Monday, May 25, 2015

Short and Sweet




Pennsylvania Pittsburgh Mission
May 21, 2015
Front Row (Left to right) – S. Zaugg, S. Aston, S. Blackwell, Stacy Jones, S. Bradshaw, S. Wade, S. Wyasket, S. Sears, S. Romero, S. Busath, S. Amendola, S. Bills, S. Talbot, S. Roberts
Second Row – P. Johnson, S. Johnson, S. Robinson, S. Hinkle, S. Buetler, S. Mortimer, S. Sparks, S. Hadzik, S. Blake, S. Moss, S. Johnson, Shayla Jones, S. Clarkson, S. Peterson, S. Davis, S. Tolman, S. Cottam, S. Duncan, S. Smith, S. Ludwig, S. Wadsworth, S. Nobbs, P. Nobbs 
Third Row – S. Casler, S. Jarvis, S. Myers, S. Rock, S. Toupin, S. Wilson, S. Lindsay, S. Crockett, S. Sibley, S. Sampson, S. Hodson, S. Purcxell, S. Rosengren, S. Palmer, S. Bennett, S. Thompson, S. Landa, S. Oliver, S. Hansen, S. Barney, E. Clarkson, E. Hunsaker
Fourth row – S. Jex, S. Butler, S. Crisp, S. Hokafonu, S. Manumaleuna, E. Holman, E. Wilt, E. Liston, S. Ewing-Dibari, E. A. Saylor, S. Swingholm, E. Swingholm, E. Hansen, E. Barney
Fifth Row – E. Elcock, E. Butler, E. Green, E. Curtis, E. Miller, E. Rackham, E. Tengberg, E. Ashton, E. Linford, E. Christensen, E. Alexander, E. Story, E. J. Saylor, E. O’Brien, E. Ramos, E. Hawley, E. Taylor
Sixth Row – E. Shuppy, E. Birrell, E. Beck, E. Schofield, E. Bumgarner, E. Gee, E. Redd, E. Trotman, E. Johnson, E. Childs, E. Little, E. Farnsworth, E. Henshaw, E. Mann, E. Foster, E. Perry, E. Smith, E. Sorenson, E. Uchatyl
Seventh Row – E. Woll, E. Rose, E. O’Keefe, E. Ivie, E. Grimmett, E, Harley, E. Ekins, E. Glick, E. Muir, E. Wilson, E. Tunquist, E. Renteria, E. Wright, E. Ibarra, E. Camp, E. Gates, E. Bell, E. Wadsworth, E. Bowers, E. Baker, E. J. Brown
Eighth Row – E. Draper, E. Hummer, E. Hebdon, E. Devey, E. LeBaron, E. Woodbury, E. Stowe, E. Garduno, E. Millis, E. Ginos, E. Stallings, E. Cuthbert, E. Bryant, E. Boren, E, Crook, E. Cooley, E. Lewis, E. Cluff, E. Whitney, E. Hoyt, E. May, E. Bell, E. Haskins
Ninth Row -- E. Griffin, E. Redford, E. Averett, E. Gehrke, E. Duffy, E. Gray, E. Watkins, E. Ord, E. Gille, E. Mueller, E. Mills, E. Hale, E. Isom, E. Hyer, E. Hughes, E. Elliott, E. Brimley, E. Searle, E. A. Andrade, E. R. Andrade, E. Gamble, E. Hinckley, E. Baxter, E. Pennington
Tenth Row – E. Whitby, E. Beale, E Kocherhans, E. Larsen, E. Hansen, E. Stevens, E. Casper, E. Masina, E. Loreto, E. Tidwell, E. Shepard, E. Woods, E. Defreese, E. mason, E. Klima, E. Jackson, E. Guerrero, E. Haws, E. Bashien, E Mercer, E. Lundgren, E. Whipple, E. Daynes, E. Harper, E. Wood, E. Holladay, E. Scott, E. Bramwell, E. George, E. Lee, E. Whitmire   

Monday, May 18, 2015

Temple and More Fishing

We are getting Ipads on Thursday!!!!! Wahoooo! So excited. The world is very media based and it can definitely be used for good!
This week we also had a ward BBQ of course it was a rainy day... and of course it started POURING!!! Haha it was super fun though, but we were soaked after!
We got to go to the temple! :) I feel like I was able to learn a LOT from this temple experience, and was really able to focus a lot on the spirit that I was feeling. We got to go will Maggie, who is going on a mission, it was SO awesome to see Maggie going through for her first time. She is going to be an amazing missionary, and as we have had the opportunity to both teach her, and see her teach I have seen her testimony and ability to share that, I am so excited to hear from her when she is out and all of the awesome experiences that she has. While there, bishop Orban (the bishop in the Wheeling ward) was talking to us about a few things that stuck out the him and one thing he talk about was letting the spirit direct what you are praying for. I have been working on recognizing that a lot the last few days, and it is really cool to see how aligning our will with the Lords makes following the Lord just who you are rather than something I have to constantly be thinking about becoming. He was also talking about Asking, seeking, and knocking. It says it over and over again in the scriptures, but It really hit me, we HAVE to do our part, we have to knock and he will answer as long as we follow the commandments. We also had the cool experience of getting to talk to a member of the temple presidency after and it was so cool to get even more incite from him on the temple and the priesthood.
Our ward has also been doing a 40 day fast, it is so cool to see how the efforts of the ward have a great impact on our work as missionaries. There is a less active woman, her name is Crystal, who we have been working with since I came out but had never come to church, but she has come the last 2 weeks! She also just seems to fit right in, participating, and making friends, and she hadn't really been to church since she was 16. That is just one of the MANY miracles we have seen from the ward fast. I am so grateful for the opportunity to see the tremendous blessing that the gospel has on me, and everyone around me.

 ----------------
WE GOT TO GO TO THE TEMPLE!!! :)


Pictures from Maggies phone at the temple :)




Last Pday we got to go fishing! This is one of Elder Hoyts fishes, and him catching another one... he caught 3 before any of us caught any.



 And then I caught a fish! 


Same fish... It looked weird. 


Then I caught 2 more! (they looked pretty similar..) 


The other fish. Sister Smith didn't catch any, but it was a pretty successful day! 

 Then Elder May caught a fish.. 

Pretty sunset, and Sister smiths first time driving in this area.  

Columbus, OH. 


Someone gave us some garlic, and I was trying to see if I could grow it.. and it did! 


Zone Training:



Monday, May 11, 2015

Adam fell but he got right back up

So bugs are disgusting. There are so many! I had to kill 2 spiders just this morning!  It has also been hot, 90s all week, and our AC is broken, the guy came to fix it today and said they would have to replace something so it wont get fixed for a few more days, and we cant open the windows because we don't have screens and bugs... Yeah well! My hair will probably be up all summer! Humidity is terrible, makes cold feel colder, and hot feel hotter.
This week we had the cool opportunity to witness a Less active member receive her answer that the Book of Mormon is true. We had gone over and taught her the restoration, and at the end we had asked if she had ever prayed about the Book of Mormon, she told us she hadn't, so we invited her to say the closing prayer and ask if it were true. It was a super sincere prayer and at the end of that she started to cry, the spirit was so strong and we helped her to see that she had received an answer, super cool. We also decided Friday to start praying for the people that we were going to see on Saturday to be home. Every single person that we went to see on Saturday was home, prayers are definitely answered. The Lord is watching out for us and helps us out every step of the way. I have also been praying this week to be able to recognize the spirit more, and it was so cool to see the people that we were teaching expressing to us that they had felt the spirit and it is just reaffirming that they truly are feeling the spirit while we teach. We also get to go to the temple on Friday! Super excited! :)

----------------------

Tiara sent me some German Chocolate :) and this is also "apostate McDonalds" we once saw the Elders walking in on a Fast Sunday.. thus the name. 



Pretty sunset, and us trying to take selfies :) 





We were trying to visit someone in a hospital, but the GPS for some reason took us the wrong way and we ended up taking a trip down Memory Lane. 


 One more Memory lane, guy on a tractor, and we decided to make a "consequence chart" to improve. 





Thursday, May 7, 2015

Flight attendant

  Sister smith decided that she wanted me to look like a flight attendant..




Cool moon...pictures never do justice.. and a river.



Friday, May 1, 2015

Beauty in All Things

Weekly update :)
Hmm so this week... Last Monday we went fishing again and nobody caught anything, but a big storm came so we had to run inside.. the Calm before the storm thing is real! It was super windy, then calm, than BOOM we were SOAKED! They also had Transfers Tuesday, we didn't move, but our whole district has changed, change is sad, but its fun to meet new people and have new experiences. We also had a Multi stake broadcast thing, the whole Northeast USA  Elder Hales and Elder Neil L. Anderson spoke.  Also Larry S. Kacher, and Linda S. Reeves spoke at the braodcast :) That was super awesome. I love hearing the words of our apostles.
The work is kinda slow right now, which makes it hard sometimes. The Lords hand really is in everything that we do. This week I feel like I have really been able to see how much my testimony has grown while being out. I absolutely know that this church is true. I know that Jesus Christ is our Savior and that our Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ love us and want us to return to live with them again. Having a sure knowledge of this can help to doubt any doubts before doubting your faith. This is why I love being on a mission. The hard times have helped me to grow, and help me to recognize better the good thing. Opposition in all things. I know that the people will come as we are obedient and diligent. I love the gospel and I just want everyone to have it! 

Kind of a lot of pictures today.. So this is one of the flowers from the trees (sent a picture last week) so I pressed it and made a book mark thing...

Gross... found a cockroach on my bed. Also Elder May left his planner at the library and we got it for him so we decorated it. Mom Im sure you will appreciate the scripture :) 

We finally dyed some eggs :)



 and our hands were a little messy after...

One of the eggs cracked with boiling them so this is after peeling it.


We found some dear in someones yard.. and a ton of nature pictures.. its just super pretty and pictures don't do it justice. 










 Pictures from Sis Smiths camera :)
 View overlooking the Ohio river up on a hill
Some deer in someones yard. 
This one you can see me fishing.. or rather getting another weed off of my line... the storm coming in.