Week 61 - Ty and Jackie's Baptism

This week was definitely one I'm gonna remember for the rest of my life. (Be prepared for a long read...sorry)

First Ty was baptized! I met him back in March when his step brother David, who we taught, was baptized, but Ty was never interested then. Well 3 weeks ago we stopped by to see how David was doing, and we saw Ty there. He told us he wanted to be baptized as soon as possible! Well 3 weeks later Ty was baptized! He's such a cute kid and it's been cool to see how much his heart has changed since March when I first met him. 

Sister Vea, Ty and Marissa at Ty's Baptism

Second, JACKIE WAS BAPTIZED! Let me just tell you WOW! Her baptism was amazing. The spirit was so strong, there were many tears shed. I don't think you could be in that room and not feel it. Jackie's story starts with Sister Davis and I knocking on her door in April, she told us she wasn't interested, but she was super nice. Well later she was invited by her neighbors to go to a family history activity (she's into genealogy) and she went and loved it. Well about a month later, we were walking in her neighborhood and it started to down poor. So being the sissys we are, we ran to the closest house we could find and that was Jackie's. Before we knocked we kind of were panicking because Jackie had already told us no, so usually we don't go back to a house where the people said no to us. Well we knocked it anyways and she opened the door and said, "I've been thinking of you girls lately, I think I want to take the lessons." Yep. I think my mouth literally dropped open. So then we started teaching her in June and she had to give up her coffee addiction which was so hard for her, but she did it! Bryan her husband got re-activated after 30 years of not being active. Jackie bore her testimony in sacrament yesterday and now She is the newest member of Jesus Christ's church! Amazing right. God truly works miracles. I know he led us to her door and I know he softened her heart to let us in the second time. God is so good.

Jackie and Bryan

Sister Davis and her companion, Jackie and Bryan, Marissa and Sister Vea

Sister Davis and Marissa with Jackie and Bryan, they are so happy for them

The sisters with Jackie!!!

All the Sisters with JACKIE!  Jackie looks so happy!

Such an amazing day for Jackie!

Sister Vea, Jackie and Marissa on Jackie's baptism day

Bryan and Jackie!!!  True happiness

If that wasn't already enough of how much I loved this week, we also had many other miracles...

One night we decided to visit all of our flakey investigators (people who told us they were interested but always reschedule or are never home). Well we visited all 6 of them and all of them were home and set up actual appointments with us and said they still were interested. We said a prayer before each door, and I know it was Heavenly Fathers hand that let us get all of those appointments set. It was a miracle because some of the people we visited we've been trying to get in contact with over the past month! 

Also we were tracting one night to go visit an inactive lady who just moved in who the relief society president texted us about. Well she was outside her house in a bikini and cow boy boots working on her car.... yeah a bit awkward, but we went for it anyways. She was super nice and told us she's trying to get back to church and has gone the past 2 times. We asked about how many kids she had and she told us she had a 9 year old girl. We asked if she was baptized and she then said, "hmmm, actually Gracie hasn't been baptized. Wait isn't that something you guys do? Could you teach her so she can get baptized?" We obviously said yes! We taught her on Sunday and she said yes to being baptized August 26th! Just another miracle Heavenly Father blessed us with. I just love this work so much. I feel so close to Heavenly Father and I can see his miracles everyday. 

It truly was an amazing week, full of love, the spirit, and miracles. I never want these feelings to go away. Can I just be a missionary forever? I wish. 

Heavenly Father has blessed this area so much. I know he is watching over us here and giving us miracles after miracles according to our faith in him. I know everything that has happened on my mission is because of him and I am so so grateful.   My joy is full:) 

Sister Lowe 

Week 60 - Exchanges

First HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO THE BEST DAD EVER! This will be the second

birthday I've missed:( love ya dad! (It was the 22nd)

So we were super busy this week, I went on two exchanges, and left Sister Vea in the area for a day and she did awesome! She even found a new investigator and invited them to baptism on the door step and he said yes and is on date for August 19th!

Exchanges - I went with Sister Davis and Sister Vea went with her companion

Exchanges always bring so many miracles! When I was on an exchange with my STL (Sister Davis!!) we talked with like literally everyone that we saw on the street and we found two new investigators from doing it! It was awesome!

We had some lessons with Jackie and Ty. Both of them are ready for baptism on Saturday and both came to church! I'm so excited. Ty’s baptism is at 10:30am and Jackie's is at 2pm!! Woot woot!

Lessons with Jackie!  Always a treat

There's a lot more that happened this week, but the main thing I wanted to talk about is the Book of Mormon. I finished the Book of Mormon today. And just WOW!

 I. Love. This. Book.

It literally fills my heart with such exceeding joy. I think I could just read it all day everyday and never put it down. The scriptures truly have so much power to them and they bring the spirit right into your heart. The Book of Mormon truly testifies of our Savior, Jesus Christ, in every aspect of it. It only brings us nearer to God. Every time I read I just am in awe in how marvelous Gods work really is. He gave us this book for our benefit to know how to follow him. I am so grateful for this book. It has saved my life. It has brought me so much happiness. And it is how I have a testimony of this wonderful gospel. I just love it.

Pioneer Parade:  Sister Lowe and Sister Vea

Sister Lowe

Week 59

Hellllooooo!

This week was a week full of unplanned opportunities. Like everything we planned to do in the day would get changed around. #missionarylife

There were so many instances this week where we'd drive by a house and I would just pull over (even though it wasn't planned) and we'd go knock their door. We got to meet with a lot of people who we've been trying to get in contact with over the past month and got a new investigator out of it! Having a car has been so great and is such a blessing.

We taught Ty this week. He's so awesome! I remember when we were teaching David, his step brother, in March and we asked about Ty and he told us he just wasn't interested. Well now he's interested! It’s cool to see how God prepares people to be ready for the gospel. He came to church and we've taught him two lessons and he's still on date for July 29th woot!

Jackie's been out of town this week:/ So we didn't see her at all. The hard thing about summer is that a lot of people leave for vacation or go out and do fun things so they aren't home. It's been kind of hard to catch people at home lately because everyone is so busy with summer. But we are still finding miracles each day and trying our best to find more people.

Marissa and Sister Davis . Best Friends!

Marissa - GOT A CAR!  It's actually a SUV!  Rogue One!

Marissa and her new companion, Sister Vea

This week we did So. Much. Role. Play. Since Sister Vea is trying to learn English we just role play all the time like when we're walking, eating lunch, driving, etc. She really likes it because it helps her work on her English. I used to hate role playing because I thought it was so awkward and stuff, but it's really been so helpful these past two weeks.

Marissa and Sister Vea

Well that's about it for this week, it was just another fast week.  A scripture that really stood out to me this week was Alma 26:16 it says, "Therefore, let us glory, yea, we will glory in the Lord; yea, we will rejoice, for our joy is full; yea, we will praise our God forever. Behold, who can glory too much in the Lord? Yea, who can say too much of his great power, and of his mercy, and of his long-suffering towards the children of men? Behold, I say unto you, I cannot say the smallest part which I feel."

Marissa loves cats

First, Ammon is such an awesome missionary. And second, I sometimes can't say the smallest part which I feel.' I can not describe how much I love being a missionary. I've just felt complete happiness on my mission and it's not because of anything I do, but it is because I get to see the gospel change people's lives for the better. I get to feel the presence of the Holy Ghost at all times. And everyday I get to become more and more like my Savior Jesus Christ who is my perfect example. Missions are awesome, I'm telling you. The gospel is true and I can't wait for another awesome week:) Hope you all have a great week!

Sister Lowe

Week 58 - New House and Transfers

Sorry, but this will be another long one, just too much happens in a week!

Transfers were this week! 

On Tuesday night we got a call from the APs and they asked if I would train... yep so I'm training again! Woot, I was excited, but I always get so nervous because this is the missionaries first experience to the mission, so I got to make it awesome! I also am staying in Nibley which I'm so happy about it, I love it here:) also Sister Davis is just gonna be in Hyrum so she's gonna be in my zone still! Woot woot!

I met my new trainee Thursday and she is already so amazing! Her name is Sister Vea. Her grandparents raised her in Tonga and she lived there her whole life up until a year or two ago when she moved to Seattle, Washington to live with her real parents. So I have another islander companion, Sweet! She has 9 sibling (huge family) and she's the first missionary in her family and is a convert! She's still trying to learn English, but for the most part she speaks it pretty well. She's very shy, but we've been doing a lot of role plays as we walk and in studies so I'm helping her get out of her comfort zone and talk to people. She has a huge desire to share the gospel and is happy all the time. All she wants to do is go to work. I love it! 

Also she calls me Sister Low-E, it's so cute, haha.

Marissa with her new trainee, Sister Vea

Oh I almost forgot...we got a CAR! No joke. My whole mission I haven't had a car and because we live so far away now, we have a car! I've missed driving so much.

So for miracles this week...

When we were walking to our next lesson, I had this feeling to walk down a different road which takes longer, but I did it anyways. I saw a women walk out of her house so I yelled "how's it going" and asked her for her name and she said her name was Karla... Okay, so now back story. A few weeks ago we got a referral from the Elders of a girl named Karla. We've knocked that house so many times and called her and no one ever answers. Well we started talking to Karla right there, and she told us she is interested and wants to come to church and learn more...MIRACLE! I know God placed us in Karla's path. If we didn't walk past her house at that exact time we would of missed her. I'm grateful that I listened to the prompting of the Holy Ghost without even realizing it. I just love the way Heavenly Father works.

Also after church, I had this feeling to go to one of our recent converts house, David. So we went and his step brother, Ty, was there and told us he went to church today and liked it and wants to be baptized as soon as possible!!! MIRACLE. We asked him to be baptized July 29th and he said yes! I fasted on Sunday for a miracle because I really want the work to keep progressing here and sure enough Heavenly Father blessed us with a miracle of a golden! I love this work.

Well it was another great week. I can't believe it's Monday already. Fasted. Week. Ever. It's cool to be training right now because a whole year ago I was a trainee and was just like Sister Vea. I can't believe how fast time has gone. I keep telling Sister Vea how lucky she is that she's still got 18 more months of complete bliss on the mission. I love this mission. I love this gospel. There's literally no greater work than this one and I'm so happy to be apart of it. Love you all!

Sister Lowe

Morning Bike Ride!  So beautiful

I also moved:  Here are pictures of my new house!