Dear Family,
Happy Thanksgiving!!!! I just want you all to know that as always, my
family is what I am most grateful for this holiday! I am also so
grateful for the gospel and the opportunity I have to share it with so
many others!
Hope you are ready for some stories!
We started off the week by doing some service for a less active lady
in the Ward. She needed help pulling out Christmas decorations and
winterizing the yard. So we got to take turns driving a John Deere
tractor around! Haha! It was awesome! We got some pretty cool pictures
from it, but I will have to email them next week.
That night the Relief Society President took us out to dinner, and she
brought along her less active sister!!!! That was awesome! I love it
when members reach out to others and invite them to meet us! We were
able to talk about the gospel and we invited her to come to the Ward
Christmas party, and she committed to come! We can't wait to see her
there!
On Wednesday we got to see Sister Irina again! She is so sweet! I love
teaching her the gospel! Even though she has been a member for quite
some time, there is so much that she doesn't know! And every time she
learns something new she treats it like a great treasure! So amazing!
On Thursday we got to help one of our recent converts give her crazy
little dog a bath! We looked like a comedy show! It was Robin and
Sister Sullivan and I trying to hold down this little tiny peekapoo
dog and give him a bath! That little sucker put up a fight! He did NOT
want to get wet and kept nipping at our fingers and the brush! I
wonder if that was how Daniel felt in the Lions den! Haha! At least
the lions mouths were closed!
On Friday we had three appointments fall through... Ugh. That's the
worst! Especially because we had a member out with us. But, it turned
out great because we were able to go a different investigator named
Morris. He hasn't really been progressing lately and we were about to
drop him. But when we got there, he told us that he had actually
started reading the Book of Mormon!!!! What!!!! We were so happy! He
had a lot of questions about where the book came from and other things
like that. At the end of our visit he told us about how much he misses
his wife, who passed away three years ago. We told him that God has a
plan for him to be with his wife forever. He said, "really? Do you
really mean it?" We said YES!!!!! He said, "Will you please teach me
how to do that? I would do anything to see her again." We almost died
of excitement! So we started teaching him the plan of salvation. It
was amazing! I LOVE LOVE LOVE seeing the gospel bring hope to people's
lives. And I am so grateful for the Plan of Salvation that tells us
about it! We are so blessed!
Well, we walked out of that lesson on cloud nine! We jumped in the car
and had another appointment to hurry off to. So, we pulled out of
Morris's driveway and I backed right into the car parked across the
street. Crap. No one was hurt. And the damage to both cars was
minimal. I think my pride was more damaged than anything else. Haha!
God said that he would have a humble people! And he works in
mysterious ways.... But..... Rather than going to our next appointment
we spent two hours going through the process of getting everything
taken care of with that. We now have an appointment with the body shop
in December. Whoops. Oh well!
That night we got transfer calls...... Drum roll please!!!!!!! ......
I am STAYING in Pottstown!! But, Sister Sullivan is leaving. :( so, I
will be getting a new companion tomorrow.
So, we have spent the last two days trying to get her packed and
saying goodbye to everyone. I can't believe the transfer is already
over! It went by so fast!
Anyway, I am so excited for Thanksgiving this Thursday! I hope you all
have a wonderful holiday! I LOVE YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Love,
Sister McGuire
Tuesday, November 24, 2015
Sunday, November 22, 2015
Stake Conference and More!!
Dear Family,
Well, Once again, so much has happened this week and I don't have much time to write about it! Haha! But, hey, what's new? The biggest thing that happened this week was Stake Conference, so most of my stories are about that.
Story 1: Sister Lee
Sister Lee is a less-active woman in our ward. She hasn't been to church in over a year. She has many trials in her life that are pulling her away from the gospel. Last week, she showed up at church!!!! We were astonished!!!!! It was an amazing miracle! But, now comes the real problem..... How do we keep her coming? Our biggest obstacle was the fact that this week was stake conference. If it took her a year to get the 3.5 miles to church, how on earth are we supposed to get her the 25.6 miles to Stake Conference? We thought and worried and prayed about it all week. Well, on Saturday she called us up and needed some help with her house. They have been remodeling the dining room, and needed so extra hands. So we went up and helped. While we were working, I slyly asked her what her plans were for stake conference. She replied, "Hmm... I don't really know. I'm thinking about going." In missionary language that means, 'I'm not going, but I'm just saying that because I don't want to say no to your face.' Great. What am I supposed to say to that? Then, the thought occurred to me. So I said, "Oh okay. We just really need a ride, and we can't seem to find anyone who can take us." With that she perked right up! She said that there was no way she could let the missionaries miss stake conference and she would be at our apartment early the next morning to make sure that we got there in time to get a good seat. WOW!!!!! Miracles!!!!!! That was awesome!!!! So, not only did she come to stake conference, but we got to talk with her the whole hour drive there and the whole hour drive back. It was fantastic! On our way home she said to us how she knows the church is true with every fiber of her being. She has just been letting things get in the way. She apologized for not always coming, but she asked us to never give up on her. It Was INCREDIBLE!!!! It made me so happy to hear that from her!
Story 2: The In-Laws!
So, we got to Stake Conference early right? We got walking into the auditorium (the meeting was held at the local high school, because there isn't enough room for everyone in the stake center) and the first people I see is Brandon and Jeanette Mattson, Amelia's sister and brother. I start heading over to them when I realize there is someone else there too. It was Sister Koltz, Amelia's Mom!!!!! I was so excited to see all of them! It felt like a mini family reunion! Hahaha! Out of all the places to see my Brother's in-laws, it would be stake conference!
Story 3: Whitehall!
Since we were at Stake Conference, the entire Whitehall ward was there as well! I LOVED IT!!!! I got to see some of my dearest friends again! My favorite was seeing Sister Britto, the lady we lived with in Whitehall. It was awesome!
Story 4: Absolutely nothing to do with stake conference.......
Hahaha, random funny story. On Sunday morning I jumped in the shower to get ready for the day. I have noticed over the past week that the drain in the shower is getting slower and slower. On Sunday it hardly worked at all. I saw a little bit of hair build up on the top of the drain, so I assumed it was just plugging up the holes. I reached down to pull out the hair. As I pulled it got longer and longer and I kept pulling and pulling and pulling! It kept coming! There seemed to be no end! It started out the size of a small string and it kept getting bigger and bigger and nastier and nastier. Finally, this ball of hair the size of a small rat popped out of the drain! I was fighting a gag reflex like mad! It was made up of hair from I don't even know how many sisters for I dont even know how long! It was so gross!!!!!!!!! Hahaha!
Story 5: On a much more Spiritual note.......
We went out finding last night and we met 4 people who are interested in learning more about the gospel! One of them was named DeAnn. About 3 weeks ago, we got a media referral that she had requested a bible. So, we went to her house and knocked on the door. The dog was barking, she was on the phone and someone else was coming over to talk to her. Obviously, it was not a good time to talk. So, she took the bible and we left. Normally, bible referrals never want to see us again. with the whole experience it really didnt seem like she was interested at all. But, we have had her in the back of our minds. On Sunday we could no longer ignore the prompting that we HAD to go and see her. So, we awkwardly knock on the door while to the chorus of her dog once again howling like a banshee. DeAnn came to the door and chatted with us for a minute. I managed to ask her why she had requested the bible. She nearly broke down in tears while she began to tell us her struggles. Her health is declining and she has several auto-immune diseases that are basically eating her body away. She feels lost and like she has no where to go. She doesn't know much about God and has never really been a religious person, but she felt a need to start turning to God. We testified to her that she does have a loving Heavenly Father who wants to help her! We told her that we are messengers sent from Him and we share a message of love and hope and healing. It really touched her heart! We are going back to see her again this week! I am so excited!
The gospel is amazing! It is beautiful! It is the answer that we seek and the happiness that we yearn for. It is a blessing. and I am so grateful that I can be sharing it with others!
I love you all family! You are amazing! Bloom where you are planted and keep sharing the light!
Love,
Sister McGuire
Well, Once again, so much has happened this week and I don't have much time to write about it! Haha! But, hey, what's new? The biggest thing that happened this week was Stake Conference, so most of my stories are about that.
Story 1: Sister Lee
Sister Lee is a less-active woman in our ward. She hasn't been to church in over a year. She has many trials in her life that are pulling her away from the gospel. Last week, she showed up at church!!!! We were astonished!!!!! It was an amazing miracle! But, now comes the real problem..... How do we keep her coming? Our biggest obstacle was the fact that this week was stake conference. If it took her a year to get the 3.5 miles to church, how on earth are we supposed to get her the 25.6 miles to Stake Conference? We thought and worried and prayed about it all week. Well, on Saturday she called us up and needed some help with her house. They have been remodeling the dining room, and needed so extra hands. So we went up and helped. While we were working, I slyly asked her what her plans were for stake conference. She replied, "Hmm... I don't really know. I'm thinking about going." In missionary language that means, 'I'm not going, but I'm just saying that because I don't want to say no to your face.' Great. What am I supposed to say to that? Then, the thought occurred to me. So I said, "Oh okay. We just really need a ride, and we can't seem to find anyone who can take us." With that she perked right up! She said that there was no way she could let the missionaries miss stake conference and she would be at our apartment early the next morning to make sure that we got there in time to get a good seat. WOW!!!!! Miracles!!!!!! That was awesome!!!! So, not only did she come to stake conference, but we got to talk with her the whole hour drive there and the whole hour drive back. It was fantastic! On our way home she said to us how she knows the church is true with every fiber of her being. She has just been letting things get in the way. She apologized for not always coming, but she asked us to never give up on her. It Was INCREDIBLE!!!! It made me so happy to hear that from her!
Story 2: The In-Laws!
So, we got to Stake Conference early right? We got walking into the auditorium (the meeting was held at the local high school, because there isn't enough room for everyone in the stake center) and the first people I see is Brandon and Jeanette Mattson, Amelia's sister and brother. I start heading over to them when I realize there is someone else there too. It was Sister Koltz, Amelia's Mom!!!!! I was so excited to see all of them! It felt like a mini family reunion! Hahaha! Out of all the places to see my Brother's in-laws, it would be stake conference!
Story 3: Whitehall!
Since we were at Stake Conference, the entire Whitehall ward was there as well! I LOVED IT!!!! I got to see some of my dearest friends again! My favorite was seeing Sister Britto, the lady we lived with in Whitehall. It was awesome!
Story 4: Absolutely nothing to do with stake conference.......
Hahaha, random funny story. On Sunday morning I jumped in the shower to get ready for the day. I have noticed over the past week that the drain in the shower is getting slower and slower. On Sunday it hardly worked at all. I saw a little bit of hair build up on the top of the drain, so I assumed it was just plugging up the holes. I reached down to pull out the hair. As I pulled it got longer and longer and I kept pulling and pulling and pulling! It kept coming! There seemed to be no end! It started out the size of a small string and it kept getting bigger and bigger and nastier and nastier. Finally, this ball of hair the size of a small rat popped out of the drain! I was fighting a gag reflex like mad! It was made up of hair from I don't even know how many sisters for I dont even know how long! It was so gross!!!!!!!!! Hahaha!
Story 5: On a much more Spiritual note.......
We went out finding last night and we met 4 people who are interested in learning more about the gospel! One of them was named DeAnn. About 3 weeks ago, we got a media referral that she had requested a bible. So, we went to her house and knocked on the door. The dog was barking, she was on the phone and someone else was coming over to talk to her. Obviously, it was not a good time to talk. So, she took the bible and we left. Normally, bible referrals never want to see us again. with the whole experience it really didnt seem like she was interested at all. But, we have had her in the back of our minds. On Sunday we could no longer ignore the prompting that we HAD to go and see her. So, we awkwardly knock on the door while to the chorus of her dog once again howling like a banshee. DeAnn came to the door and chatted with us for a minute. I managed to ask her why she had requested the bible. She nearly broke down in tears while she began to tell us her struggles. Her health is declining and she has several auto-immune diseases that are basically eating her body away. She feels lost and like she has no where to go. She doesn't know much about God and has never really been a religious person, but she felt a need to start turning to God. We testified to her that she does have a loving Heavenly Father who wants to help her! We told her that we are messengers sent from Him and we share a message of love and hope and healing. It really touched her heart! We are going back to see her again this week! I am so excited!
The gospel is amazing! It is beautiful! It is the answer that we seek and the happiness that we yearn for. It is a blessing. and I am so grateful that I can be sharing it with others!
I love you all family! You are amazing! Bloom where you are planted and keep sharing the light!
Love,
Sister McGuire
Monday, November 9, 2015
Apology Letter and Miracles!!!
Dear Family,
First off, I owe you all a huge apology for not writing last week. It
was so strange to me, because we finished emailing so much earlier
than usual! I had totally forgotten to write! I didn't even realize it
until that night when we were planning for the next day. By then, it
was too late to write until today.
So, with that said, the stories of last week....
Tuesday: Sister Sullivan woke up sick. Which was terrible because we
had 6 appointments scheduled for that day! The most lessons we have
had since I got to Pottstown. But, we were able to call up some
members and go on splits for the day. I went out teaching all day with
Sister Bunting while another sister stayed home with my companion.
Saturday was Halloween and all missionaries have to be home at 6:00 on
Halloween night. So, we picked up pizza and watched church movies that
night. We really enjoyed it!
Basically, that's all for two weeks ago.
This past week has been crazy! Our area exploded!
It all started on Tuesday. We went on exchanges with the Sister
Training Leaders. So, I stayed in Pottstown and Sister Hepworth joined
me for the day! It was amazing! We got so much work done together. We
taught 4 lessons that day alone. And we met 2 new people to teach! It
was amazing!
Wednesday we volunteered at the Salvation Army, preparing and serving
food for the homeless. That was so cool. There is something so
humbling about serving in a place like that. I love the people that we
serve with there. Especially this one lady named Bonita. She's
hilarious! I also find it ironic that the people who usually serve in
soup kitchens are in poverty themselves. Very rarely do you find rich
people serving in that capacity.
That night we saw Sister Khohlovaia. (Try saying that! Hahaha!) She is
one of my favorite people ever! She is from Russia. She is convert to
the gospel. The missionaries found and taught her in Russia 20 years
ago. She has such a strong testimony and so much to share! She came to
America a year ago to live with her daughter and grandchildren. She
struggles a lot with her English, but she wants to learn so bad!
However, she is a professional Pianist. Even though she doesn't speak
English, she shares her talents every week by playing the piano in
Primary. I love that music is its own language! And, it just so
happens that there is a man in our Ward who just recently got home
from serving a mission in Russia. We teamed up with him and we have
been teaching Sister Irina the gospel in English so she will be able
to understand Sacrament meeting better.
Thursday was Zone Training. It was fantastic! Easily the best one I've
ever been to! Our Zone Leaders are Elder Holden and Elder Curtis. ( I
don't know if you remember Ryan Curtis from Bountiful, but I went to
high school with him. He played on the football team.) anyway, it was
great. We talked about the importance of the Book of Mormon. We also
talked about how obedience creates a climate where the Spirit can
dwell. That really hit us. So we have been trying really hard to
always have a climate of obedience so that we can see miracles.
Right after Zone Training we had interviews with President Anderson.
It was amazing! I just want you all to know that I have the best
mission president in the world! I didn't want to make anyone jealous,
but it's the truth! Haha. He helped me recognize just how much I have
changed over the last 16 months. It was awesome. We laughed about some
growing experiences that I have had and we talked about the moments
that have shaped who I am today. It was great.
Basically we were riding on a spiritual high, and we went out to work!
And boy, did it work! The rest of the week was pretty much a blur of
too many miracles to count. If I took the time to write it all down,
it would be a book series longer than Harry Potter. And that's if I
can find the words to describe it all. Suffice it to say, we were
blessed to find 6 new investigators this week and we ended up teaching
18 lessons. It was a miracle! This area hasn't had a new investigator
in almost 8 weeks. And we haven't taught more than 10 lessons a week
in the last 2 months. Heavenly Father is so good to us! He truly
prepares his people to hear the gospel! And when the time is right, He
orchestrates it perfectly. I also truly learned one thing this week.
Obedience brings blessings, but exact obedience brings miracles. Exact
obedience doesn't mean we are perfect, because I am definitely NOT!
But, we can perfectly put our trust in the Savior, His Atonement and
His commandments. Mosiah 2:41 Blessed and happy are they that keep the
commandments of God.
Another miracle was that Sister Lee came to church!!!!!!!! She hasn't
been to church in almost 6 months! It was amazing! We basically
knocked her over when she came in the door. I love her so much!
Kinda funny story to explain the picture! Sister Nicholls is an
awesome lady in the Ward! She has been dying to make chick food (like
soups, salads, and sandwiches) but her husband is a big macho guy and
just wants the heavy hearty food. So, she signed up to have us over
for dinner this week and she kicked her husband out of the house for
the night! Hahaha! She was so happy! We had squash soup and candied
walnut salad. It was so good!
Anyway, sorry for the long shpeel today. I sure love you all!
Love,
Sister McGuire
First off, I owe you all a huge apology for not writing last week. It
was so strange to me, because we finished emailing so much earlier
than usual! I had totally forgotten to write! I didn't even realize it
until that night when we were planning for the next day. By then, it
was too late to write until today.
So, with that said, the stories of last week....
Tuesday: Sister Sullivan woke up sick. Which was terrible because we
had 6 appointments scheduled for that day! The most lessons we have
had since I got to Pottstown. But, we were able to call up some
members and go on splits for the day. I went out teaching all day with
Sister Bunting while another sister stayed home with my companion.
Saturday was Halloween and all missionaries have to be home at 6:00 on
Halloween night. So, we picked up pizza and watched church movies that
night. We really enjoyed it!
Basically, that's all for two weeks ago.
This past week has been crazy! Our area exploded!
It all started on Tuesday. We went on exchanges with the Sister
Training Leaders. So, I stayed in Pottstown and Sister Hepworth joined
me for the day! It was amazing! We got so much work done together. We
taught 4 lessons that day alone. And we met 2 new people to teach! It
was amazing!
Wednesday we volunteered at the Salvation Army, preparing and serving
food for the homeless. That was so cool. There is something so
humbling about serving in a place like that. I love the people that we
serve with there. Especially this one lady named Bonita. She's
hilarious! I also find it ironic that the people who usually serve in
soup kitchens are in poverty themselves. Very rarely do you find rich
people serving in that capacity.
That night we saw Sister Khohlovaia. (Try saying that! Hahaha!) She is
one of my favorite people ever! She is from Russia. She is convert to
the gospel. The missionaries found and taught her in Russia 20 years
ago. She has such a strong testimony and so much to share! She came to
America a year ago to live with her daughter and grandchildren. She
struggles a lot with her English, but she wants to learn so bad!
However, she is a professional Pianist. Even though she doesn't speak
English, she shares her talents every week by playing the piano in
Primary. I love that music is its own language! And, it just so
happens that there is a man in our Ward who just recently got home
from serving a mission in Russia. We teamed up with him and we have
been teaching Sister Irina the gospel in English so she will be able
to understand Sacrament meeting better.
Thursday was Zone Training. It was fantastic! Easily the best one I've
ever been to! Our Zone Leaders are Elder Holden and Elder Curtis. ( I
don't know if you remember Ryan Curtis from Bountiful, but I went to
high school with him. He played on the football team.) anyway, it was
great. We talked about the importance of the Book of Mormon. We also
talked about how obedience creates a climate where the Spirit can
dwell. That really hit us. So we have been trying really hard to
always have a climate of obedience so that we can see miracles.
Right after Zone Training we had interviews with President Anderson.
It was amazing! I just want you all to know that I have the best
mission president in the world! I didn't want to make anyone jealous,
but it's the truth! Haha. He helped me recognize just how much I have
changed over the last 16 months. It was awesome. We laughed about some
growing experiences that I have had and we talked about the moments
that have shaped who I am today. It was great.
Basically we were riding on a spiritual high, and we went out to work!
And boy, did it work! The rest of the week was pretty much a blur of
too many miracles to count. If I took the time to write it all down,
it would be a book series longer than Harry Potter. And that's if I
can find the words to describe it all. Suffice it to say, we were
blessed to find 6 new investigators this week and we ended up teaching
18 lessons. It was a miracle! This area hasn't had a new investigator
in almost 8 weeks. And we haven't taught more than 10 lessons a week
in the last 2 months. Heavenly Father is so good to us! He truly
prepares his people to hear the gospel! And when the time is right, He
orchestrates it perfectly. I also truly learned one thing this week.
Obedience brings blessings, but exact obedience brings miracles. Exact
obedience doesn't mean we are perfect, because I am definitely NOT!
But, we can perfectly put our trust in the Savior, His Atonement and
His commandments. Mosiah 2:41 Blessed and happy are they that keep the
commandments of God.
Another miracle was that Sister Lee came to church!!!!!!!! She hasn't
been to church in almost 6 months! It was amazing! We basically
knocked her over when she came in the door. I love her so much!
Kinda funny story to explain the picture! Sister Nicholls is an
awesome lady in the Ward! She has been dying to make chick food (like
soups, salads, and sandwiches) but her husband is a big macho guy and
just wants the heavy hearty food. So, she signed up to have us over
for dinner this week and she kicked her husband out of the house for
the night! Hahaha! She was so happy! We had squash soup and candied
walnut salad. It was so good!
Anyway, sorry for the long shpeel today. I sure love you all!
Love,
Sister McGuire
Sister Nicholls and the the Chick-Food!!
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