Whirlwind of a Week

First off. HAPPY BIRTHDAY DAD. :) I love youuuuu!!!! :) 

It never ceases to amaze me HOW FAST TIME IS FLYING. I swear yesterday was Monday. Pretty sure I'm in a time warp. Eeeeek. This week was nuts. Nothing normal about it. I think I might have to explain things today in a list. Yes. Let's make a list.

• Exchanges this week were SUPER good :) I got to be with Sister Rammell, my first trainer! It was super cool to be out teaching with her again. :) It was also fun to reflect on the beginning of my mission and see how much the both of us have progressed throughout out time as missionaries. 
• I found a snow cone shack. It's owned by a member. Missionaries get free snow cones. In other news..I'm doomed. 
• Dearest Sister Wach has gone home :( she wasn't able to recover as well as she needed to and so she is home now. It was really really sad to see her go. 
• I am now in a trio with...... SISTER LINNEY AND SISTER STYER. :) Sister Linney and I were MTC companions so we are basically living the dream now ;) And I loooooove Sister Styer so much. It's going to be a lot of fun the next few weeks. We will be covering the Pioneer Park and Monad wards. It's going to be INSANE. I'm ready to get to pounding the pavement though. Bring. It. On. 
• Annika is doing awesome. She wasn't able to make it to church though and we wanted her to get to primary before her baptism so we pushed it back a week. We met with her last night and read the Book of Mormon with her. It has been so cool to see her little testimony grow. She has been an amazing example to her family and to me. 
• We had Dinner with the Mullikins this last week. Okay. This was pretty much the highlight of my week. Sister Mullikin is a stalwart member and Brother Mullikan is not and is as stubborn as anyone I've ever met. He had a stroke right when I got to this area (5 months ago) and he has been softening up to the church little by little. Where before he refused to have dinner with missionaries or even go to church, he is now doing both! He still refused to take the lessons. We joked with him about getting baptized and when he said he wouldn't his wife said "well that's okay, I'll just baptize you when you're gone" he responded with "by heck you wont!" Sad, but at least we can talk to him about it now! Hahahahaha he made me wear his cowboy hat during dinner. I think he secretly likes me ;) I'm determined to help him at least learn about the gospel in any way I can. He loves music and so when we went there for dinner we sang I Need Thee Every Hour and talked about how we are dependent upon God. He came to church again and stayed all three hours! He knows it's true. He's just stubborn.
• We found a less active couple earlier in the week. Sister Hurst and I had gone by their 5th wheel trailer once before but we're not able to make it to the door due to a ferocious three legged pit bull. Well, we braved it and went and knocked on the trailer. No pit bull to be seen. The lady that answered said that we were looking for her grandparents that lived in the house behind the trailer. ...what? There's a house back there? I felt like I had stepped into a 3rd world county walking to their home. Garbage was everywhere. The ceiling was being held up in some places by crutches.  The door was answered by a man that looked very similar to miracle max from Princess Bride. He had the kindest eyes I have ever seen and wild white hair. His wife joined us. She has Alzheimers and had her hair in a classic 40's twist :) haha As I sat with them and heard their stories, tears could not be kept inside. They couldn't take care of their house anymore because of their age. He had arthritis and his arm is partly paralyzed. It. Was. So. Sad.  They feel bad they haven't come to church, but they really just can't! We brought the matter to the Ward council and I'm excited to see where it goes and what we can do to help them! 
• We were nominated in Ward council to speak on Mother's Day...wish us luck ;) #thetearswillbeREAL 
• No more car share! But it doesn't even matter because we don't have any miles left for the month! #sorryelderbaird 
• OH!! So on Thursday we helped out in the Mission Office. Sister Draper found a place to donate all of the extra bikes (all 44 of them) and so we hooked up the big transfer trailer to her truck and went with her and Elder Baird to load up the bikes. I can't even explain the love I have for the senior missionaries here. They are amazing. I truly am SO blessed to be able to be assigned to work in the office with them. After a few difficulties with the trailer, we finally got the bikes to the Yellowstone Boys and Girls Ranch. They were so thankful for all of the bikes. I love serving. :) 
• Got to go to the temple. :) So much peace and joy there. :) I've missed it sooooo much. My understanding of revelation and prophets grew exponentially. 
• My testimony of the power of the priesthood grew a ton this week too. I always think that is okay and that I don't need a priesthood blessing, but then God humbles me and I am astounded at the guidance, direction, and love that I would have missed had I not asked for one. 

That's all for now folks! (Anyone? Anyone?) haha I need to unpack...bleck....
Love you all! 
Love, Sister Fletcher

Legit-almost cried eating that snow cone. Mango-lada the best kind.

 Oh, how I love Sister Wach!

 Dinner with the Mullikins :) should I keep wearing cowboy hats? ;)

Goodbye apartment 13!

 Not amused with packing

Rain or Shine

Hey y'all :)

I hope everyone had a wonderful week! It's been crazy over here in my corner of the Lords vineyard. But good, there's never a chance to sit and think too hard about anything because there are sooooo many things to do.

We have had some pretty powerful lessons with people we are teaching this week. A whole lot of tears from them and from me. It funny how seeing people cry as a missionary brings so much joy because you KNOW they are feeling the spirit. Haha

We had an awesome lesson with Mickey on Tuesday. She fed us authentic Mexican food. Mmmmm. So good. And then we had a lesson with her focused on how her heritage is connected to the Book of Mormon. IT WAS SO COOL. So at the beginning she wasn't understanding it...at all. And so sister Wach whipped out the note app on the iPad and I started to draw everything out. How Lehi is a descendant of Abraham and how his posterity turns into the Lamanites who eventually turn into part of the American Indians and her specific tribe in Mexico. It was the highlight of my week to see it all click and to see her love and desire to read the Book of Mormon increase so much. Still helping her
to understand the need for baptism. She's getting there :)

I love teaching people about the Book of Mormon. Love it love it love it. It truly testifies of Christ and contains all of the doctrine and principles pertaining to our happiness here on earth and in the life to come. I'm in Mosiah right now. ALMOST TO MY FAVORITE PART. We also studied Jacob 5 in Sunday school. (Sister Wright, there was much shoulder shrugging on my part ;)) there is so much in that chapter. I can't get enough of it.

One of my favorite parts of being a missionary work is Saturday nights. There is this adrenaline that comes with texting, and messaging, and stopping by everyone we possibly can to invite them to come to church. My thumbs have never moved so fast. Hahaha Our 9 year old came to church again! So she's good to go and be baptized on the 30th!!!!!! SO EXCITED!! She has a testimony of her own. And I'm so proud of her for that.

Oh! Rama had her baby :) we got to go visit her in the hospital and the elders gave her and the baby a blessing. The baby is still in the nicu. Keep them in your prayers!

I've been studying a lot about covenants lately. I got an assignment for district meeting to basically just talk about whatever I feel the district would need to hear. We are kind of having a mini general conference I guess you could say. I have been thinking about it a lot and have really had it impressed on me that we need to become covenant makers and keepers and teach our investigators and less actives how to do the same. There is a reason we covenant what we do when we are baptized, it is to prepare us to make and keep covenants in the temple. I would encourage you all to read the talk Obedience, Consecration, and Sacrifice by Bruce R. McConkie ITS SO GREAT. As my understanding for the promises I have made with God has increased, my love for him and for keeping the commandments has also increased. He always has a reason for requiring us to do things. Even the things that are hard. ESPECIALLY the things that are hard.

I love you all so much. :)

Love,
Sister Fletcher :)

 

Shout out to mi parentals for teacching me how to sweep; we did a whole lot of it this week.

 

 Rama's baby-has some intestinal issues and being taken to Colorado.

Lessons Around the Campfire

Hey everyone!

I hope you all had a lovely week. IT'S APRIL. IT'S WARM. I LOVE IT. If only I wasn't allergic to the amazing state. Hahahaha I have not been able to stop sneezing ALL WEEK LONG. Haha We are planning on hiking the Rims today :) I'm so excited.

This week went pretty well for the Mighty Monad Ward and its missionaries. :) In Ward council yesterday I couldn't stop thinking about how much I love the Ward members here. They are all so amazing and are true examples to me. Bishop welcomed Sister Wach to the Ward and said "I hate to break it to you, but you're going to cry your eyes out when you leave this Ward" He. Couldn't. Be. More. Right. By the end of this transfer, I will have spent 6 months here, just like St. Iggy. :) I'm convincing myself that I'm never leaving. Ever.

We have done a lot of finding this past week trying to build the work back up. There was one day we were in a trailer park trying to find a less active member. We had the address of the park, but not the trailer number. We knocked on a few doors with no answer and so I turned to Sister Wach and asked what one she thought we should go to. She looked around for a bit and then pointed to a trailer with a bunch of little kids running around outside. Great. The most awkward door to walk up to. Haha so we knock on the door, and a man answers. We asked for the person we are looking for..."Hold on I'll go grab her" SO COOL. We are meeting with her tomorrow morning. :)

We saw a lot of miracles with finally being able to track down people we have met with and then have never been able to schedule with again. It's amazing the things that have transpired in their lives to better prepare them to meet with us and accept the gospel of Jesus Christ.

We helped Melanie move out this week. She is taking care of Vanessa's kids (her grandkids) while Vanessa is in jail. Vanessa had her court date and will be in jail for another year. Well, this means that she looses the house she lived in and that Melanie is currently living in. Many members of the Relief Society came and helped pack. It was complete chaos, but we got it done. Those two cute kids of Vanessa's melt my heart. I can't imagine the things they have already gone through and the things they still will go though. They just want love. The need for the gospel in their home is unreal.

The Pioneer Park sisters had a baptism in their Ward on Saturday. We have met the FAMILY that was baptized due to a lot of dropping the sister off and picking them up at their house so we got to attend their baptism. Yes. A FAMILY. The spirit at the baptism was so strong. It brought back memories and thoughts of my own baptism and the importance of knowing the covenants that we make. It also really motivated me to find allllll the people and baptize alllll the people :) ITS SO IMPORTANT.

Annika (one of our 9 year olds) will be getting baptized at the end of the month! She FINALLY came to church yesterday! She woke up her mom, and helped her siblings get ready, and got everyone in the car and headed to church :) We had a lesson with them last night around a campfire. Their trailer currently doesn't have any electricity...or water...So they are basically camping for another 2 months until they can move into their house. In the lesson last night I could tell that Annika's decision to get baptized has really influenced her family. Where the lessons used to just be us and Annika, her parents and siblings have now joined in and expressed their desire to choose the right and do better. Her mom especially was really touched at Annika's determination  to follow the example of Jesus Christ and be baptized. Oh how I LOVE that family.

Our other 9 year old is struggling a bit. Her stepdad started drinking again. It. Broke. My. Heart. In. Half. He has a testimony and KNOWS the importance of living the gospel, but keeps falling back into addictions and really straining relationships in his family. So...it's going to take some time to help their family have good feelings for the church. The stepdad was their link to it..and so now that that has gone sour...so has everything else. Blah. Keep them in your prayers.

Welp! I think that about sums things up! :) I've been studying a lot of old conference talks and found this poem is one of them. Super powerful. :)

Heaven is not reached at a single bound;
But we build the ladder by which we rise
From the lowly earth to the vaulted skies,
And we mount to its summit round by round

Enduring is the essence of the gospel. Read 2 Nephi 31! We aren't able to receive exaltation unless we endure and endure WELL. The gospel takes time to apply. So be patient with yourself and patient with others.

I love you all. :) shout out to my lil sister Kelsey! Happy Birthday Smels! I luff you! Stop being grown up and TWELVE. It's too crazy.

Love,
Sister Fletcher :)

 It's April! (mom insert:she turns 20 this month! Hmmmm. That's crazy!)

 Yellowstone River

 Awkward pic for Kels...hahahaha

Of Prophets, People I love, and Progression

Hiiiiiiiii :)

Man oh man. ISN'T GENERAL CONFERENCE THE BEST?!?!? I'll tell you my favorite parts and specific things I learned in a bit. BUT FIRST.

Let me tell you about some people that I love quite a lot. :)

Mickey :) she is an investigator we are currently teaching. She has a little 18 month old daughter, Sapphire and is the most positive, happy person I have ever met. I included a picture of her on her birthday. We celebrated with her and invited her to watch general conference. SHE WAS STOKED. It has been hard for her to grasp gospel concepts, but this weekend she really got excited about living prophets and apostles speaking to us. She was working during all sessions of conference, but we went over on Saturday night and and Sister Wach mentioned that she felt impressed to show her Elder Holland's talk, Behold Thy Mother. We did, and I am SO grateful we followed the prompting. It was exactly what Mickey needed to hear.

Cheri and Rex. Cheri is a new investigator. We have been teaching her brother Rex who is a returning less active member. They are in their 50's and Rex owns American Classic Pizza in Billings. Taco pizza? To die for. We had a lesson with Cheri earlier in the week completely focused on the intro to the Book of Mormon. She is beginning to read it AND she watched the first part of the Sunday morning session of conference with us in a members home. :) Wooooot!

Robin. :) y'all might remember her from St. Ignatius. :) I can't even begin to tell you how much I miss her and how much I love her. She hasn't had internet for the past FOREVER so I haven't been able to talk to her. BUT BUT BUT by a miracle earlier this week her wifi randomly started working and I was able to message her a little bit on Facebook :) She's doing great :) Can't wait until October <3

We haven't been able to meet with our little 9 year olds this week :( They're doing well though. Their testimonies are becoming strong and they are helping their families to come back to church by their examples.

I am super grateful to be able to stay in the Mighty Monad Ward for another 6 weeks :) We attended their Trek fundraiser this last week. Yes, tears were shed as I watched their previous trek video and reflected on  my own experience a few years ago on trek. It was hot. It was miserable. It was a whole lot of walking. BUT it was amazing and I would do it again in a heartbeat. Kinda just like a mission ;) haha I want to stay in Billings forever. Or go back to St. Iggy. ;) Montana has my heart.

Okay okay okay. CONFERENCE. So. Many. Things.

First. How blessed are we to have modern day prophets, seers, and revelators that love us SO MUCH?! It honestly makes me tear up every time I think about it. It really is proof that we have a loving Heavenly Father. He wants us to know how to get back to Him, and so he tells us how through those he calls.

Second. Favorite talks are as follows in no particular order:
1. Elder Bednar in the Saturday afternoon session. It was like having a fire hose of doctrine right in your face. SO GOOD. Can't wait to read it over and over again.
2. President Monson in the Sunday morning session. So much love for him. It was a message I needed to hear. So simple, but SO powerful.
3. Elder Holland in the Sunday afternoon session. Desire+Striving=Blessings I couldn't write any notes because I couldn't take my eyes off of him speaking! Powerful and EXACTLY what I needed to answer my questions.
4. President Uchtdorf's talk in priesthood. He is so bold and so loving. CHOOSE TO BE HAPPY. Look for the good in others. Always a good reminder.

Third. I cried when conference ended...And started watching it again. Sister Wach is still on the mend and I got a nasty cold about halfway through the week (no surprise at this point. I think I'm allergic to the state of Montana) so we only spend a few hours up and out of the apartment each day. The rest of the time I am devouring conference talks and cookie dough :) how's that for imagery? ;)

It was a GOOD week. I can see how the situations I'm in are to help push me to become better. Conference provided a MUCH NEEDED spiritual boost. I'm excited to not have to pack and to give our apartment a nice deep clean today :) I'm glad to be in Montana as a missionary. Although lately it has been a struggle to feel that way, I know that I'm here for a reason :) I'll end with part of President Wadsworth's email this week.

"The big question that always comes to mind for me [after conference ends] is “How do I apply what I have learned so that I can make meaningful changes in my life?”  Naturally if we were to try and change our lives on every subject that was presented we would be overwhelmed and incapable of making any changes.  We would be discouraged and depressed because of our inability to accomplish what we deemed necessary.  The appropriate approach is to let our spirits be guided by the Holy Ghost as to that which would be of most worth for us to accomplish.  Small accomplishments lead to small successes which in turn increases our ability to do more and to accomplish more. We go forward learning and applying line upon line precept upon precept—here a little there a little.  Growth in small increments is better than no growth at all."

Love y'all :)

Love,
Sister Fletcher :)

 #carshare

Just for you mom. Proof I sometimes do my hair ;) hahahahaha

MICKEY. Oh my heavens. I love her. It was her birthday this week and
she invited us over for cake and ice cream. :) The other person in the
pic is her cousin Elisabeth, who we are attempting to teach :) ah. I
just wish all of you could meet Mickey. She. Is. Amazing.

In the spirit of obedience...we ended up having to hitchhike with Rex
and his sister to the church. Hahahaha long story.

 #westrong