tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-59864212141470594992024-03-05T16:20:19.329-08:00Sister Hannah Empey Idaho, Nampa MissionNancy Empeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01510196350088302041noreply@blogger.comBlogger84125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5986421214147059499.post-23755209752428406062015-06-30T18:36:00.000-07:002015-06-30T18:36:05.495-07:00Just keep building up!<div class="MsoNormal">
Wow. Just.... WOW. O_O This week has been
AMAZING! And super fun too. :)<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
So, on Monday, we had a surprise waiting for us at the
church building for a Zone activity: a member let us borrow sumo wrestler suits
and we got to wrestle each other! haha It was super fun, and it was
funny to watch everyone. :)<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9XaUrSbT1YVSdo8BIGC3Lx5t4Ezl9aBt6HYyShDADGd1wnxUVIHuYk3SnuxAjK40Lsyxbqagn_SFyyLKba1wFcVtiqd_gbg2B5uQQ-HlQnQl75ZVleHk7lyJeD4oxPiSOnZQEQOBNJN0/s1600/13.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9XaUrSbT1YVSdo8BIGC3Lx5t4Ezl9aBt6HYyShDADGd1wnxUVIHuYk3SnuxAjK40Lsyxbqagn_SFyyLKba1wFcVtiqd_gbg2B5uQQ-HlQnQl75ZVleHk7lyJeD4oxPiSOnZQEQOBNJN0/s400/13.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">(Sister Longhurst and
I faced off. :) )</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Anyways, on Tuesday, we went and read with the Hoaglands
again. It was just Kyle that time, and it was good to just work
one-on-one with him. Sister Hoagland was there, but she was busy helping
me braid her hair (that's what I do every time I go there. I don't really
read with them, but I just sit there and work on braiding extensions into
Sister Hoagland's hair. I can comment to whatever they're reading
though.). Later that day, we went to the Petzingers, and we continued to
teach AJ the lessons. We taught her the Plan of Salvation, and the spirit
was so strong. It was really neat--after we were finished teaching,
Brother Petzinger summarized it up in a really personal way for AJ, and the
spirit was really strong as he testified of the reality of the Plan of
Salvation. Sadly, she isn't willing to set a baptismal date yet, because
her dad won't let her be baptized, but she agreed to try to just be her best
and treat her dad kindly, and hopefully that will soften his heart. The
other thing that happened on Tuesday is that we had a Zone Gathering, where
each companionship agreed to try to find a total of 40 investigators (aprox. 4
per companionship) by the end of the transfer (next Sunday). It was a
really spiritually uplifting meeting, and it was an incredible opportunity to
watch the Spirit work through all of us to come to this decision.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Which made District Meeting the next day amazing.
Elder Hulet, our DL, took the opportunity to have us talk about what our fears
are about finding new investigators, and what we can do to find them. It
was an awesome meeting, just as good as the Zone gathering. We then had a
lesson with Chandler Dickson and his friend Lucas, and the Elders came to help
us since Lucas knows the Elders. Well, Lucas had no interest in our
lesson, but Chandler pretty much stayed interested. We used sidewalk
chalk to map out the Gospel of Jesus Christ, then had a little game to go with
each point. It went pretty well, actually, considering the chaos of
trying to keep Chandler and Lucas focused. Yup. It takes 5
missionaries to keep two 8-year olds focused. Such is life.
Anyways, later on, we went to visit Sarah Adams, and she is just the sweetest
person. We just went in and sat and listened to her, and that was just
what she needed.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Thursday, we went back to the Hoaglands, and started reading
with them again. But going in, both Sister Ma'ukoloa and I knew that we
needed to invite Keenan to take the lessons. And since Sister Ma'ukoloa
is the one actually reading with them, we knew that it would be on her to
invite him. (Like I said, I work more so with Sister Hoagland, braiding
her hair and helping her keep up with where we're at in the reading.) So,
she asked the two older kids, Kyle and Korena, about their baptisms and what it
means to them. They both gave great testimonies, and Kyle talked about
the blessings of having the Priesthood too (he's a deacon). Then she
asked Kyle what baptism means to him. When he replied that he didn't know
because he hadn't been baptized, she invited him to take the lessons and to
prepare to be baptized, and he said YES!!!!! WHOOHOO!!!!! Talk
about a MIRACLE! And not only that, but he asked if we could come by that
Saturday! O_O We were like "Um.... YEAH!" :) It was
great.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Then Friday, we had a great visit with Terri. I don't
know if you remember, but we thought that a member lived at her home, so we
knocked on her door back when I first came to Nampa, and she answered
instead. Well, I had the feeling that we should go visit her, and we
did. She's so sweet! We had a good visit with her and got to know
her background better. All she wants is for everyone to be nice to each
other! And she talked a lot about her family history too. She has a
unique blend of cultures in her-- she's German, Irish, and Japanese and grew up
in Hawaii. We're thinking of inviting her to the family history center so
that she can start tracing back her genealogy.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Saturday was SUPER busy.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
So, we went to the Hoaglands, with lunch for them, and
taught Keenan the first lesson. After eating and getting him to sit down,
we actually had a good lesson with him and he agreed to pray about what we
taught him. :) Then we went and finished pulling the weed at the house we
were at last Saturday (District service again!), went to dinner, then we went
to the church to give AJ a tour. Sister Loomis, the Young Womens leader,
come on the tour with us. It was such a great experience! We went
around the building, showing her different rooms, and finished it in the
chapel. There was such a strong spirit there when we talked about
Sacrament meeting, and about the purpose of the Sacrament. It was really
touching. She loved all of the paintings in the hallways too. Then
after the church tour, we headed out to the Fries home and taught about Temple
work. We were so glad that the whole family could be there. And
even though David was super hyper, he actually understood some of what we
taught him. And I think it helped Brother and Sister Fries remember their
own goal of going to the temple to be sealed as a family. It was a great
lesson.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
So, we had THREE investigators come to church on
Sunday! AJ came (with her boyfriend), Keenan, and Francesca!
Francesca is this sweet girl who has been attending church for a year and plans
to be baptized as soon as she's 18. It's been difficult to get a hold of
her recently because of some family stuff, but we've finally been able to catch
each other, and we started giving her the lessons yesterday during the second
hour. She's so excited to go through the lessons so that she could be
baptized! And seriously, she's been coming to church so long that you
wouldn't think that she wasn't a member!<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Well, I think that's it for this week. :)<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Next week, I'll try to email, and I should be able to since
I'm in Nampa. But just in case I don't....<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
These past 18 months have been incredible. I don't
know how else to explain it. Between all the tears, yelling, screaming,
and awkward moments, I have found the most inexplicable joy serving Gods
children and bringing them closer to Christ in the way they needed to come
closer to them. It has been hard work, but it has been worth it.
And now as I near the end of this beautiful, incredible, and crazy journey, I
can look back with a sense of peace, and know that I have accomplished what the
Lord needed me to accomplish. I love this Gospel, and I know that it's
true. I may not always follow it perfectly, but I know that I can always
strive to be better, and I will become better through Christs Atonement so that
I can return home to my Father, with my family--past, current, and
future. And thank you to all of you, who have been such a great support
to making my mission so amazing. I love and appreciate all of you.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Keep calm, carry on, and so we go.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Love,<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">Sister Empey</span></div>
Nancy Empeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01510196350088302041noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5986421214147059499.post-34326682713568916162015-06-23T09:16:00.000-07:002015-06-23T09:17:15.683-07:00Gators, Less Actives and Miracles!<div class="MsoNormal">
Hello dear family and friends! :) I hope that everyone
enjoyed their Father's Day celebrations. :)<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
SO! This past week! Let's see.... it was crazy.
:) Crazy awesome, as always. :)<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
So, at dinner, we ate with the Braden’s, and the son is a
recovering alcoholic. He asked us how we thought faith correlated with
addiction recovery. So we talked about how faith is acting upon our
beliefs rather than just stating what we think could happen or could be.
There was a really great spirit as we talked about faith with him.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
And then we went to the Snively's home to do a FHE with
them. They're a family that is just getting active again and are wanting
to start up FHE, so we're helping them start it. We talked about the Holy
Ghost, and had activities where we were having them draw something and listen
to a story, and talked about if we're involved too much in other things, it's
harder to focus on the Spirit, who is whispering promptings to us. It was
really neat.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Tuesday was good. We went to read with the Hoagland’s,
like we usually do. It was funny. When we were finished and getting
ready to go, Kyle (the oldest) comes down and is like "Oh, hey
Sisters!" And plops down and gets ready to read with us! We were
like "Uh.... actually.... we're just getting ready to leave..."
Kyle's eyes got HUGE and he turned to his mom and was all like
"Mom! Why didn't you tell me they were here?!" It was
pretty funny. But it's nice to see that we do have an impact on their
family. Kyle is a good kid.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Later on that day, we had a lesson with a less-active
family, the Thomas's. We taught the Plan of Salvation, and it went really
well. The Spirit was strong in the room, and Guage understood it all!
It was good. :)<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Wednesday, we had a lesson with Chandler. He's not
very interested in learning right now. We're trying to figure out how to
help him. We'll figure it out. Eventually. After that, we
went to Joy and Shawnies, and we told them about a house down the street from
us that's for sale, and they were already looking at the same house! It
was sort of funny. :) We didn't get to stay for long though, because they
were getting ready for a party, and we had to leave for dinner. Then that
evening, we did a missionary youth activity for the Priests and Laurels, which
was great. We talked a lot about Christ-like attributes, and how
important it is to develop them to have a successful mission and life. It
was really great, and Bishop Ashcraft added his incredible testimony to how we
need to have the spirit in our life and not just "do the dance
steps". It went really well.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We saw the Hoagland’s again Thursday (Kyle was included this
time). Poor Keenan was sick though. He was super polite to us while
we were there, and even introduced us to his teddy bear. :) The kid has a
soft spot, and really is just a kid a heart. :) It was pretty cute. :)<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Friday was mega huge. We got a new
investigator!!! Whoohoo!!!!! So, we went to dinner with this family
named the Petzinger’s, and their daughter Hannah has a friend named AJ who
she's been working with. So AJ agreed to meet with us and eat dinner with
us! So we had dinner, and then the four of us went out to the patio and
had the first lesson. And man, Hannah prepped her well! She already
knew a good chunk of the first lesson! There was a sweet spirit as you
could see the Spirit work inside AJ. She just BEAMS with light! And
at the end, we asked her if she would be baptized, and she said YES!!!!!
EEEEEEE!!!!!!! Isn't that exciting?!?! We'll get to see her on
Tuesday, and we're super stoked to be teaching her the lessons. She is SO
prepared to have the Gospel in her life. Super sweet girl. :) After
that, we went and visited the Fries. Brother Fries was at work, so we
just had a short lesson about baptism and confirmation, and then spent the rest
of the night getting to know Sister Fries. She's so sweet! I love
Sister Fries! It was a great opportunity to really connect with her on a
personal level. But even better than that is that David actually
understood the lesson we have him! Usually he seems to not really
comprehend what we're saying (it took us two lessons to get him to realize that
the Holy Ghost isn't scary and that he's our friend), but he got it this
time! It was really neat. :)<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Saturday was a really good day as well. We went and
met a potential investigator, Linda LaBeaf, and it turns out that her daughter
had just came home from a mission about a month ago! It was really fun to
talk with them, and they want us to stop by again. :) And then we went
and did a district service weeding out someone’s garden. It was pretty
fun. :) And then they fed us BBQ. They had pretty good chicken.
(or at least, I did.) </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhVm-aUcURb_U7_UBgg8n8zBpx_hP-kE6nwdq3ohtkMYtj-diCX5vdYqur7oMi_UeGq8v16J_MC6oZZuo3LLvVYUGVD-bqytPL3vFqVEsA3i6jZDqGuBryTn1PiG4k4ICHWPJLdW2oexg/s1600/1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; display: inline !important; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhVm-aUcURb_U7_UBgg8n8zBpx_hP-kE6nwdq3ohtkMYtj-diCX5vdYqur7oMi_UeGq8v16J_MC6oZZuo3LLvVYUGVD-bqytPL3vFqVEsA3i6jZDqGuBryTn1PiG4k4ICHWPJLdW2oexg/s400/1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
(Sister Longhurst, myself, Elder Astle, Sister Fa'amama, and Sister Ma'ukoloa. Missing is Elders Hulet and Larson, who were chopping down overgrown trees. Of course I'm the one cuddling with the dog/wolf hybrid. You wouldn't expect anything less from me, would you?)</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhVm-aUcURb_U7_UBgg8n8zBpx_hP-kE6nwdq3ohtkMYtj-diCX5vdYqur7oMi_UeGq8v16J_MC6oZZuo3LLvVYUGVD-bqytPL3vFqVEsA3i6jZDqGuBryTn1PiG4k4ICHWPJLdW2oexg/s1600/1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFKhHe2U2PVBZQF2qbKk5SAzgFvpYuqjczBs1FCAiKQDSqZ0DBKwFtQeXluBGKQJV9WnsKc3nMdqg-UfrFk6yCuZJeOpte9I2C15LKeIGufg0vz-j-UDZNoC3F2b7BO95KwpLvIGKObsI/s1600/1a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFKhHe2U2PVBZQF2qbKk5SAzgFvpYuqjczBs1FCAiKQDSqZ0DBKwFtQeXluBGKQJV9WnsKc3nMdqg-UfrFk6yCuZJeOpte9I2C15LKeIGufg0vz-j-UDZNoC3F2b7BO95KwpLvIGKObsI/s400/1a.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
(Leaving service after eating. Sister Ma'ukoloa, me,
Elders Hulet, Astle, Larson, Sisters Longhurst, Fa'amama.)<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
So, Sunday. We're out going around, and I can't ignore
this prompting that we needed to go check on a less-active lady, Sarah Adams,
whom we haven't been able to get a hold of. So, we pull into a parking
lot, and I pray, and at the very end, I knew that I needed to pray for a
miracle for her, so I did. So, we went and knocked on her door, and she
answered! The first time in almost 11 weeks she opened the door!
She was feeling sick last night, so she didn't let us in, but she said that we
could try to stop by later! Complete and total miracle on our end!
And hopefully she gained something out of our brief visit as well. After that,
we went and contacted Roxanne Lowe, another person we have felt the need to
contact. She was excommunicated, but has expressed interest in coming
back to church. She's so sweet, and her kids are adorable! The
oldest, Jamie, is 8, and also wants to be baptized! So it's super
exciting.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
So, long story short, the work is picking up and we're
seeing progression. I really do love this area and everyone we work
with. And we really are seeing miracles before our eyes. It's
amazing.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Well, I love you, and I hope that y'all have a good day!<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Love,<br />
Sister Empey<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
Nancy Empeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01510196350088302041noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5986421214147059499.post-10763671475948794622015-06-16T08:18:00.002-07:002015-06-16T08:19:00.648-07:00June 15, 2015<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbD2dnftMhdU5zO7ITVvUu-Rez8oGtTnSip1JPnmssG5sWa7kqyxG-WoXUsmRB5QmTJITOXEeXnTslrguxQ7ii6z0YurA9YffRojygq8-tMaEFtBzOhEzoT32i3MDv3oqSyAprI_PE3BY/s1600/Quote.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="296" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbD2dnftMhdU5zO7ITVvUu-Rez8oGtTnSip1JPnmssG5sWa7kqyxG-WoXUsmRB5QmTJITOXEeXnTslrguxQ7ii6z0YurA9YffRojygq8-tMaEFtBzOhEzoT32i3MDv3oqSyAprI_PE3BY/s400/Quote.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Isn't <i>that</i> the truth?! :)<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
With Carol Anne being baptized last week, I've been trying
to live the Gospel more fully and more joyfully, which included me to stop
praying for work and to more actively seek it out. It wasn't that we
weren't working, I just found a stronger desire to do it. And find it we
did!<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Tuesday started out with a visit to the Hoaglands, and to
our surprise, Brother Hoagland was there! So, we sat down and read the
first two chapters of Nephi with Brother and Sister Hoagland, Kyle (13),and
Karina (11). It was the calmest I have ever seen that household. I didn't
really do any reading with them-- I was braiding Sister Hoaglands hair and
trying to keep her awake, but I was able to put in comments here and there, and
there was a good spirit in the home, probably the first time I have felt it
there. It was really neat. :) After that, we decided to stop by Joy
Redding's home, and her daughter, Shawnie Hill, was there! YAY!!!
So we finally got to sit down and meet her! Shawnie is SO super sweet--
she's an in-home caretaker for people with mental disabilities, and works a
graveyard shift Thursday to Monday, but she's just so bright and bubbly!
As we visited with them, they mentioned how they've been a little stressed,
because they're trying to put the house together for their realtor to take
pictures on Thursday, but that they were behind on their cleaning.
Needless to say, we jumped on that opportunity and begged them to let us come
over the next day to help clean. They finally relented and agreed to let
us come over. :) The rest of the day we spent trying to invite people to
the Relief Society activity that night, which was super fun. We did some
speed friendshipping, which was good for us as missionaries to meet the Sisters
in the ward, and then we had ice cream. It was a great way to end our
night.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Wednesday was quite exciting. :) After District
meeting, we rushed back to our area to meet up with Paul. Sadly, he said
that he prayed to know if what was in the pamphlet was true, and he said that
his answer was "no", but we had a good talk about different religious
topics, and he still wants us to visit him, so we will, because we can still
have the Spirit testify while we're there. He's a great person.
Afterwards, we went home, changed into our service clothes, and headed over the
Joy and Shawnie's home to CLEAN!! So Sister Ma'ukoloa cleaned the
bathroom, hallway, and kitchen, while I pulled together the patio in the
backyard (all the while keeping windows and screen doors open so that we could
see and hear each other. The things missionaries do to stay in sight and
sound). They were so grateful for the help! And it really did help
out a lot-we should have taken some before and after pictures. haha
But seriously. It was a great experience, and we plan to invite
Shawnie to take the lessons tomorrow when we go to visit. I'm so
excited! And both Sister Ma'ukoloa and I feel like she's prepared to
accept the Gospel <i>now. </i><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Then on Thursday, we were finally able to get in the visit
the Dicksons again to teach Chandler! But I think he's more interested in
my Origami abilities then the actual lessons. And it was super crazy
because dogs and people were running in and out. We're hoping that next
time we can get everyone in the home to sit down and participate in the lesson,
and that we can get Chandler more excited about learning about the Gospel and
not have to use Origami as a bribe to get him to sit down. And then we
had dinner with the Johnsons, a part-member family, and they made Yorkshire
pudding. AND IT WAS SO GOOD!!!! :D haha Yup, I loved it. :)<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Friday was pretty good too. :) We went to visit the
Hoaglands again, and Keenan sat in with us while we were reading!!!
YAY!!!! He totally just did it on his own will!!! It was super
exciting guys!!!! He even read some verses in between cooking chicken
nuggets!!! Even after he said that he was done reading, he ended up
coming back and read some more with us!!! PROGRESS!!!! Hopefully, we can
encourage him to come to church soon. Then for the rest of the day, we
were on exchanges, so I was with Sister Wright in the neighboring ward.
We had lots of fun, and good success. :)<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
On Saturday, we helped a Sister named Nina unpack in her new
home. It was pretty fun. :) And.... yeah. That was basically
Saturday.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
And then yesterday, we had a good visit with the Fries about
going to church, praying, and reading their scriptures, and they committed to
have family scripture study and prayer!!! It was super exciting.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
And... yeah. I think that's it for this week. :)
It was a good, busy week. :)<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Well, I love you all, and I hope you enjoy the rest of your
week!<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Love,<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">Sister Empey</span>Nancy Empeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01510196350088302041noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5986421214147059499.post-60519182587296838782015-06-08T14:36:00.000-07:002015-06-08T14:36:20.988-07:00June 8, 2015<div class="MsoNormal">
WHEW!! What a crazy week! :) It was great
though. :)<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
On Tuesday, we had Zone Conference, which was really
good. It was sad though, because it was also my last one! :(
I was able to sing one last time though. Elders Bjorling and
Stanley, Sister Massi, and I sang "Precious Savior, Dear Redeemer" to
the tune of "Oh My Father", and it was beautiful. Most of our
Zone Conference was on the Sabbath Day, and mostly on the Sacrament, and what
it means. And then at the end of it all, we were actually able to partake
of the Sacrament! President Cannon got permission from the church to have
the Sacrament at our Zone Meeting! It was a really neat experience, one
that I'll never have again. It was a very spiritually enriching
meeting. It was my favorite Zone Conference for sure.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Wednesday was a super good day. :D We had a good visit
with the Hoaglands. Sort of. We were reading the scriptures with
Sister Hoagland, and the entire time Keenan and Kyle were fighting in the
background. So when we were done reading, we offered to take the two
outside to toss a football around. That ended up really softening Keenan
up, and he agreed to think about why he wants to get baptized! YAY!
^_^ And then we went to contact a referral, Paul. And Paul is
pretty neat. He used to be a Chaplin for the Prison, so he's had a lot of
contact with members, but wants to understand our doctrine better. The
problem is that he's heard a lot of deep doctrine. So we're doing a lot
of clarifying. But he was super sweet and nice! And we get to go
visit him next week, and he said that he's going to invite his son to sit in on
our discussions! Whoohoo!<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
So, we had an interesting experience on Friday. We
went to contact a former investigator, and she was all like "All of you in
your church look so sad. Your focus on having works is keeping you from
discovering the true love of Christ" and so on and so forth. We
tried explaining things to her, but she sadly didn't listen, and only made the
conversation more confusing. We left her home, feeling a little
frustrated that the only home in two days to let us in had no desire to listen,
but we were even more sad that she sat there and was confusing herself on her
own belief.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
But that's okay, because Saturday was AWESOME!!!!! :D<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
I WENT BACK TO KUNA AND CAROL ANNE WAS BAPTIZED!!!!!!!!!!!!</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGTpk96sICPH6y_sww5ZbwMOLw4FHgBssD80M0XW-oXSzjdFFtM5t2FT91o4DA41o4U_zAmLBxc4Mnzg8mw0S69vOw6rW61emeweEImmQEMDGTzfeu1SYFcA-Is1dmhC08gAhEZQJKeG0/s1600/12.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGTpk96sICPH6y_sww5ZbwMOLw4FHgBssD80M0XW-oXSzjdFFtM5t2FT91o4DA41o4U_zAmLBxc4Mnzg8mw0S69vOw6rW61emeweEImmQEMDGTzfeu1SYFcA-Is1dmhC08gAhEZQJKeG0/s400/12.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">Me, Sister Paxton,
Carol Anne, Sister Hopper, and Sister Nelson</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
This was SUCH an exciting event! I can't believe it
really happened!!! It was so exciting. :) When she came up out of
the water, this huge grin came upon her face, and I couldn't help it--I started
crying I was so happy for her. And talking with her afterwards, she was
asking if I was going to be able to come up to see her go through the Temple
and I was like "Um.... YES!!!" Wow, she's come so far! I
am so happy for her. And it was so good to see so many friends there too.
Really, the only thing missing was my family. :) This is definitely the
highlight of my mission. So far. It could change. But for
now, Carol Anne's baptism holds a very special place in my heart. And it
always will. It always will.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Well, that's all for this week. I love all of you, and
I hope that you have a wonderful week!<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Love,<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Sister Empey<b><span style="color: red;"> <3</span></b><o:p></o:p></div>
<o:p></o:p>Nancy Empeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01510196350088302041noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5986421214147059499.post-61139696127994035672015-06-01T21:45:00.002-07:002015-06-01T21:45:53.404-07:00Crazy, as always<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Oh my goodness.... I'll try to remember what happened, but I
totally forgot my planner today, so there's no guarantee to the sanity of this
letter.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Um.... we finished moving on Monday... yup. The lady
we live with, Sister Draney, is super nice. :)<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">Tuesday..... we dropped off Sister Osburn at the
mission office, where her mom picked her up.</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHU8dpWHJhRfNZ6UVYfJKUdrwyEZKfaQG7-46gcpQTP7ASX8iBAc99HaptBfKCjfOuT_0V-1B19xrMDB5HejAqgeiuXmVhka2RFlpN0uLzdwq7ggHz-9MQoqcqG72qC0JtLHSeLHTJVlc/s1600/9.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHU8dpWHJhRfNZ6UVYfJKUdrwyEZKfaQG7-46gcpQTP7ASX8iBAc99HaptBfKCjfOuT_0V-1B19xrMDB5HejAqgeiuXmVhka2RFlpN0uLzdwq7ggHz-9MQoqcqG72qC0JtLHSeLHTJVlc/s400/9.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I'm so excited for her! She'll be a great missionary
in Wisconsin. :) <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Um.... I really don't remember what has happened!.....
um....<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
OH! We met this lady named Krystal Kota this
week. She's been less active since she was a teenager, but she recently
has been getting help from the church. We had a really good visit with
her, and she wants to to stop by every once in a while. :) So hopefully
we can visit her every once in a while.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Thursday was good. :) I like, almost forgot it was
even my birthday. It was fun! We went to this little cafe place in
our area called "Sky Blue Cafe", and they seriously have the BEST
burgers there! It was totally worth the $10. :) And then Sisters
Gibb and Wright, our Sister Training Leaders, decorated our room for my
birthday! It looked super cute. :) Also, thank you to everyone for
all of your birthday greetings! I felt so loved by y'all. :)<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="text-align: center;">Ooh! I totally forgot-- on Tuesday, we went over to the Stokes home so that I could cut Maci's hair, Myah was totally excited.... until I actually started cutting.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3Rcjsu413Qey4XIeNmuo7-Pa71v60NMeB8L3Os8Yq7eg_1v9PZ0WJ2ouUyd0mRvprc3bHAUNqCKYqblxzm_S3JsJ8ZyksCDVSuFlzgWQOhhyphenhyphenojLjK_m0SxAEg9Rhip87s6GLQj_0zgAc/s1600/10.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3Rcjsu413Qey4XIeNmuo7-Pa71v60NMeB8L3Os8Yq7eg_1v9PZ0WJ2ouUyd0mRvprc3bHAUNqCKYqblxzm_S3JsJ8ZyksCDVSuFlzgWQOhhyphenhyphenojLjK_m0SxAEg9Rhip87s6GLQj_0zgAc/s400/10.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">Here's me cutting her
hair.....</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjU65s2ZK_tQZxwDHtrepKPa9MXMlENOGRQhHQid7vyjcrm2tQ9434JCdjx_VhKzp2V5vwdXmggMREPHnp6VaDrQQ_-bmMiwYSV2YxmlU6RxBUcfO-6hJxQHlZGkr-6LetVknbSjRKs6MU/s1600/11.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjU65s2ZK_tQZxwDHtrepKPa9MXMlENOGRQhHQid7vyjcrm2tQ9434JCdjx_VhKzp2V5vwdXmggMREPHnp6VaDrQQ_-bmMiwYSV2YxmlU6RxBUcfO-6hJxQHlZGkr-6LetVknbSjRKs6MU/s400/11.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">And here's Myah
crying once I started cutting. <br />(Photos courtesy of Brother Stokes.)</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
It was pretty funny. She kept asking in between sobs
"Is Maci okay? Does Maci hurt?" It was so sad, but it was
more cute and funny. The Stokes would completely agree. But by the
time I finished Maci's hair, Myah popped into the chair and was like "My
turn?" Oh goodness, that girl cracks me up.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Um.... yeah. We've mostly just have been busy....<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Oh. Sunday! We were able to visit the Fries on
Sunday, and it was a good lesson. :)<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Um... yup. I can't think of anything else. Love
y'all, and I hope that you've had an awesome week!<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Love,<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt;">
Sister Empey<o:p></o:p></div>
Nancy Empeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01510196350088302041noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5986421214147059499.post-44271408878812591362015-05-25T14:38:00.004-07:002015-05-25T14:38:47.868-07:00Transfers, a baptism, and 6 more weeks.<div class="MsoNormal">
GUESS WHERE SISTER OSBURN IS GOING ON HER MISSION?!?!?!?!?!<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 24.0pt;">MILWAUKEE WISCONSIN!!!!!!!!!!!
:D</span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Can you believe it?!?!?! How awesome is that?!?! :D
It's so exciting!!!!!! I'm so glad that she gets to finish up in
Wisconsin. :) I'm so excited for her. :) She'll be great there. :)<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
Well, there's not too much to report. It was a really
slow week sadly. :( But Saturday was an exciting day! It started
out with transfer calls Saturday morning, and my new companion is Sister
Ma'ukoloa (Mah-oo-koh-low-ah), who is Samoan and is from Oregon. And then
Saturday night, I got to go back to Caldwell/Marsing and go to Nicole Hunsakers
baptism! And even cooler is that Doug, her husband, got to baptize her.
:) It was really neat to be able to go back to Caldwell and see her take
this step in her life. And then I got to see the Taylors from Kuna,
because they were picking up Sister Hopper and Paxton from the baptism (Sister
Hopper taught Nicole before I got there). And it was totally awesome to
see them again. :)<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDof12N2S3wrqUVCgmRl2yGm1q255YtCQG7r72iEdRyGhu85Ka5DYTwzTiBTxHv6e6S4ke13uTrt8bijiMRnwIHr7h0Z4ZWznXGlBkwvNBCDOfvuzoGmH40fKVUHwAte7WdeIJZE_AO-c/s1600/7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDof12N2S3wrqUVCgmRl2yGm1q255YtCQG7r72iEdRyGhu85Ka5DYTwzTiBTxHv6e6S4ke13uTrt8bijiMRnwIHr7h0Z4ZWznXGlBkwvNBCDOfvuzoGmH40fKVUHwAte7WdeIJZE_AO-c/s400/7.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div class="MsoNormal">
Me, Sister Longhurst, Sister Hopper, Nicole & Doug
Hunsaker<o:p></o:p></div>
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
On Sunday, after church, we went so that Sister Osburn could
go say good-bye to a couple of families, and then we went to Mission Presidents
home so that President Cannon could give Sister Osburn her exit interview, and
I picked up Sister Ma'ukoloa there, because Sister Gray left for home
yesterday. Can you believe that she's going home?! Man, I'm getting
old! (Mission wise, that is.) Anyhows, after that, the three of us
(Osburn, Ma'ukoloa, and myself) went over to Sue Pearce's home, a recent
convert of just over a year, and we did some baking for her daycare. It
was pretty fun.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Well, that's it for this week. :) Sorry this email is
so short. This week will be crazy though. We're moving into a
different home today (no more kitties and old dogs and bunnies :( Darn!),
and Sister Osburn leaves to return home tomorrow. GAH! Makes me wanna
cry!! She can't go yet!!!! But... I know that she has to... the
people of Wisconsin need her. And who knows? Maybe she'll run into
people that Barb knew. :) Wouldn't that be pretty epic? :)<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Oh! And the piece of news I got this week is that
Carol Ann, a lady I taught in Kuna, is going to be baptized June 6!!!! I
GET TO GO BACK TO KUNA!!!! WHOOO!!!!! :D<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
And so now, I'm on my 6 final weeks. Do me a favor and
please don't ask me if I'm "Trunky". I have come to find out
that THAT is my biggest pet peeve.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Love y'all, be safe, and so we go.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Love,<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Sister Empey<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0HMN2PJf86-6Kn-sMe9nUJqMmkLyoWipTJ9OlmoXuXGL-ddoFQ6bMeyhblZfgv_SxvnUpANazuHXB8sg4HL7N6JQhaEMlE1hB8ldqnWu8r3WeCO2DlTskor6Dm_f1BJCKCRdChu22K5Q/s1600/8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0HMN2PJf86-6Kn-sMe9nUJqMmkLyoWipTJ9OlmoXuXGL-ddoFQ6bMeyhblZfgv_SxvnUpANazuHXB8sg4HL7N6JQhaEMlE1hB8ldqnWu8r3WeCO2DlTskor6Dm_f1BJCKCRdChu22K5Q/s400/8.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The Stokes family. They're great. I'm holding
Myah (9, and autistic) because that was the only way she was going to do the
picture at that point. I actually met them last 4th of July because I
knew their cousins, the Illums in Nampa South 37th ward. They're good friends,
to say the least. :) It helps that they're nerds like me. :)<o:p></o:p></div>
Nancy Empeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01510196350088302041noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5986421214147059499.post-67166492901296631902015-05-19T05:53:00.001-07:002015-05-26T10:52:36.657-07:00Contacting Successes and Fails<div class="MsoNormal">
Um.... so.... last week. quite exciting.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We got a church media referral on Tuesday. So we
decided to check it out. Since we pretty much have no one to teach at
this point. So, we knock on the door, and this lady answers, probably in
her early 50's or so, and we asked if she was Shawnie Hill. And she was
like "No, but I'm her mother, and I'm LDS!"<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
O_O wait, what?<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
So she invited us in and told us the story (sort of):
she, with her 2 kids and grandkids, moved from California up to their
current home from Idaho 3 years ago. She's the only member in her family,
and as soon as she got up here, she had some health issues, so she hasn't had a
chance to even figure out what ward she's in and hasn't been able to transfer
her records up here! So we had a good experience with her, and Joy (the
lady), invited us to come back! So we didn't meet her daughter, but we
found a new member for the ward! haha<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Wednesday and Thursday was full of unsuccessful
contacting. And then there was Friday.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Friday was..... eventful.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
So, we're helping the Relief Society President in one of our
wards to contact several sisters who have not received contact for several
years, and one of them apparently lived in a retirement home. So we go
over and knock on the door, and before she even answers the door, a man who
works there walks up to us and asks us why we were here. We replied that
we were looking for this lady because she was on our church records and wanted
to know if she wanted visitors from members from our church. Well, as
he's telling us that they don't allow religious solicitation of any kind
(excuse me, were we <i>tracting </i>out the building?!), this lady answers the
door and curtly tells us that she wants nothing to do with the church and that
she's asked for her records to be removed several times,
thankyouverymuch! So we bid her goodbye, and apologized to this man,
trying to clarify that we weren't trying to solicit or anything, we were just
trying to help the church clean up the membership records, and that we were
leaving. His reply was "I don't care. I let one of you in, I
have to let everyone in." We apologized (again) for our
inconvenience of us coming, and started to leave. <i>And he followed us
off the property to make sure that we left!!!</i> We couldn't turn
around, because that would be rude, but we could hear his keys jingling behind
us <i>until we left the property!</i> And as soon as we left, we turned
around, to see him turning around back to the building! Holy cow, talk
about awkward! haha It was great though. :)<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
And all was well after that, because we got a new
investigator! His name is Steve, and he's a JW, but he wants to know if
the Book of Mormon is true! Yay!<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Well, I gotta go now. That's really it for this
week. Oh, and the Fries. We had a lesson with Sister Fries about
faith, and it was an AMAZING lesson. :)<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Gotta go! Sister Osburn just got a call from the
mission office about a special white envelope she might want! YAY!!! Sorry gotta jet. You know how antsy I was with
getting my call. You can imagine Sister Osburn's excitement. Please
know that I love you all!<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
LOVE YOU!!!!!!!!! <3<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Love,<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
Sister Empey<o:p></o:p></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGeNt1QdYg8K0Mby782hH8xSnvfj5qy3XyUH_rEiL1_xuSm_LuCmQz4a8Mg_qz_kDkSxaIk2xhwGYTwProudzXukOEkZNqP0l6yCzbCm3moWHX8Pt1a3zXRMjvKoxyOCsKCMg8AD_waso/s1600/57.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGeNt1QdYg8K0Mby782hH8xSnvfj5qy3XyUH_rEiL1_xuSm_LuCmQz4a8Mg_qz_kDkSxaIk2xhwGYTwProudzXukOEkZNqP0l6yCzbCm3moWHX8Pt1a3zXRMjvKoxyOCsKCMg8AD_waso/s400/57.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">Apparently this rock
is going to eat my brain one day.....?!</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMCBB_ylMdberLptdJxYJiII5BScq8U8DTkCgBVbodHAPhDmyAj9GZAO2D4s98gfGNgA5VDzTdI3u836PdPPzIjPXCVBW2I3NYN2CH-BeOnwyQeYmqAE1fMOpACB_uSb78S6E6cxiY14g/s1600/58.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMCBB_ylMdberLptdJxYJiII5BScq8U8DTkCgBVbodHAPhDmyAj9GZAO2D4s98gfGNgA5VDzTdI3u836PdPPzIjPXCVBW2I3NYN2CH-BeOnwyQeYmqAE1fMOpACB_uSb78S6E6cxiY14g/s400/58.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">YUS PLEASE!
haha It was perfect. :)</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
Nancy Empeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01510196350088302041noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5986421214147059499.post-26399351784293534352015-05-12T06:35:00.000-07:002015-05-12T06:35:46.142-07:00A Week of Events<div class="MsoNormal">
Hello dear family and friends! It's that wonderful day
where I get to email y'all. :)<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
So! On Tuesday, we were on exchanges, so I was on the
other side of the road from our area with Sister Gibb, who's also from
Springville, and was Sister Osburns other companion! haha Pretty
awesome, yeah? Well, it wasn't too eventful. We just walked, trying
to contact people.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
So! We got a new investigator this week!
Remember me talking about the Niles last week? Well, talk about
MIRACLES. So, Sister Osburn and I have talked and prayed a lot on how we
can help them, and we decided that we should open up our spiritual thought with
a Hymn, "Dearest Children, God is Near You". Well, when we did
that, there was such a strong spirit that filled the room, and we ended up
inviting her to take the lessons again, and she really opened up to us.
She talked about why she isn't baptized yet, which is basically that she has a
ton of questions. So we came to an agreement that each time we visited,
we would answer one of her questions. so, she gave us our first question
to study up on: Why is it so bad to have a cup of coffee in the morning.
The catch? We have to prove it to be scripture related. Eek.
She's like "I want it from the mouth of the Lord!" ... um...
yeah. Praying for guidance and patience.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
So, on Thursday, we had weekly planning. Because we're
still in the process of de-junking (which means cleaning up our area book), it usually takes up a huge chunk of our
day, and this is how it usually ends up:<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9Ikeb2YmYuA26qnzIU47vQQhIHI8A7YHG8w-g8hsKHf5o2cBtFG_IMcwo_v-Vfe1t1jZc8n7AeDbNMw384MBOhdKnldY8FRxSsTif4q5yFS5ZTtD36w3b6gYcvZdHxsqBeXNQwX0rzXE/s1600/5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9Ikeb2YmYuA26qnzIU47vQQhIHI8A7YHG8w-g8hsKHf5o2cBtFG_IMcwo_v-Vfe1t1jZc8n7AeDbNMw384MBOhdKnldY8FRxSsTif4q5yFS5ZTtD36w3b6gYcvZdHxsqBeXNQwX0rzXE/s400/5.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Yup. Dogs and all. The only thing missing is the
area book, because Sister Osburn is usually the one flipping through it trying
to find stuff.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Despite it looking relaxing, it's not.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Which is why Thursday night was so WONDERFUL. The
Stake put on a Women's Conference, and it was AMAZING. It was all about
being grateful for what the Lord has given you, and to love yourself for who
you are, and to not let Satan get to your confidence! It was amazing.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
And then on Friday, we went to a local park, and we had a
showing of Meet the Mormons! Holy cow, I have not stayed out that late in
a LONG time. Because the movie was starting at around 8:30, President
Cannon gave permission to all the missionaries in the area to stay out until
10, since we were supposed to be inviting less-actives and non-members to the
activity. One thing is for sure: I am NOT the night-owl I used to
be! But it was a lot of fun. :) Sadly, no one we invited came, but
according to Brother Bledsoe, who is the High Councilman over missionary work
for the stake, we had 20 people there that aren't of the LDS faith!
SUCCESS!! <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
On Saturday, we went and talked to a potential investigator,
Jim. he's older, maybe late 50's, and he LOVES to show off his garden
(which is awesome, by the ways). So apparently, a lot of his wife's
family is LDS, so they like to have us over, and they want to feed us!
Well, you won't hear us turn that down! Hopefully, we can eat with them
soon. We only got to meet his wife briefly, so we decided it would be
better if we didn't invite them to the lessons.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The rest of Saturday was just trying to contact
people. We ran into a lady who apparently has a daughter coming home
Wednesday from a mission and has Elders visiting her already (what?!),
BUT!!! We ran into someone with potential! Joella was on one of our
Potential Investigator lists, so we went to go see if she would like to know
more. Well, when we introduced ourselves, she was like "oh, you
replaced the boys?! They've told me a little bit, but I really want to
know more!" We were all like: O_O "YEAH! When can we come
over!" She wasn't really too sure, since this next week her schedule
is busy and different, but she told us to call her next Monday!
YUS! Super excited!!! There was an awesome spirit about her. :)
I feel really good about her.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
And of course, Sunday. :) Sunday was awesome. It
was nice to see and talk to the family. :)<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Well, that's all for now! I love y'all!<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Love,<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Sister Empey<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBsWQMoNqPTMOPgHjd1RyqFv0f0D_8_tOrwEz63caPYw0SMCKLePTXVxps1lObCJsu0-BwWtZ5a1fVV_GCNdx_fSQeXEACyvJGmANv_-S2zROXfpS5LEwp4eCyV_KOaqbGXha7XIIriUo/s1600/6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBsWQMoNqPTMOPgHjd1RyqFv0f0D_8_tOrwEz63caPYw0SMCKLePTXVxps1lObCJsu0-BwWtZ5a1fVV_GCNdx_fSQeXEACyvJGmANv_-S2zROXfpS5LEwp4eCyV_KOaqbGXha7XIIriUo/s400/6.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Sister Osburn and I
get a kick out of <br />this sign every time we see it.</span></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
Nancy Empeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01510196350088302041noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5986421214147059499.post-26828145567183394882015-05-04T15:46:00.002-07:002015-05-04T15:46:36.994-07:00Crazy Lessons, Commence!<div class="MsoNormal">
Um..... the beginning of this week started FOREVER
ago!!!! It's been an interesting week too.....<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
So! To start off, Monday evening. We had dinner
with Bishop Ashcraft, WHO JUST HAPPENS TO HAVE LIVED IN SPRINGVILLE AND KNOWS
GRANDPA EDGEL!!!!! O_O (by the ways Grandma, Darren Ashcraft says hello
to Grandpa.) Anyways, it was great. :) He also knows John Call, and
we just had all sorts of fun Springville talk, I think to the dismay of the
rest of his family. haha<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
After dinner, we went to the Lees, some potential
investigators. We ended up having an amazing conversation with
them. They're both strong Christian people, and love their Asian heritage
(Ron is Chinese and Heather is Korean). Ron even kept bringing up points
that I was all like "YEAH! The church totally believes that!!!"
But the sad thing is that at the end, when we offered the lessons, they
declined. :( Oh well. What happens happens.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
On Tuesday, we worked in the Sunnyridge Apartments....
pretty much all day. We went and contacted the Hoagland family.
Brother Hoagland is trying to become active again, and wants his son, who is
turning 9, to be baptized. So we went over to meet Keenan and asked him
if he wanted to be baptized. When he said yes, we nearly leaped for joy
and asked why, and his response was "to get people off my back."<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
... well, leave it to an 8-year old to give you the truth,
right?<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Anyways, the Bishop has asked us to give the lessons to the
Hoaglands, so we taught them the first discussion. Kennan didn't soften
up to us at all until we were towards the end of the lesson when we started to
talk about Joseph Smith. We were talking about Joseph Smith, and I felt
prompted to have Kyle, who is 13, read James 1:5, and we talked about what that
scripture meant. I think that helped a little bit, because while he still
didn't say a whole lot, he stopped making dissatisfied grunts to all of our
questions. Cute kid. He just needs some softening.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
On Wednesday, we went over to teach a young woman in our
ward, Gillian. She's autistic, and so her mom thought it might be good if
she had the lessons to help strengthen her testimony. The lesson was
going along great--until she asked when the Holy Ghost was going to get his
body. Then it got a little crazy as her mom dived into some deep doctrine
and we were like "uh...... we dunno....." it was a good laugh
for later.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
On Thursday, we met a part member family, the Niles.
HOLY COW, SO AWKWARD!!! They're this super sweet and friendly
couple. The only thing is that Sister Niles (the non-member) <i>insists</i> that
she call us by our fist names! ACK!!! Doesn't she realize that
having people outside of our family call us by our first names is like hearing
a swear word and makes our ears bleed?!?! Man, I think I was flinching
the whole time I was there. And then they only muted the television, and
Doc Martin, a favorite show of mine, comes on the TV! I was like
"I'M DYING INSIDE!!!" Thankfully, at that point, Sister Niles
took us for a tour through the house, so I tried to ask as many questions as
possible to keep our 2-room house tour as long as possible. haha
Anyways, we asked Sister Niles if she would like to take the lessons, and
she flat-out didn't give us an answer. She was just like "Oh, silly
missionaries are asking me again!" And we were like "Um.... is
that a no?..." Again, sort of a humerous visit. We'll visit
again. And we'll ask for the TV to be turned OFF this time, because I
have a feeling that there will be no house tour next time.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Friday and Saturday were spent contacting, but there wasn't
much success sadly. :( Oh well.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
On Sunday, we had a lesson with a less-active family named
the Fries, with the Titus's. On the way over, Brother Titus told us that
The Elders had taught them the 10 commandments the first time, and The Plan of
Salvation was taught by the Titus's the second time because the Elders couldn't
make it.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
O_O Wai... what?!<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I was in total shock! I was like "Who does the 10
commandments as a first lesson?!" So, instead of teaching Lesson 3
as planned, we switched and decided to teach Lesson 1 with <i>a lot</i> of
prayer.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
It went really well though. It was a good discussion
with both the parents and their kid, David. The Spirit was really strong
there, even though our conversation got de-railed a couple of times. We
were always able to pull it back on track and end the lesson after an hour
fifteen! It was great. :)<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Well, that's it for now. I love y'all, and I hope
you've had as great as a week as we had. :)<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Love,<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
Sister Empey<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsKGbtzZucK_JF1AO419jr4hTRCdHWw77pTeXBTWCZIvLRd1eYImS_yZ7wk57_Fdd6Lcq0ZhIED9NQiyL_TsrQ3Hnm42ZlpvMqjqbSbBvmmmrtjcduMRHJdAePhDYgHug4rL0YLCw_u0I/s1600/Hannah54.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsKGbtzZucK_JF1AO419jr4hTRCdHWw77pTeXBTWCZIvLRd1eYImS_yZ7wk57_Fdd6Lcq0ZhIED9NQiyL_TsrQ3Hnm42ZlpvMqjqbSbBvmmmrtjcduMRHJdAePhDYgHug4rL0YLCw_u0I/s320/Hannah54.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">Yes, we have an ALMA
ln. in our area! Pretty awesome, yeah? :)</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpPKN6T6YpzvGX8FL3moDc8LNANbuKkqK7pl0azvCrgvosHbTX6is0NliXoQqj97fF8w-WWUFZMH7I15PlBXmKQzUyDoKwjtCuUCoFP5gIpUT4uIvYrn2bSZO7tQeJPSm8pRnuZCArAKM/s1600/Hannah55.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpPKN6T6YpzvGX8FL3moDc8LNANbuKkqK7pl0azvCrgvosHbTX6is0NliXoQqj97fF8w-WWUFZMH7I15PlBXmKQzUyDoKwjtCuUCoFP5gIpUT4uIvYrn2bSZO7tQeJPSm8pRnuZCArAKM/s320/Hannah55.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">Saw this while
walking around on..... Thursday. I think. Made my day.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXfKP2Otm2Tl9671Mm7OkG3uGQ0kS_SJGKEv5608kExdJ3wtcnLcEsSTYfQgY7ZJ2R5ZVmk_2UNDNI_QCHXAv3AHz0GoN5yDbaghBSF7Xv9o-H7s_Wd-YJHRz1Fpzz1tlfLjoDXTvcA6Y/s1600/Hannah56.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXfKP2Otm2Tl9671Mm7OkG3uGQ0kS_SJGKEv5608kExdJ3wtcnLcEsSTYfQgY7ZJ2R5ZVmk_2UNDNI_QCHXAv3AHz0GoN5yDbaghBSF7Xv9o-H7s_Wd-YJHRz1Fpzz1tlfLjoDXTvcA6Y/s320/Hannah56.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="background: white; color: red; font-size: 24.0pt;">MAY
THE 4TH BE WITH YOU!!!! </span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Love you. :)<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
Nancy Empeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01510196350088302041noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5986421214147059499.post-60306384018054547282015-04-27T15:21:00.000-07:002015-04-27T15:21:40.869-07:00The Miracle of Baptisms<div class="MsoNormal">
Hello everyone! I hope y'all had an awesome week this
week. :)<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The work is picking up! Thank goodness! :)
Still don't have a lot to talk about, but I think I have more than what I
had last week. :)<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
So, on Wednesday, we were out member tracting, and we ran
into this Catholic lady, Terri. At first, she was a little brash and
rude, quickly proclaiming that she was happily Catholic. We were all like
"That's awesome! Are you active in the Catholic church?" and
she responded yes, and then talked about her Irish heritage (SCORE!).
Obviously, we started talking. She soon after apologized for sounding so
rude, and she agreed to let us visit her later! And she agreed to try to
read a little bit of the Book of Mormon! Whoohoo! That was pretty
exciting. :) We also contacted a 12 year old girl, Taylor Babneau, who
wants to be baptized! How exciting is that?! So we're hoping to get
a hold of her parents and getting them involved too, because we know that
Brother Babneau for sure is less-active, and we think his wife isn't a
member. So it would be awesome if we could get them involved in the
discussions as well. :) We also met a Recent Convert named Sue Pierce,
and she's super sweet. :) She's getting ready to go to the temple soon!<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Thursday through Saturday was sort of a blur. I <i>finally</i> got
the music I needed for the Williams baptism Thursday evening, and when I looked
over it, I think my eyes grew to the size of baseballs as I realized that the
notes were going to be too high for me. I was praying for a miracle (or,
more like I was praying for my mother who just automatically plays songs in a
key I can sing).<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
So, I was in panic mode, thinking "OH MY
GOODNESS!!! What am I going to do?!?! I'm not going to be able to
have this prepared by the day of the baptism!!! I have no one to play,
and I can't sing these notes!!" o_O<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
So the Holy Ghost prodded the back of my head to go see the
Hansens, who we had eaten with a couple of days before. I figured it was
at least a decent start-- Faith, the oldest daughter, can play the piano, so
off we went.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Thankfully, when we reached the house and asked Faith, she
agreed to play for us, and we starting running through. Turned out I
could <i>barely</i> hit the notes, but it was definitely out of my
range. Well, her dad, Brother Hansen, heard me screeching out the notes,
and was like "oh no! We are NOT killing your voice!" So
he comes over to the piano, tests out my vocal range, and then instructs me on
how to transpose my music to the key of C! <b><i>MIRACLE!!!!!!!!!!</i></b>
I was SO happy!!! <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
So I spent a lot of time on Friday and Saturday practicing
for the baptism. But we had some breaks-- we had Zone Meeting (where I received
revelation and rebuking as to how to make the last three months the best yet on
my mission), we had a High Priest social where a guy came to talk about the
different instruments used for bluegrass music (which was super cool--it was
really enjoyable), and we helped Sister Trumayne weed out her front yard.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
But it all boiled down to Saturday, 4:30 PM, when Sister
Longhurst and I left our companions behind to go to Caldwell. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
LOOK AT HOW BEAUTIFUL GARY, AMANDA, AND TIM LOOK!!!!!! :D<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0MPGkMKAkLB2ZmJWomK5ff4EadCzjbAhuqpv84PX0i9MiV_NOyoNyVEpz93sXTOHGnQMBEcR0vWopGXm5M7WXO7_JiNEYfrOLPAkF4AdhhkfkjNj-mEGMA2aAYpGoZO_pFTRITvTGvyM/s1600/Hannah52.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0MPGkMKAkLB2ZmJWomK5ff4EadCzjbAhuqpv84PX0i9MiV_NOyoNyVEpz93sXTOHGnQMBEcR0vWopGXm5M7WXO7_JiNEYfrOLPAkF4AdhhkfkjNj-mEGMA2aAYpGoZO_pFTRITvTGvyM/s1600/Hannah52.jpg" height="295" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small; text-align: start;">(ignore my closed eyes)</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Isn't it so exciting?! :D I'm so proud of them
all!!! The baptism went great, and it was a beautiful service. And
even President and Sister Cannon came to see it! :D And I was able to
sing my song well, and they all loved it. Thank goodness! Since
they were the ones that asked for that particular song. On the way home,
I almost cried--I could visualize them all going to the temple, dressed in
white, to be sealed as a family. They have come so far, and they will
continue to progress and grow. They are a little miracle family, and it
will take them far in the gospel.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
On a last note, we got one new investigator Sunday.
Her name is Courtny Hauge. She has a friend how is on their mission right
now, and he sends her little reading assignments. But she doesn't always
understand what he sends her, so she wants our help in teaching her!
We're going to go see her this Saturday. :) We're really excited. :)<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Anyways, that's it for this week. It's been crazy, but
it's been wonderful. I am so grateful for the time I had to teach the
Williams, and that I could serve them for their baptismal service. And
I'm grateful that they are on the path to return home to their Heavenly Father,
and that Heavenly Father has allowed me to be a part of their return home.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I love you all, and keep building your faith!<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Love,<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Sister Empey<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEim_WIILSofCjNHKp04-pY48jQHJ_SwHeiwpYWtim56g_LlN-wt_dxBt_-fjgskpfRLCK5eH3oqTa8lvXLmhNxTCfTSynzlna5ToGKWgZhb-qxlY9RftKyUbmYHepatiJeWzcAc0KseOII/s1600/Hannah53.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEim_WIILSofCjNHKp04-pY48jQHJ_SwHeiwpYWtim56g_LlN-wt_dxBt_-fjgskpfRLCK5eH3oqTa8lvXLmhNxTCfTSynzlna5ToGKWgZhb-qxlY9RftKyUbmYHepatiJeWzcAc0KseOII/s1600/Hannah53.jpg" height="180" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">(PS-- This is me and
Sister Osburn, my companion. :) Thought you might enjoy a picture. :) )</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
Nancy Empeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01510196350088302041noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5986421214147059499.post-27492583310649658142015-04-21T07:39:00.001-07:002015-04-21T07:39:58.613-07:00April 20, 2015<div class="MsoNormal">
Ummm..... wow. I really don't know what to say.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
This week had been CRAZY. We didn't get to work like
we normally do, because we had to clean out EVERYTHING. But it was good.
It looks like we have a lot of work to do, because we're basically starting
from scratch.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Um.... due to the fact that we had to start a burn pile and
be reborn from the ashes, there wasn't a whole lot that happened this
week. A big part of what we're doing is earning member trust right
now. We've really been trying to work with the bishops and ward mission
leaders especially. We're starting to map out ward mission plans for both
wards.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
OH! But we had a totally cool experience on Sunday. :)
So, it was after both wards were finished, we were by the bishops office,
and someone (whose name I can't remember), said "how old do youth have
to be to teach lessons to?"<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Thinking he meant us missionaries teaching a youth class, I
replied that we would have to have a third female in order to teach any youth
class.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
And he was like "Oh, well, Ezekiel here is 15 and wants
to take the discussions...."<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
O_O My thoughts: wait, WHAT?!?!<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
So I quickly corrected myself: "OH! Anyone can
take the discussions!"<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Yup. We got a new investigator. :D He's
been coming to mutual and had come to church for a couple of weeks and wants to
learn more! WHOOHOO!!!!<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Anyways, that's all. The lady we live with, Sister
Trumayne, is awesome. She has 2 dogs (Scooby and Bella), 1 cat (whose
name I don't remember-- she hides from us), two baby ragdoll kitties (Sis
Osburn and I have dubbed them Sushi and Geronomo), and a rabbitt (Hunter).
Love it! :D But you know me--I love animals. :)<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Love all of you! Keep being awesome!<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Love,<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">Sister Empey</span>Nancy Empeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01510196350088302041noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5986421214147059499.post-53988107960500077202015-04-13T16:16:00.002-07:002015-04-13T16:16:31.702-07:00Come and Gone<div class="MsoNormal">
Um..... well...... TRANSFER DAY!!!!<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Do you know what that means?! It means that I have NO
idea what happened because my planner is packed away randomly somewhere!<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
But we'll get to that in a moment.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Um..... yeah. I seriously can't remember what has
happened this week..... we saw Gary and Amanda like.... 4 times this
week. Seriously. We did a LOT of teaching. After all, we
gotta get them prepared for baptism! Goodness, I feel like they take up
all of my spare time! I love it though! It's so great to work with
such amazing people! :)<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Um... yeah. It's already been 6 weeks! Can you
believe it?! I've spent a whole 6 weeks in Marsing, ID! But,
apparently, it's time for me to move on. And guess where I'm moving
to? Nampa East! I'm in 2 wards again-- 30th and 34th. And it
will be nice, because Sister Longhurst is in the same zone as me. :) So
my companion is Sister Osborn, and she's from Rigby, ID, serving a mini
mission. :) I get to finish training her before she heads home. I'm
super excited for this opportunity. :) So.... yeah. That's about
it.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Um... yeah. Gary and Amanda were super bummed that we
were both moving out, but that's okay-- they want me to sing at their
baptism!!! How crazy is that?! I'm so excited! They want me
to sing "I Can Only Imagine"-- I just hope my voice will be in good
condition for it! haha<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Well.... yeah. I'm sorry that this is all I have to
say! I'll write more next week! Love all of you, and remember how
much the Lord loves you!<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Love,<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
Sister Empey<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtxJzssUt1XB2BuEt06muMrJeXe2UYcz4MiP86x-r5xo1iW-ShsSrGQai0dtmlIwV8fv_tgw_BIWmabSI-IJYUfD_35ilNhdQtRWAMaQU6os5cr-T1lDls2gjvgZk6B9XpJA4vQOVSYQQ/s1600/Hannah49.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtxJzssUt1XB2BuEt06muMrJeXe2UYcz4MiP86x-r5xo1iW-ShsSrGQai0dtmlIwV8fv_tgw_BIWmabSI-IJYUfD_35ilNhdQtRWAMaQU6os5cr-T1lDls2gjvgZk6B9XpJA4vQOVSYQQ/s1600/Hannah49.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">Cool Road. You
just.... well... have to be cool. End of story.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBLQYOO5FBGdIuM-VjKZUYwlyPEw1IJkm4ZUVTewGpBX_fVs5IiJwiAdH7e4bLC8NRxaTpt7vN6E4jQUB-K1BuD1SLa1BisGYkfnzTXZV4KvdpT0nFNFGXL8jIDU1FWxb90-gQIkO-kYc/s1600/Hannah50.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBLQYOO5FBGdIuM-VjKZUYwlyPEw1IJkm4ZUVTewGpBX_fVs5IiJwiAdH7e4bLC8NRxaTpt7vN6E4jQUB-K1BuD1SLa1BisGYkfnzTXZV4KvdpT0nFNFGXL8jIDU1FWxb90-gQIkO-kYc/s1600/Hannah50.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">Lizard Butte.... it
kinda looks like a lizard. Thus the name of the butte. <br />Sadly, never
got to hike it.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbem6OfHvNR9HGEc5KlEXoah-YPvq8ZU4V1A5wQ-XFjLJ0HJ-RrOynqWGmJRFpetxuRVhbHF_jt0_64INmcfHdAFRi2ANrvZMk3Bb5JHjr48ggzEjd1RC3S4wqnHee3zcvM8TlA5m3_YE/s1600/Hannah51.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbem6OfHvNR9HGEc5KlEXoah-YPvq8ZU4V1A5wQ-XFjLJ0HJ-RrOynqWGmJRFpetxuRVhbHF_jt0_64INmcfHdAFRi2ANrvZMk3Bb5JHjr48ggzEjd1RC3S4wqnHee3zcvM8TlA5m3_YE/s1600/Hannah51.jpg" height="225" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">Sis Longhurst and I,
as always. :)</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
Nancy Empeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01510196350088302041noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5986421214147059499.post-88508958887391769502015-04-06T11:42:00.000-07:002015-04-06T11:47:04.884-07:00Easter Conference? Yes please!<div class="MsoNormal">
Satan isn't happy with us. He's trying with all his
might to keep us from teaching. Between Ssiter Longhurst getting sick
with what I got (but worse), and cancelled appointments, there isn't a whole
lot to report on, but we still found progress and found some work to do.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
So, on Tuesday, Sister Longhurst woke up where I was a week
ago: completely and totally miserable. I know I did some cleaning and
studying and watched some of the Life of Christ videos (the Bairs in our ward
kindly bought each of us a "Life of Christ" DVD), but that's all I
really remember.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
However, Sister Longhurst was feeling a tad bit better, so
we went out to help a less-active, Leslie Wright, brush down her horses.
That was a miracle in and of itself. Sister Longhurst had been teaching
Leslie's daughter and granddaughter, Heather and Alice, but they had stopped
responding to the missionaries back towards the end of January. Well, we
heard that Alice's birthday was coming up, so we decided to give Alice a little
goodie bag for her birthday. On Sunday, we went to drop it off, and
Leslie was outside! So we stopped by, offered to help her brush down her
horses, and she agreed! So we set up the service project for
Wednesday. Thus the reason why Sister Longhurst had to be better for at
least this appointment. So, we brushed down the horses, and Leslie's
daughter, Heather, made us some chicken noodle soup, which was very appreciated
since it was cold and windy outside. Well, to finish off our visit there,
we showed them the "Because He Lives" video, and they both LOVED
it! I felt impressed then to ask them to read 3 Nephi 11 as a family, and
they agreed, and they wrote it on the little sicky pad that we had given to
Alice for her birthday! YAY!!! They like us!!! :D haha Anyways,
we'll get to see them this coming Wednesday, and I'll actually get to meet
Alice. :) But I love these people already. They're awesome. :)<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Thursday was another sick day. More studying, more
cleaning, more Church-approved DVDs.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Friday we had a district meeting on Charity, and how all of
the Christ-like attributes are connected together through charity. It was
very neat.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Then Conference. OH MY GOODNESS CONFERENCE!!!!!
It makes me so happy!! :D Wasn't it so good y'all?! OH!
So good!!! I think what stood out the most to me was President Uchtdorf
during the sustaining of the Church Officers. He didn't let that shake
him. He calmly accepted it, mentioned that their vote had been noted and left it at that. What I
loved about it was that <i>he didn't make a big deal out of it. </i>He
calmly accepted it, and moved on. Sometimes, when people oppose your
beliefs, it's so easy to get fired up and immediately defend yourself.
But more often than not, the best thing is to accept their opinion, and try to
leave on the best note possible. I have found this more and more often on
my mission-- the more people argue with me about my beliefs, the more I simply
just move on to someone willing to listen to the message of the gospel.
So yes, that was probably the most important part of conference to me.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
After Conference on Sunday, we went and got to visit with
Sarah for a little bit, which was awesome because we hadn't seen her at all
last week (because she was sick too). We taught a short lesson about
obedience and following the prophet, and then showed her the "Because He
Lives" video. Little Sarah, who is super scatter-brained and all
over the place, sat in awe for a few minutes after the video. You could
tell that she was very touched by the spirit, which we explained to her.
She really is prepared to receive the Gospel. It was very nice.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
And to round out the week, we had a beautiful Easter
fireside, put on by all of the missionaries in the stake and the ward
members. We read "The Living Christ", and had a musical number
for each paragraph. It was very beautiful, and the Spirit was
strong. What a wonderful way to wrap up such a beautiful day!<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Well, that's all for this week. I love all of you, and
I know that the Savior lives for each and every one of us. What a blessed
opportunity we had to celebrate His Resurrection yesterday, but let us always
Remember Him and His sacrifice for us in our hearts, so that we may have
everlasting joy.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Love,<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
Sister Empey<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTobavm_OgnyQXiOp-EX7jyqSnAs7zpPhAuwsHCXDf11entAMxSpcoc0ebOtC6gP8UAw2RaLYvrWEIYVflbdHgnypRdeLT5zr_bZwfbnGZMS4G43zk30rEca6Lyi89Ap-ed4zwaSzFAXk/s1600/hannah48.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTobavm_OgnyQXiOp-EX7jyqSnAs7zpPhAuwsHCXDf11entAMxSpcoc0ebOtC6gP8UAw2RaLYvrWEIYVflbdHgnypRdeLT5zr_bZwfbnGZMS4G43zk30rEca6Lyi89Ap-ed4zwaSzFAXk/s1600/hannah48.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #9900ff; font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 24.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">Happy Easter from the Caldwell Crew!!!</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
Nancy Empeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01510196350088302041noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5986421214147059499.post-26270624061254105192015-03-30T18:59:00.001-07:002015-03-30T18:59:39.726-07:00Five!!! FIVE!!!!! o_O<div class="MsoNormal">
Holy Snot you guys!!!!! FIVE BAPTISMAL DATES FOR NEXT
TRANSFER!!!!!! O_O <b>FIVE!!!!</b> Can you believe that?!
*happy dancing* TOTALLY AWESOME!!!<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Um.... yeah.... anyways.....<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
So, I woke up TOTALLY sick on Tuesday. I had a
headache, an earache, and it took all of my energy just to go from the bedroom
to the kitchen. Turns out I had the flu. Blech. Needless to say, I
spent my day at home, trying to stay alive. That night, our Ward Mission
Leader and his Assistant, Brother Garner and Brother Anderson, came and gave me
a Priesthood Blessing, where it was <i>commanded </i>that I should be
healed. I was kind of like "woah, <i>commanded to be healed</i>?!"
Needless to say, I had to have a little prayer in my heart as well to
have the faith to be healed in such a way.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Wednesday was better. I still was sick, but I was able
to at least move around, and my fever was gone. So there was some things
that we still had to do, so I was member hopping homes while Sister Longhurst
went with other members to appointments and meetings. It was fun-- I hung
out with Brother Andersons wife and helped her take care of her chickens.
And then later that night I went over to the Colletts and entertained their
gaggle of girls with different stories from my life (who knew that my life was
so entertaining?). So, while I was having fun, Sister Longhurst was hard
at work, and got Nicole Hunsaker to commit to a solid baptismal date of May
23! YAY!!!! I was sad that I couldn't be there, but I'm glad that
we now have a firm baptismal date with her.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
On Thursday, I was finally well enough to go out and work a
little bit. (haha finally? I act like I had been out for a week
rather than just a couple of days) So we went and finished Lesson 2 with
the Williams (Amanda and Gary). Um.... I don't remember how it went, I
just remember that it went really well. Oh! And that they bought
CTR rings for themselves! Seriously, how much cooler can they get?!
They saw CTR rings at Walmart and were like "Oh! Let's buy some!"
Crazy, right?! But totally awesome. :)<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Friday. Um.... Friday..... OH! We went and
helped this lady, Julie Eggleston, clean off her patio furniture. Her
husband is a less-active member, and she has expressed interest in learning
more about the church. We shared a message with her afterwards about the
Living Christ, and she really loved that. She said that she will be busy
until the middle of May or so as she wraps up the school year (she works as a
teacher in an alternative class for Elementary School), and then she wants us to
come back and help her more! Super exciting. :)<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Then Saturday... the General Women's Conference.
Wasn't it amazing?! :) I loved it. :) I loved how everyone talked
about the family, and how important the family unit is, and that it must be
protected at all costs. How true it is! Well, after the Women's
Conference, we went to have dinner at the Insleys, a less active couple.
They're super fun. :) After dinner with them, even though we were cutting
close to curfew at this point, we decided to show the "Because He
Lives" Easter initiative to them. It ended up being perfect-- you
could tell that Sister Insley was really feeling the Spirit, and she started
crying when we gave a prayer! It was so sweet. I think at least she
will be coming back to church soon.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
And then Sunday. WOW. Sunday.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
So, we were really hoping that Gary and Amanda would make it
to chruch, and they didn't. But halfway through church, Amanda texted us
and was like "I'm so sorry, I have been so sick this weekend."
We asked if there was anything we could do for them, and she mentioned
that they wouldn't be able to get any food until Wednesday, so we gathered all
of the misc. food that we could find at our home and went over to their house
to give it to them. They were so touched that we were so giving! We
ended up staying at their home for 2 hours, teaching them the first discussion,
and about how their lives have changed since they've started coming to the LDS
church. And their son, Tim, who's 9, sat in, and was like "Yeah,
last time when you came, I was in my bedroom listening, and when you prayed, I
bowed my head and put my hands together like this!" And then he said
that he wanted to be baptized with his parents! We were like, "Um,
YEAH you can be baptized with your parents!"<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Needless to say, we have 5 baptism dates now. Gary,
Amanda, Tim, Sarah, and Nicole. This is so exciting. The ward
really needs a good pick-me-up like this. It's so exciting to see how the
Lord has prepared each of these individuals to receive the Gospel. It
makes me so happy. :)<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
So, on my last note, BECAUSE HE LIVES.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Have you seen it yet? If not, GO SEE IT. <a href="http://helives.mormon.org/">helives.mormon.org</a><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
SO AMAZING! I love this video, the Spirit is so strong
in it. Don't ever forget-- the Savior knows all of your pains and all of
your trials, but as a result, he knows all of your triumphs and joy, and He is
cheering you on and helping you out every step of the way because He <i>wants</i> to
see you succeed. I love it. :)<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Well, I love all of you, and I hope you're having an amazing
week thus far!<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Love,<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Sister Empey<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
Nancy Empeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01510196350088302041noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5986421214147059499.post-66979527736559165322015-03-24T09:18:00.000-07:002015-03-24T09:18:03.969-07:003 baptism dates and an investigator - March 23, 2015<div class="MsoNormal">
HOLY COW!!! :D Hello!!! I can't believe it's
been another week!!! So much has happened! :D<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
So, as you know, St Patricks Day is one of my favorites. :)
So I made a traditional Irish meal for lunch! We had this HUGE
random chicken sitting in our fridge, so I cut off the breasts and thighs and
made some roasted chicken with a mustard sauce and made some Haggarty (a dish
with bacon, potatoes, onions, and cheese. It was pretty darn
good.). I'm pretty darn proud of myself--it was pretty good.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-MuS0GVJoIfoUfrhAjHEfCxP_vq77Kmf3aqZecmoBItMt8O8DWFepeNXjOdRk6l0qBXoGPe2BCvhywh_67SK7V1ejTlQ6TqQ09mZirbEEkJ7mGMobouXKboFxT7V0sya2YLXaYUVX090/s1600/1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-MuS0GVJoIfoUfrhAjHEfCxP_vq77Kmf3aqZecmoBItMt8O8DWFepeNXjOdRk6l0qBXoGPe2BCvhywh_67SK7V1ejTlQ6TqQ09mZirbEEkJ7mGMobouXKboFxT7V0sya2YLXaYUVX090/s1600/1.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
(see--here's me with the chicken--halfway cut up. :)
That was a new experience. Totally fun. :) I was going to cut off
the wings too, but then I decided that it would be too much work.)<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Later on that day, we went to go visit this little old lady
named Edna. honestly, one of the oddest visits I've ever made. The
entire time we visited with her she kept talking about how she was going to get
into trouble with her son because we were there! And then she kept
changing the names of all of her kids. Well, we visited with her, shared
a message, and asked if we could come back, and she was like "that would
be lovely! Why don't you give me a call?" So, obviously, we
asked for her number. Her reply? "Oh, well, I don't give out my
number."<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
.... wait? What was that? You want us to call
you but guess what your number is? .... that's a <i>wee </i>bit difficult.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
So we tried another route. We offered her one of our
pass-along cards with our number on it, and pointed out the picture of the
Savior on front, and she loved that. So, we told her to give us a call
when she wanted us to come by.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
she smiled, flipping the card back and forth, and her smile
started fading. She then handed it back to us and said "No thank
you, I don't want this."<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
.... totally awkward.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
So we left with a hug and wished her good luck and headed
out for the rest of our day.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
On Wednesday I finally got to meet the Hunsakers-- Doug is
coming back into activity and Nicole is going to be baptized in May!
We're trying to set an actual date, because she wants her daughter to be there
for the baptism, but we're thinking it will be the week of the 10th! So
exciting! Anyways, we had a lesson with them on the Law of Chastity,
Tithing, and Fasting. It went really well. And then they made
Chicken Enchiladas for us for dinner. They were so good! :) MmmmmMmmm!
I'm starting to think that Mexican food is what feeds the soul. :) haha<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Thursday was.... WOW. Amazing.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
So, back up to Monday. Sister Longhurst had a
prompting to text Amanda and Gary Williams, investigators of ours that she
hadn't seen for a while, and we were able to set up an appointment with them
for Thursday afternoon after a couple of days.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Now, going back to Thursday. We go to meet with them,
and Gary shares this experience he had where he talked about feeling bogged
down, so he grabbed his phone and opened up the LDS scripture app and started
reading the scriptures and felt almost immediately better! He said that
he didn't remember what he read, but he remembered thinking that it was time
for him to change and start living what he was teaching his kids, and asked
Amanda when we would be stopping by next. Well, lo and behold, we texted
the very next day! So they talked about how they missed the Spirit we
brought with us, and how they want it, and how they want to be more involved
with the church! After a little bit of talking, I felt super impressed to
invite them to be baptized, and they accepted! So after some discussion,
we decided on April 25, the same day that we have for Sarah Sheeter! SO
EXCITING!! :D<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
And then on Friday we had our Sister's Conference! It
was really good-- the theme was about how we are always growing and learning in
life. It was really good and lots of fun. :) President and Sister
Cannon's daughter Mary, and niece Anne, came down and talked with us about
their missions. It was super awesome. :)<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Um... Saturday.... oh! We had dinner with Sarah and
her grandparents, the Fergusens. Then we taught Sarah about baptism a
little bit because we really didn't have time to teach a full lesson. But
that's okay, because we got to teach her the Plan of Salvation on Sunday.
It went really good :) She doesn't always focus well and tends to jump
around, but she gets it, and there are times that you can tell that the Spirit
is working with her, and it's a precious moment to see that. :)<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">And my last piece of news... </span>we got a new investigator today!!!! :D YAY!!!
So there's this lady named Linda Symms, and she asked us if we could come over
and help us with her garden this morning, so we did. Afterwards, we had
lunch with her, and asked if she would like to take the lessons, and she said
yes!!! How awesome is that?! so, we now have a new investigator. :)</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Well, that's it for this week! keep your faith strong,
and know all is going well in my little area of the world!<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Love,<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Sister Empey<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEht2Gw3yC8B2xRmbuC1F_1z-iCi_3IrYDh8ULdrvx_vIe9KAUAVQIYlTD8_N-m8dPWOpWvKR8h9JjvupJQZ0GUrbQoN1KbDnsyMWpBexCc7pZNwIPtRuIcJPd8LuGMYl9H_n6xv-ryh5xA/s1600/3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEht2Gw3yC8B2xRmbuC1F_1z-iCi_3IrYDh8ULdrvx_vIe9KAUAVQIYlTD8_N-m8dPWOpWvKR8h9JjvupJQZ0GUrbQoN1KbDnsyMWpBexCc7pZNwIPtRuIcJPd8LuGMYl9H_n6xv-ryh5xA/s1600/3.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div class="MsoNormal">
(Sisters Lyman, Longhurst, Fox, myself, and Djikwell)<o:p></o:p></div>
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgz1VUbDBH7Rr2JzuWgnFa0vl4e19EGsUldWJxnKsd6WT6JBCzeKLjPfAC7_i-ik6I4ieRlWQzdLVX9HGdhF2UM5lHK_uAi-WI6d1sMba0K0RcuuupF7zQ0Gsgab4gbf-_IzsiHdAD7IBM/s1600/2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgz1VUbDBH7Rr2JzuWgnFa0vl4e19EGsUldWJxnKsd6WT6JBCzeKLjPfAC7_i-ik6I4ieRlWQzdLVX9HGdhF2UM5lHK_uAi-WI6d1sMba0K0RcuuupF7zQ0Gsgab4gbf-_IzsiHdAD7IBM/s1600/2.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div class="MsoNormal">
(Sister Colby and I at Sisters conference.)<o:p></o:p></div>
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAAOpQC5f1dxdcbKuhIKhyphenhyphenswECab3OgnPcm8gMXlhWXgOqUiYXeNBcefbu12sZ2PMJge8fjrEgD89MprIsCWQwJ7P-e8hbH0XOavJddJz03M6IGBsUWA4AQ3dSNXEdZUkLMGR4mTl8NnA/s1600/4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAAOpQC5f1dxdcbKuhIKhyphenhyphenswECab3OgnPcm8gMXlhWXgOqUiYXeNBcefbu12sZ2PMJge8fjrEgD89MprIsCWQwJ7P-e8hbH0XOavJddJz03M6IGBsUWA4AQ3dSNXEdZUkLMGR4mTl8NnA/s1600/4.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div class="MsoNormal">
(Sister Hurst, Mama Rob, Sister Longhurst, and me :) )<o:p></o:p></div>
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
Nancy Empeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01510196350088302041noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5986421214147059499.post-82445841168865541112015-03-16T15:01:00.000-07:002015-03-16T15:01:42.030-07:00Monday, March 16, 2105<div class="MsoNormal">
Well Hello my dear family and friends. :)<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Well, this week. WOW. This week.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
so, we started off with a really good Zone meeting about
prayer and faith, and how we can use it to find people. It was one of the
most amazing Zone meetings I've been to yet! It is really helping Sister
Longhurst and I re-evaluate our area and see how we can improve the work that's
being done here and come up with ideas of how to find people in such a vast
area. So yeah. We're excited to see how this will help us. :)<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
On Wednesday, we were going to try some homes on a street
called Ila Lane, and noticed a do Not contact there. So, we called up
Bishop McIntyre (whose name I have a terrible time remembering), and asked what
he knew about it. he told us that he didn't know, so of course we were
going to go contact it and see why. (Let's face it-- you can't escape the
Church. Once we meet you, you'll always be on somebody's list, and there
will always be somebody brave enough to go contact you.) Well, we knock
on the door, and the wife, Jodie McAbee, answers it and lets us in! We
talk for a while, and she explains that while she's not a member, her husband
is, and had been talking about starting to come back to church with his son
Andrew! We were like "AWESOME! Can we come back to visit y'all
sometime?" And she said yes! So, we set up an appointment to
visit on Friday evening. The rest of the story will continue in a little
bit.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
And Thursday was exciting-- Sister Longhurst hit her halfway
point, so she got to go to the temple! Isn't that super exciting?!
:D SO EXCITING!!! :D So I got to spend my day with the
Sister Training Leaders, Sister Lyman and Sister Dijkwell. It was super
fun! I have never had so much fun being in a trio. :) We were super
busy all afternoon and evening, and 9:00 PM came before I knew what
happened. And Sister Longhurst had an amazing time at the temple.
Eek! I can't wait until I get to go back! :D<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Friday was a day of food. We started off the morning
by meeting Rosie, a less-active member who wants to go to the temple, but her
work schedule prohibits her from getting to church on Sundays. Well, we
saw her last week, and I had a really strong prompting to invite her to take
the time to walk the temple grounds and to feel the Spirit there. She
flatly turned it down, saying that she didn't have time and that it was too far
away. Needless to say, it was a little crushing to hear after feeling so
strongly to ask her to go. Well, we met up with her this Friday at this
place called "The Orchard House" for breakfast, and to read out of
the temple magazine like we usually do, and guess what?!?! SHE WENT AND
WALKED AROUND THE TEMPLE GROUNDS!!!!! Holy cow, this was HUGE progress
for her! According to Sister Longhurst, she has never kept a commitment,
so to follow through with a commitment that she didn't even promise to keep is
BIG. We asked her what it was like to walk the grounds, and she told us
about the peace she felt, and how she noticed how many people were coming in
and out. We answered that one day, that will be her. One day, she
will be one of the people walking in and out of the temple. It was a very
sweet and tender moment. After that, we went home to study, then went off
to lunch with Sister Lamar, who is a convert of 10 years, but is just coming
out of almost 9 years of inactivity. And she just adopted a brand-new
little baby, Nora (long story, don't ask). As we were there, we tried to
answer a question of hers about the Godhead (she was really confused with that
when we had dinner with her last week), but we don't really know if we were
able to answer it or not. But at least we tried! But we're going to
start going through Preach My Gospel with her, so maybe that will help her with
all of her questions... hopefully. And then that night, we had dinner
with a less-active lady, Jewel Black. it was good, but it was fast--
because we had to go visit the McAbees on Ila Street!<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Talk about one of the most awkward visits I've ever
had. So, we go over, and Brother McAbee was like "yeah, I'm kind of
thinking of coming back, but the rest of the family except Andrew are Jehovah's
Witness and not interested and there's really nothing you can do to help
us." And we were like ".... oh." AND THEN, he's like
"Oh, excuse me, I gotta go out and help my wife out real fast."
HIS WIFE WASN'T EVEN IN THE HOUSE!!! O_O Missionary mode
totally kicked in and we were like "AH!!!! We're breaking rules
here!!!" But it ended up being okay-- she came into the house, we
shared a scripture, and got out. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
... yeah. We aren't sure where to go now with
that. We'll find something to do though.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
And on a last note, guess what?! WE GOT A NEW
INVESTIGATOR YESTERDAY!!!! :D Sarah Sheeter is 9, and the granddaughter
of an active couple. So her grandparents asked her mom if she could take
the lessons, and her mom said yes! So we went over Sunday, taught her the
first lesson, and set a baptism date for her! We aren't sure if she'll be
able to make it, because of doctors appointments and stuff, but we're really excited.
:) Her mom agreed to let Sarah take the lessons, because she said that it
wouldn't be fair to Sarah if she couldn't return to Heavenly Father because she
died of her heart condition and hadn't been saved yet. When her mom was
telling us that, it was a very tender moment. You can see how much the
mom, Mandy, loves Sarah. And Sarah is super sweet and totally prepared to
have the Gospel.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Well, that's it for this week! I love y'all, and keep
the faith!<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Love,<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
Sister Empey<o:p></o:p></div>
Nancy Empeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01510196350088302041noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5986421214147059499.post-71906408455204876812015-03-09T13:22:00.000-07:002015-03-09T13:22:14.026-07:00March 9, 2015 - The Land of Misfit Toys<div class="MsoNormal">
Hello everyone!<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
So, Marsing! ... which really isn't Marsing.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Aewsome story: so, we cover Marsing 2nd ward, yeah? We
cover all of that. Marsing 2nd ward is comprised of Caldwell, Nampa,
Greenleaf, Wilder, and Houston. Ironically enough, it actually doesn't
cover any part of Marsing itself. Sister Longhurst calls it the Land of
Misfit toys. haha I love it!<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Anyways, this week has been super fun! :) The
adventures have started! I'm learning what it's like to live on a
farm. And in the middle of nowhere. Totally loving it. :)<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
On Wednesday, we went to the Lambsons, a recently
re-activated family. Their son, Korbin, just got baptized, and they
recently went to the temple to be sealed as a family! Anyways, we went
over to their home and helped her with some of the farm chores, like milking
the cows and filling the silohs. It was so much fun! :) Afterwards,
we had a lesson with Sister Lambson and Korbin about tithing and fast
offering. He was super cute. :)<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Let's see.... um... who else....<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Oh! On Saturday I met two of our investigators:
Kristie and Laura. Kristie Crawford is the daughter-in-law of Sue Church,
a member of the ward. She's married to a less-active man (whom I have not
had the pleasure of meeting yet), and they have the cutest little boy named
Christopher, who is 2. She's so awesome! :D We were thinking about
sharing the Restoration with her, but when we sat down to share our message,
Sister Longhurst felt like we needed to talk about prayer instead, and it was
exactly what Kristie needed to hear! I'm so glad that we havethe Spirit
to help us and guide us! It helps SO much! We can't do the work without
it! Anyways, Laura is a single lady in her... 70s, I think she
said. Anyways, super nice lady, and she loves our Relief Society
President (who came with us). She was investigating the church, but has
stopped because she wants baptism without joining a church. We decided to
share a message on being able to trust in the Lord, and she really appreciated
that. :)<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Anyways, Sunday was really good too-- we had 3 investigators
at church! Kristie was there, as well as a lady named Nicole
Hunsaker (who apparantly is GOLDEN, we're just waiting for her to set an
official baptism date), and Andy (whose last name I can't remember, but he's a
bee keeper. Hmmm.... fresh honey, anyone? :D ).<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
... yup! That's the going-ons of Marsing 2nd ward this
week! It's SO nice to be back to having one ward-- and we're busy enough
for it too. :)<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I hope y'all are doing well.... keep up whatever good you
are doing, and keep building your faith! I love all of y'all!<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Love,<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
Sister Empey<o:p></o:p></div>
Nancy Empeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01510196350088302041noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5986421214147059499.post-71086601865006033652015-03-03T05:35:00.000-08:002015-03-03T05:35:10.229-08:00March 2, 2015 - Photos from Kuna<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXfGZzSk5yWF7iSXWV1lJgR5Oy2xZKR2-eq77i4zAqU84An2kHXmuv-qMp5RalvrgKwNrJYBokwztKbNNqUGOOYUgNwp02n-RcM6-gU9faVVysVpA8J7poHsjD5BgzEW7sgcqcUrSlEnI/s1600/IMG_1842.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXfGZzSk5yWF7iSXWV1lJgR5Oy2xZKR2-eq77i4zAqU84An2kHXmuv-qMp5RalvrgKwNrJYBokwztKbNNqUGOOYUgNwp02n-RcM6-gU9faVVysVpA8J7poHsjD5BgzEW7sgcqcUrSlEnI/s1600/IMG_1842.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Taylors</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7uzlAwsyHWsucab4Wo14PTkhJwFrIHZGBd9L8gZZstoQ2Rc3BD_bmV8g4BaNnCdtGatj0CHLNISIegF8TuysPTBraRC53_rUrNQEOaf8xbqiVixGlTf0-1618JGO5y03EFjrCS7Wm14M/s1600/IMG_1834.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7uzlAwsyHWsucab4Wo14PTkhJwFrIHZGBd9L8gZZstoQ2Rc3BD_bmV8g4BaNnCdtGatj0CHLNISIegF8TuysPTBraRC53_rUrNQEOaf8xbqiVixGlTf0-1618JGO5y03EFjrCS7Wm14M/s1600/IMG_1834.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">Carol Anne Bader</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiB9XamUAZo00GSeF5BslnWQEqUxsbDc2cFmNqO5basVbaH1UBEad8mq2Q4J184LXwgeH_B4VbkaBY4Ei6uJeBLYoyafLbwbPaCy1D1-9T10_BOs4ZSS5U5sOJHPa-qWDchm_lN7Clp55c/s1600/IMG_1837.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiB9XamUAZo00GSeF5BslnWQEqUxsbDc2cFmNqO5basVbaH1UBEad8mq2Q4J184LXwgeH_B4VbkaBY4Ei6uJeBLYoyafLbwbPaCy1D1-9T10_BOs4ZSS5U5sOJHPa-qWDchm_lN7Clp55c/s1600/IMG_1837.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;">Kim Lawrence</span></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpASdRmB8-cfHreNpfTwfpXo-7I1vu-pn6lI_HuE-B6DOTPes4uyxsTgMTVlxuZH5uNmFDfs3p3lmoZlLRkRlbp0-BFE4x7lnTpZ7nYI0r6MYK6dmr-Ew1FTeooas_4bswav-LkfagIzI/s1600/IMG_1841.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpASdRmB8-cfHreNpfTwfpXo-7I1vu-pn6lI_HuE-B6DOTPes4uyxsTgMTVlxuZH5uNmFDfs3p3lmoZlLRkRlbp0-BFE4x7lnTpZ7nYI0r6MYK6dmr-Ew1FTeooas_4bswav-LkfagIzI/s1600/IMG_1841.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">The Chestnuts</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBa3SfENqrGTpVdVMC52_zwGYuzOcPmXLZE4z5dilX0F3C8UFvjdfn0op8YmLast7dvdEMPhgES4CqH6OuxHX-jIZl7JzvYLc9T0LyK2_MqKY2Sh3F36XHrshMgFzUnx4n-Mx5Wy5Clxo/s1600/IMG_1599.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBa3SfENqrGTpVdVMC52_zwGYuzOcPmXLZE4z5dilX0F3C8UFvjdfn0op8YmLast7dvdEMPhgES4CqH6OuxHX-jIZl7JzvYLc9T0LyK2_MqKY2Sh3F36XHrshMgFzUnx4n-Mx5Wy5Clxo/s1600/IMG_1599.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">The entire Martin
Clan. Sadly, we're still waiting for permission to baptize the
girls. Yup. Didn't get it. :(</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4DAUifdg8FJjw6lyG7VG-qyGsR2-MXNy_oZz6WWphF2jx3IO56xW9g57uFAOsCavZKfsRwXWZ69tCdgh-Ze4UWPPbzhqyTS2c_rxvT1J1hJMcsgayf4h_mpY9UUzSQ1PYQdDNqpcfDXY/s1600/IMG_1863.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4DAUifdg8FJjw6lyG7VG-qyGsR2-MXNy_oZz6WWphF2jx3IO56xW9g57uFAOsCavZKfsRwXWZ69tCdgh-Ze4UWPPbzhqyTS2c_rxvT1J1hJMcsgayf4h_mpY9UUzSQ1PYQdDNqpcfDXY/s1600/IMG_1863.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">Sister
Lawrence. I'll miss her so much!</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitlXvfLWZzcgU_rD6JQF2aFj7yj27dUIsQR_QLCmAgVKepNESq5RliVpY3Zbb4gg6taxi4cWstHwAG-I8rK7y_mrRyFiFOup0K6-KedyGU7-ub2CFraxeLCLe7b9ggw4K7z65NC9hZ6u0/s1600/IMG_1604.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitlXvfLWZzcgU_rD6JQF2aFj7yj27dUIsQR_QLCmAgVKepNESq5RliVpY3Zbb4gg6taxi4cWstHwAG-I8rK7y_mrRyFiFOup0K6-KedyGU7-ub2CFraxeLCLe7b9ggw4K7z65NC9hZ6u0/s1600/IMG_1604.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">Holly, Sis Lawrence's
granddaughter</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_MpUstyP6b6KnxFORpu8wa9RuWSgTbSnzq_KkBOLyyukPo1lkpYLTcTQ1RIYTUL7_7XLSaa3QU27uMHBneKUea36SsjwwiSee-pd1KojaDm0r0w9Z-Nf1hX3o6EGA-6-k8aQLnUzLrZw/s1600/IMG_1845.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_MpUstyP6b6KnxFORpu8wa9RuWSgTbSnzq_KkBOLyyukPo1lkpYLTcTQ1RIYTUL7_7XLSaa3QU27uMHBneKUea36SsjwwiSee-pd1KojaDm0r0w9Z-Nf1hX3o6EGA-6-k8aQLnUzLrZw/s1600/IMG_1845.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">The Marsalas-- with
adorable baby Carlee!</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaPyLyQcsldi3CRT4oDNB5VlcyR4WXn1tDZJ4Xdc3xFsbsMlvHG8qyCs26hcNLhsg6DO1gtdmJeNwwLhuHBe7rgHMgbUMoZnKcRxJmnX3TugJhoa3qUZ77FgBRBx5sR2H9fz0K-kZXSoc/s1600/IMG_1847.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaPyLyQcsldi3CRT4oDNB5VlcyR4WXn1tDZJ4Xdc3xFsbsMlvHG8qyCs26hcNLhsg6DO1gtdmJeNwwLhuHBe7rgHMgbUMoZnKcRxJmnX3TugJhoa3qUZ77FgBRBx5sR2H9fz0K-kZXSoc/s1600/IMG_1847.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Woods</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuBlf9-AQEN8UfILEPORK8EoCTie2yjKpoYwGywN29514sPcCBas5ZdSwtguD3uiQCjrW-YrlCJYQyh-xr_gHtcDbpzGHP2q4heB3rHM-_KQrjEx2hEQMi9LbI5PsDbXkxCcfKkvSpeso/s1600/IMG_1547.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuBlf9-AQEN8UfILEPORK8EoCTie2yjKpoYwGywN29514sPcCBas5ZdSwtguD3uiQCjrW-YrlCJYQyh-xr_gHtcDbpzGHP2q4heB3rHM-_KQrjEx2hEQMi9LbI5PsDbXkxCcfKkvSpeso/s1600/IMG_1547.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">Sometimes it takes
too much work to crawl into bed when you're packing!</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwmzavJCcPiG6HLo7bRR3xbNi362b9zUwwAvfWAh1YyZXJQbsP39t2lcyhhC5DCXaQruKRDfLMSgrM8n8kXmmYUNa2c7oVvo5nMPEYLDXsyeNqTJ7JBJPZIAGXGUpTn5SplIM4ofwPrJY/s1600/IMG_1580.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwmzavJCcPiG6HLo7bRR3xbNi362b9zUwwAvfWAh1YyZXJQbsP39t2lcyhhC5DCXaQruKRDfLMSgrM8n8kXmmYUNa2c7oVvo5nMPEYLDXsyeNqTJ7JBJPZIAGXGUpTn5SplIM4ofwPrJY/s1600/IMG_1580.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">I finally got to
teach Brady on the side of the van!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><br /></span>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtYmGRWjHqs-ZPkt_23aafuZFLbSNjXHkaNVkvV4y-BJhY10a9eQR5QEI2BR1kyhqzDUi9mEedK1UxkGaMDIQoBv1Gq-Bcun7IeSdGHlQ7SAvU5SYKRXlrwopraPRYOFAaKeBY3vniNxU/s1600/IMG_1865.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtYmGRWjHqs-ZPkt_23aafuZFLbSNjXHkaNVkvV4y-BJhY10a9eQR5QEI2BR1kyhqzDUi9mEedK1UxkGaMDIQoBv1Gq-Bcun7IeSdGHlQ7SAvU5SYKRXlrwopraPRYOFAaKeBY3vniNxU/s1600/IMG_1865.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">The new home! With the new companion!</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><br /></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />Nancy Empeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01510196350088302041noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5986421214147059499.post-30231849091802857842015-03-03T05:09:00.003-08:002015-03-03T05:09:32.533-08:00March 2, 2015 - Moving On- letter<div class="MsoNormal">
So, our week. Um..... I really don't remember a whole lot.
This week started last month I think.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
On Wednesday, we got to teach Amanda about the Restoration.
It was pretty good, (from what I remember--I really don't remember a lot). I
mostly just remember that the Spirit was really strong in the home, and that
she was really receptive and was excited to watch the Restoration video later.
It was good.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Then on Thursday night, for our splits night for third ward,
we went tracting with the Ward missionaries (seriously--who's ward is cool
enough that the members will go tracting with you?! AWESOME!!). It was a really
good experience! I met a girl who has read part of the Book of Mormon and wants
us to come back, and we tracted into Mariah! But that meant that I aslo ran
into her anti-grandfather. That was interesting. But I solidly stood my ground,
testified of truth, and encouraged him to keep building his faith. We were able
to leave on decent terms. I was grateful that we could, and I hope this doesn't
affect Mariah too much.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
My mind is completely blank reguarding Friday.... yup.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
And now Saturday. Wow.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Started off the morning with a TRANSFER CALL! Holy cow,
after spending 7 1/2 months in Kuna, I finally get to move on to MARSING!!!
Marsing is outside of Caldwell, just north of Nampa. And I get to be with the
lovely Sister Longhurst!!! :D This will be super fun and exciting. I'm ready
for some new scenery. :) But sad to leave Kuna behind. I have put a lot of work
into the area, and I hope that it will continue.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Anyways, later on in the day, we all gathered around for a
Mission Conference. That's right-- we had the ENTIRE MISSION together in one
spot! How crazy is that?! So, Elder Neilson, Sister Marriott, and Elder L Tom
Perry came and spoke to us! And we got to shake their hands! Wow, talk about
the highlight of the mision! it was really neat. Elder Neilson talked about how
impartant it is to commit our investigators to acting upon what we're teaching
them, and how we need to teach them as individuals. Sister Marriott talked
about her conversion process, and pointed out how impartant it is to ask
inspired questions, to commit your investigators, and to not give up on people.
And then Elder Perry talked about companionships, and how we need to be friends
and have charity towards our companions in order to get the work done.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
It suffices me to say that it was 2 1/2 hours of bliss and
spiritual upliftment.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The rest of Saturday and Sunday were spent saying goodbye to
people (plus a couple of others scattered throughout the week).<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Um... yeah. That's it for the week. I'm now in Marsing, and
I love it already. :) And so we go into the next 6 weeks, with new adventures
in a new land with a new companion. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Love y'all! Sorry it's not really detailed this week!<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Love,<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
Sister Empey<o:p></o:p></div>
Nancy Empeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01510196350088302041noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5986421214147059499.post-32591180838558485442015-02-23T15:37:00.001-08:002015-02-23T15:37:13.750-08:00February 23, 2015 - MIRACLES ARE COMING!!<div class="MsoNormal">
WOW!! Talk about a CRAZY week!!!<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
So, first off: THREE NEW INVESTIGATORS!!!!!! O_O
Crazy, right?!<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
So, here's how the story goes: so, one thing the stake is
doing is having a 3-week Sunday school where they talk about member missionary
work, and they commit them after the three weeks to set a date to invite
someone to take the lessons by. So, we decided that we would do the same.
So, we set a date that we would find an investigator by Saturday.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
So, Wednesday, we went to visit a potential investigator of
ours, Amanda Todd, and her friend Mariah happened to be there.We talked to both
of them-- Amanda is going through a divorce, and Mariah is adopting her
brothers. And they both agreed to take the lessons! How awesome is
that?!<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Then on Saturday, we went and saw Kim Lawrence. So, we
gave her a condensed version of lesson one, with a focus on Ordinances.
And she quietly listened. It was sort of weird, not having her badger us
with questions and argue almost every point that we bring up. But it
allowed us to work closer with the Spirit and answer what questions she did
have. then she made the comment of how she's been through the lessons
twice, and that maybe the third time will be the charm. We were like
"Wait! Really?! FOR REALS?!?!" So we get to teach
Kim! Again! Holy Snot, how awesome is that?! I'm so excited!
:D<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Let's see, what else this week? Oh! Zone
conference and exchanges. :)<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
So, we had Zone conference this Thursday, and it was one of
the best ones I have had so far. I think that it was so good because we
actually had something to study before we went: we had to study a talk called
"The Fourth Missionary". Basically, it talks about how there
are 4 different types of missionaries: the first is disobedient and gets sent
home; the second is like the first, but makes it through their whole missions;
the third is obedient and gives his might and strength; the forth missionary is
obedient and gives his heart, might, mind, and strength. And the Fourth
missionary is the person we should be striving for. So the entire theme
of the Zone Conference was about different aspects of this talk. It was
really good and very uplifting. And then we did skits on making and
keeping commitments with our investigators. It was a lot of fun. :)<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Then after that we went on exchanges, so I went to Nampa
North with Sister Dunkle! It was lots of fun. On Friday night, we
taught the second lesson to an ex-communicated member, Damian. He was
really nice, and funny. he really liked how well the two of us worked
together, even though I'm not her usual companion. Then in the morning,
we went and cleaned out this lady's garden. Holy cow, talk about
NASTY!!! That garden was dead and overgrown, and there were rotten
chicken eggs all over. Needless to say that by the end of it, we all
smelled like rotten eggs. And that's all that I tasted all night
long. It sucked. But it was still fun. :)<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
On Saturday, we also had fish with the Woods. And holy
cow! Brother Wood makes a good brown sugar glaze for fish. :) It
was yummy. :)<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
And my last piece of news is in regards to the Martin Girls:
we saw them Sunday night, and watched the hour long Joseph Smith movie with
them. And as we were talking to the grandparents after, they told us that
their mom is coming down to visit, and that they're going to try to get her
permission to have the girls baptized! EEEE!!! So we gave them the
baptism forms for the mom to sign. We're all really hoping that she'll
agree now.... fingers crossed! Definitely praying for some miracles right
now!<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Well, this was short, but that's it! I love y'all!<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Love,<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
Sister Empey<o:p></o:p></div>
Nancy Empeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01510196350088302041noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5986421214147059499.post-57024255874039942282015-02-17T07:32:00.000-08:002015-02-17T07:32:06.990-08:00February 16, 2015 - I think I'm in the swing of this missionary stuff...<div class="MsoNormal">
I.... I don't even know what to say about this week.
It's been busy-- I can tell you that much! But I can't remember what
happened, so... this might seem scarce. Sorry.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Um..... on Tuesday we saw Kristy Boswell for the first time
since October!!! Crazy, right? She's been going through some
training for the prisons. Talk about some intense stuff. It was
good to see her again, and she wants us to stop by again! I'm glad she
likes us coming over. :)<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
On Wednesday, after District Meeting, we went down to Main
street to this little thrift shop called Grandpa's Attic to see if we could
find a CTR ring for Glenda Price, and we ended up having a really great
conversation with the owner, Sheryl, and her friend, Cami! And after
talking to them, Cami asked if we could go visit her sister, or send some
missionaries out there to visit her! She then jokingly said that maybe
even she would change her religious beliefs! We ate that up like candy,
so we gave her one of our pass-along cards, and wrote down her
information. Sadly, her home is out of our area, but it was in the other
Sisters area, so we have them the information. I love how we work
together to further the Lords work!<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
And then that night, we went to Karysma's home. Talk
about a crazy house! When we got there, their three dogs were going
NUTS. It turns out that they had found two dogs, and they were keeping
them in the backyard until they could find the owners. It was a circus
trying to switch the dogs out so that their dogs had a chance to go
outside! It was great. :) Anyways, we went over the first lesson
with Karysma, and it went well. :) She remembered a little bit, but not a
lot, so I'm glad we got to teach it again.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Thursday, we were able to see Glenda Price and give her the
CTR ring we found at Grandpa's Attic. She almost started crying she was
so happy to have one! She's so sweet.... I'm going to miss her when I
leave Kuna.... (let's face reality, one day I'll leave Kuna.)<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We got to see Carol Anne on Friday. We taught her
about going to church, praying, and reading the scriptures. But sadly,
she hasn't listened to the CDs we got her yet. But she's apparently
getting internet, so she'll be able to download the Gospel library on her
tablet! YAY! Now if only we could help her progress....<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
And Saturday, we saw the Taylors of course. They're
doing awesome, like they normally are doing. But he didn't come to church
this week. :( Oh well, there's always next week.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We had a busy Sunday.... we started with Ward council for
third ward, attended 3rd wards Sacrament Meeting, left early to make it to the
Assisted Living home in time for their sacrament meeting to give talks, went
back to the church for 10th wards sacrament meeting, taught the 17-year old
youth class about how to teach the Plan of Salvation (which, by the way, was
THE quietest youth class I have ever been in), and then knocked on doors all
night. Didn't really get in to visit anyone, except dinner. And
that's okay-- we tried. :)<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
And that's it for this week! I love y'all and keep the
faith!<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Love,<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
Sister Empey<o:p></o:p></div>
Nancy Empeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01510196350088302041noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5986421214147059499.post-33641690734806820522015-02-09T15:33:00.001-08:002015-02-09T15:33:05.756-08:00Feb 9, 2015 - ET no longer means Extra-Terrestrial<div class="MsoNormal">
So.... this week has been...... exciting, to say the least.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We had exchanges on Tuesday, so I stayed here with Sister
Dunkle. It was fun-- we both have a lot of similar interests, so it was
kind of just relaxed. I didn't feel like I needed to show her what an
amazing and top-notch area we have or anything like that. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We taught the Rasmussens on Tuesday. It went
well. Both Brother Rasmussen and Tyler committed to reading from the Book
of Mormon and praying about it! That was super exciting. :)<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Anyways, so at the end of that night we exchanged back and I
got my wonderful Sister Gray back.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
.... that didn't last very long.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Wednesday morning, we're getting ready to go to District
Meeting when we get a call. This is how it went:<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Me: This is Sister Empey speaking.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
PC: Hello Sister Empey! This is President Cannon.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
(at this point my eyes grew really big)<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Me: Hello President Cannon, how are you?<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
PC: Good! Look, I actually have a favor to ask you, a
special assignment actually, but, can I call you back? I have to take
this call real fast...<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Me: Of course! Of course you can take your call.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
PC: That's great, thank you!<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
And then we hung up.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Sister Gray started laughing, saying that my
"assignment" was that I was going to become a Sister Training Leader,
and I was simply just dying inside. what in the world did President
Cannon want with me?!<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
So, he calls back, and asks if I would be okay with an
emergency transfer.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Sister Gray looked like she was about ready to cry. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
So we asked for more information. There had been some
conflict up in Fruitland, and so they were wondering if Sister Gray would go up
to Fruitland while Sister Paxton would come down to Kuna and stay with
me. As soon as we heard Sister Paxtons name, we knew it would
happen. Sister Gray had trained her, and we had been in the same district
in Emmett.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
And so it happened. President picked us up at 3, we
went to Fruitland, switched companions, and I came home with Sister Paxton.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Turns out she has family in the ward. :)<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We unloaded her stuff from the car and headed straight to
dinner with the Merideths. When we got there, Rachel, the youngest, let
us in, and we went to set our stuff down in the living room. Sister
Merideth walked in, and then in shock, said, "Laura!... I mean, Sister
Paxton!" Turns out that Sister Merideth's sister had married one of
Sister Paxton's uncle, so they're distantly related. :) It was a tender
mercy for Sister Paxton.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Anyways, the rest of the week was a blur. I don't even
think Thursday and Friday happened, I was sick Saturday (cough, nosebleeds, and
all), and gave a talk on Sunday about Humility.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
How's that for a week? Pretty crazy, yeah? :)<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I love you, and don't forget that no matter what you go
through, you're going through it because the Lord knows it's good for you! :D<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Love,<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
Sister Empey<o:p></o:p></div>
Nancy Empeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01510196350088302041noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5986421214147059499.post-44145280150959145362015-02-03T09:20:00.001-08:002015-02-03T09:20:49.216-08:00February 2, 2015 - Great things are coming!<div class="MsoNormal">
Well, hello. :) I can't believe that another week has
already passed! Goodness gracious. *whew*<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Um.... so..... right. Last Monday.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The Chestnuts cancelled. Again. :( We're hoping
that they won't cancel today. But we went to the Higleys, and did a
lesson on goal-setting. It went really well. :) I love being with
the Higleys. They're so much fun. :)<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
And it was a good thing that we did that lesson too--
because the next day we went to zone conference, and it was all about
goal-setting! WAY FOR US TO BE PREPARED!! :D But we also learned
some exciting news:<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We're going to have a mission-wide conference at the end of
February! :D<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Wanna know why?<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Elder Neilson of the Seventy is coming, Sister Marriott from
the Young Women Presidency is coming....<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><i>AND ELDER L. TOM PERRY OF THE QUORUM OF THE TWELVE
APOSTLES IS COMING!!!!!!!!!!!!</i></b> :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D How exciting
is that?!?! I'm so stinking excited!!!!!! I remember when I got to
shake his hand-- it was when I went to sing for General Conference, and we were
waiting under the conference Center. And Elder Perry walks by and shook
all of our hands. So for me, this is really exciting. :) It brings
back good memories. I'm really excited. :) I can't wait until the
end of the month! I'm definitely going to prepare myself spiritually to
get the most that I can out of this. :)<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Anyways, the rest of Tuesday was good too. We Visited
the Rasmussens, a less-active family of the 3rd ward (one of THREE Rasmussens
we have in our are. And none of them are related. Awkward.).
Anyways, they're a super cool family. They know the gospel, and they know
that they need to come to church, they just simply aren't coming right
now. But they're going to let us teach them the lessons!
WHOOT! It's super exciting. :) They're an awesome family-- and we
finally got to meet their 8-year old son, Tyler. He's funny. :) He
has more energy then he knows what to do with it!!<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Wednesday was full of fun opportunities. :) That
morning, I cut and dyed Colleens hair, Sister Lawrences' daughter. and
then that afternoon, we got to go clean up the baptismal font with Sister
Taylor! How awesome is that?! I never really thought about cleaning
out the font, but it totally makes sense. Anyways, that was super fun and
a neat experience. That night, we went over to Karysma's house, and the
cake-off didn't really happen, since only Sister Gray made a cake, but we had
fun eating the cake. :) After that, we went over to Glenda Prices
home. Like I said last week, we were going to start the 12-step program
with her, and we're each going to give up something. So, Sister Gray is
giving up coke. And what am I giving up?.... hair product.
Yup. The only thing I can use in my hair is shampoo. What am I
thinking? I don't really know. I'm on day 5 of no product, and I'm
sort of going crazy. But anyways, Sister Price is very appreciative of
the fact that we're willing to do this with her, and I know that going though
this will bless her life. After Sister Price, we were able to go visit
the Schwabs, and set up an appointment to continue the lessons with them.
:) YAY!<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
On Thursday, after Weekly Planning, we went to the Klemmons,
another less-active family in 3rd ward. They're fun to be around. :)
We invited them to come to church (again), and they committed to come
(again). They didn't come (again). But that's okay-- we're going to
visit them every Thursday now, so they can't escape us now. >:) sister
Klemmon was talking about how exciting she was because James wants to advance
in the priesthood.... and when I turned and asked him he was kind of like
"eh..... it's sort of my grandma's idea..." haha. That kid
cracks me up. Good, good kid with a big heart. :) We also saw the
Pfieffers on Thursday. They're doing good. No where near taking lessons
yet, but they're doing good.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Mmm..... Friday....... is it bad that I can't really
remember Friday? Um.... we had breakfast with the stake president
and the other missionaries in the district. then we had a lesson with the
Hellyers. What started as a discussion on the Priesthood turned into a
discussion of coffee. Ugh. I really wish that Brother Hellyer would
realize that there are other ways to help his health problems than
coffee. No matter what we say, even when we say that we aren't judging
him for drinking coffee, he doesn't listen.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
... yup. I don't remember anything else about
Friday. I have stuff highlighted, but I don't remember what happened.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Um.... Saturday.... We saw the Taylors. Had a good
visit with them. And came home. Sister Gray had hurt her
back. So we just went out for our one appointment.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
And Sunday. Oh! SUNDAY!!! The Schwabs came
to church!!!! But even better!!!!! We got to teach them Lesson 2
that night! (Yeah, we got inside a house on Super Bowl night. MIRACLE!!!)
The lesson went really well-- both Brother Schwab and Zach understood the
lesson and really enjoyed it! They both asked great questions too.
Brother Schwab said that for the first time since he originally took the
lessons he understood how the Kingdoms of Glory works. :) We're hoping
that we can invite Zach to be baptized next week. :) SUPER EXCITING!!!!!!<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Anyways, that's it for now. This week was good, and
like I said, there's more good stuff to come. :)<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I love y'all! Keep up your faith! :)<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Love,<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
Sister Empey<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXW47Fg9Dl_KAcXxKSwis0EygxWqeT2jcLDMiNad3Nn8FN5nnPTFQfJT0wJS78zqr_P5UPEFpUdUaeLoW-EhbkB5hlrJQ80ijIAnit1HefSxQiKOPk_lIskf9dRHc5JaEwCQRi54ujKW8/s1600/hannah47.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXW47Fg9Dl_KAcXxKSwis0EygxWqeT2jcLDMiNad3Nn8FN5nnPTFQfJT0wJS78zqr_P5UPEFpUdUaeLoW-EhbkB5hlrJQ80ijIAnit1HefSxQiKOPk_lIskf9dRHc5JaEwCQRi54ujKW8/s1600/hannah47.jpg" height="225" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 16px; text-align: start;">Remembering good times with Sister Stevens... :)</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">
<!--[if !supportLineBreakNewLine]--><br />
<!--[endif]--></span></div>
Nancy Empeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01510196350088302041noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5986421214147059499.post-17486451747368445152015-01-27T10:29:00.002-08:002015-01-27T10:29:45.065-08:00Jan 26, 2015<div class="MsoNormal">
Guess what? Finished another puzzle. :) It was
an easy peasy 550 piece this time. :)<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-azNxb2YxjtFldTL5ZZFAG9NDsznESNliaTvP5xG8kalmQYqSDpolW4_5l_wXj1M6hp5yWQpjOMv5wwkaY19dHP8A6MVmSUN1c-TSK0ciq0PwJJvvsH9BH3NqKkX6i3SBoqtFBWryf2w/s1600/hannah46.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-azNxb2YxjtFldTL5ZZFAG9NDsznESNliaTvP5xG8kalmQYqSDpolW4_5l_wXj1M6hp5yWQpjOMv5wwkaY19dHP8A6MVmSUN1c-TSK0ciq0PwJJvvsH9BH3NqKkX6i3SBoqtFBWryf2w/s1600/hannah46.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Yup. Didn't take long at all. It was quite fun,
actually. :)<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Wow. This week. Um...... yeah. :)<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We started out with FHE with the Higleys, and Lucy give the
lesson this week. Even though she struggles with English, she gave a very
good lesson about choices! The Spirit was very strong there, and I'm
proud of Lucy for putting together such a good lesson. :)<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
On Tuesday, we saw the Marsalas, which was perfect timing--
the next day Sister Marsala finally had her baby! Her name is
Carlie. Anyways, we had fun with the Marsalas, joking about how the 10th
ward has a Mormon Mafia, discussing myths about Mormons, and wrapping it all up
with a thought about how we can always be a disciple of Christ. They're
great. :)<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We had a good discussion on Wednesday with Glenda
Price. She's a less active member in 3rd ward who wants to come back, but
has a Word of Wisdom problem. She's a really sweet lady. She wants
to quit drinking and smoking, but isn't able to travel out to Nampa. So
we decided that we would get the booklets for the addiction recovery program
and would go through it with her, and we're each going to give up
something. I'll let you know what I give up next week. If we're
able to start this week. But yeah, we had a great discussion with her.
I have full confidence that she will be able to get over this with trust in the
Lord.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
On Thursday, we saw Sister Nava, who I haven't seen since I
came to 3rd ward. Oh, she looked so tired! She's been through a
lot. But she wants me to cut her hair. :) I can't wait to do so. :)
Hopefully, we will be able to see her more now that we know that she's
not going to New York anytime soon.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Friday we went to Caldwell for an eye appointment for Sister
Gray, and we ended up being out of commission for the rest of the day.
Sister Gray and western medicine don't work well together. (Did I mention
that Sister Gray is from American Samoa? No?.... well... now you know.)<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Saturday was really busy! We had a lesson with the
Hellyers, which went really well! It was about tithing and fasting.
Which, looking back, I think we also did that the week before.
Oops. Oh well, repetition is good. (Did I mention that I've been a
little scrambled the past couple of weeks trying to get Sister Stevens home and
getting a new companion? Yup. That's sort of a given.) Anyways, the
lesson went smoothly-- they just sat there and listened and everything was ON
TOPIC! Do you know how RARE that is with the Hellyers?! It was
crazy! But it was good. :) We then saw the Taylors and finished the
last lesson with them on Eternal Marriage. It was good, talking about how
Eternal Marriage is supposed to strengthen the family against the
adversary. It also gave us a chance to learn a little more of their back
story. :) (They met at a collage ward. :) ) Anyways, they still
want us to come over, so we still plan to visit... pretty much every Saturday
still. (But sadly, he didn't come to church Sunday. No one
did. Bummer.) We took a quick jog over to the Pitts after that,
because I was going to cut Sister Pitts hair, and they didn't answer! So,
we tried calling and texting her, at first with no response. So we went
to check up with Sister Boatwright, who has a lot of trials in her life right
now. And as we're visiting, we get a text from Sister Pitt saying sorry--
she had gone hiking! Oh, I was jealous. But that's okay. (I
just want the weather to warm up so that we can play outside. That would
be super nice.) After we finished our visit with Sister Boatwright, we
went over to Karysma's house to check up on how she was doing. So, after
chatting for a while, we set up a time to start the New Member Lessons, which
her mom agreed to sitting down in them! YAY!!! And do you want to
know what else? HEATHER WOODS CAME CLOSE TO BEING BAPTIZED WHEN SHE WAS
LIVING IN UTAH!!!!!!! So, we're hoping that she'll come around and want
to be baptized again. :) Also, we're going to have a bake-off with
Karysma to see who makes the better cake. :) I'm excited. :)<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
There wasn't really anything exciting about Sunday, except
that we got a referral! There's this less active lady in the 10th ward,
Faith Barks (who I haven't even seen on the records), and her daughter is
interested in taking the lessons! So we're planning to contact them
tomorrow. I'm super excited!<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Well, that's all for this week. I love y'all!
Keep the faith!<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Love,<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Sister Empey<o:p></o:p></div>
Nancy Empeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01510196350088302041noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5986421214147059499.post-62952213039992127892015-01-19T15:24:00.003-08:002015-01-19T15:24:51.853-08:00January 19, 2015 - How to Kill a Companion 101<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0-U210WFwdh1qhxdYlS9MV5HhYnYiMvv5Ni4eM4oLS8UwZ1wPvoOYGZGMCe960okE-O4iTf6N7naFIuk5cvr69qY7yanYB5rvdF_fMZz9PWYSkUQWGPj3SWhZ6M4JFXTN6tPe50enCJU/s1600/Hannah40.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0-U210WFwdh1qhxdYlS9MV5HhYnYiMvv5Ni4eM4oLS8UwZ1wPvoOYGZGMCe960okE-O4iTf6N7naFIuk5cvr69qY7yanYB5rvdF_fMZz9PWYSkUQWGPj3SWhZ6M4JFXTN6tPe50enCJU/s1600/Hannah40.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
.... things got a little bit violent this week. I just
couldn't take Sister Stevens anymore. Sorry I let you down.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Totally kidding. But Sister Stevens is heading home
tomorrow. :( I've really have enjoyed the past 4 1/2 months with
her. I'm gonna miss her, but we'll see each other again. :)<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Needless to say, this week has been crazy.
It feels like the beginning of the week was like, a month ago.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Um..... Monday. Right. We taught the Chestnuts
about Baptism and Confirmation. I can't remember how it went
though. And I have no idea what our lesson.... oh! Just
kidding. Joseph gave the lesson for the FHE about how we are divine
Children of our Heavenly Father. It was a great lesson! <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisZu5HWeqANUSFzZdNi1tr3CsufAMYbRE8pWzd0A_drJso7xOE-8PKh5tURaBwe9SjQUJL9lnnvpMa7CSuGfvvGGo61i1oIlHOeQRW7wZDReOGePFSu6LQLgfBW-NzM9mdclnGKDH_mGs/s1600/Hannah41.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisZu5HWeqANUSFzZdNi1tr3CsufAMYbRE8pWzd0A_drJso7xOE-8PKh5tURaBwe9SjQUJL9lnnvpMa7CSuGfvvGGo61i1oIlHOeQRW7wZDReOGePFSu6LQLgfBW-NzM9mdclnGKDH_mGs/s1600/Hannah41.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a>On Tuesday, we went and saw Carol, mostly just to check in
and see how she was doing. And then we saw Glenda Price that night.
I remember that it was a really good discussion. I just don't remember
what it was about.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
Okay, I remember a little more about Wednesday. I
kissed a fish...<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
This is the Wood's hollowed-out puffer fish. I have
been obsessed with this from the day we walked into their home. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Anyways, so, we went to the Woods to finish up preparations
for Karysma's baptism this week. As we've been planning for Karysma's
baptism, Brother Woods has been ADAMANT on having his brother do the
baptism. We really wanted Brother Woods to do it, because he's a Priest
in the Priesthood, but he kept turning the offer down, saying that his brother
was more righteous, and would be better for doing the baptism. BUT!
<b>BUT!!!!!!.......</b><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><i><u><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;">WHEN WE WENT OVER ON
WEDNESDAY HE TOLD US THAT HE HAD TALKED WITH THE BISHOP AND THAT HE WAS GOING
TO BAPTIZE KARYSMA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!</span></u></i></b><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Holy cow, do you know what kind of news this was to
us?! I was throwing a party in my head!!!! Of course, I kept myself
a little more composed than what was going on in my head. but it was
super exciting to hear that Brother Woods had finally agreed to baptize
Karysma. :)<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Thursday was interesting as well. It was Sister
Stevens Temple Day, so I spent the day with Sisters Branham and Wasden in the
1st ward in Kuna. It was fun. I just don't remember anyone I
visited with them. OH! Except Wyatt. I remember him. :)
He's an investigator, and we talked to him about keeping his commitments
and putting more form into his prayers. He was awesome. :)<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Friday. OH, FRIDAY.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We had a combined District Meeting. It wasn't a zone
meeting, even though it might as well have been. But it was fun, and
crazy.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhU2OC6_PXyn9lX-ClFhzQzCp99jD6pMTPynWWjlNxit1YCiHYdB3HdCCENonI72LzsffDNLeIrCpGgYBc_wrQ8VUBb5XZ8eidOO1W7kJwBESpL4A5xVk_leBqoaX6GlP_L_6znUqG13OU/s1600/Hannah42.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhU2OC6_PXyn9lX-ClFhzQzCp99jD6pMTPynWWjlNxit1YCiHYdB3HdCCENonI72LzsffDNLeIrCpGgYBc_wrQ8VUBb5XZ8eidOO1W7kJwBESpL4A5xVk_leBqoaX6GlP_L_6znUqG13OU/s1600/Hannah42.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
This is how it started off: with Elder Jeans wearing Sister
Stevens coat. He looks surprisingly good in it. Haha!!<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p>
</o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJ3UQL4zBvrvLfFim8SYd2BaHMV39kDeERnLv6_aqUuQmlBJVNIDaWkifj-kwp5t5bp_JbtIgdvpX-_mSE3RSbsgNo2XULixvmu5WwIK_XPDDJbJJX_SdXCMquST8HsH11SzizKpqJm6g/s1600/Hannah43.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJ3UQL4zBvrvLfFim8SYd2BaHMV39kDeERnLv6_aqUuQmlBJVNIDaWkifj-kwp5t5bp_JbtIgdvpX-_mSE3RSbsgNo2XULixvmu5WwIK_XPDDJbJJX_SdXCMquST8HsH11SzizKpqJm6g/s1600/Hannah43.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a>The district meeting itself was nice, and had a wonderful
spirit to it. We talked about Prophets and about what the difference is
between Testimonies and Conversion. It was very nice. And then
Sister Wasden and I sang "Each Life that Touches Ours for Good" for
Sister Stevens and Elder Christensen, both who were leaving for home.
They were really touched by it. I'm glad that I could give that to them.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
So, the sad thing was that Sister Gutierrez had to leave for
home. But the good news is that Sister Donner came in! She became
one of my best friends while I was in Kuna. So I had to get a picture
with her and Sister Stevens. Elder Jeans photo-bombed.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
And then Saturday. SO BUSY.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
First off, Transfer Calls. Ugh.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
So, I knew the I would be staying in Kuna, because I had an
interview with President. But I was still worried about the companion
part of transfers. Turns out I got someone super cool for my
companion. I GOT SISTER GRAY AS MY COMPANION, THE COOLEST SAMOAN SISTER
IN THE MISSION!!!! <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
And then, after having breakfast with our district to
discuss our transfer call, we went to Karysma's baptism. :D</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsL4zjr-LyEMqxt5B0_dVlc-LNDgeVdnSiQ7s7TYK4KT4VufYKLT43NS_-oCyXa4hDdihbG-xtUR7xk30FtdGQac_fyYrHcxadyndIHRHMYnYWDgK-o0IawhnWksBnt5qDQ3ByzyzV0Dc/s1600/Hannah44.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsL4zjr-LyEMqxt5B0_dVlc-LNDgeVdnSiQ7s7TYK4KT4VufYKLT43NS_-oCyXa4hDdihbG-xtUR7xk30FtdGQac_fyYrHcxadyndIHRHMYnYWDgK-o0IawhnWksBnt5qDQ3ByzyzV0Dc/s1600/Hannah44.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
<o:p></o:p><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Ohmigoodness, look at how adorable they are!!!!! I'm
so proud of both of them!!!!! :D<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The baptism went really nice. Brother Wood said the
baptismal prayer perfectly, karysma only had to be dunked once, and President
and Sister Cannon came to see the baptism!!! :) I'm so grateful that it
went well. :) And not only that, but there were potential investigators at the
baptism, including Karysma's mom and brother! :D Karysma is amazing.
I'm so proud of her. It's been amazing to see how much she's grown as
she's faithfully committed and kept the Lords commandments.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The rest of Saturday was mostly just saying good bye to
people for Sister Stevens.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
So, Sunday. We gained word that Jack, a friend of ours
that we met while walking, wanted us to stop by before Sister Stevens
left. Well, it turns out that is wife, Terri, is a less-active
member!!! Crazy, right?! And they want us to keep
visiting!!!! I'm so happy that they trust us so much with just the one
visit. I can't wait to see how visiting them will be beneficial for them.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Well, that's it for this week! WHEW. I'm super
excited for this upcoming transfer! I love y'all, and y'all keep the faith!<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Love,<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p>
</o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Sister Empey<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjymk-QGkre8HdimvKJ9uWxAeaNKu8jMxGyafvYiFCF2z_DOf8pxYEZOcUHgCxvT1wYSYXv1gx_0afcMdrzVor5FODtsUNRDkS_CpbDBJxwMajJLo_Gt4gw69NJ8FJ7Abbz7j54XRDfqAE/s1600/Hannah45.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjymk-QGkre8HdimvKJ9uWxAeaNKu8jMxGyafvYiFCF2z_DOf8pxYEZOcUHgCxvT1wYSYXv1gx_0afcMdrzVor5FODtsUNRDkS_CpbDBJxwMajJLo_Gt4gw69NJ8FJ7Abbz7j54XRDfqAE/s1600/Hannah45.jpg" height="298" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
Nancy Empeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01510196350088302041noreply@blogger.com0