she is!

Sebastian decided that he wants to be baptized this week!! And since he's been coming to church, we are having the service on Saturday June 28th!! It'll be crazy fun! We are so excited! He just can't wait! 

We've been meeting with a lot of less actives this week and going through the ward list to see if any of them are interested in coming back to church. Pretty much like none of them are. It is super depressing!! But funny stories do come out of it....

At one house this lady answers the door with a mouthful of food and proceeds to tell us that they've told missionaries to quit stopping by (insert spray of tuna?) they aren't interested anymore (more food out the mouth). It was pretty gross. 

Another time, we were trying to find a man named Mike so we tried the address that we were given for him. This woman answers the door and tells us that she had a renter there like 9 years ago whose name was Mike, but that he was no longer there. We then invite her to learn more about the Restored Gospel and how it can help and bless her. She really wanted to argue with us so we just testified to her of what we know to be true. At the end, she asks for our names, we give them to her. Just as soon as she has our names, she states, "I'll be praying for you." A bit before that she told us that those who preach false doctrine will be under condemnation....

So it's been a pretty good week with lots of good things happening! I love and miss you all like crazy! Let me know how everything is going with your summer fun!! I can't believe that in a month, I will only have 6 months left!! Where has the time gone? oh that's right, straight out the window! 

           Much love and lots o' hugs!!

                     Sister Fish

 

 

 

 

 

Drama, drama, drama.....

Hello my loved ones...

  

It is getting so ridiculously HOT!! Seriously, I am starting to believe what they say about Reno and Sparks, "Reno is so close to Hell, you can see Sparks." Yep it is that hot out, and it is only June.

So this was a week full of drama. The other set of missionaries in our ward, the Elders, were pulled out. There are now serving in another ward in the stake. So we have the lovely privilege of covering all of the ward. There is seriously so much to do, and not enough time to do it. I really wish there was a magic pill that would cure everything. I think I don't even know how to relax anymore. It is great though, life is good!!

Sister Healy is a recent convert who we have been working with! She was baptized in December of last year and we are going to the temple with her this Wednesday!!!  Sister Healy received a limited use recommend for the temple this Sunday. We will be going with her to do baptisms for the dead and we could not be more excited. After the Saturday evening session of Stake Conference, she knew that she wanted/needed to go this week. We are so happy to see her making those next steps to the temple since that is the goal! It is amazing to see her love for the gospel and her fire of conversion burning bright. She loves the Lord and loves His gospel. The testimony she bore last Sunday was incredible. She is so happy and is already sharing that happiness with others. She wants everyone to be Mormon. We love her to bits and pieces!!!

Not much else is happening. It was a pretty slow week. We are just trying to figure out and plan how to work within a whole ward! I haven't done that yet in my mission. I've only ever had half! It is exciting, but overwhelming all at the same time.

This last weekend was Stake Conference and it was an incredible meeting. Elder Hansen, the area seventy came and spoke. The temple president and his wife also spoke, so did President and Sister Hermansen. Seriously amazing. I learned so much from their inspired counsel. 

Something that President Hermansen said really stuck out to me. He was talking about the Restoration of the gospel through the Prophet Joseph Smith. When Heavenly Father spoke, the first words He said in this dispensation was calling Joseph by name. He knows us intimately. He knows our strengths and weaknesses, He loves us. He is a loving Father in Heaven. 

Also we need to trust the spirit more. Whenever we have a generous thought, we need to act on it. Good and righteous actions that come into our mind are from the Spirit. So don't supress those thoughts! Just act on them without questioning it! Pray for Charity! Love everyone. Talk with everyone. Remember that everyone needs the gospel that we have, even if they don't recognize that they do!!

I love you all so much! I pray always that you are coming closer to Christ. I miss you all more than the mountains!! 

 Sister Fish

This is Sister Healy and her kids. We went bowling with them for her son's birthday!!! 

This is the Harding's!! They are the family that had us over to skype on mother's day!! 

JUNE!!!!! NO WAY!!

OH my goodness... can you believe that it is June already! I can't! That just amazes me! In a month, I will have been a missionary for one whole year!! Where in the heck has the time gone!! It is lost somewhere!

Well this week was interesting! There is a lot of interesting dynamics going on with the ward we are serving in and missionary work... it is lots of drama and kind of crazy. I am hoping that it all works out for the best! Of course, it will work out how Heavenly Father wants it too. Everything is in His hands.

We met with a part member family this week and found out that the daughter doesn't even believe in God. She is a very logical thinker, very smart, and realistic. We are trying to show her that God is real in a very logical way! Should be interesting! 

We had dinner with a less active this Saturday and we made washer necklaces with her after. They aren't finished quite yet, once they are, I'll send you a picture! She is seriously the craftiest person ever. Her kitchen cabinets instead of being full of kitcheny things, are full of crafting supplies!! haha! She's just the cutest!

Fast Sunday was amazing! Many of the testimonies were on how members are trying to do missionary work! I wanted to cry, I was so happy! It is exciting to hear that ward members are not only praying for those opportunities, but they are acting when they arise! Our recent convert, Rita amazes me! She is so missionary minded!! She calls it recruiting! And when she does missionary work, she is getting her "CK (celestial kingdom) punch card filled." Rita is always asking us if we've found any recruits! Love her! She is on fire, already bringing others to the gospel of Jesus Christ!

On Sunday, after church, we helped a less active clean her pond that was full of moss!! It was pretty gross!! Reminded me that I never want a pond! I'll send you a picture of us in our cute outfits, maybe not so cute! She was so sweet and let us bore some pants and hats! haha!

I love this work and I love the Lord! Stay strong and of a good courage!!

            LOVE YA MORE THAN PEACHES AND CREAM!!

                      Sister Fish

Juan has been a member for 1 year and he just got his mission call to the denver south mission

us crafting!!

 

That's us going to work in the pond!! haha! 

 

Slow week... hard week... what week?

Hello everybody!! Geez... I just missed out big time this memorial day weekend! I loved all the pics! Everyone just looks so good and happy! It must've been a fun time, but of course, not as fun as if I had been there. Haha.

This week was a slow one. No one has been home or they just aren't answering their doors. I think some people might be avoiding us. Yay! That makes me feel real good. We seriously knocked on a door this week, heard a bunch of talking, knew they were home, but no one answered. I don't think just the kids were home either, so I don't know what their excuse was. 

We had zone conference on Wednesday. I felt like everything they talked about was just for me! I loved it! The trainings we received were so inspired. All of us can feel that we are on the edge of something big. That miracles are waiting to happen. At the end of the conference, we were told what Elder Teh said is holding our mission back from crossing the threshold into something big. All it is is reverence. If we were more reverent as a mission, we would see more success. How crazy is that? Something so little that is having huge consequences. 

We did find a new investigator this week! Which was awesome! Especially since she was a referral from a member! Hooray! We've already had two set appointments with her. Both of which have been cancelled, but hopefully we will be able to meet with her sometime this week. 

Yesterday was the best Memorial day ever! Thank goodness for tender mercies! So many miracles happened!! It was incredible to receive so many blessings in the span of an hour. After dinner, we headed to a less active member's home. We knocked and knocked. We looked inside and found that the home was deserted, but we saw two people out back moving. Within a few minutes, the people came round front to let us know that nobody was home. The woman stopped and said. You're missionaries, and proceeded to tell us her story of how she had been in contact with missionaries a few years ago. She told us how much the church had helped her to change and to grow. She told us that she was never able to be baptized though. It was an incredible blessing to meet someone who recognizes that she is ready for the gospel at this time. We are sending the referral in and missionaries should be there this week to begin teaching her. Everything happens for a reason!  

As we were talking with Zandra, the homeowner, Brother G walked up and he flashed us the biggest smile as we were chatting away with her. He still has a testimony! There was happiness in his eyes as he saw us doing missionary work. Sad to say, but it caught Sister Sheppard and I off guard, but it was amazing!! We also found out where he had moved to and got in contact with the next door neighbor, Todd, who we've been trying to meet with for the longest time. The little miracles are the best miracles!!

That's pretty much my week in a nutshell. Seriously it was slow week for missionary work! It was a good one though! I hope ya'll are having a fun start to the summer cause it is super hot hear already. I am already sunburnt!! Yep!

We love you all wider than the ocean!

             Sister Fish

Weekly Reminder that I Still Exist

Hello to one and all....

Sorry I didn't send out a mass email about the week last week. I don't know why, but for some reason last Monday was crazy!! It was sooo good to see you guys via skype on mother's day. I can't believe that I only have one more call home left until I go home! Yikes! Where has the time gone. I still haven't reached perfection as a missionary yet, probably never will, but hey, life goes on.

This last week was pretty great! We met with a few part member families and had some wonderful lessons. We received transfer calls 2 sundays ago and it sounds like Sister Sheppard and I will both be here in Sparks in the Highland Ranch ward for another 6 weeks! We are both super excited!! 

Tuesday we found 2 new investigators and had a lesson with them on Saturday. It was great! They are wonderful women. They are viewing our meetings as a bible study. We are going to compare different doctrines, but it sounds like they are open to change if they find a reason to. Our doctrines are pretty similar though, but also very different, so we'll see what happens!

Wednesday, we met with a recent convert and talked with him about family home evening. He is doing so well and his testimony and faith are continuing to grow. His brother has actually been taking the discussions. We met with the brother on Saturday evening. We were driving around after dinner and felt like we needed to stop by so we did. It is amazing how the Lord prompts us to do such simple little things, but miracles happen as we listen. The brother hasn't been progressing really. He has stopped coming to church and is having a hard time living some of the commandments. We felt like there was some sort of road block, but on Saturday night, he opened up to us about what is holding him back. He hasn't forgiven himself yet for things in his past and so because of that almost doesn't feel like he deserves the ability to use the Atonement of Jesus Christ in his life or is past saving. We'll keep working on him though because Jesus Christ's sacrifice was for everyone no matter what their sins are! We should be meeting with him this week! I'll let ya know how it goes!

Thursday's lesson was probably the best this week! Sister Sheppard and I's inner teachers came out as we prepared a lesson on the Plan of Salvation for a part member family. We did a Plan of Salvation walk through in the house to make it more visual and more interactive for the kids. (We've started to feel like some of the people we are teaching aren't being open and honest with us). D (the mom of the family who was baptized in January) finally opened up to us about some questions she had about prayer. We were able to explain prayer better so she can know how to communicate with Heavenly Father and how to receive answers from him. 

Saturday evening we had dinner with a part member family! They are the best little empty nester's ever. I found Brent's doppelganger!! The husband reminds me of Brent Messervy. They have similar voices and teasing personalities!! Haha! We've all got one somewhere. The wife was able to open up to us about some of her concerns with the church and why she can't believe in the things we believe in. I am seriously so grateful for openness and honesty!! 

Well, that pretty much sums up the week!! Except for, guess who I got to eat dinner with on Sunday??... the Ross' (Brother and Sister Bowden's daughter and family). It was seriously the best!! It was nice to feel a connection to home! I miss you guys lots, but love you MORE!!!

We've also been trying to get the ward more involved in their missionary work. I can remember when Elder Shayne Bowen of the Seventy came and spoke to us when the stake presidency was being reorganized. He said something that I will never forget.. " The members are the full time missionaries because they will be there before and after the missionaries leave." Be constantly aware of those around you who could be blessed from the gospel. Even people you just see in the grocery store. Look for ways to be a missionary... to actually bring up the gospel to someone, to invite them to come closer to Jesus Christ. We are trying to get the members to realize that they made covenants, promises to God to do this. We may be set apart to do this all day every day, but we don't know the area or the people as well as the people who actually live here. So here is my question to you, are you doing your part as a disciple of Jesus Christ? Are you striving to be a missionary? 

Hope all is well! Thanks for constantly updating me about everyone and everything! I love you guys so much and am constantly praying for you!! 

                  Sister Fish 

The first picture is me this week! yay! The 2nd is with 2 of the Ross' kids!! :)