Monday, March 23, 2015

8 Months Today

March 23, 2014



So this week was pretty great! We were able to teach quite a few lessons this week. They went really well, and I could definitely tell that the Spirit was there.

We went on exchanges this week, and we had a great day. We didn't teach a whole lot of lessons that day, but those that we were able to teach were really good.

The temple was awesome! I always love going to the temple. I can always feel that my Heavenly Father loves me and is there for me. Even though we only get to go twice a year, it uplifts me so much and helps me get through the trials and joys of being a missionary.



We have an investigator that is going through some hard times, but through it all she has seen that God has been there for her. She is really starting to see how the gospel is blessing her in her life. She has expressed that she wants to be baptized, and that she knows the Book of Mormon is true and knows how the gospel can continue to bless her life. (Now if only we could get her to come to church.)

Our "tree of life" went great, and we had a good turnout (about 30 people, including members and non-members). There were almost as many non-members as there were members.

I had an amazing time at the fireside we had last night. It was an Easter Fireside and I was able to sing with the choir. It was a great night!

I look forward to what this next week has in store for me and I hope to hear from everyone soon!

Love always,
Sister Jennifer Rose


March 16, 2015

This week has been great so far. We have had some really great lessons, and I could DEFINITELY tell that the Spirit was there. My companion and I have been doing great so far as being able to teach people and being able to help those of God's children on their journey back to Him.

This weekend we have a baptism of a 9-year-old boy who is super smart and super excited to be baptized with his 8-year-old sister. He loves all that we have taught him and he soaks things up like a sponge.



On Tuesday we had an amazing lesson with an investigator and her daughter. She is seriously one of the most amazing people that I have met, and she has definitely been through a lot. She is super interested in learning and reading the Book of Mormon. The Spirit was so strong, and I was able to bear strong testimony of how the Book of Mormon and the gospel has blessed my life. I am SO very grateful to be a member of this church and for the opportunities it has given me to help bless the lives of others. There is such an amazing joy that everyone can find in this gospel and for the blessings that we can all have.

I am looking forward to tomorrow when we go to the temple. I absolutely love going there, and I can ALWAYS feel the Spirit there.

Tonight at an assisted living facility, we are doing a "Tree of Life" experience. We are going to explain Lehi's vision of the tree of life, and how we can connect it to our lives today. It should be great, and I will send pictures of it.

This week has been very eventful... my companion was hit on (TWICE) by one of the Elder's investigators. It was pretty funny! Apparently it's not the first time that this has happened to Sisters before.

Also, my companion accidentally popped one of our tires this week as we were driving to our dinner appointment. LOL 

Me and Sister Dana
On Saturday, it was Sister Dana's 21st birthday, and I made a sign for her and gave her a present. It was really hard to hide it without her seeing because I am with her 24/7, but somehow I managed to keep it from her. That night for dinner we had "Bacon Explosion", which is 1 lb of bacon bits with brown sugar and 2 cups of cheese melted in the middle of 4 lbs of sausage wrapped in 2 lbs of bacon that was woven together, and topped with BBQ sauce and grilled. It was absolutely amazing!!! It was a heart attack waiting to happen, but it was definitely worth it!!

Bacon Explosion

March 9, 2015

Hey Everyone! 

So... I did get transferred, and I am in the Scioto (sigh-ota) ward. It is actually called Grove City, and it is just a little outside of Columbus. My new companion is Sister Dana originally from San Franscisco, but left on her mission from Alpine, UT. She has been out for 17 1/2 months, and she goes home next transfer. She will be my 3rd companion that I have sent home.

My new address is: 

                4219 Kathryns Pl
                Grove City, OH 43123

This week has been pretty good, even though it was sad to have yet another companion of mine go home. I have been so very lucky to be able to learn a lot from my companions, and those that I serve around. I know that the Lord puts us with the companions that we have so that we can learn how to be better and it prepares us for the rest of our lives. I am so grateful for this AMAZING opportunity to be here in the OHIO serving God and His children.

I look forward to what lies ahead in this journey for me.

I love all of you and look forward to hearing from you soon!

Love always,
Sister Jennifer Rose


March 2, 2015

MAN I CAN'T BELIEVE THIS WEEK IS TRANSFERS ALREADY!!! I FEEL LIKE I JUST GOT HERE YESTERDAY!!

This week has been great because we have been able to teach someone at least 1 per day. We have also had a few people bail on us as well, but that's life (and people's agency!)
We have been able to find a few new people, but for the most part, it has been getting in contact with those who have been taught in the past.

I truly believe that we have the power to affect people's lives for the better or worse depending on the "seeds" that we "plant" and the impressions we give to everyone. 

I realized this week just how much the Atonement applies to me, and how if I rely on my Heavenly Father I can truly make a difference in the lives of those I talk to.

Each and every week, as well as each and every day, I grow to love the people here in Ohio more and more. The more I grow to love them, them more I want to help them come closer to their Heavenly Father and their Savior.

We had the chance this week to have a district meeting where we were shown how to use family search, and I learned some things that I didn't know before. Like how you can attach sources from ancestry.com to my family tree. I know that as we help those that are here on this earth, as well as those who have passed on to come to know their Savior, that we will truly "watch for the day when the Savior will come" with those we love.

I have learned over this past week that if we are truly "all in" doing the Lord's work then we will be blessed for it. I am SO grateful that I am able to be out here in the Great OCM serving my Heavenly Father!

I hope to hear from everyone soon! DON"T FORGET TO WRITE!!!!

LOVE ALWAYS, 
SISTER JENNIFER ROSE


February 23, 2015

I haven't "frozen" yet, but it's only 4 degrees right now with a low of -8 degrees. We got about 6-8 inches of snow on Saturday, so we weren't allowed to use the car because the roads were TERRIBLE. So we had to walk everywhere. (that was fun [NOT!!]) I definitely have to wear layers when we go outside because the wind chill definitely gets to you!

Just a little bit of snow!
On Monday (16th), we had a birthday party for a sister in our district. We played "knockout", chair soccer, line tag, and "sharks and minnows". It was a lot of fun! We had a lesson with a part-member family, and they are super awesome!

On Tuesday (17th), we had Zone Conference and I really enjoyed it. I learned a lot from it. We had a couple of other lessons as well. One of the lessons we had, she is actually a friend to another investigator of ours. She is 15 and she is super awesome and super prepared! We went on a mini exchange for about an hour with the Powell ward sisters, so that we could get to know the people that they were teaching (but now we are teaching them).

On Wednesday (18th), we did some service for a lady in the ward, and we shoveled her driveway as well. We met a few potential investigators. We also had a lesson with one of our other investigators who is super sweet (and she decorates cakes for a bakery and is REALLY good at it!) We met some of the other investigators that we "inherited" from some of the other sets of missionaries.

On Thursday (19th), we had a zone conference follow-up where we had to come back and share some of the things that we learned and had applied from Tuesday. We met a bunch of potential investigators that will hopefully become investigators (2 return appointments for tomorrow, and 1 for Tuesday). We also had a lesson with a less-active sister in the ward.

On Friday (20th), our lessons that we were supposed to have weren't there (darn it, but hopefully we will be able to meet with them another time.) We did our weekly planning and we also had a couple of other lessons with some of the investigators that we "inherited". One of them was a little bit crazy, but the other was super good and we helped her understand more about the church.

On Saturday (21st), it was snowing A LOT, and we got about 6-8 inches of snow. We had a lesson with a less-active sister in the ward. She only lives about 2 minutes away from our apartment by car, but because it was snowing we had to walk and it took us a half hour to walk there. A member of our new Polaris ward took us out to dinner and she was super awesome. She was SUPER willing to take us to our next appointment and then take us home from there.

Yesterday (22nd), we were supposed to have a lesson with one of our investigators a 14-year-old girl, but she wasn't there when we went over. We don't have church until 1pm now which really stinks. In church we talked a lot about caring for the poor and the needy, and we also talked about the fall of Adam and Eve in gospel principles. We had a missionary fireside all about Christ and His teachings. It went really well, and I had a lot of fun singing in the choir. Afterwards, we took President Daines' daughter home and she gave us some hot chocolate. It was delicious! 

Today, we will be going and playing basketball with the missionaries that are at OSU. 
I hope everyone is doing well, and don't forget to write!
Love Always,
Sister Jennifer Rose

Friday, February 20, 2015

Where does time go?

Mom's note:

I can't believe how fast time flies.  I seem to get further and further behind in Jennifer's letters.  I can't believe she has been out 6 months already.  

February 12, 2014

This week has been pretty good. Our ward mission theme for February is "praying for missionary opportunities", so when we eat at a member's house, we show them the video "I'll go where you want me to go" on lds.org. I recommend everyone to watch it. 
On Monday (9th), we had choir practice for a fireside that we are doing on the 22nd. I love the songs that we are singing, a medley of "I'm trying to be like Jesus" and "Lord, I would follow thee". We are also singing "The Lord's Prayer". We went to target and I got a new skirt and cardigan. For our district activity (see attached picture), we played "Speed" (a basketball type game where you see who is the best at shooting hoops, I am not very good at it.) We also played "signs". It was a lot of fun! We had a lesson with one of our investigators who is really starting to progress. She is super awesome!

Back Row: Elder Jones (Zone Leader), Elder Edlund (District Leader), 
                 Elder Quinton, and Elder Donaldson (Zone Leader)

Front Row: Sister Preston, Sister Farmer, ME, Sister Burningham 
On Tuesday (10th), we worked on a little bit of family history. We also did quite a bit of tracting. We got a return appointment with a lady for that night, but she wasn't home when we went back.  We had a lesson with a less-active family, but it was really awkward because the family doesn't really like to talk. We struggled with getting them to talk. We also went and saw a few other less-actives in the ward.

On Wednesday (11th), we had District meeting and we talked about Christlike Attributes and about Listening and asking inspired questions, as well as how to find people to teach. We also went on exchanges with our sister training leaders. We had a lesson with one of investigators, and it was a really good lesson. We talked a little bit about the Plan of Salvation. We had dinner with a really awesome family, and they have a couple of really cute kids (a baby and a 5 year old). 

On Thursday (12th), not much happened. We mainly just went and saw a bunch of less-actives and formers (hardly any of them were home). However, we did contact a referral that we got and she is really cool and wants to learn more. We had a Relief Society Activity for Valentine's Day. We talked about the 5 love languages.

On Friday (13th), we helped a member paint part of her house. It was a lot of fun! Then we gave the referral that we got, a Book of Mormon and taught her a little bit about it and she said she would read it, so hopefully she does. We also saw a less-active sister and sat and talked with her for a little while. She said that we really helped to lift her spirits. We also did some of our weekly planning.

On Saturday (14th), we had coordination meeting with our ward mission leader. We worked on our family history, and we shoveled 7 people's driveways (Most of which were members). We also finished our weekly planning.

Yesterday (15th), we had church and we talked about the creation. We had a lesson with a new investigator and we talked to her about the plan of Salvation. She is going through a hard time right now, so we are trying to help her through it. We had a meeting tonight about the ward splitting. We are now in the Polaris ward (a newly formed ward). We will be meeting at 1 pm now instead of 9 am, but I would rather go at 9 am. 

Today, obviously is our p-day. We will be having a birthday party for one of the sisters in our district.


February 9, 2014

Hey!

So this week has been pretty good so far!

On Monday (2nd), we had a lot of fun at our zone activity, we played ping pong (which I stink at by the way), and pool (which we almost won the semi- final championship. That night we had dinner with a part-member family, and we are teaching the wife. She shocked us all when she said that she believes the Book of Mormon is true.

On Tuesday (3rd), we just went and visited a few people (nothing too exciting).

On Wednesday (4th), we had our district meeting which was really good for me, because I have been trying to figure out how I can get better at studying from the Book of Mormon, and doing it effectively. We did some tracting (which by the way is really hard to do when you are not a very outgoing person). We worked on our "My Family" booklets and filling them out.

On Thursday (5th), I only have 1 year left!! We shoveled a few driveways and we also saw a few other people. We had a lesson with an investigator of ours, and it went really well. We invited him to be baptized, and he accepted. We also made some cookies for some of our investigators.

On Friday (6th), we worked on our family history booklets. We also visited a bunch of people but most of the people had either moved or weren't home. We also did our weekly planning.

On Saturday (7th), we started out the day with a little bit of tracting. (We tracted quite a bit, which helped me to get better at doing it.)

On Sunday (8th), obviously we had church. We talked a lot about agency, and also about journaling (which by the way, I am about a month and a half behind. Thank goodness for planners!) We shared this quote at dinner. "Though we are incomplete, God loves us completely. Though we are imperfect, He loves us perfectly. Though we may feel lost and without compass, God's love encompasses us completely" ~President Uchtdorf Oct. 2009 General Conference. We also had a lesson with one of our investigators.

Today, we are going to choir practice for a fireside on the 22nd. We are also having a District Activity (I don't know what it is yet.)
I hope everyone is doing well and I look forward to hearing from you soon! WRITE OFTEN!!
Love Always, 
Sister Jennifer Rose 


February 2, 2015

This week has been pretty good! (Except for the train horns blowing constantly, even throughout the night! UGH!!)

On Monday (26th), We met an older couple in our ward, and afterwards, we shoveled their driveway.

On Tuesday (27th), we tracted a few streets, and on one of the streets that we tracted literally no one answered their door. We also tried seeing a bunch of less-active members, but only a few of them were home. We also did some family history. (By the way, are there any stories from yours and dad's side that you know of back to my great-great grandparents?)

On Wednesday (28th), we had zone meeting. We talked a lot about the role of the Book of Mormon. One thing that I really liked was when someone said, " The Book of Mormon has no power until it is opened." We tried to see more less-actives, because we are trying to get to know the ward, but only a couple of them were actually home. We had dinner with the Cluffs, (Sister Cluff looks a lot like Sister Gubernick from the Irvine ward.)

On Thursday (29th), we had to go to the mission home and talk to President and Sister Daines. We also were able to have lunch with them, which not many missionaries can say that. For dinner, we went to a health food store called "Earth Fare", and we had dinner with one of the ward members and her kids.

On Friday (30th), we had a lesson with a new investigator (who is actually a former from the area book). It went pretty well, and we took a sister from the ward with us. We had homemade chicken noodle soup for dinner that a member brought to us, and it was super good! We were in bed by 9:15, because we did our nightly planning while we had dinner. It was awesome!

On Saturday (31st), my package came. We tried to see a bunch of  people, but they had either moved or weren't home. We also had a lesson with a less-active lady who really wants to come back to church, but it is hard because her family only has one car, and her husband takes it to work.

Yesterday (1st), we had church and the "theme of the day" was Love. We had a lesson with someone who is trying to come back to church, and she is super awesome, and has an AMAZING story. We also delivered some thank you notes to members of the ward that have fed us or have helped us since we got here.

Today, we are having a zone fun day where we are going to play pool, ping pong, and foosball (not my favorite things to do, but at least it is something to do!).

I look forward to hearing from everyone, and hope everyone is staying warm!

Love always,
Sister Jennifer Rose


January 26, 2015

Man, I can't believe it has been 6 months already!

NEW ADDRESS

8326 Finch Shelter Dr. Apt. C
Columbus, OH 43235

So far the transfer is going great! I am in Lewis Center, which is about 20 minutes from Powell where President Daines lives. Lewis Center is a richer area, and the ward is super nice, so we are fed pretty much every single night.

My companion is Sister Burningham from the Highland/Alpine area in Utah. She has been out for about 17 months, so she goes home next transfer. 

This week has been ridiculously crazy.

On Wednesday (21st), I found out I was leaving. We went and visited a bunch of people that I wanted to say good-bye to. I was up until 12:30 packing all of my stuff. (I didn't realize how much stuff I had accumulated over the past 6 months!)

On Thursday (22nd) we had transfers, where I found out that I was going to be coming to Lewis Center. The funny part was was that Sister McCarty totally guessed that I was coming to Lewis Center. We went out to lunch with Sister Carter, the Relief Society President in the ward, who brought us home from transfers. We didn't really do much except for unpack. We went to dinner at a member's house and they had 6 girls. It was crazy!

On Friday (23rd), I hit my 6-month mark since I went into the MTC. We had lunch with our ward mission leader Brother Newton. We tried to visit a few of the members, but some of them weren't home. We got a new investigator!

On Saturday (24th), we had a lesson with a less-active couple. We had choir for the missionary fireside on the 25th. We are going to sing for Elder Christofferson. We also finished our weekly planning.

Yesterday (25th), was church and just the primary alone, there are 130 active kids, there are about 50-75 active youth, and who knows how many active adults there are! In Sacrament meeting, one of the speakers said that, " Heavenly Father would never send us to earth without giving us a way back to Him." Iyonna, my recent convert from Fairborn was confirmed!! 

We had a missionary fireside with Elder Christofferson, where we as a choir sang "Come, Follow Me" and "Come thou Fount of Every Blessing". I got to shake Elder Christofferson's hand afterwards. (I took a picture, but I will have to send it next week, because I forgot my cord that connects my camera to the computer.) He talked about the importance of Repentance, Baptism by immersion, and Receiving the Gift of the Holy Ghost. I really liked when he said, "How great of a gift it is to have the gift of the Holy Ghost!" I also liked when he said that, "we truly can be transformed through the Atonement of Jesus Christ and His grace." One of my investigators from Fairborn came to the fireside.



Last night, we got about 3-5 inches of snow, and the roads are super slick.

I look forward to hearing from everyone! Love and miss everyone LOTS!!!

Love always,
Sister Jennifer Rose


January 21, 2015

Sooooo... I am being transferred. Super scared and totally don't want to pack, but I guess I have to.

This week has kind of been an eventful week.

Iyonna did get baptized on Saturday, but she did not show up to church on Sunday to be confirmed. Her birthday was on Sunday, so she went with friends and had some fun. She is still okay to be confirmed on Sunday, so that is a good sign.

On Monday night (12th), we planned Iyonna's baptismal program.

On Tuesday (13th), we went on exchanges and we taught a couple of lessons to a couple of our investigators. We helped take down our ward's Christmas tree.

On Wednesday (14th), we had district meeting. We also did some service for a ward member. We taught Iyonna about following the prophet, and praying often. We also taught another one of our investigators about the first part of the plan of salvation up until the Atonement.

On Thursday (15th), we taught some lessons and visited some other people, nothing too exciting.

On Friday (16th), we did our weekly planning, except it was more of just talking about anything and everything, but it was good to take some stress off. We made over 100 cupcakes for Iyonna's baptism. It was a little bit ridiculous  because they were mini red velvet cupcakes with buttercream frosting and pink sprinkles on top.

On Saturday (17th), we had a late breakfast with a member in our ward. It was super good, and we had apple pie for dessert. Then. we filled the font for Iyonna's baptism. Iyonna had to be baptized about 3-4 times because something kept going wrong. Sister McCarty and I did a special musical number "Teach me to walk in the light". After that we had a little birthday party for Iyonna. Then we had dinner at another member's house.

Sister McCarty, Iyonna, Brother Mazey (Ward Mission Leader), Me

On Sunday (18th), we went to church, and saw a few other people. Nothing exciting happened other than Iyonna didn't show up for her confirmation.

On Monday (19th), we did more of our weekly planning, since we didn't really get any of it done. Us and the Elders did a special musical number for the elder's convert getting baptized. The Elders and I sang "I love to see the temple", while Sister McCarty played the piano. We taught the rest of the plan of salvation to our investigator, and he also came to church on Sunday.

Yesterday (20th), we didn't really do much, because all of our appointments fell through except for 1. So we went and visited some less-actives in the ward.


January 12, 2015

Hey Everyone!

So this week has been pretty eventful!

On Tuesday, we taught our investigator Iyonna about keeping the Sabbath Day holy and enduring to the end. She is so excited to be baptized on the 17th! We also taught another one of our investigators, Derickia, who has been out of town for the past week and a half. We are reteaching her the Plan of Salvation just to make sure she completely understands it.

On Wednesday, we had Interviews with President Daines.We also got a new investigator, who was a mormon.org referral. He is super cool and works for the Air Force. We also had a lesson with Jason our recent convert.

On Thursday, we did some service for a sister in our ward. We also had another lesson with Derickia, and we taught her about recognizing the Spirit in finding her answer to be baptized. We also had a lesson with Abby, another one of our investigators. We answered some questions she had about the Restoration and we were better able to understand her religious background a little more.

On Friday, we had weekly planning, so nothing too exciting.

On Saturday, we helped a sister in the ward get her groceries. We walked about a mile total with her to the store and back and the Elders came and took her groceries back to her apartment because she doesn't have a car. So we had a good hour to talk with her. We also had a lesson with Iyonna.

Yesterday, we had church and we talked about "the first great commandment is to love the Lord". Iyonna is super excited to be baptized on Saturday! She has been quitting smoking, so we made her her own box of "Spiritual Cigarettes". They have 3-4 scriptures in each one. 



Today, we went to Goodwill and I got a few shirts. We also went Gabriel Brothers (a clothing store) and I got about $35 worth of clothes for $7.48. It was awesome!! Then we went to Walmart and did our grocery shopping. And now we are here.

I love and miss everyone! Hope to hear from you soon!

Love,
Sister Jennifer Rose


January 5, 2015

Hey!! HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

I hope this letter finds you all well. I look forward to hearing from you each week!

On Tuesday (30th), we had a lesson with our investigator Iyonna. Her new year's resolution is to stop smoking, so that she can get baptized.

On Wednesday (31st), we had zone meeting, and we talked about how we should always be bold in extending commitments. We did some service for a member in our ward, and we actually ended up eating dinner with them. We also had a lesson with Iyonna. We didn't really do anything for New Year's because we had to be in bed by 10:30.

On Thursday (1st), we tried to have a lesson with Iyonna, Things didn't turn out as we had planned, but she is still trying to quit smoking. Hopefully she can do it!

On Friday (2nd), we had our Sister Training Leaders join us for our personal and companionship study and for our companionship inventory. It was really awkward because they told us to pretend like they weren't there, but no matter what I did, I knew that they were still there. However, I had an awesome study time.My personal study was based around the "light of Christ" and how we can feel it more in our lives. I didn't plan it that way, that is just the theme it turned out to be. We also had coordination meeting. For dinner, we ate with a semi-active member who took us to a family diner in town.

On Saturday (3rd), we got an new investigator who seems really interested in learning more about the church. We taught her part of the Restoration, but not all of it. The YSA elders had a baptism, and Sister McCarty played the piano while the elders sang "Glorious" from the "Meet the Mormons" movie. It was awesome!

On Sunday (4th), we had church, and learned about giving service to others. We helped a member in the ward make a soup that she has never made before. We also helped her make dinner. We have our investigator Iyonna on date for baptism on the 17th of this month!!!!!! I am just about as excited for her to get baptized as she is!!

Today (5th), we went to the Air Force Museum as a zone, and it was a lot of fun!

I am super excited for Iyonna to be baptized on the 17th! She is awesome and is SOO ready for baptism.

I look forward to letters and packages! Don't forget to write!

I hope everyone is doing well!!

With all my
Sister Jennifer Rose

P.S. Tell dad I hope he feels better soon!





Wednesday, December 31, 2014

Last Letters for 2014



MOTHERS NOTE:

We got to Skype with Jennifer for about 1 1/2 hours on Christmas Day.  She is doing well.  A little homesick I think, but over all seemed happy.  We also got to meet her companion.  Sister McCarty seems real nice.  She did mention that she hadn't received many letters.  If you have some time, drop her a note.  Her address is:

2373 Roseanne Ct.
Fairborn, OH 45324

She would love to hear from everyone!


December 29, 2014

Not much has happened here either since we last talked.

On Christmas after skyping, we went to a dinner that one of the members of the bishopric did. There were 10 adults and 7 children. Then we had dinner at our Relief Society President's house and there were 7 of us there. It was all delicious food.

My Christmas Presents
On Friday, we had a lesson with our investigator that was on date, and we read some of the Book of Mormon with her. She loves it!

On Saturday, Sister McCarty didn't feel very well so I let her sleep. We had dinner at a semi-active lady's house.

On Sunday, Sister McCarty and I taught sharing time in Primary about the signs of the second coming. We had dinner at our bishop's house, and his kids were crazy. We watched "The Testaments" with Lyonna, and she absolutely loved it. She really wants to get baptized, but she still has some things she needs to overcome.

Today, we went to Cato's (a discount fashion store, and I bought the dress that is in the attached picture). It is super cute! We also went to Young's Dairy and got some ice cream.

So far we have caught 5 mice and we have 4 traps set up right now. One behind the fridge, one behind the stove, one in front of the dishwasher, and one next to the fridge.

I hope that this week is better than it was last week (finding new investigators-wise). I look forward to the letters and packages that you send, and try to get Amber, Ashley and Josh to write too!!!

Love you and miss you lots!!!

Love, your favorite missionary ever!

Sister Jennifer Rose


December 22, 2014

Hey! MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!

We will probably be calling around 2 pm my time, so noon your time. I know dad has a Skype account, any idea what the username is?

I got the package yesterday! I loved the candy (no it's not gone yet). Sister McCarty even tried some of your fudge and she loved it! The postcards are for all of you that's why there are 5 of them. I have the actual pictures of them.

Unfortunately, we have to push our investigator's date back until the new year. She is 19 and has a 3-year-old son. She loves coming to church, and she pretty much fits right in already (she answers questions in both Gospel Principles and Relief Society). 

Sister McCarty is from South Jordan, UT. She is the youngest of 4 kids and has 3 older brothers. She has served in Delaware, Lewis Center, and a couple other places that I don't remember. We get along really well, we like to laugh a lot.

On Wednesday, we went on exchanges with the sister training leaders in Xenia. I stayed in Fairborn though. We taught Jason our recent convert (he just got the Priesthood on the 14th), and he is super excited to be able to go to the temple to do baptisms for the dead.

On Thursday, we helped a sister in our ward wrap Christmas presents. We did some tracting and I ended up handing out six "He is the Gift" cards.

On Friday, we had a lesson with our investigator who had to push back her date. We also had weekly planning, and it was pretty productive.

On Saturday, we met with Jason at the family history center and helped him start his family tree. It was awesome to see how much he already new about his family!

On Sunday, Jason helped to pass the Sacrament. I also sang in the ward choir for our ward and prelude music for the YSA ward.

On Monday, we had the Mission Christmas Devotional. It was awesome! we had a white elephant gift exchange, and I ended up with a $15 gift card to Jamba Juice, and some Dove chocolates. We also got drawstring backpacks with the mission name on it. It had some homemade cookies and white chocolate covered pretzels. Also, it had a Christmas card in it signed by the First Presidency. We had dinner with our ward mission leader and his family at Red Robin for Sister McCarty's birthday.

I look forward to talking to you in a couple days! Love you!

Love Sister Jennifer Rose


December 16, 2014

Hey!

Soooo....I didn't get transferred THIS time!

We are allowed to go to the Family History Center for about 3 hours a week.

Young's Dairy is definitely a popular spot here in Fairborn as well as the Air Force Museum.

Last Monday (8th), we did some service for a member in our ward, and we had another lesson with one of our investigators, who is on date to be baptized on the 27th of December.

Last Tuesday (9th), we had a lesson with one of our other investigators, who slowly but surely is working towards baptism. We also made cookies and Christmas crack with one of our members and her boys. It was lots of fun!

Last Wednesday (10th), was P-day and we got transfer calls, and we also helped a member put up and decorate her Christmas tree.

Last Thursday (11th), was transfers and my new companion is Sister McCarty from South Jordan, UT. She has been out for about 14 months now. I am so excited to still be in Fairborn at least for another 6 weeks!

Sister McCarty and I - Twins by Accident!
Last Friday (12th), we had a lesson with our slowly, but surely progressing investigator.

On Saturday (13th), we helped decorate for our ward Christmas party. We also went to a less-active member's kid's birthday party (He turned 1). We had 2 investigators at the Christmas party that night and they loved it!

On Sunday (14th), we had 3 of our investigators at church, and it was awesome! They all loved it and they want to continue to come!

Yesterday (15th), was probably the highlight of my week so far. We had the opportunity to spend the day with Elder Perkins, an Area Seventy. I learned so much from him, and was able to have some questions answered that I have had in my mind for a while now. He said that we should changed the word "meeting" into "revelatory experience", and it truly was a "revelatory experience" for me yesterday. I also loved when his wife asked us to write our own psalm.

I highly encourage that everyone do it too.

"Praise the Lord for He hath_____ and _____. The Lord, He is my ______, and I will ______."

Sincerely, your favorite missionary ever,

Sister Jennifer Rose


P.S. I am sending a package home with some of my stuff, and also Christmas presents. Each present has a sticky note on it that says who it is for. Don't open it around the others and please wrap them. Also, I thought of something I want for Christmas, new boots. I am size 10 and I want some that zip up on the side please (brown or black preferred)! I am still looking for some here, but I have had no such luck so far. 

P.P.S. I am friends with Aaron Johnson (an RM from Irvine ward) on Facebook, and I was wondering if you could find out his address for me?

P.P.P.S Read 2 Timothy 1:5!