Feb 24, 2014

SO!

Transfers were last week, and I forgot to mention that my ENTIRE DISTRICT is staying here in Emmett for another 6 weeks.  We have a new zone leader though: Elder Patterson.... I think.  He's from St. George, of all places.  I'm sort of surprised as to how many people from Utah are serving here.

So, we've picked up 2 new investigators this week!  On Saturday, we met the Puccios in the East Valley Ward.  Brother White, the... I wanna say High Priest Leader.... anyways, he's been fellowshipping them for a while, and letting Brother Crawforth, our Ward mission leader, know what's going on.  Well, Brother Crawforth let us know the other day that he thought that now would be a good time to go meet them, so we called Brother White to get their address and LO AND BEHOLD!  He was planning on visiting them!  So, we met him over there, and he showed a couple of the Mormon messages on the temple and the preisthood.  We talked to them a little bit about it, and they invited us back over!  They were all like "Oh yeah, come back over any time!" (slight New Jersey accent included.)  So we're going to stop by another time this week to actually meet them.  Brother White sort of dominated the conversation this time.

Also, we received word from Bishop Walker from South Slope ward that we can start teaching another family!  The Hall Family recently moved and and are less-active members, with a couple of over-aged youth.  Well, the bishop and his wife started fellowshipping them, and just yesterday Sister Hall said that her kids want to be baptized and asked for our number!  WHOOT!  So we're hoping to meet them on Tuesday.

And we have another baptism taking place!  Destinee, a 12-year old from a less-active family, asked if she could be baptized on the 15th of March!  She's been wanting to be baptized for a while, it was always just a matter of when, because she wants her uncle to baptize her.  So it's nice to finally have a date for her.

However, Mary... isn't doing as well right now... We haven't seen her for a while, and she fell down the stairs a couple of days ago.  We're hoping that she's okay... but we saw an ashtray outside the other day when we stopped by.... I really hope we can get in soon and talk with her.  I'm really worried about her.

And back to good news!  Yesterday, we went and visited a less-active, Lucy Hansen.  She's super sweet and adorable.  The conversation was incredible!  She asked us if we had been born into the church, and so both Sister Robinson and I talked about our experience in the church and how we got out here on our missions.  Then she talked about her conversion experience a little bit, because she wants her 9 year old girl to be baptized.  Well, it turns out that she hadn't been reading the Book of Mormon since she was divorced, also about the time she fell away from the church due to the focus on Eternal Families. So, we committed her to read the Book of Mormon again, because that was a huge part of her original conversion process, and she readily agreed!  So, she's committed to read the Book of Mormon, and Malaiah, the daughter, might start taking the lessons soon!  We're going to do a test drive of the lessons by teaching her about baptism.  So!  We're really excited about the progress we made with her.  Oh!  She's so sweet and wonderful!  I love Lucy!

Anyways, pictures of last weeks baptism are be included. 

  Also, a picture of what the Elders left for us last week-- a ridiculous amount of magazines.  That was just the step to the door.  The magazines were all over our porch, led up the stairs, and spread around our deck. It was great.  (Sarcasm included.)

Anyways, I'm doing well.  I love you all, and I just love it out here.

Keep the faith everyone!

Sister Empey

PS...
More pictures

One is with Hermana Turner, my old STL, 

and the other with Sisters Robinson, Nickolaison, and Clark. 

 Still have my cheesy smile.... I need to work on that.

February 17, 2014

HOLY COW!!!!!  I'm six weeks in now,  it's so crazy and fun!  And I'm sorry, I forgot to bring the camera converter, so no pictures this week, but, ya'know, next week.

WE HAD BAPTISMS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  WOOT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Dorian and Tradyn were baptized this week.  I'm so happy for them!!  I'll send pictures next week, but I was so happy and excited for them!  And they said that they felt happy too, which was awesome.  Dorian is even excited about receiving the Aaronic Priesthood next week, so it's really exciting!

I also went on my first set of exchanges on Thursday. It was SO WEIRD to be away from Sister Robinson!  I went down to Caldwell with Hermana Turner (she's our Sister Training Leader), and it was alright.  It was just hard because it was a new area with new people.  Thankfully, I returned to Emmett the next day.

We were so close to having Mary at church!  UGH!  She had the ride arranged and everything, and then she just like.... didn't show up.  UGH!  But she wants to get baptized, and she hasn't smoked for almost 2 weeks now, which is awesome!

And... yeah.  I know that I should have more to say, but.... I don't.  Sorry.  Wish I could say more.  My brain is a little scattered right now though.

Anyways, we're working hard, and keeping busy.  I miss y'all, and hope you're doing well.  Keep your faith up-- nothing helps you more in life then your faith.

Until next week!

Sister Empey

Feb 10. 2014 - The weird slow/fast week

In same ways, it feels like this week lasted an eternity.  In other ways, I can't believe this week is already over.

I don't feel like there is a ton to say this week....

Mary got her teeth in finally!  And as far as we know, she has not been smoking since last Tuesday!  So it's almost been a week since she last smoked!  YES!  However, she's been in a bit of pain because of it, and so she didn't come to church this week.  It's sad, but we don't feel like she's blowing us off or anything, so... we're just going to keep pushing forward with her.

And Dorian and Traden Curtis came to church this week!  Yes!  Which means......

BAPTISMS THIS SATURDAY FOR BOTH OF THEM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  SO EXCITED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I seriously cannot wait for the baptisms.  I'm so proud of both of them!

And..... yeah.  I went on my first set of splits this week.  It wasn't as bad as I was expecting.  It was actually beneficial.  We were able to meet up with some of the less-actives we don't visit, and found someone new to visit and possibly reactivate.  I haven't met her yet (Sis. Robinson and Sis. Caroll were the ones that contacted her), but I'll probably meet her this week.  I'm super excited!

And that's it.  It doesn't seem like we did a lot this week, but we got 30 lessons in.  30 lessons!  How crazy is that?!  And this is like, all of our visits and stuff.  So all of the investigators, less actives, and mission work we do with the ward.  I'm quite impressed.

I love this work.  I love this Gospel.  And I can't wait to continue to spread it

Love,

Sister Empey

Feb 3, 2014 - Did this week really happen?!?

No, seriously..... this week has been a total blur. We'll just go backwards, starting from yesterday.  That will probably work best.

Yesterday was slow, thanks to the super bowl.  There was no one to visit, no one.  So.... we worked on cleaning out our area book (an ongoing process), and read the first few chapters of Genesis, and Sister Robinson mapped out the lineage of Noah.  It was actually kind of cool.

As for Mary, still not coming to church.... apparently, when she went to get her teeth, they couldn't take them off and they had to drill them off.  Doesn't that just make your spine tingle?  So, she's still not coming to church, but she is cutting down on her smoking!  YES!  IT makes me SO happy that she's quitting, and we haven't even taught her the Word of Wisdom yet!  (That will be coming up this week.... wish us luck!)

Friday was a little eventful..... we ended up dropping Walt that night.  Well, he dropped us.  We had the feeling all week to not go visit him until Friday night.  So, we just decided to have a porch visit and see how he liked church, and he informed us that he's just going to stick to what he has right now and doesn't want to investigate.  We were both sad, but we weren't devastated like we were with Sierra.  Both Sister Robinson and I feel like we have played our part in Walt's conversion story, and it's really up to him to decide to accept the Gospel or not.  We also received a call from Brother Stander, who owns our apartment, but lives in Indiana.  And his message?  He's selling his house!  So, we might be moving soon.  We aren't totally sure if we are yet; we've let the mission office know; but for now, we're enjoying our little rooftop apartment while we still have it. 

We also visited a contact on Friday.  her name is Genevive, and she's 95 years old.  She's not looking at joining the church, but she attends the sacrament meeting at her rest home, so she wanted to learn a little more about the church.  We'll go visit her every once in a while, but she probably won't be an investigator anytime soon.

We visited Dorian and Traiden Curtis Thursday.  It's so frustrating-- we have a baptismal date set for February 15, and they aren't coming to church!  Their mom I guess usually brings them, but it's been difficult to the last couple of weeks.We want them there SO BAD!!!  But they seem to be getting a better grasp on what we're teaching them, and how it applies to them, which is good.  We just need to get them to church, and we'll be fine.  We also visited Connie (the less-active who wants to go through the temple for her husband and herself), and read the Book of Mormon with her.  She loves reading it with us.  She shays that she is actually understanding it this time, unlike every other time she has tried to read it.  That makes me so happy!  But, like everyone else, we can't get her to church.  It's a little more difficult for her-- she has a handicapped son to take care of-- but we're trying to get her to agree to come just to sacrament meeting. I just know that if we can get her to Sacrament meeting, that that will help us prepare her better for the temple.

Wednesday... we met with one of our potential investigators, Karin.  She's originally from Brazil, and appreciates the help we give, and is willing to listen to us share scriptures.... we're hoping that through us and Bishop Bevan (who speaks Portuguese because he served in Brazil), we can get her to open up to the lessons.... we just have to do that before May, when she's moving to.... I think it was North Carolina. Anyways, she's really spiritual, and she seems to be looking to have something fill her life.... if only she realized that it was the Gospel....

AND...... yeah, I think that's all that really happened this week.  I still love this work, I still love this Gospel, and I'm so grateful to be out here.  I am amazed at all of the times that Heavenly Father has placed us in the right places at the right times and gave us the right words to help people.  And I'm so grateful that people have the choice to accept our words or reject it.  Yes, it makes my work harder, but it makes it so much more worth it and enjoyable.

I love you guys!  Hope you're all doing well!

Love,

Sister Empey