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!! :)

Pictures

Transfer Day - February 2014

The Elko Zone - Good Times!  

Transfers...Again

I am staying here in Sparks in the Highland Ranch ward!!! That's the scoop I got for you! :)