Lots of Valuable Lessons Taught and Learned

Hey y'all! 

As you have probably gathered, I have been caught in the "y'all" fever for about 15 weeks now and I just can't help it! Life is so good here in Kentucky. However, Sister Dorian (Cali Girl) is freezing!! When they say humid winter is a whole different level, THEY ARE RIGHT.  The leaves are breathtaking though and the holiday season is beginning to show on the shop windows and mall hallways so I am a happy little camper :)

This week has been a very busy week, a week full of many lessons taught and learned. It is amazing how many things you see people go through on a mission. What is even more amazing though, is when you see the Atonement work in their life and your own, changing you both for the better. This gospel is truly one of miracles. I've said it before and I will say it again. Miracles never cease. 

On Monday, we went to a trampoline place called house of BOOM (basically it is just like jump on it). It was so much fun except for Sister Henderson hurting her shoulder :( she tore her labrum before her mission and was told she would need to get surgery sooner or later but that she would be ok to go on her mission as long as she was careful. She ended up tweaking in on a trapeze and has been in pain all week so we are heading to the doctor today to get her an MRI. Hopefully everything is alright! We will definitely keep you posted on that.

On Tuesday, we did exchanges with the hermanas. Every time I exchange with them, I think of Becca, my older sister. Since she was an Hermana, I think a lot about her mission and the amazing example that she was and continues to be for me to this day. Her example was one of the many things that brought me here on my mission and so it really is a tender mercy to have those times with the hermana's to reflect on that. We went to a part of town with a lot of hispanics so having a Spanish speaker there was a big help! Plus, Hermana Castillo is the sweetest missionary alive so we really had a great time. We ended up teaching a guy in Spanish who had the sweetest spirit about him. So much fun!

On Wednesday, before we exchanged back, we went to a Mexican restaurant tucked into downtown that a member who is from Poway told us about. She found out that Hermana Castillo and I are both from California so she told us about this place since they have the best cali burritos in town. Well, SHE WAS RIGHT. It really is the little things that make all the difference. 

That burrito was so good and totally gave me flashbacks to home. Yummmy :) That afternoon, we were able to teach a girl named Lena. She is so prepared. She is truly seeking for truth and wants to make this decision to follow Christ and find his church. However, her boyfriend is a deacon at a different church so unfortunately, we are worried that it might make things difficult as we move forward since we didn't have the warmest encounter with him when we first met him. We are not giving up hope though! We will keep you posted on her progress but I have a feeling that she is going to really see the blessings that come from this gospel as she pushes past any opposition she may face. 

Thursday was such a great day!! We had a lesson scheduled with three young guys that we met on the bus a few days earlier but when we went to the address, we couldn't find it. Luckily we were there a little early so we biking around the complex talking to people and trying to find where these guys lived. After about 15 minutes, we decided to look at the map we found out that we we right next to it. When we got there only one of the three guys was outside. We ended up teaching him and he was so prepared!! He accepted baptism and our invitation to read the Book of Mormon. He is 19 so we have to refer him to the YSA elders but that is ok because I truly have gained a testimony of the fact that Heavenly Father is in the very details of this work and he knows who each of His children need to be taught by :)  

After his lesson, we got chick-fil-a (again , it's the little things) and then headed over to the part of town where most of our investigators live. When we got there, Kayla was outside with her niece. She is an investigator that we started teaching but she dropped us because her mom wanted her to stick to the Bible and she wanted to respect that. However, when we said hi to her and asked how she was doing, she said that she had asked her mom a question that her mom couldn't answer with the Bible. She was wondering how the Savior could understand what she was going through if He was the perfect Son of God. Alma 7 immediately came to mind. We told her to go home and read it and asked if we could come teach her more about how the Book of Mormon answers her questions and she said yes!! We went back the next day and gave her lots of info/scripture/talks on the topic. We also committed her to live the word of wisdom. It was a very risky move but we testified to her that she wouldn't be able to receive her answers and feel the spirit if her body isn't fit for the spirit to dwell. She committed and to our knowledge has been living it so we really see progress in her. It is so amazing to see how the Book of Mormon could answer questions that arise from confusing parts in the Bible. Heavenly Father really has thought of everything. He knew that the Bible would cause confusion and that it would be interpreted many different ways. So, he made the Book of Mormon possible to that we could interpret the Bible correctly. the Book of Mormon is true! I can't testify of that. I have not only received that witness for myself but I have seen the fruits of it in my life and the lives of others. It is the word of God and I am so grateful for the opportunity to share it with others so that through it, they can come closer to our Savior. 

We have also been teaching another lady in that complex named Angie. She is awesome. She has had a lot of hard trials in her life but she really wants to change her life and come closer to Jesus Christ. We are also helping her to live the Word of Wisdom and come to church. So excited to see her progress and work towards changing her life for the better. Her friend has also decided to meet with us and hear our message and this friend wants her son to sit in on the lessons as well. Heavenly Father is blessing us with so many miracles in this area and we are so excited so see what is in store :) 

On Saturday, ABBIE GOT BAPTIZED!!!! Oh my goodness this was such a happy day I can't even begin to describe it. I am convinced that Abbie is one of my best friends from the pre existence. She asked me and Sister Israelsen to speak at her baptism and it was such an amazing, tender experience to see her there, dressed in white, ready to make this covenant with our Heavenly Father. I remember like it was yesterday walking into Qdoba really to be shot down by questions and immediately realizing that it was the opposite. Miracles do happen and the Lord is preparing his children. Her parents have invited us over for Christmas and we are planning on being at each other's seals as bridesmaids. It was so good! After her baptism (which a whole bunch of her extended family came to!), we all went out to lunch at BJ's. It was such a great day!! I say this all the time but I like to compare a mission to how I have heard people explain parenting. A lot of the time, it is really hard and you are smiling through the pain. But when those glorious, miracle moments happen, it makes every single other moment worth it. :)

Yesterday, we had a different Sunday than most. We had stake conference in the morning and then went to a member's house for lunch. When we got home, sister Henderson was super sick! So, I put her to bed and called potentials for the rest of the night :)

I love being a missionary so much. I have learned so much about my Savior, His Atonement, and the Spirit. I have learned that we must be exactly obedient and always grateful in order to have the Spirit and thus access the full powers of our Saviors enabling Atonement. One scripture that really hit me this morning was one I read this morning about the Nephites in the beginning of 3 Nephi. It says, "And it came to pass that thus passed away the ninety and fifth year also, and the people began to forget those signs and wonders which they had heard, and began to be less and less astonished at a sign or a wonder from heaven, insomuch that they began to be hard in their hearts, and blind in their minds, and began to disbelieve all which they had heard and seen. Imagining up some vain thing in their hearts, that it was wrought by men and by the power of the devil, to lead away and deceive the hearts of the people; and thus did Satan get possession of the hearts of the people again, insomuch that he did blind their eyes and lead them away to believe that the doctrine of Christ was a foolish and a vain thing". 

I was amazed at how quickly they had forgotten the miracles and signs they had seen and then, as I pondered it more, I realized that I fall in this trap all the time. Wonderful things happen to me and I feel the Savior so close as I go through trials and then after things are over, I forget the wonderful feelings and closeness that I felt. I forget to be thankful and then I tend to be less and less astonished until hard trials come again and I am compelled to humility and gratitude. This was a hard lesson to learn but I realized that if I am going to experience a mighty change of heart each and every day and one day become like my Savior, I have to express gratitude. I can't forget the wonderful, joyous feelings that come as I access His Atonement in my life. And, I have to be exactly obedient. Not out of duty or fear, but out of a love for the Savior and a strong desire to have His spirit to be with me at all times. Then, and only then, will we find peace and joy always, even in the midst of trial and affliction. If we are close to the Savior and always have His Spirit to be with us, joy will come regardless of circumstance and we will continually be converted to the Lord. We will become those people a few chapters back when, "there began to be lyings sent forth among the people, by Satan, to harden their hearts, to the intent that they might not believe in those signs and wonders which they had seen; but notwithstanding these lyings and deceivings the more part of the people did believe, and were converted unto the Lord." Opposition may not cease, but we will believe and become converted unto the Lord because we know who the source of our strength and joy is. 

I know that this is Christ's church on the Earth today. The Book of Mormon is true. Joseph Smith translated it with the power and authority of God. Our Savior lives and He loves us more than words can describe. He is always by our side, ready to come to our aid when we are ready and willing. Let us all strive to be more grateful, not only during this Thanksgiving season but every day of the year. Let us love and serve our Savior and obey all that He asks of us so that He can change our hearts and make us into what He knows we can become. 

I love you all! Have an amazing week. Thank you for all the love, support and prayers. 

Hurrah for Israel!

Love always,

Sister Dorian

"And it shall come to pass, that whoso repenteth and is baptized in my name shall be filled; and if he endureth to the end, behold, him will I hold guiltless before my Father at that day when I shall stand to judge the world."  3 Nephi 27:16

So Many Things to Do, and So Little Time

Hey everyone!!

I can not believe another week has come and gone. Time is moving way too fast! Yesterday marked 4 months of being a set apart missionary. It feels like I blinked and I went from being a newbie in the MTC to being a trainer in Louisville. I absolutely love life!! Things are good, just going by way too fast :)

This week was definitely a trying one but I feel like after every trying day/week/month, my capacity for joy and peace and happiness increases. It's the law of opposition at work! We go through challenges and hard times so that good times seem that much greater :)

We had a full PDay on Monday since it was Halloween so we ended up just hanging out with the STL's and then spending the rest of the night with a member and the Grim's. Guess what?? We finally met the one and only Hunter Grim. He is the original referral that we went to go visit when we met the Grim family. We are now working on baptizing his whole family and we just met him this week. Turns out he doesn't even live in our area. The Lord truly works in mysterious ways. He knew that Hunters family was ready so he sent us through him. So cool! We will see what happens with Hunter. TBA ;)

On Tuesday, we had a miracle! We were over at an apartment complex to see a potential named crystal but we couldn't so we just talked with her mom. Her name is Angie and we have tried to teach her so many times because we see her in this apartment complex every time we are there. We started talking to her and she randomly started asking us all of these questions about our doctrine and what we believe. She started getting really excited and was like, "That is what I have been looking for my whole life!" We were like ya we know!! That is why we have been wanting to meet with you for so long :) she accepted a baptismal date and we are so excited. We were going to see her last week again but she didn't answer her phone :( high hopes for her though, she is awesome!

On Wednesday, we had a pretty humbling day. One thing that is super prevalent here in Louisville, which I think I have mentioned before, is Southern Baptist seminary students. We went to meet with one on Wednesday because she really wanted to talk to us but we found out she just wanted to Bible bash with us. We kindly but firmly told her our purpose and then promptly left. It is super draining to interact with these people because their real only purpose is to destroy your testimony. After meeting with her and encountering a few others like her this week, I really had a hard time. But, I went back to the basics. I read my scriptures and prayed A LOT. I realized that there was so much fear that came from them and not a whole lot of good feelings. I really gained a testimony of having faith instead of living in fear. I also gained a stronger testimony in opposition. Heavenly Father knows that in order to gain a solid, unwavering testimony, our testimonies have to be put to the test. However, if we read the Book of Mormon and pray in faith, then our answers will come. Every. Time. That's how it happened for me. It was like Heavenly Father gave me a chance to experience exactly what my investigators are going through. What a blessing. Now I have so much more empathy and can testify with that much more conviction of the things that I know to be true. That is kind of how this week has been. We had an amazing zone Meeting on Thursday that really helped me out as well. I had been fasting that morning for strength and understanding and when the zone leaders had their Ward mission leader share his conversion experience, I was amazed at the overwhelming feeling of love I felt from my Heavenly Father. It was as if He was hugging me and letting me know that I was in the right place and that I had a Heavenly Father who was aware of me and my struggles. It was so good!!

Looking back, I am so grateful! I know that this church is true! I know that Joseph Smith was a prophet and that the Book of Mormon is the word of God. I know that we have prophet today who lead and guide our church. I know that the Spirit testifies of truth. I know that God lives and that He loves us. He allows trials to occur in our lives for our benefit and good. I am eternally grateful for the trials I have gone through and will go through in the future because they bring me closer to my Savior. I know without a doubt that He lives. This is His church!!! He is at the head, leading and guiding it until He comes again. He knows us perfectly. He stands with us, cheering us on and lifting us when we can't lift ourselves. I have never felt His influence more than as a missionary. He has been right beside me and I love Him ️

We had some other amazing miracles this week that has just solidified my awareness of Gods hand in each of our lives. On Saturday night, we had a lesson with Lucas, Sarah Janes older brother. We have been really struggling to help him commit to much of anything and it has been so frustrating. However, in our lesson, we were really able to focus on him and his questions since it was more one on one. He expressed a lot of his concerns about receiving revelation and in my mind I was like, "I literally just went through this. I know EXACTLY how he is feeling and how to help him." So, I opened up and told him that I know that God can speak to us and answer our questions but we have to want to know. We have to have the desire to believe before that desire will work within us and become faith. We told him more about how to receive answers from God and recognize them. Then, we had him pray and ask God his questions. The Spirit was tangible. Afterwards, he looked at the Book of Mormon in his hands and said, "I feel a little better". We were like that's the spirit!!! :) He promised to read and I really felt like we were making progress. He is still struggling to get himself up for church but we have plans to take him to the singles ward next week since it starts at 1 instead of 9:30. We are praying for him. It has been a slow process but Sarah Jane has been such an amazing influence on her family.

Speaking of Sarah Jane being a good influence, Miranda came to church yesterday!! And not only that, she BORE HER TESTIMONY. She got up there and bore her testimony that she knows the church is true and that it has changed her life and that she is so grateful for the love that Sarah Jane has felt in our Ward. It was so amazing! She was also actively participating in the classes afterwards and everything. She is so awesome!! We are so excited for this family to continue to progress towards one day being an eternal family. Their testimonies are so pure and so full of faith. They are examples to me for sure. This church is so true and it brings such joy!!

I love you all so much!! Again, thank you for all the support and prayers. We have been seeing so many countless miracles in this area and in this mission. Faith works. It works anytime and anywhere. We had an amazing lesson in relief society about faith and testimony and one of my favorite quotes was this: 

"In order to find God as a reality, we must follow the course which he pointed out for the quest. The path is one that leads upward; it takes faith and effort, and is not the easy course. For this reason many men will not devote themselves to the arduous task of proving to themselves the reality of God. On the contrary, some take the easy path and deny his existence or merely follow the doubter’s course of uncertainty. Sometimes faith means believing a thing to be true where the evidence is not sufficient to establish knowledge. We must continue the probe and follow the admonition: “Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.” (Matt. 7:7–8.)... In order for an individual to obtain unwavering knowledge of the reality of God, he must live the commandments and the doctrines announced by the Savior during his personal ministry. Those who are willing to make the search, apply themselves, and do God’s will, will have the knowledge come to them of the reality of God" 

May we each embark on the quest. Let us live the doctrines and ask God for guidance and direction. Let us follow the will that He has for each of us. As we do this, we will become the eternal, Christlike beings that He created us to be. 

I love y'all. Have an amazing week. Drink lots of cocoa and snuggle up by a fire. ''Tis the season! Love life and remember that life is too short to be anything other than joyful and happy. 

Love always,

Sister Dorian

"Look unto me in every thought; doubt not, fear not" D&C 6:36

High Goals and Way Too Many Cookies!

Hey y'all!

How is everyone doing?? I hope school/work/life is wonderful!! Another week has come and gone and miracles seriously never cease. This week has been a top notch week over here in the Highlands area and I am loving every second of it :)

As you all know, I started training this week. My companions name is Sister Henderson and she is so cute! We instantly clicked and have honestly become the best of friends. She basically came pre-trained so I just have to show her the area and how to work the iPad apps. It is so much fun! She has such fire and such a desire to do the Lords work and it is showing in the work that we are doing. We are working our tails off and miracles are just falling out of the sky :) it is so great!

On Monday, Sister Israelsen's last day here, we celebrated Elder Sherwood's birthday at outback and the walking bridge and then went and celebrated both his birthday and Elder Hansen's last day on the mission at our Ward mission leaders house. It was a fun filled day for sure :)

Tuesday was transfer day so we basically just got Sister H settled in and then we taught a lesson to one of our investigators and then did a Skype lesson with a less active. 

Wednesday was so amazing! So, y'all remember Abbie right?? She is the one that we started teaching and then the AP's started teaching. She is super prepared and super awesome! On Wednesday we heard that she had pushed her date back to November 12th and we were so sad because she is so so ready to take this step in her life. Her parents are nervous about the decision because they have never met us and really don't even know what she is getting involved in. So, she invited us to a dinner with her parents and the assistants. After we ate, her dad asked us how we know that our religion is true. Each of us missionaries went around the table and bore testimony to the truthfulness of this gospel, the reality of the atoning sacrifice of our Savior, and the truthfulness of the Book of Mormon. The Spirit was so strong! Her parents left the restaurant with such a different view of missionaries and the gospel in general. Her dad even accepted the invitation to sit in one of Abbie's lessons!! I am convinced that the Lord is in every single detail of this work. We started the dinner sad about the moved date and ended it with such hope for the future. It was an amazing experience:)

On Thursday, we met the new district leader! His name is Elder Peterson. He is literally so awesome. Our district is so strong and I know that is has been very inspired, as all districts are! 

Friday was another day full of miracles and I don't think I have ever had such a packed day. We started off doing weekly planning and making cookies and then we went and did service at our Ward mission leaders house. After we got home, we hopped on a bus and headed over to a lesson. After that lesson, we ran into 3 teenage boys. I told them we were missionaries and the boy in the middle of the group said, "Is God real?" We responded to him by saying, "Yes! And you can know that for yourself if you pray and ask." Then he said, "And He will answer??" Both of us smiled and said "Yes. Of course He will."  We gave him the Book of Mormon and explained to Him that God is our loving Heavenly Father and He speaks to us through prophets. We are meeting with them next week and we are so excited to see the potential that these boys have. We will definitely keep you posted because I have a feeling that they are going to be some solid investigators. 

That night, we also had a chance to see the Grim's. We were originally planning on going to see Sarah Jane to continue prepping her for her baptism but when we got there, only Lucas (her older brother) and her dad were home! We felt very strongly that we should stay and wait (again!) so we sat on the steps and started updating our area book while Lucas climbed trees and stuff outside with us. After about 30 min of waiting, Sister H, Lucas, and I decided to say a prayer all together. While we were praying, I felt a strong impression come to my head almost as clear as if someone had said it out loud: "He is sitting right there. Why aren't you teaching him??" Lucas has been very non-committal at every lesson we have had with the Grim's so we have just been focusing of Sarah Jane since she is the progressing one. The whole time Lucas had been there with us and Heavenly Father was basically giving us the perfect opportunity to teach him one on one. So, we started asking him questions about his belief in God and what he has thought about our lessons. He began to open up about how he doesn't know God exists and basically won't know until he sees some type of witness that He is real. We taught him about faith and the Spirit and how faith precedes the witness. Then, he brought up a concern that I have never heard before but it's something I think a lot of people wonder today. He asked, "Well, what if God just isn't here anymore? What if He abandoned us? What if we failed Him?" The Spirit was so strong as Sister H and I were able to testify of living prophets and modern day revelation and how the Book of Mormon is clear evidence that God is with us. He speaks! He is involved in our every day lives. We testified of our Savior and His Atonement and how His love and power can help us through any trial. After that, we committed him to be baptized on November 29th and he finally committed to really read the Book of Mormon. As he gave the prayer after the lesson, he asked God if He was really there and if He would help him through the hard things he was going through. The Spirit was so strong! The Lord truly is preparing His people in these last days and it is such a privilege to be able to witness it. As we have faith and trust in God and our Savior, we will be instruments in bringing these wonderful people home. After we said amen, Sarah Jane and Miranda pulled in and Miranda committed to be baptized on the 19th as well. Like I said, miracles never cease and Heavenly Father is in every detail.

Yesterday was so crazy and awesome and jam packed with wonderful things. Like I said before, Sister Henderson has lots of fire and energy and enthusiasm for this work. So, when we were setting a goal of how many people we were going to talk to, she said 60. Now, just to put this in perspective, Sunday's are the second hardest day to talk with people after Monday because we have church and studies to do (and we had a fireside scheduled last night too!) so we usually only talk to about 20-30. I immediately said NOOOO. I was worried about setting something so inconceivably high and being stressed the whole day trying to hit it. But, a big push in our mission has been about having faith in our Savior and asking Heavenly Father to consecrate our efforts. So, after some negotiations, we set it at 50 and adjusted our schedule so we would have as much time as possible to talk with EVERYONE. We went to a park after lunch and ended up talking to 64 people by the end of the day. Heavenly Father cares about each and every goal we set and even though they stretch us at times, He will make them happen if we have faith and do all we can to achieve them. It was such a neat learning experience for me and I am grateful to have a strong, faithful companion to push me past the limits I set for myself. 

The fireside last night was also incredible! The firesides here are a little different here than other firesides because they are basically just a meeting where investigators and new members have a chance to share their testimonies. Missionaries are only allowed to go if they are accompanied by an investigator or recent convert since Sunday's are such good proselytizing days. We were able to go with Sarah Jane and her mom and guess what? Sarah Jane got up there! She was so scared but she got up and did it. She is such a sweet heart and we are so excited to see her baptized this coming Saturday. Miranda also got a chance to mingle and make friends and see more of what Sarah Jane has been experiencing at church which was so good! 

I love being a missionary and I love all of you! Thank you for all the love, support, and prayers. I can not even begin to explain how grateful I am for the amazing support system that I have. I know that this gospel is true. I know that my Savior lives. I know that missionary work is inspired and that each of us can share the gospel in any capacity that we can. I know that families can be together forever. I also know that eternity is not an easy prize to win because it is something that we must earn. As we ask the Savior to lift us and strengthen us in our trials, we will grow and become more like Him. In a talk given by Elder Bednar called "In the Strength of the Lord", he states that "The enabling power of the Atonement of Christ strengthens us to do the things we could never do on our own". It does not change our circumstances. Rather, it strengthens us so that we can overcome our adversity. In Alma 17:11, the Lord tells the sons of Mosiah, "Go forth among the Lamanites, thy brethren, and establish my word; yet ye shall be patient in long-suffering and afflictions, that ye may show forth good examples unto them in me, and I will make an instrument of thee in my hands unto the salvation of many souls." We must be patient in long suffering and afflictions so that we can be examples that through the Atonement of our Savior, we will become instruments in His hands. It is a privilege to serve as an instrument for a brief time and I am loving every second.

I love you all so much! Have an amazing week :) send pictures!

Love always,

Sister Dorian ️

"Now if a man desired to serve God, it was his privilege; or rather, if he believed in God it was his privilege to serve him" Alma 30:9

2 down, 11 to go!

Hello hello!

Another week has come and gone and in 24 hours I will no longer be a trainee. How did that happen?? It feels like just yesterday I was on a plane headed to Kentucky and now I am done training. Time really does fly. So good but oh so fast :)

Speaking of transfers....I am going to....TRAIN!! :) I am gettin' myself a greenie tomorrow 🏻 my momma chicken is leaving me to go be a sister training leader in her old zone that she was in for 8 months. While I am nervous to high heaven, I am so excited. Since I just went through the training process, I think it will be a whole lot easier to train and show her the ropes. Plus I had the best trainer out there so I have an amazing example to follow :)

Alright, now that that is out of the way, our week was so so amazing! Miracles are so abundant here in Louisville and in the mission in general and it is just a contagious feeling of excitement and faith. I love it! 

On Monday, we got a tour around downtown Louisville with our Ward mission leader so I got to see the Slugger Museum, and some awesome buildings. After that we went to Abbie's house and got to spend some time with her. Yes, this is the same Abbie that we meet a few weeks ago who is prepared as can be. She hangs out with us every P-Day and goes to lunch with us throughout the week as well. She is beyond excited for her baptism happening on Saturday. It has been such a wonderful experience to witness her conversion and how her faith has grown over the last few weeks and I am so excited to see where Heavenly Father leads her :) we also go to help at a wedding that night which was awesome and weird all at once. But it was all good!

On Tuesday/Saturday/Sunday, we got to teach the Grim's. This is the family that I was telling y'all about last week who we met while trying to contact their son (still haven't met the son by the way. The Lord works in mysterious ways that is for sure!). They are so awesome! We have been helping them to continue to gain the knowledge for themselves that these things are true. They are going through some hard things and having this message has really helped them to gain hope and direction. It is so cool! The mother has some word of wisdom issues and the father isn't religious so it will be a little bit longer before we can help the entire family enter the waters of baptism. Their 9 year old daughter, Sarah Jane, is right on tract to be baptized by the end of the month/beginning of next month. She is the sweetest little girl! She came to church with us yesterday all by herself (rode the bus with us and everything) and had a blast. I was able to sit and talk with her during sacrament meeting about Jesus Christ and what he did for us and it was such a special experience. I truly love this family and can't wait to see their potential as they progress toward baptism and continue to follow our Savior. 

On Wednesday, we had to drop some of our investigators who weren't progressing and hard to contact. We went to their houses and they were honest about not being ready to commit. It is always hard to experience that with someone you love and want to progress so badly, but it gives us the opportunity/time to go and find those who are prepared right now. I have come to realize with Heavenly Fathers help that the only agency I can control is my own. I can teach them and invite them and commit them but if they aren't ready to change, they won't. As long as I do everything in my power to give them a chance to accept this gospel and come unto Christ, then I have done my part. As I do my part, Heavenly Father will do the rest :) 

On Thursday, we had an amazing experience with our neighbor, Blake. We brought him cookies a week ago and he told us he was pretty lonely and confused about which direction he should take in life. We asked if we could make him his favorite treat and he requested pumpkin pie. So I made him pumpkin pie and we taught him about the plan of salvation while we ate it. He ended up opening up to us about all the hardships he has gone through in the last year and it was such a powerful experience to be able to testify of the healing power of the Atonement and the peace this gospel can give to him. He committed to read the Book of Mormon and he is meeting with us again this week. So exciting! 

On Friday, we got to go to Cave Hill cemetery. It has thousands of graves that date bate to the 1800's and some of them are HUGE. We got to see Colonel Sanders and Muhammad Ali's graves which was so cool. After that, we went and taught a sweet girl named Gracie. She wasn't super interested in our message but she was so so genuine and nice. It was definitely refreshing to talk with her and I have a strong faith that she will one day accept this gospel, even if it isn't today. 

On Saturday we got to hear from Elder Gray E. Stevenson! He has been an apostle for a year now and it was such an amazing experience. He started the conference by shaking each and every one of our hands (which took about an hour since there are about 200 of us). Then, Elder Uceda, who was the seventy who accompanied Elder Stevenson, spoke to us. He talked to us about how we must be focused on teaching repentance and baptizing converts who have become disciples, not baptizing to hit a quota. Then, Elder Stevenson taught us how to invite others to act and how it is essential to promise blessings and testify of truth. We must give those we teach a fair chance to accept this gospel, and change their lives through Christ's Atonement. One thing I loved that he said was that if we don't promise blessings, our invitations will be much less meaningful. Like, for example, if D&C 4 stated "Ask, knock, amen" instead of "Ask and he shall receive, knock and it shall be opened unto you, amen." As we invite others to live a certain way and promise them the blessings that the Lord is already willing to give them, then they will feel the Spirit so strong. Another essential part is testifying. We must always have the Holy Ghost as our third companion in the companionship. He said that if we don't give the Spirit a chance to testify in a lesson, then it is as if we brought Elder Holland along for the day and didn't give him a chance to speak ;) the Spirit is essential and critical to this work. If you have the Spirit and allow Him to speak, you are a successful missionary.

Yesterday was a miracle filled day for sure. Not only did we have Sarah Jane with us at church, we also had another girl named Angela! We met her randomly on the street and she told us about how she had a really hard childhood and has been looking for somewhere to go to church. She said that she walked in to the church an immediately felt the spirit. That spirit stayed with her the rest of the service and she was taking notes and everything! She shared with us that she had actually been given a Book of Mormon in New Jersey a few years ago and when she started reading it, she felt the spirit so strong that it brought her to tears. Unfortunately, she heard some anti from her friends and decided not to investigate further. Now, she is determined to read the Book of Mormon to find out if it is true. We taught her after church and she committed to be baptized on November 19th! So cool!! She is so prepared. It just goes to show that Heavenly Father truly is in all the details of this work. We don't know for sure if we will be the missionaries teaching her since she has an interesting living situation right now so we will keep y'all posted. :) After church, we got a text from a UofL freshman student asking to meet with missionaries because he wants to learn more about the church. Later that night, we met up with a referral that we received from Utah. His name is Brian. He is about to move to Florida but wanted to meet with us since he had been introduced to our church by a man he met while he was at a conference (this man referred Brian to us). We taught him the plan of salvation because of some information we got from the referer and he was very intrigued. He accepted the invitation to read the Book of Mormon and pray to know if it is true. We are planning on meeting with him as much as we can before we pass him off to missionaries in Florida. So awesome! The Lord truly is preparing his children to receive this message and He is definitely hastening His work.

I love you all so much and I love this work! I have never been so happy and so tired in my entire life. I have never done something more fulfilling. This gospel is oh so true and it brings more happiness than can be described. As we continue to build on our foundation of Christ, we continue to be changed and we truly will become like him. Always have faith, never fear. Choose the right even when it is hard. And never, ever, ever give up! There is always light at the end of the tunnel. There is always joy, even in affliction. In Alma 31:38, its states, "And the Lord provided for them that they should hunger not, neither should they thirst; yea, and he also gave them strength, that they should suffer no manner of afflictions, save it were swallowed up in the joy of Christ. Now this was according to the prayer of Alma; and this because he prayed in faith." Life is what you make it with Heavenly Father and the Savior's help. 

Have an amazing week! I am so grateful for y'all and all of your support and prayers. Keep being amazing :) 

Love always,

Sister Dorian

Life is Good :)

Hey y'all! How is everyone? I hope school is going well for everyone. Things are great here in the Great Kentucky Louisville Mission. Just like that, in the blink of an eye, I am almost done training. In one week I will no longer be a trainee!! This is going way too fast but I love it all the same :) 

This week has been so chalk full of miracles that I don't even know where to start! The Lord is working wonders in each and every area of this mission and it has been so amazing to see. He is at the head of this work and He is perfect at hastening it. It is such an amazing thing to participate in. Awwww I love it!

On Monday, we went official crawdad fishing with a HUGE group of missionaries and Abbie. Abbie is doing so great!! She knows the doctrine and she has developed such a strong testimony in this gospel. She even bore her testimony in church yesterday! It has been so amazing and inspired to be able to keep in touch with her even though we aren't teaching her. We have such a strong relationship with her and have been able to help her through things on a different level than the elders because of the fact that we are girls. It has been such a cool experience. The Lord truly works in mysterious ways. I have a feeling that me and her are going to be best friends for life hahaha

On Tuesday, we had the most amazing experience!!! We got a referral a few days before for a guy named Hunter but he didn't have a phone number so we went over to his house and ended up meeting the mom and family instead. We set up an appointment with them for Tuesday night and the whole day leading up to it I was so excited. I felt like the Lord was guiding me through my studies and through the day for this specific lesson. I was so happy and excited and I had no idea why. All I knew was that this lesson was going to be special. Then, we got there and no one was home. I was like what??? Are you serious? How could this be? Why did I feel that way all day if they weren't even going to show up. I sat on the steps, my faith a little shaken and said a prayer in my heart, asking Heavenly Father to help me know what to do or at least help me understand why this had happened this way. I felt like we should stick around on the area so we decided to sit in the driveway and contact some potentials that we had met that day. After about 20 minutes, they drive up! I was so excited. I knew that Our Heavenly Father had been trying to teach me a lesson. Our promptings are valid. They do mean something. But, we can't throw everything out the window when things don't end up the way we plan. The important part is that we follow those promptings and we have faith in His timing and His will. If we do that, everything will work out. We ended up having an amazing lesson with the mom and her daughter and committed them both to baptism. They couldn't come to church yesterday because of an emergency it we taught them yesterday and they are right on tract to be baptized either by the end of this month or the beginning of November. How cool is that?? They are so prepared and it truly is a pleasure to teach them. Miracles happen when we have faith and act :)

On Wednesday night, we have a group call with the sisters in the surrounding areas and talked about how to strengthen our faith in Christ in order to baptize every month. It was amazing! As we come together as brothers and sisters in Zion, we can strengthen and edict each other like nothing else :)

On Thursday, we had zone meeting where we had training on positive thinking and the power of our calling. We are all taking the no negativity challenge in our zone (which is to try to refrain from negative thoughts, actions, or words for 24 hours and if you fail you start the 24 hours over). It truly is an inspired challenge and even though I have a long way to go, I know that it will work wonders in our missionary work :)

Thursday was also the day where I got eaten alive by mosquitos. Now, before I tell y'all this (mom!), let me preface by saying that I put bug spray on religiously! I will never go without bug spray again, even if I have to miss a bus for it. I knew coming to Kentucky would entail bugs so I was almost expecting something like this to happen. Anyway, everything is good! I just have some cool pictures to send so I thought I would give a little explanation with it ;)

On Saturday, we had a Drop lesson with Sam and his wife. They are the sweet southern baptist people that we met a few weeks ago. I think I may have talked about his Mormon obsession but I can't remember! He loves mormons! We decided it wasn't very effective to continue teaching them though since they didn't seem like they had much intent to change. We told them of our purpose and asked for their expectations with meeting us and everything was laid on the table. He explained his beliefs and went on to say (nicely!) that he thought we were wrong. We found out that he had been studying anti along with Mormon doctrine which plains more of why he is convinced against our beliefs. We politely left them with our testimonies and left it at that. 

I went home pretty shaken up though! This was my first time encountering someone who outright questioned my testimony and was worried for my salvation. I immediately turned to prayer and asked my Heavenly Father for guidance. I felt a peaceful reassurance of His love for me and the reasoning behind why we had taught them at all. As I fasted yesterday, I was able to strengthen my testimony in a way that wouldn't have been possible if I hadn't had that experience. Through much prayer and pondering, I have received a newfound confirmation that this church is indeed true! Christ does indeed live and He did suffer for our sins. He did not, however, suffer for our sins so that we wouldn't have any responsibility here on earth. As we have faith and do all that we can to become like our Savior, then His grace is sufficient to change us. Using our agency to choose Him instead of the adversary is how we grow and change. The Book of Mormon has so many examples of that! I know that the Book of Mormon is true. I know that the records that are included are inspired by our Heavenly Father and abiding by its precepts will bring us back to our Father in Heaven. This gospel brings so much joy and I am so eternally grateful for the ability to receive personal revelation. Believe it or not, missionaries have doubts too. But nothing has been more faith strengthening and stabilizing then asking God in prayer about the questions that you have and receiving actual answers! I know that Heavenly Father loves and He does indeed answer all of our questions. In the words of a very wise apostle, "Doubt your doubts before you doubt your faith" -Utchdorf I do not know the meaning of all things but I know that God lives, I know that Jesus Christ is my Savior, and I know that this is His church. 

I love you all so much! Thank you for all of the support, love, and prayers. I love being a missionary more than anything in the world and I know that as we continue to act in faith, each of us can and will witness miracles. Have an amazing week :) Hurrah for Israel!

Love always,

Sister Dorian

"Yea, and how is it that ye have forgotten that the Lord is able to do all things according to his will, for the children of men, if it so be that they exercise faith in him? Wherefore, let us be faithful to him" 1 Nephi 7:12

Missionary Work Rocks!!

Hey y'all!

My my my. Another week has come and gone. How is this happening?? Time just needs to stop so I can stay in Kentucky forever (just kidding mom!) Seriously though, being a missionary is the most joyful experience I have ever had. Even in trials, there is always something to be thankful for and there are miracles happening all around you. 

This week was a fun filled week for sure! Every week is fun but we did some things this week that are rare in missionary work so it was good to mix it up for a bit. :)

On Monday, we hung out with Abbie, that investigator that I have talked about in the last few weekly's. She is seriously so amazing. We went to Steel City Pops which is a homemade popsicle shop in town and then we drove up to Crestwood to have Mexican food with the Assistants who are the missionaries teaching her. She is still progressing so amazingly and is planning on going to a Utah school next fall. It is unreal! After that, we went and taught a former investigator who has been taught by missionaries a few times with no apparent progress. She expressed to us that she was struggling to receive answers to prayers so she is feeling angry and unheard. We have received lots of revelation and guidance from other missionaries and our Ward mission leader on how to best help her to recognize the answers she is receiving or have more real intent. We haven't been able to teach her anymore this week but we hope to teach her next week so fingers crossed! :)

On Tuesday, we went on exchanges with the Hermanas. We went and taught a referral named Anthony who is such a boss!!! We weren't able to set a baptismal date with him but we are meeting with him tomorrow. As he keeps his commitments and comes to know these things for himself, he will have that desire come to his heart. We will definitely keep you posted. I have a great feeling about him though :)

On Wednesday, we had the.....SISTERS CONFERENCE! This is a conference that our sweet mission momma puts on for all the sisters in the mission twice a year around conference time. It was so amazing! The first half was all about our worth as daughters of God and our potential as we labor in His kingdom. The assistants did an amazing training on faith, hope, charity, and love and how those attributes, as we strive to work on them and develop them in our lives, will carry through our missionary work and our work as mothers, wives, and daughters. They had their moms do video clips about the trials they have gone through and how developing those attributes through our Saviors Atonement has helped them to become who they are today. So so good! It had us all in tears for sure. So good :) after that we are cafe rio and learned how to do the hula! It was such an amazing confidence booster!

On Thursday, we had district meeting and then said goodbye to our favorite senior couple!! I seriously love them so much so we are going to definitely miss them lots!

Friday we had lessons with Kymbal and Rina. They are struggling to keep commitments but we still have high hopes for them. One major lesson that I have learned working as a missionary is that I can not take away anyone's agency. No matter how much I want them to accept this message and let our Saviors Atonement change their hearts, if they don't choose it for themselves it won't matter. It will not be eternal happiness unless they choose to achieve it. What makes my service worthwhile is how I use my agency. If I do all that I possibly can as a representative of Christ to help bring others to Him, I have done my part and miracles will happen. Prepared people will be found and they will accept this message because the Spirit will teach them through you. Abbie is a prime example of this. As we follow the Spirit and do our part, we may at some points be disappointed at the circumstances but we will never be disappointed in ourselves :) so, I will continue to have faith in my Savior go to work. 

This weekend was also conference!! Oh my goodness. It was amazing. I absolutely loved it. As I have said before, as a missionary, you recognize your weaknesses all the time! And sometimes I get discouraged by them! Being able to hear from our beloved prophet and apostles helped me to put into perspective that weaknesses are for our growth! Through the Atonement of our Savior, we can change and become better. Our weaknesses can become strengths. We will have a greater capacity to carry our burdens because He will be carrying them with us. Our prophet is a man of God and He speaks the word of God. The Spirit is an amazing teacher and I am so grateful for all that I was able to learn about myself and how I can be a better servant of God. I love this gospel and I love the amazing opportunities and potential is allows us. It is so good!! :)

I know that this church is true. I know that my Savior lives. Joseph Smith did see God the Father and Jesus Christ. The Book of Mormon is true. This message brings so much joy and peace. It is SO GOOD! Man I am so happy. 

I love you all. The work is going so well. We are continuing to work on our faith and we know that miracles will continue to come and prepared people will find the truth. The Lord is gathering His sheep and His work is hastening. Thank you for all the prayers and support. I can feel the love all the way over in Louisville. 

Have an amazing week! 

Love,

Sister Dorian :)

Kentucky Pride

Hey y'all!

Another week has come and gone. Yesterday was my 3 month mark of being
out in the field! WHAT?!?! How did that even happen?? Time is such a
crazy thing. A day turns to a week, then a week turns to a month, then
a month turns into a year. Realizing this has just reaffirmed to me
that life is short and we must be striving to grow closer to our
Savior and finding joy in the process because it really is just a
moment. I wish time would slow down! But, since it won't, I guess I
better just make the most of the time I have here in good ol' Kentucky
:)

This week has been great, as always :) it had its ups and downs, as
every week does, but the ups made all the downs completely worth it.

Last Monday, we went to the church and roped some chairs in the
cultural hall. Yep, roped! Y'all would be proud of me because I
actually roped some!! :) . It was a good day for sure. Sister
Israelsen's bike tire popped for the third time that day though!
Luckily, we have an amazing neighbor named Todd. Not only did he offer
to fix her bike for free, but he gave her his bike to use while he was
fixing it. It was so amazing to see such selfless, Christlike service
from this man we barely knew. We have tried to share our message with
him but he is pretty set in his faith. Such a sweet guy though! There
really are still amazing people doing wonderful things in this world
today. We also had lessons with Kymbal and Rina that day as well as
throughout the week. They are struggling to keep their commitments
right now so we are trying to discern how much time to spend with
them. They are amazing though and we are going to continue to pray
that the desire to keep those commitments and find out if this church
is true will come to their hearts.

On Thursday, we had an AMAZING thing happen. About a month ago, we got
a referral named Abbie. We tried and tried to contact her but had
hardly any success so we decided to "drop" her (just put her as a
former investigator in our records). On Monday, she randomly texted us
and told us that she wanted to meet. We set up a time to have lunch
with her Thursday after district meeting. When we got there, we asked
a little bit about her background and what had gotten her interested
in meeting with us. She told us that she was YSA age and has been
watching Mormon YouTubers (like jamesthemormon) for about a year now
and was intrigued by the values they had and the things they shared.
She recognized that when they shared their beliefs, the things they
were sharing made sense and cleared up a lot of things that had been
confusing for her in her other Christian church. She started googling
and searching all over Mormon.org and LDS.org to find out more about
what we believed. During her search, she found the option to get in
touch with missionaries. As she began asking us questions, the Spirit
led the lesson into the plan of salvation, even though we had full
intentions of teaching her the Restoration. After she had finished
asking questions, she said, "Alright, one more question. How do I
convert to this religion??". Sister I and I were jumping around like
little kids on Christmas morning inside but we kept ourselves composed
and told her about the steps that she can take to be baptized and
received the Holy Ghost. We extended a baptismal date and she
immediately accepted. Since she is YSA age though, we knew we would
have to hand her over to the assistants since they are the ones in
that area. We started showing her pictures of them and telling her
about the church building. We realized that the church building was
right up the road so we headed up there to show her around. And guess
who had just gotten to the church for a different thing?? THE
ASSISTANTS. They were able to do the church tour with us and develop a
connection with her right then and there. They had been teaching her
every day since and she is progressing so wonderfully. She came to
church, told her parents and boyfriend about her decision to be
baptized, and even decided that she wants to be married in the Logan
temple. So amazing. It is such a wonderful miracle to be able to
witness these amazing souls who's hearts are so prepared to accept the
truth.

We hit it off so well with her that we are actually hanging out with
her today! And she and I have decided to room together at college if
she goes to BYU. But I am for sure coming to her sealing after my
mission. It seriously feels like we have been friends forever. Man!
This church is so true and our Heavenly Father knows us so well :)
Missionary work is phenomenal.

On Thursday, we made cookies for our investigators/weekly planned and
then saw a recent convert that we have been struggling to get in
contact with. We also got to go eat at the Phinney's and they have to
most beautiful home I have ever seen! It would have been awkward to
take pictures but if I could have, I would have ;)

Saturday was also a great day :) We saw our awesome friends, Peggy and
Ted and then taught some lessons over in Clifton. Then we went over to
our dinner appt and heard about an all fat diet that one of our
members is on. Is so cool! She eats mostly fats and hardly any carbs
and no sugar. The reasoning behind it is that her body is now burning
the fat instead of producing insulin to store the carbs and sugar as
fat so she is losing weight. Cool, huh?? She even has a cook book for
these treats called fat bombs...hahaha.

After dinner, we watched the women's session of general conference. OH
MY GOODNESS. That was literally so good. I have never enjoyed that
session as much as I did as a missionary. Not only did I receive
revelation for my own life, but I also received revelation for how to
make me a more effective missionary and help my investigators. I love
that! Our Heavenly Father knows us. He loves us! He hears and answers
our prayers, even if they may not be what we expect them to be. One of
my favorite things was in Utchdorf's talk. He was talking about the
missionaries that had to faith to knock on every door in an apartment
complex, even though they didn't find success until the very last
door. Our Heavenly Father will answer our prayers if we have faith and
act on that faith. He will reward us for knocking, but the reward is
hardly ever found after knocking on the first door. We must continue
to knock with faith and trust in the Lord that He will answer us in
His time and in His way. This was exactly what I needed to hear. With
this goal to baptize every month that we have accepted in our mission,
there is much faith required. Faith is needed as we pray for miracles
and then as we go out and do our part. But we can't expect to find
someone prepared for baptism after talking to one person or making one
phone call. We have to exercise our faith by working until you have
done all you can do to achieve your goal. In the Lords time and in His
way, He will answer you. Trust in Him and have the faith to act. As
you do, you will see miracles occur in your life and the lives of
others. I know that because I have seen it in other people's lives as
well as my own. Build your foundation on the Savior and put your trust
in Him and He will guide you home, and help you bring your fellow
brothers and sisters with you :)

After the broadcast, we got home late and realized that we were off on
our TWE (talk with everyone) goal by one person. So, we said a prayer
and headed out to find one more person to share with. we ended up
teaching an on the fly lesson with a guy named Warren. The Lord
answers all of our questions and helps us to hit each and every goal
we hit if we have faith and then go out and work.

Yesterday, we ended up teaching the youth Sunday school class and
relief society. It was so fun! I love being able to teach and lead
discussion and it was totally a throw back to like two years ago
sitting in the youth class. So fun!

I love you all. I know that this church is true. Being a missionary is
such a sacred privilege and I thank Heavenly Father for this
opportunity every day. To be His servant here in Louisville is the
greatest blessing I could have ever asked for. Each of us can serve
our Heavenly Father in this sacred and hastening work. Be an example
and a light to all that see you and come to know you. Share the truth
that you know! You have been so richly blessed to be able to know it
for yourself. As you share with others, you are acting as a witness of
Christ at all times. You are showing those you share with that you
love them because you know that this way is the only true way to make
it back home with our Father in Heaven and our Savior. Pray for those
opportunities to share and then act when those opportunities come,
because come they will. The children of Israel are prepared to accept
the truth. Let us participate in the Lord's work of gathering His
people in these last days. It is such a joyous, wonderful work to be a
part of. I am loving every second of it and I know that you will as
well.

Thank you for all the support and prayers. You rock! Keep being
amazing and remember, smiling and prayer is the best medicine for any
bad day or time :) Have an amazing conference weekend! Make sure to go
with specific questions and take lots of notes. It is a sacred
privilege to hear from our beloved prophet and his apostles!

"Wherefore, whoso believeth in God might with surety hope for a better
world, yea, even a place at the right hand of God, which hope cometh
of faith, maketh an anchor to the souls of men, which would make them
sure and steadfast, always abounding in good works, being led to
glorify God." Ether 12:4

Love always,
Sister Dorian