Weekly

Hello everyone!

Ps. Please send me a quick email if you get this. It seems like people haven't been getting my weekly's lately so I am trying to fix that :) 

I will be honest with you all. This week was probably the most humbling of my mission. I have felt pretty inadequate coming to a new area where I know nothing and no one, not to mention having our most progressing investigator speak only Spanish. However, I have learned SO MUCH about myself and reliance on the Savior. We seriously can not get through this life without him. That is why finding and accepting this gospel is so important; this is the way that our Heavenly Father has set up for His children to fully access the sacrifice of His Son. We have to have faith, repent, be baptized and partake of the sacrament each week, love so the Holy Ghost can be our constant companion and endure to the end. I have seen up close and personal how essential each of these steps is in enduring to the end and finding joy in this life. I am so very grateful for the Atonement and the chance it gives us to enjoy and make the most of this life here on Earth. I still don't know much Spanish, but the gift of tongues is so real and it will come with time. I am loving Somerset and Sister Westwood has the sweetest heart around. It is going to be a great time here in the Cumberland District and I can't wait to see what lies in store for us. 

The week was pretty exciting. It is much different being in a car but we still get to bike to appointments that are within a 3 mile radius so I am getting some good exercise in ;) I am loving being able to listen to music again! It's the little things for sure. 

We have been doing a lot of finding because we don't have many investigators right now and we have been seeing success! We found a few new investigators last night while visiting less active apps and found a few more tracking throughout the week. It is too early to know their potential yet but we will keep you posted. 

Like I said before, we have a baptismal date that speaks Spanish, along with a recent convert! My first lesson with him was a struggle because the only words I remember from high school are cebolla (onion) and lechuga (lettuce) so after that, I started studying Spanish in the pamphlets, Book of Mormon, everything! I was pretty happy when we taught out recent convert the plan of salvation and I could contribute to the lesson. Our teaching is extremely simple but honestly, it is better that way! Instead of getting caught up in all of the details, I am being forced to teach as simply as I possibly can. I love it! Any Spanish tips would be much appreciated for all you Spanish missionaries:)

Another fun highlight of the week is we got to go back to Louisville for the baptism of sister Moore and I's YSA investigator. It was the sweetest baptism ever and she was glowing when she got up and bore her testimony after of the prophet and Gods love for us. It was good to see the crew again too while I was up there, but I was excited to come back to our area. 

Our branch is the sweetest little thing ever. I already love them and can't wait to serve with them. We are a combined branch with Monticello (the area below us) so we have Elders there. They are pretty awesome so working together will be a blast! 

Anyways, I love you all. I am loving life and learning lots. This church is so true. It is the one true church with the authority to act in Gods name on the Earth. How fortunate are we to know what we know. Let us share it is any possible way that we can, so that we can experience all of the joy that Heavenly Father has in store for us. 

Hurrah for Israel!

Love, 

Sister Dorian 

Alma 37:44 (this whole chapter is bomb. Here is one of my favorite verses)

"Pues he aquí, tan fácil es prestar atención a la palabra de Cristo, que te indicará un curso directo a la felicidad eterna, como lo fue para nuestros padres prestar atención a esta brújula que les señalaba un curso directo a la tierra prometida."

"For behold, it is as easy to give heed to the word of Christ, which will point to you a straight course to eternal bliss, as it was for our fathers to give heed to this compass, which would point unto them a straight course to the promised land."

Knocking, Knocking, and some more Knocking

Hello everyone!

Sorry to be so late on the email this week. We are going to the temple this week before I get transferred so our PDay changed to Wednesday. We are so excited to attend the temple. Even though I will be leaving my baby area soon, i am so grateful that we get the chance to go before I leave :) 

Before I get into what we did for the last week and a half, I wanted to talk about some things that I learned (trying to change things around with the weekly to make it easier to read so bear with me 🏻). One main lesson that comes to mind is replacing fear with faith. In my life, I feel like I become subject to my fears and doubts and have let them bug me way more than they should. Since I tend to be a perfectionist, fear of not being perfect is a major struggle (which is silly since we can't be perfect in this life). This week, I realized that I can not exercise adequate faith when I am living in fear. In order to dispel fear, we must exercise faith in Christ through prayer, scripture study, obedience to the commandments, and righteous service. In the Book of Mormon, Alma and his people were able to master this concept. It says in Mosiah, "But Alma went forth and stood among them, and exhorted them that they should not be frightened, but that they should remember the Lord their God and he would deliver them. Therefore they hushed their fears, and began to cry unto the Lord that he would soften the hearts of the Lamanites, that they would spare them, and their wives, and their children." Mosiah 23:27-28 When we are living righteously, we have no need to fear. The Lord will always come to our aid in His perfect time and way. I am so grateful for the amazing experiences I had this week that helped me to learn this essential concept. Faith dispels fear and when we cry unto the Lord, He will ALWAYS deliver us.

Also, the temple was amazing today! I learned so much about faith and the purpose of opposition in our lives. Something that I have realized is that opposition will always come before righteous and spiritual moments. To combat it, we must pray and strengthen our faith in Christ. The Savior is our Best Friend. He understands who we are and what our desires are. He will strengthen us and teach us all the things we need to learn. I am so grateful for the gospel and the understanding we get from the Spirit as we strive to live faithful to our covenants :)

Now for the week (and a half). On Monday last week, we went to House of Boom with some other sisters and then went and ate fried chicken :) we also got to eat dinner with one of the sweetest couples in our Ward. On Tuesday, we did exchanges and were able to teach some great lessons. I exchanged with Hermana Swapp and it was so much fun. She is a sweetie pie :) on Wednesday, we had a great district meeting about teaching repentance in order to truly baptize converts. On Thursday we got to teach Renae and we both feel like she has lots of potential so we hope to see more from her soon.

On Saturday, we went to Glasgow for a baptism! The mission nurse and her husband (who we just love to death) drove us down and we had such a great time! Fred was the investigator getting baptized and he was just the sweetest. That night, we met these two guys on the street. They are very interesting! They showed genuine interest in the church and were very knowledgeable about it. They came to church and one bore his testimony about how much he loves the family emphasis in our church. We taught them on Monday night and the both accepted baptismal dates! They live in the Elders area so we are going to have to refer them but it was still a pretty amazing experience. 

Sunday was amazing. Miranda and Sarah Jane came basically on their own (hardly any help from us except a text) and the both bore such sweet testimonies. Miranda has been participating in class and has made such great friends with the Ward. It has been such a tender mercy to be able to see her through this whole journey and onward. I just love them!! 

Our YSA investigator has been doing fabulous. She decided that she wants to be baptized in the family Ward and is still on track to be baptized on the 25th. She is such a sweet heart. She truly has such a testimony and being able to see her progress in this gospel has been so touching. We just love her to death. 

The rest of the week has been a lot of finding, especially tracking. Tracking is actually a pretty fun activity if you make it fun so that has been an interesting experience for sure. We found a cute couple a few nights ago knocking doors so hopefully we can help them find the joy that this gospel brings. 

This week was a great week. I am so grateful for a loving companion who keeps me laughing and makes me eat chips and salsa and is really good at teaching the gospel. I love the mission but most of all, I love my Savior, Jesus Christ. Because of Him, nothing is ever too hard to bear. He is our Advocate and Friend and for that, I am forever grateful. 

I love you all. Have a great week!!

Love,

Sister Dorian 🏻

The House of Many Cultures

Hey Y'all! 

How is everyone doing? This week has been such an exciting week for us in the Highlands. We have seen so many miracles and have seen the Lord purifying us in so many ways. It has been a week of joy and tears and happiness and everything in between and even though there have been hard moments, I have loved every second of it because those hard moments made the amazing moments worth it. Yay for missionary work. Yay for the Atonement that makes joy possible. Yay for opposition that gives us the capacity to experience happiness and joy. Yay for this gospel that has been restored in these Latter Days. Yay for life 🏻

As you might remember from my last email, we spent most of last week clearing out our teaching pool because our investigators weren't progressing. While it hurts my heart to do that, I felt so excited for the week to come because I had a feeling that good things were to come. I could feel the Spirit testifying to me that as long as I was obedient to promptings and moved forward with faith, we would find the prepared. As we strived to do that, it happened!! 

On Monday, we met a girl walking her dog on our way to Miranda's. After talking to her, we both knew that we needed to teach her about God and His plan for her. After asking some questions regarding her religious background and her past, we realized that she was truly searching for the truth and had no idea where to find it. We both felt the Spirit so strong as we testified to her of the truthfulness of the Book of Mormon and the guidance found within its pages. Unfortunately, she wouldn't give us any of her information. She wanted to read the Book of Mormon first and pray sincerely about its truthfulness before moving forward and calling us. We left that night feeling like we were supposed to meet her. Such an amazing experience!

Then on Tuesday, we taught the most amazing couple!! She is from Japan so they met while her was there working for the Smithsonian. When you walk into their house, it is as if you just walked into about 10 different cultures all at once. They have so many neat things from their travels and it is just a treat to be with them. Sister Henderson and I found them on the street but they weren't very interested. Then, on our way to catch a bus a few weeks ago, Sister Moore and I decided to stop by and set up another time (Tuesday night) and they accepted. We brought a senior missionary couple with us to teach them and it was amazing!! This man's son joined the church some years ago and he was able to witness his baptism and even has read the entire Book of Mormon before! He admitted that it was very educational the first time so he was excited to read it again from a spiritual perspective. They even accepted a baptismal date!! Since then, we have been able to go over and help give service as well as watch a video in Japanese for his wife. He has already read 50 pages in the Book of Mormon and she is making her way through her Japanese one. We have felt the Spirit so strong in our lessons and I know that we were meant to meet and teach this sweet couple. I love them with all of my heart and can't wait to continue helping them along this conversion process ️

We have also continued to work on using our technology to enhance our missionary efforts. We were able to have a lesson with a bus driver that we met who is interested in the gospel but has a busy schedule. We even had a member from the Ward on to participate which was amazing. We are excited to continue to help our investigators to strengthen their faith with all the different means that Heavenly Father has provided for us to hasten His work. We can't wait to continue teaching her and helping her progress :)

On Friday, we taught a less active that we found while cleaning out our phone. Unfortunately, he wasn't very interested in the church. However, it was amazing how strong Sister Moore and I felt the Spirit during the lesson. Even though he didn't want to change much, we were able to follow the Spirit and tell him what he needed to hear. It reminds me of a section in the Ricciardi Letter that talks about teaching with the Spirit. Elder Humphrey talks about how when the teacher feels the Spirit, the listener is also feeling it, whether they realize it or not (D&C 50:13-14, 17-22). So, even though the lesson didn't go how we expected, we really felt a love for him and knew that we needed to teach him. 

That night, we taught an investigator who was being taught by the AP's but needed to be taught by sisters instead. She is so sweet. She is struggling with understanding the authority of the church and is very fearful about leaving the church that her family has been members at for many many years but she reads the Book of Mormon regularly and is trying to gain a testimony of these things. 

On Saturday, we taught Terrance. He is awesome! He is a father who is working long hours to provide for his family and has developed a strong relationship with God. We are in the beginning stages of teaching him but we know that if he is prepared, he will progress and help his family receive these eternal blessings. We are very excited to see what Heavenly Father has in store for him!

Last night we had the fireside and it was AMAZING. I love the new member firesides with all of my heart because you get to see the way people have changed their lives by accepting this gospel and how joyful it is to be a part of it. Kansas was able to make it to that and she really liked it. There were two testimonies (even though I loved ALL OF THEM) that stuck out. One Elder stood up and said simply, "Why do we focus on the restoration of the gospel as missionaries? It's for you. When we pray, we pray for you. When we study, we study for you. The reason we go to bed at 10:30 and wake up at 6:30 is for you. All of it is for you." It truly is all for these people and I love them so much! I am so grateful for this chance to serve the Lord and forget about myself. The last testimony given was by a sweet little boy who got up and was very emotional for several minutes before he bore the purest testimony about being with his family forever and never leaving them. This gospel is so wonderful and it is all because Jesus Christ is our Savior. He lives and because He lives, we need not ever feel permanently sad. We can find true joy as we focus on Him and His sacrifice for us. 

I love you all so much. I know that this is Heavenly Father's one and only true church, with His Only Begotten Son at the head. It has been restored in these last days through the prophet Joseph Smith. The only way for us to fully access our Savior's sacrifice is through the gospel of Jesus Christ. The Book of Mormon is true and testifies of our Savior and how we can become like Him. As we go throughout our lives, let us try to become more like our Savior each and every day and take full advantage of this glorious eternal gift that He has given us through this gospel. Through it, we can be together forever. We can have joy in this life and eternal life in the world to come. How amazing is that?? I am so grateful for the truths that I know and for the privilege that we have all been given to share it. We can each pray for the desire to share this gospel and it will come, along with pure love for those you share it with. In the words of Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ's chosen apostles, "God be thanked for the matchless gift of His divine Son." (The Living Christ)

Have an amazing week! 

Love,

Sister Dorian

Wet Days, Happy Hearts

Hey y'all!

I hope you all had a great week. I can't believe it is Monday again. Where does the time go?? So crazy how fast time flies by. Like I say every week, I wish it would slow down a bit but I am grateful for all the many joyous moments Heavenly Father has given me as a missionary and I am doing my best to make the most of this short time He has given me to serve Him here. 

This week, I got a new companion, Sister Moore. She is so awesome!!!! We have so much fun together laughing and teaching and talking with everyone and eating. She loves food too so that is one of our hobbies haha. She is an amazing missionary with the sweetest testimony and such a hard work ethic. She has been helping me with the purification challenge because a lot of the things on my list to work on are things she is great at so she is helping me be more accountable to things. We have already gotten really close so I think we are going to have a solid transfer! 

In Highlands, we had a great week even though it had its sad moments. It has been raining like crazy because Kentucky is having trouble deciding whether it should be warm or cold ;) After lots of hard work and prayers, we had to drop most of the investigators in our teaching pool because they were keeping commitments, were unable to contact, or just not interested. We have spent so much time with these people and have seen miracles happen in their lives but we can't spend this valuable time with them if they aren't going to progress. I feel very much at peace though because those investigators we kept are progressing and have solid potential. I have actually gotten very excited this week to see what's in store in the coming weeks because whenever we have to drop people, it's because Heavenly Father has His prepared children ready to hear this word and we need to focus our time finding, teaching, baptizing, and retaining them! So, our week has been filled with lots of finding and it has been a great way for Sister Moore to get to know the area. 

We did have some amazing miracles this week! On Wednesday, I woke up with a stomach ache that led to me being sick later on in the day. We had a dinner appt that night and I knew that I wasn't going to be able to do much walking/biking/talking with people after that. So, after receiving a blessing from the Elders, we had an idea to try and use our technology to do our missionary work so that we didn't have to go out. And guess what?? We taught two lessons from our desks over Messenger to some potentials that we met earlier on. How cool is that?? I am convinced that Heavenly Father is hastening His work in so many ways and technology is one of them! So amazing to be able to see that first hand. 🏻

Another miracle happened to us yesterday. We were looking through our weekly goals and realized that we had a goal for three lessons with a member present and we hadn't been able to get any that week because of all of the finding and dropping of investigators that we have been doing. We saw that we had three lessons scheduled for the day so we set up members for each one. The first one was AMAZING. We had a solid member with us who bore amazing testimony to our investigator who has been struggling to commit to a date because she has been baptized so many times. Even though she still didn't commit, she understands the priesthood and why know if the Book of Mormon is true is so important! After that, we wanted that same member to come with us to our second lesson but then it fell through :( so, we went to our dinner appt with faith that Heavenly Father would provide so that we could hit our goal. We took the senior missionaries that we ate with out with us to the appt we had scheduled after dinner and that one fell through as well! Luckily, Sister Moore and I had back up plans. After our first lesson that fell through, we both felt prompted to plan in Facebook time to try and teach lessons that way again, like we had on Wednesday. After that second one fell through, we went home and started messaging anyone we could. Again, we found two potentials who were interested in a discussion. So we grabbed some of our Facebook friends that are members who were active and had lessons. So again, because of technology, we were able to hit our goal and help these people progress in the gospel. Because of these discussions, both are interested in reading the Book of Mormon and meeting with missionaries. So cool! When we exercise faith in our Savior and His enabling power, Heavenly Father provides so that you can reach your goals and strengthen the faith of those you serve. Such an amazing experience! 

That is all for this week! I am so excited to see who Heavenly Father has been preparing for this gospel in the coming weeks. It has been such an amazing experience to see His plan for each and every one of His children. I am always in awe of how perfect that plan truly is for each and every one of us. He knows us so perfectly and because of that, He knows what experience we need to stretch and grow and progress. Joy is found as we focus on the Savior and His Atoning sacrifice. I can testify that He lives. He lives and loves us SO MUCH. Because of His great and infinite sacrifice, all we must do is turn to Him and ask Him to strengthen and redeem us. There is a quote from my study this morning that really hit me. In her talk titled "The Soul's Sincere Desire", Carol F. McConkie said, "He does not want us to suffer longer or endure more trials than needed. He does want us to turn to Him and allow Him to ease our burdens, to heal our hearts, and to cleanse our souls through His purifying power." Through His purifying power, we can have the Spirit and pure joy more abundantly in our lives. I know this is true because I have experienced it countless times in my life, especially on my mission. The Savior is our best friend and He is oh so sweet. I love Him with all my heart and think it a marvelous privilege to serve Him here in Kentucky. As we strengthen our relationship with Him, our desire to share His gospel and this joyous news will increase. I have seen that happen in my life! As I work to apply the Atonement in my life and come closer to Christ, I work harder and with more vigor to share this gospel because I know that this is the only way for my fellow brothers and sisters can experience that same peace in their lives. This gospel is true. The Book of Mormon is true. It's amazing and I love it :)

I love you all! Have a great week and stay warm! 

Love,

Sister Dorian ️️

Highlands for Life!

Hello hello everyone!

I hope you all had a great week :) we had an amazing week full of miracles, funny moments, and great times with members. Everyone was very sad to hear about Sister Henderson's departure so we got fed lots which was so much fun! I absolutely love eating with members because the Spirit  there is strong and it just feels like home :) oh and MIRANDA GOT BAPTIZED. More details to follow but hat was the highlight of the week for sure 🏻

Sister Henderson left this morning which was super sad and I am still in denial a little bit, but this is what is best for her and I am excited to hear about all of her one-armed adventures! I will be staying here in Louisville for 6 more weeks and my new companion is Sister Moore. I am so excited!!!! She came to the mission a few weeks after me so she has basically been out as long as I have. We met at new missionary training and totally clicked so I have a feeling we are going to have lots of fun. Oh, and she is serving with my MTC companion right now which is way awesome. I am excited to stay in the Ward for a little longer as well so this transfer is gong to be a great one. 

This week was so fun. We have been continuing to find the truly prepared and have been cleaning out our area book in the process. On Monday, we had to drop the couple that I wrote about a few weeks ago (we helped them carry there groceries home one night). However, we had a pivotal lesson with an investigator that lives in that complex. We taught her about the Atonement and faith and after that she started messaging us about her Book of Mormon reading. Her main concern is that she thinks all churches have truth so it is hard for her to grasp the fact that one of them could be the whole truth. We have faith that as she continues to read and Pray, her answer will come and then it will be up to her to accept or reject it. We absolutely love her and have high hopes for her. 

On Tuesday, we went to an apartment complex in our area to do some finding. That night, we had a lesson with one of our investigators that hasn't been keeping many commitments. We brought a member over and read the Book of Mormon with him and he talked about how the Book of Mormon makes him feel good inside. He then told us that he couldn't come to church because there aren't enough people at his work so he has to go for all of his shifts and can't switch. Right after we testified of Heavenly Father's commandments and how He will provide a way for us to accomplish the things He commands, this investigator got a phone call for an interview with a job that would allow him to get Sunday's off. We were so excited! We didn't get to see him later on that week so we still have t found out how the interview went but it was such a miracle to see that! Heavenly Father was able to touch this investigators heart with a small sign letting him know that He is there and that He will always provide a way. This experience really testified to me as well that the Lord gives us commandments because He loves us and even though they may not be easy to follow, we will always have a way provided for us when we have faith in Him.

On Wednesday, we were able to teach some great lessons. One that stuck out was our lesson with Miranda. It was right before her interview. We taught her a few of the commandments that we wanted to go into more detail with and it was so amazing to see her desire to be obedient and follow the commandments. Even though she didn't understand some at first, she kept and open mind and heart so the Spirit was able to testify of the truthfulness of these things and she readily accepted the invitations to follow them. It brought us so much peace to see her repenting and changing for the better. 

On Thursday, we had Zone Meeting and it snowed!! Zone Meeting was amazing. We received a training on a challenge that our whole mission will be doing for this transfer called "Being Purified". We all did our 24hr fast yesterday and made a list of every single thing that we are doing that isn't exactly obedient. Whether big or small, we wrote down everything. Then, every morning of the transfer, we have been asked to pray about each item on the list and ask Heavenly Father to strengthen us so that we can "fast" from those things for an entire transfer. Then every night, we go over the list again in prayer, talking about our successes and repenting for our failures and coming up with ways to be better the next day. When I heard about this challenge, I immediately started realizing things in my daily routine that I could change to be more purified. They weren't crazy horrible things, just things that are hindering my ability to have the Spirit as abundantly as I could on my mission. So, even though it has been so hard to work on these little things, I have already felt a difference in my teaching. While exact obedience is looked down upon in society today at times, it is something that Heavenly Father has asked each of us to strive to achieve. I am excited to see what things I can learn as we do this challenge and how I can better help my investigators to make and keep commitments by setting the example for them. We can't expect our investigators to be obedient if we aren't willing to do it as well!

On Friday, we had weekly planning and made the programs for the baptism. Then we went to Olive Garden with our relief society president! She is literally the sweetest. Then we were going to do a Meet the Mormons movie night but only one of our less actives showed up so we went and finished planning while they watched. Then we taught them (less active and the two members that showed up and it was so fun! After that, we went over to Ward mission leaders and had hot wings. Sooooo yummy :) 

Saturday was great. We had another lesson with our investigator that we taught on Monday. She still doesn't want to commit to a date but hasn't really sincerely prayed to know if the Book of Mormon is true either so that is what she is gong to work on this week. Then we had a lesson with a member who fed us after and then we went and taught Miranda for the last time before her baptism. 

On Sunday, as I said before, MIRANDA GOT BAPTIZED! She picked us up for Ward council and then hung out in the chapel during our meeting. She did great for Sunday school but then during relief society she got a super bad tooth ache that made her really sick. She is such a trooper though so she stuck with it. The service was the best baptismal service that I have been to so far because most of the Ward was able to come since it was after church. Our speakers were great and the music was wonderful. I was so full of joy when I saw this amazing daughter of God make her first of many covenants with our Heavenly Father. It was such a special moment since I have been blessed to see her go through her entire conversion process up to this point and have developed such a love for her and her family. I am so grateful to be staying here for just a little longer to help get her integrated into the Ward so she can stay strong and make it back to God again. After we got home from church, we went out and tried to teach some lessons before our dinner appt that night. All of our scheduled lessons fell through but we ended up teaching a guy on the street. He is very set in his Islamic faith but we still got the chance to share the doctrine and give him a chance to accept it. 

What happened Sunday night was really amazing. We went over to a member's home who was a convert herself and is Mirandas main fellowship right now and talked with her about her ideas for how to help Miranda stay active. She gave us amazing insight that I never would have thought of having lived in this church my whole life. Being a convert is a very scary and foreign thing and if they don't feel loved, encouraged, and accepted, they will likely go back to their old ways. I am so grateful for the time we were able to spend with her. Then we had comp study over cookies and hot chocolate with a senior missionary couple that just transferred into the ward (WE LOVE THEM) 

I love you all so much! I am so grateful for this chance to be a missionary. I have seen so many miracles as a missionary and know that more in store for this area as we work to be purified and exactly obedient. The Atonement works perfectly to cleanse us and perfect us, but we have to do our part to change as well. We must be willing and humble enough for the Lord to change our hearts. I can testify that this is God's church and this is where we access all of the blessings that the Atonement has to offer. Let us strive more fully to share it with all of our fellow brothers and sisters so that they may experience this joy as well. I love you all!!

Love, 

Sister Dorian

"41 And moreover, I would desire that ye should consider on the blessed and happy state of those that keep the commandments of God. For behold, they are blessed in all things, both temporal and spiritual; and if they hold out faithful to the end they are received into heaven, that thereby they may dwell with God in a state of never-ending happiness. O remember, remember that these things are true; for the Lord God hath spoken it." Mosiah 2:41

Happy New Year

Hey y'all!

Happy new year everyone! I can't believe it is 2017 already. It seems like just yesterday that 2016 started and now it has come and gone. So much happened last year and I think it was my favorite yet. It so amazing how much can happen in just one year, like coming on a mission! I will have hit my 6 month mark as a missionary on January 6th and that absolutely blows my mind. Sometimes I wish time would just slow down but alas, I am grateful for the time that Heavenly Father gives me each and every day and I hope I can use it as productively as I can! 

This week has been great! Sad because the GKLM only has one more week with Sister Henderson in it, but great because Heavenly Father has continued to bless us in this week that we are doing with Him. 

On Monday, we went to Frankfort Ave after getting all of our chores done and were tourists for the day. Even though half the shops were closed, it ended up being a warm day so we got to sit outside to email which was nice. We even bumped into Abbie's dad and he bought us yummy apple cider :) that night we went to Old Spaghetti Factory with a member and then helped feed another member's cat while they were away. That night we got to see one of our investigators that has been sick for a while so it was a blessing to visit with her. We also got to see one of our investigators that we haven't been able to see for a while. It was actually such a miracle that we saw her. On our way over, we felt prompted to tract an apartment complex where no one would answer and then contact a family that was not interested. We bumped into our investigator on our way out of her apartment complex, so if we wouldn't have stopped at those places, we would have missed her! So, even when things don't turn out how we think they will, if we follow the Spirit, they always work out :) 

On Tuesday, we did lots of biking to see investigators and set up appointments. We were able to have a lesson with one of our recently found new investigators who met with missionaries for a year back when sisters were in this area before. She was never baptized because she was never really able to recognize her answers. We read the Book of Mormon with her and the Spirit was so strong! She even had a verse pop out to her as she read. Unfortunately, she still wasn't able to recognize it, even though we tried hard to point it out. We are continuing to work with her but if anyone has any advice, it would be much appreciated! We were also able to go out with our Ward mission leaders daughter that night as well which was a great experience. That night, we got to have a sleepover with Sister Peterson, a sister who went home a few weeks early for school. She is super sweet so it was a super fun time!

Wednesday was a great day as week. We did service for a less active and then went and visited investigators again. It has been nice to teach people who all love within close distance of each other so that we can go see them all at once. That afternoon, we called a potential and he said he was home and had some time to talk. We went over and read the Intro of the Book of Mormon and by the end of the lesson he was very enthusiastic about the message and wanted to include his friends in his discussions. He accepted a date right here on the spot so we are excited to see his progression!

Thursday was a super fun day! We helped set up a funeral before district meeting and then we went and applied our training that we received. We realized that lots of our investigators have not been progressing and we have been spending too much time planning/trying to contact and teach them. We both felt inspired to go and gather the intent of as many investigators as we could that day and throughout the rest of the week. Although we had to drop people, it has given us much more time to find those who are more prepared as well as spend the time we have with those who are progressing. In D&C 4, it states "For behold the field is white already to harvest..." Our job as missionaries is to harvest! Although it hurts my heart sometimes to let them go, I find comfort in knowing that even though they aren't ready now, Heavenly Father will give them more chances in the future as he sees fit. So, we must trust in His timing and move on with the work that He has given us to do.

On Friday, we did weekly planning and then went and made the rounds. That afternoon, we had our Ward mission leaders daughter with us so we went and had another lesson with our investigator above who is having difficulties feeling the Spirit. Our member bore great testimony of the scriptures and how she has applied them to her life and it was a great lesson. She is still struggling to commit to much so we don't know how much longer we can teach her but we hope to make some progress tonight. If not, we will move on, so hopefully she shows real intent! 

On Saturday we got to teach a less active that I haven't seen since Sister Israelsen lesft and guess what? They came to church! We were so excited. We think they are trying to make changes in their lives associated with the New Year and that just brings so much joy to my heart. Each of us has things we can work on for the new year and when we strive to accomplish those things with faith in our Savior, our hearts can be changed. We love them and hope to continue seeing more of them for many many years to come :) we found another lady having a really hard time in an apartment complex that we have been working so we were able to testify of the peace found through our Savior and His gospel. She was very interested in learning more but can't meet yet so we will keep y'all posted on her! We also saw Miranda that afternoon. She is doing really well! She is so ready to be baptized. More news on that next week because some scheduling things are up in the air but no matter what, she is awesome! 

Since Saturday night was New Year's Eve, we weren't allowed to proselyte, but we got special permission to stay out until 11pm! So we went over to a member's house and ate lots of food while we played telestrations. SO MUCH FUN! 

Sunday was great as well. Sister Henderson and I gave talks :) we went and taught some lessons and then went to go tracking. There is this neighborhood that I have had the impression to work in for a while so we finally made it over there. Before we even made it to the street, we found two guys unloading a truck and decided to help them. They are both interested in meeting with us again so we are going to try for next week. When no one was interested in the neighborhood, I knew we had come for them. It was so great! That night we saw Miranda again and had an amazing lesson with a member on family history and temple work. She has a grandmother that she feels very drawn to and is very excited to do her baptism once she is baptized. So exciting! 

I love y'all so much! Thank you for all of the love, support and prayers. I am so grateful for this gospel and the truths found in it. This is Christ's church, restored through a prophet on the Earth today! We have scriptures and the Holy Ghost to lead and guide us through ever phase of our lives. As we focus on the Savior, we will find joy. He is the source of strength, peace, and happiness. He has overcome the world. As we allow Him into our hearts, He will change us and fit us for Heaven :) In a talk called Mountains to Climb by Henry B. Eyring, he says, "I cannot promise an end to your adversity in this life. I cannot assure you that your trials will seem to you to be only for a moment. One of the characteristics of trials in life is that they seem to make clocks slow down and then appear almost to stop.

    There are reasons for that. Knowing those reasons may not give much comfort, but it can give you a feeling of patience. Those reasons come from this one fact: in Their perfect love for you, Heavenly Father and the Savior want you fitted to be with Them to live in families forever. Only those washed perfectly clean through the Atonement of Jesus Christ can be there." Through Christ, we can make it home. If we do as He asks, what a glorious reunion it will be for all of us :)

Have a great week!

Love, 

Sister Dorian :)

"Fear not, little children, for you are mine, and I have overcome the world, and you are of them that my Father hath given me" D&C 50:41

Joy to the World

Hey y'all!

Merry Christmas. I can't believe Christmas is this week. It really has come so fast. Missionary work is amazing during this time of year. As everyone reflects on how the Savior has blessed their lives, their desire to come closer to Him increases. This gospel is the way for people to truly accept and apply the Atonement of the Savior and what a better time than when we celebrate His birth.

Miracles are continuing to occur in this area and it is amazing! Quick update on the companion:

She went and consulted a surgeon this week and has to go home and get surgery :( arrangements are being made for her to leave at the end of the transfer around Jan. 10th. So sad but I feel lots of peace that this is Heavenly Father's plan and that everything is going to work out. She plans on coming back after she is recovered too! Who knows, we might end up being companions again :) 

Since it is Christmas PDay, I am going to try and be brief so I have time to write as many letters as I possibly can (letters are always better!). I will start with fun activities and then tell y'all the miracles we experienced :)

On Monday, the assistants, downtown elders, and us got our ugly Christmas sweaters and took family photos for Christmas. Then, on Tuesday, we got to have interviews with president. I love our mission president so much!! It is going to be an emotional day when they leave in June. I am trying not to think about it haha. We got to do another Facebook live lesson on Wednesday and we went Christmas shopping for our dinner hour on Friday. We also ate with our assistant Ward mission leader yesterday and it was so much fun! All around we had an exciting week :)

Now for the miracles! On Tuesday, we were finally able to teach Lucas on Messenger. He has been really sick for the past week so we have been utilizing our technology to keep in contact and it has been working great! At this point though, his mom needs to get to church in order to get him there so that he can be baptized. Miranda keeps having things come up on Sundays but she is still obeying the Word of Wisdom. Her baptism might have to be moved back again but we will see! On Wednesday, we taught a family from Micronesia. They are interested in learning more but we don't know how much intent they have. We will be solidifying our expectations in our next lesson so we will keep you posted!

On Thursday, we had a member with us for the entire afternoon! A member in our Ward has a sister that just got home from her mission in Nicaragua so she came and spent the day with us. Sister Henderson's original consultation with the surgeon was supposed to be that day but her appointment got cancelled. After we called around to a bunch of orthopedic surgeons around town, we found her an appointment for the next day and then hopped on a bus. When we got to where we needed to go, the bus started driving away and then it stopped again and a guy jumped out. He said "Hey! I'm Lewis! Remember me??" We looked at him so confused! He told us a little bit more about himself and where he met us and then I remembered him. Sister I and I met him months ago but we could never meet with him. He told us about how he got a new job so he is way more free to meet. Turns out he wasn't even supposed to be on that bus. His boss had let him go early because it was his birthday. So Heavenly Father has facilitated our meeting and we were able to teach him as we walked home with him. He is amazing. Heavenly Father is in every single detail of this work. As we have faith and trust in the Lord, He makes miracles happen. So amazing!

That day, we were also able to finally teach William and katelynn with Shawn. We have been trying to teach them all together for so long but it never worked out. We showed up at Williams house and Shawn happened to be there. That night, we were also able to help this sweet couple carry their groceries home and went and taught them the next day. They are amazing. So many miracles! When we follow promptings and believe in Heavenly Fathers plan, things always work out! 

Yesterday, we had another miracle! One of our appts fell through so we were trying to figure out how we were going to hit our lesson goal. As we were walking to an apartment complex nearby, we stopped at a lady's house and complimented her on her cute Christmas decorations. Turns out that this very lady had met with sisters two years ago and was never noticed because she didn't agree with some of our doctrine. We explained to her that she needed to find out if the Book of Mormon in order to hush her fears about the other thing that he didn't understand. She is interested in meeting with missionaries again so we invited her to start reading and praying again and she accepted! We are excited to help her recognize her answers and find true peace in her life.

We also gained a golden investigator this week. She is friends with a member of our Ward and she is so ready to be baptized. She has already been to church twice and has accepted a baptismal date for January 21st. We are so excited to help her progress and can't wait to see what Heavenly Father has in store for her and her cute little 3 year old son, Luca. 

I wanted to end this email with my testimony of our Savior, Jesus Christ. We met a lot of people this week with a strong belief in Him and His role as our Redeemer but we also met a lot of people who don't believe in Him or don't believe in His Atonement. This has lead me to reflect a lot on Jesus Christ and His role in my life. I am so humbled and grateful for the opportunity that Heavenly Father has given me to be born with the light of Christ and to have been born into the truth. I don't know where I would be or how I would feel about myself or the future if I didn't have the testimony that I do about Jesus Christ. I sit here today in awe as I think back and remember the countless times that He has strengthened me, comforted me, healed me, and inspired me. He is my best and truest friend. No matter how many times I mess up or forget just how merciful He truly is, He is always there. He stands beside me as my Advocate and Mediator. He is the way that I gain a personal relationship with Heavenly Father. He is the way that we can be with our families forever. He is the reason that we can find joy and have an eternal perspective. He is the way to become everything that we were created to become. Without Him, I am nothing. With Him, I can do ANYTHING. He is the way home to our Father in Heaven and I can't think of a more perfect best friend to have at your side during every trial in this life. I love Him and I hope to one day become like Him. 

Moroni once said, "charity is the pure love of Christ, and it endureth forever; and whoso is found possessed of it at the last day, it shall be well with him. Wherefore, my beloved brethren, pray unto the Father with all the energy of heart, that ye may be filled with this love, which he hath bestowed upon all who are true followers of his Son, Jesus Christ; that ye may become the sons of God; that when he shall appear we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is; that we may have this hope; that we may be purified even as he is pure. Amen."

May we all strive to become true followers of Jesus Christ and plead for charity. Let us remember Him as we serve our families and those around us. As we do, we will be become the sons and daughter of God. We will see Christ as He is and we will gain and eternal hope and be purified through His Atonement. I testify that He lives. He loves us and desires for us all to partake of His Heavenly gift. No matter what day of the year it is, let us all #lighttheworld with His love. ️

Merry Christmas everyone! I love you all!!!

Love always,

Sister Dorian