Questions from Devon

Devon wrote me and asked me 20 questions and I thought you guys might want to know them too so here's what I wrote devon:

So happy to hear from you!!! To answer all your questions okay:

1. How have you been?

I'm doing really great! Loving the mission!

2. What is one of your favorite scriptures?

Hmm there are so many but I think it Alma 26: 11-12, 16, 35-36

3. What are your top three favorite companions?

Sister brunt (trainer), Sister Schultz(traine) , and Sister Davis (comp for 3 transfers)

4. What are your top two area's?

USU and Nibley!!

5. Who do you think has had the most impact to you on your mission, besides the Godhead and scriptures?

PMG, my trainer, and president Allred

6.What do you want to major in?

???? Don't know yet still got to figure that out...

7. What does it mean to you for a missionary to be consecrated?

It means there mind is centered on their missionary purpose (teach repentance and baptize converts). They are focused on the Lords work. They are exactly obedient and have the doctrine of Christ embedded in their hearts.

8. What is the hardest thing you have had to do on your mission?

I thought it would be people rejecting me or being tired and stuff but it's not. The hardest thing is teaching someone and see the spirit work in them to believe in this gospel and then they reject it. It breaks my heart because you just love the people you teach and you can see how this gospel will bless their life and then they let it go.

9. What were some of your most spiritual experiences on your mission?

Ohhhh dang, there are so many. When Lansing was baptized that was such a spiritual experience for me. I taught her in the summer and she was ready for baptism and felt she needed to be baptized. Well she chickened out and then moved to Texas for her PHD and I thought I’d never see her again. Well I kept emailing her and then in December she emailed me and said she was coming to Logan for a week and wants to be baptized. It was a miracle and the baptism was so spiritual. I've had other lessons that were super spiritual but it would be too much to write. Mission is full of spiritual experiences.

10. What is your main goal before your mission is over?

My goal when I started my mission was first 1 baptism, haha which happened within the first 3 weeks.. so then I changed it to baptize every month. So I've had 16 baptisms so far and so I want to have 18 baptisms for 18 months. But my main goal is just to fulfill my purpose and keep being diligent in the Lords work.

11. What would be your perfect P day?

Going on a hike in the mountains and playing zone sports.

12. How often do you get to go to the Temple?

Every 5 months I think, I've only gone a couple times on the mission:(

13. On a scale of 1-10 how much do you miss Jasper?

1000000000000000000000000000000000 billion

14. Did you like the MTC?

Yeah I loved the MTC. My teachers were amazing. My companion was hard but I just loved how spiritual it was and how much I felt the spirit there. It is such a righteous environment.

15. Are you coming home and then going to school right away or staying at home for a while?

Yep I get home dec 18th and go to school in January

16. What was your first day like, what were you like, and what stood out to you?

Hahaha, okay so my first day I met my trainer and my trainer and I dropped my stuff and then our investigator and his girl friend picked us up and drove us to their favorite nature spot which they said was only 10 minutes away. Well we kept driving and driving and driving for like 45 minutes and we made it to Tony's grove which actually is out of my mission... whoops. Well we taught them the plan of salvation and then came back and on the way back we were like so this was really far away and they were like "yeah we knew it was so that why we had to lie to you". Yep that was fun. And then we had 2 other lessons that day. So it was a busy day and I went out of the mission on the first day. I was scared my first day but everything went well.

17. Have you almost been in a life threatening or really hurt experience?

Hmmm, well one day on exchanges we came home and we found this 40 year old crazy lady in our apartment who had broken in and was wearing our pjs and used our tooth brushes and shower. She was crazy and talked to herself, and I think was schizophrenic! We called the cops and they arrested her.

18. What do you think is your biggest change for before mission to now?

Waking up every day at 6:30am. I've done it for the past 15 months but man is that hard. But also understanding the atonement and Jesus Christ more. I get to experience a part of what he went through when he was here on the earth and that been change for me.

19. What are your top three Christlike attribute that you think you excel at?

Knowledge, humility, obedience

20. On a scale of 1-10 how much do you love being a missionary?

100000000000000000000000000000000000 trillion

Week 55 - Father's Day

So to start....

HAPPY LATE FATHERS DAY! All of the talks on Sunday were on fathers and I go to three different sacrament meetings so it really got me thinking. So I just want to say how amazing my dad is and how much I miss and love him! You're the best dad! 

Okay so I thought last week went by fast, but this week was like a second long. I feel like yesterday was last Pday, but I guess this means I'm losing myself in the work since time goes by so fast, We've been so busy this week, that the last time I got to do personal or companion study was last Tuesday! I love being busy though it keeps me going, but I miss my study time, haha. Okay so this week lots happened, but here are some few highlights:

I went on exchanges with Sister Chesley this week which was so awesome! We came out together in the MTC, so it was cool to see how much we have progressed since the MTC. We had so many miracles happen and it was just a fun day all together. Every door we knocked let us in and we got to share our message with them. It was crazy and we found a new investigator from it and a couple potentials also. Exchanges always bring miracles, for real! Also Sister Chesely is an amazing missionary and I'm pretty sure I learned more from the exchange than her even though I'm her STL, haha. 

Sewing project

The next day we got to go to USU campus for a service project. We had to learn how to sew and we sewed a bunch of felt together for like 4 hours (My mom would be so proud)! I got the hang of it after a while. It was so awesome to be on campus again. It was my first area and I haven't been there since. There were students who would stop me and be like "no way are you back on campus" I'd have to tell them no but it was cool that they remembered me!

We've had a couple lessons with Jackie this week. And she's been really struggling with giving up coffee. Well we told her to put a picture of Jesus in her coffee maker to help her not drink. So then the next lesson she said "look at my counter" so we looked and her coffee maker was gone! She told us that the Jesus picture really got to her and eventually she just put the coffee maker away to not be tempted. She also poured out all of her coffee beans in the trash can.... So. Much. Faith. She's now down to one cup of coffee a day, and is trying her hardest to give it up. She's having withdrawal symptoms with headaches and stuff but she is determined to give it up.

We had some lessons with Freddy and he is doing so awesome! He is so prepared and wants to be baptized on July 1st, so he is pretty solid!  YAY!

This week we had a Mission Tour and Elder Nattess from the seventy came and spoke to us. It was an amazing conference and I learned so much. At the end he had the missionaries that are going home this transfer bear their testimonies and man are those powerful. These missionaries just poured out their soul of how much they've love the mission and how they wish they could stay. I just love being on the mission so much, it'll be so hard when I have to leave (but I still got lots of time, so no worries!)

Okay so now for the best part of my week... IDA GOT BAPTIZED!!! Also today is her birthday and she's turning 87! Man her baptism was so spiritual. Her two grandsons spoke and both of their talks made my eyes water. They talked about how they've waited a long time for this day and that this is the happiest day of their life. Her son who is a convert got to baptize her and he said in a year from now we can be sealed as a family. How special!! Ida had to be dunked twice because her feet came up on the first dunk, but it all went good. Rachel (Ida's daughter in law) told us we are now officially apart of their family and told us how much we mean to them. It was such a special moment and I got to bear my testimony (yes I did cry) of how much I've loved teaching Ida. She was the first person we met in Nibley on February 29th and we just knocked her door and now she is baptized!! Miracles do happen.

Marissa so happy for Ida!
Marissa, Ida's baptism day and Sister Davis

The whole group with Ida on her baptism day

Such an amazing week. Something that's really been on my mind lately is the importance of a missionaries calling. This is the only time we get to serve our Heavenly Father for 24 hours each day non stop with no worldly distractions. This will be the only time that I can be most like the Savior. He was a missionary his whole life, and I've got 18 months to be just like him and serve with everything I've got. This will be the only time in my life so I've got to really make it count. I don't want to have any regrets, I just want to give it my all here. I will give everything and anything I have on this mission because the gospel has given me everything. I am just going to live it up and be happy:)

Sister Lowe

Lots of pics this week, sorry!

Marissa and Sister Schultz together again!  

Sister Brunt and Marissa together again!  

MTC Companions reunited:

Overlooking Logan with the temple in the back ground

Logan Heritage Days!

Beautiful Marissa

Sisters!

Week 53 - One Year Mark

I hit my year mark this week on the mission... crazy stuff. I can’t believe a whole year ago I got on a plane, said goodbye to my family for 18 months, entered the MTC, and started being a missionary. This truly has been the best year of my life. Heavenly Father has blessed me so much this year with so many miracles and my testimony in the gospel has never been so strong. I'm so grateful to be here:)

Okay so this week highlights:

We had some lessons with Jackie and she is doing so great. She read 1 Nephi 1 like we asked her to and she said she felt really peaceful while reading so we asked her "why do you think you felt that?" And she said "wait is it that thing you guys were talking about... the Holy Spirit?" And we were like "yes that's the Holy Ghost testifying to you that the Book of Mormon is true!" It was a neat moment. We also taught her the word of wisdom and she told us she has a strong coffee addiction...but her faith is so strong. She said "but if I have to give it up so I can live in the eternities I'm gonna do it." These people's Faith! I can't believe how much faith these people we teach have and there eternal perspective, they truly are amazing. We had some lessons with Ida and she said "is it okay that I'm excited for baptism!" She's so cute! She's made such a change in the months we've known her. She used to be so scared of even the word baptism and now she's excited to be baptized! I can't wait.

Okay so this week we received quite a few referrals! We received one of a girl named Allie but with no address, all it said was: lives in town homes. So we started there. We were walking and we saw this girl on the other side of the street and said hi and she waved back but kept going. We then thought what if that was Allie, we then heard someone yell Allie. So then we were like that's probably her! She had already left our sight so we still didn't know where she lived. So we went to the beginning town homes and met this lady outside on the grass who was a member and asked her if she knew an Allie Brooks and she said that she was her neighbor! Miracle! So now we have her address.... sometimes missionary work is like detective work, haha. 

President Nielson (first counselor in the mission presidency) called us and said he's coming to Nibley to video us and the high council men over missionary work and some WMLs for a new Logan mission video. So I was video interviewed and it was pretty nerve wrecking but I think it went well. This will be my third video I'm in for the mission...hopefully the last!

We had exchanges this week with some sisters in our zone. Exchanges always bring miracles! We came to our area and found a new investigator! We were walking down the street and we passed this White House and as we passed it I couldn't stop looking at it. I had this feeling to go knock it even though it wasn't in our plans. So we turned around and did it anyway and found a new investigator named McKenzie! The Holy Ghost rocks and I'm glad I listened to that prompting!

Presents for my one year mark from my trainer,
best friend and first companion, Sister Brunt

So for my one year mark my old senior couples (the Sampsons and Roylances) through a little party for me and had sister brunt there too! We went to the Sampsons house and we had amazing lunch there. It was such a great time. I miss them all so much and it just felt like home at there house. It brought back a lot of memories. They were my senior couples my first transfer out...and now I'm at a year, time flies. I also got to see my wonderful trainer sister Brunt! She got me New Zealand chocolate and it is so good!! Like best chocolate in the world. I don't think I'll ever eat Hershey again. I truly love the people on my mission. So many amazing friendships I have made here.

Okay last thing... so this week was stake conference. So on Sunday since there are 12 wards in Nibley they have to broadcast stake conference to some buildings so that everyone can watch it because not everyone will fit in the stake center. So we decide to go to the 2600 building with Jackie and her husband and we watched it on the screen. Well president Farnsworth acknowledges that President and Sister Allred are there. So I get this feeling to check the phone. I look at it and we have two missed calls and two texts from president. We then get a call from our zone leaders saying president wants us to be at the stake center to give 4 min Resto. So we tell Jackie and Bryan we have to go and we grabbed someone from the crowd and asked if they could drive us. She drove us and she was going like 65 in a 25 mile per hour zone. We got there just in time and he called us up (he was the first speaker). We shared Resto and everything went well! After stake conference president came up to us and said he forgot to call us to do this and said he thought it was strange we weren't there, haha. All went well, but it was a stressful time.

It's been a great week! Lots of lessons and investigators coming to church. Couldn't ask for a better way to end the week! Love you all!

Sister Lowe

Week 39 - Transferred to South Logan - trip to Huntville

Hello form the cold...again!!

 So TRANFERS today!!! And I am being transferred. I am being transferred to Nibley which is in South Logan. My new companion will be Sister Davis (8 months out on her mission) she's from Alaska. We are white washing the area (which means both of us are new to the area). We are both going to be STLS! I'm excited for my new area, but I'm so sad to leave Ben Lomond: (I love all the people I've been teaching and all the amazing members here like the woods, Homgrens, Gilbert's, Dalpas, Cavenders, etc. I sent out a mass text that I was being transferred and everyone is so sad. Some people even asked for my mom’s number to text her to tell her how they will miss me. I truly love the members here, it's gonna be hard to leave.

 So just when I thought spring was on its way, we got a huge snow storm and now it's back to being cold and blizzardy! But I love it, it makes mission life an adventure.

 So this week’s highlight:

Zone sports with our whole zone

Wishing Sister Allred a Happy Birthday

it was our mission presidents wife's bday so we made her a card

 

So I went on STL exchanges again this week. I went with Sister Schell who is from North Carolina! It was such a fun day! So for some reason I bring out all the crazies when going on exchanges. I always meet the most strange people, haha. We were doing service at this old ladies house and sister Schell left to use the bathroom, so it was just me and this old lady. She looked at me and said "okay, now you’re going to help me get dressed!" In my head I was like WHAT! But then she started handing me clothes to put on her. So I just started with putting socks on her and she just layed on the bed and just flashed me the entire time! Also grossest feet ever! Then Sister Schell came in and the look on her face was priceless. I was like sister Schell do you want to help. And she was like nope you got it and was dying laughing, haha. I was gonna kill her. So that was one of the experiences I had on the exchange. We also met a guy that told us this funny analogy:

 "Mormons are like horse manure. You Spread horse manure all over and crops are gonna grow like crazy. Put it all in one pile and it's just stinky horse manure. Conclusion Utah is stinky horse manure..." - random guy named Tyler

Service with a smile
Painting fun! This is Lauralee who isn't a member of our church but loves hanging out with us!
We teach her kids!

 It was a fun exchange. I've really started to like being an STL! The “exchanges” are always the funniest days.

They are still obsessed with red heads, both of them left for Indonesia this week.
 I'm so sad they are gone:( but they will do great!

 

All of my companions in one pic but Sister Sharp.

We did a blitz in the Pleasant View area! It was great!

 

 So Sister Andrews and I had to speak in sacrament this week. There was a youth speaker who spoke for like 3 minutes, then sister Andrews spoke for 10 minutes and then I was the last speaker so I had to speak for the rest of the meeting which was like 25 minutes. I was stressing when sister Andrews ended her talk super early because I had only prepared a 15 minute talk. Well I got up there and somehow I knew exactly what to say. I didn't even look down at my paper, words just came to my head and I spoke for the whole time until the meeting was over. I was amazed. I thanked Heavenly Father once I sat down because I knew it was the spirit that helped me speak for that whole time. Afterwards so many people came up to me and said they loved my talk. One lady said she took notes and she felt like it was an apostle speaking! I was in shock! I knew it was the spirit who helped me speak. I've really come to see how much I've grown on my mission! In 3 days I will hit my 9 month mark of being on a mission and it has flown by! I never in my whole life would have ever imagined speaking for 25 minutes in a sacrament meeting but I did it and it went great. Missions really change you. I don't get nervous anymore to speak in front of people. I've never been so social in my life! I love the mission so much and it has changed me into a better person.

 Well that's all for this week! A lot more happened but it would take forever to write it all.

Love y'all

 

 Sister Lowe

 So lots of pics this week.. Sorry! We went to Snow Basin for Pday with the Huntsville sisters!

 

Exchanges with sister Schell!

Yep a moose on someone wall! Welcome to Huntsville

I went on a gondola for Pday! It was so fun and pretty!
 I wanted to ski or snow board so badly!

Ahhh, I love the snow!

Got to have a pick of Sister Brunt and I one last time.
We won't be in the same zone anymore:(

This is what we were in

It was a nice log cabin on the ski resort!

Oh you know just throwing up some signs in the snow,
we try to be cool but we're not or at least I'm not haha.

jumping on a moose, like usual

With Sister Schell

Week 36 - HAKA dance

Hello everyone!

This week went by soooo fast! I can't believe it's Pday again!So some highlights from this week:

- I had my first MLC (mission leadership council) and it was so good. All of the STLs and ZLs in the mission came to our mission presidents house in Logan and talked about our goals for this month and did a bunch of trainings. I learned so much and sister brunt and I even had to speak in front of everyone on the training given by elder Christopherson. It was a long meeting but so worth it.

- We had a zone training meeting this week also where the ZLs and STLs trained the rest of the zone on what we learned at MLC. I had to do a training and was kind of nervous for it but I think it went well. This week was full of meetings and trainings... But I learned a lot from them.

- This week we helped move a non member family into their house and they were so grateful. It was so cool. We were just tracting in the area and then we saw this moving truck pull up to the house we were right by. So we just said "can we help you?" And we ended up staying their for like 3 hours helping them move in. At the end they told us we can come back so they are definitely a potential investigator!! Whoot! It just shows that through service we can find more people to teach.

- So Sister Brunt's sister, Michelle, was in North Ogden for a day because she was going to the MTC on Wednesday to go to South Korea! We all got to meet her and she is so cool and super awesome! Sister Brunt taught us the Haka and we did it in front of Michelle and Michelle did it back to us. Man... Doing the Haka is awesome! It is so powerful and fun!

Sister Brunt and Marissa - reunited again :)

Look at all that snow - CRAZY

Sister Brunt's sister came - just like when Devon came - so special

Marissa is of service every week

It was a super good week! We found two new investigators who want the lessons so we are super stoked about that. The work is picking up and I know that it is through our diligence, patience, and obedience to Heavenly Father. Missions can definitely be hard, but like Elder Nelson said, "the joy we feel has little to do with the circumstances of our lives and everything to do with the focus of our lives." As we keep a positive attitude through hard times and never give up, we can find joy in anything because of the Atonement of Jesus Christ. I have definitely found joy in my service even when things aren't picking up.

I love being a disciple of Christ and I love my savior Jesus Christ:)

Hope you all had a good week! Love y'all

Sister Lowe

Week 35 - 6 feet of snow

Hello from the Cold!

So this was a pretty good week. We did lots of service because of all the snow we have! We have also seen people just walking on their roofs with a snow rake. There is too much snow on the roofs so they are starting to cave in and leak, so people have to get on the roof and clear it off!

Okay so highlights of the week:

1. We had a worldwide missionary broadcast on Wednesday. The apostles changed the missionary schedule and the key indicators. Big things are changing which is kind of crazy, but it is all inspired and I know this will help us as missionaries. I'm liking the new mission schedule!

2. I had the privilege of going to the Ogden Tabernacle (out of our mission) with Sister Brunt and the Zone leaders to go watch Elder Christopherson, Peterson, and Curtis speak. We took a lot of notes because we have to do a training on it at MLC. It was such an amazing talk. Elder Christopherson is pretty funny and cracked some jokes, haha. Something I really liked that he said was, "Your ministry is outside of yourself. Sometimes we think we are doing this great work, when in reality HE is doing this great work and he lets us help him.” I want to become a more consecrated missionary and look outward always. Stop focusing on myself and just do the Lords work.

3. We did this amazing service project in Huntsville this week. The snow was like 10 ft tall and we had to shovel a path for these two widows so they could get out. I love doing service!

I've been studying a lot of talks on hope and this quote has really stuck with me, it says:

"Hope sweetens the memory of experiences well loved. It tempers our troubles to our growth and our strength. It befriends us in dark hours, excites us in bright ones. It lends promise to the future and purpose to the past. It turns discouragement to determination." - James E Faust

I know that through the hope of the gospel we can can get through anything that life throws at us. The gospel of Jesus Christ keeps us put together and keeps us holding on. Even in the hard times we can have joy because of Jesus Christ. It's great to be a missionary at this time and I hope you all have a good rest of your week!

Love y'all

Sister Lowe