Humility and Diligence

So this is it..

HI family! At the beginning of my mission it was hard to imagine that this day would ever come..but time is a funny thing. Before I knew it the months were passing like weeks and the weeks were flying like days until there were none left...here I am.

It's hard to think about leaving this life behind. I'm really going to miss it. I'm going to miss being on a schedule (having every minute of every day accounted for . I'll miss having two hours to study every morning and not having to worry about anything BUT STUDYING. I'll miss going to bed at 10:30 every night. And I'll miss putting on my name tag every morning. I'll miss the people - the way they say "yous" instead of "you". The way they can talk and talk and talk without us even having to respond. I'll miss hearing the testimonies of so many converts at church. I will even miss all of the cats..I'll miss the insane amounts of snow in the winter and having to shovel the car out every morning. I'll miss the sensation of having my mouth literally freeze making talking to anyone a real challenge. I'll miss the awkward and uncomfortable moments that don't seem as awkward or uncomfortable any more. I'll miss being so close to the sea..

Yet I'm excited for the adventures to come. President Pratt told me in our interview this week that he couldn't believe it but each phase of life really seems to be better than the last. Lucy sent this quote today that I loved (from "Hope Floats") "Beginnings are scary. Endings are usually sad, but it's what's in the middle that counts. So, when you find yourself at the beginning, just give hope a chance to float up. And it will." I just need to have hope. 

This week I have been reminded of a very profound and simple lesson. That of humility and diligence. When I got to the MTC I learned very quickly that my mission wasn't going to be easy. I felt weak and inadequate and I wan't sure if I could succeed. Then Sister Purcell reminded me of Ether 12:27 - God wanted me to work on my weaknesses but not be immobilized by them. He wanted me to be HUMBLE so that WITH HIM I could become strong. That night in the MTC I knelt by my bunk bed and prayed that He would help me put everything "on the alter", my fears and frustrations, my homesickness and all that I struggled with. It is amazing to look back on that day and see how He helped me. Some of those initial weaknesses have become strengths to me through diligence and hard work. Now I'm entering the last week of my mission and the Lord is reminding me of that very profound and simple lesson. One night this week I was sitting on my bed with my scriptures. I was pondering on what kind of an offering my mission has been to the Lord. I let my scriptures fall open and when I looked down of course I saw Ether 12:27..with the words "MTC experience 2014" in the margin. I wrote about this in my study journal the next day. I said, "I've been studying humility because something I've realized coming to the end of my mission is that I STILL have weaknesses. I was able to hand a lot of my weaknesses over to the Lord and I have seen some become strengths but now I realize that this is in ongoing process. It will never end until we reach perfection in the next life. And some of my weaknesses have been with me my whole life and through my whole mission, I'm still struggling with them. Studying Ether 12:27 again gave me HOPE. Even though I'm not going home perfected..I know how to work toward perfection. I know that I will continue to NEED to rely on my Savior every day of my life. In Doctrine and Covenants section 4 (which we recite every day) it lists several Christlike attributes..verse 6 says, "Remember faith, virtue, knowledge, temperance, patience, brotherly kindness, godliness, charity, humility, diligence." I love that humility and diligence come at the very end because that's what the rest of my life (our lives) will require - HUMILITY AND DILIGENCE - humility to turn to and trust in the Lord. Diligence in working to overcome the natural man and our weaknesses. I know that the Lord loves us despite our weaknesses." What a wonderful reminder!

I'm grateful that God knew I needed to serve so He provided a way. He knew I needed to come so that I could learn the importance of obedience. I needed to learn the importance of honoring the Sabbath day. I needed to learn what actually matters in life, what is actually important are the things that are important to God. The way we keep our covenants and the way we treat PEOPLE is WAY more important than getting 300 likes on instagram or having the nicest clothes and car. I needed to come so I could learn how to live the Gospel. What it means to HAVE FAITH, how to repent, the importance of our baptismal covenants and the sacrament, listening to the Holy Ghost and ENDURING TO THE END. I needed to learn patience and how to love unconditionally. I needed to learn how to listen. I needed to learn the importance of living by the Spirit, of planning and setting goals and of working hard. I needed to step outside of my comfort zone so I could gain greater perspective. I needed to learn what true conversion meant. I needed to lose myself so that I could, in the end...find out who I'm meant to be. 

I'm sorry this is getting kind of long. I just want to end with my testimony. I know without a doubt that God loves us. I know that He loves us because He provided a way for us to be happy. Happy on earth and happy in the eternities. Happy living in His presence again someday. I know He loves us because He sent His only perfect son to earth, to suffer and die for my sins, my sadness, and my imperfections. He sent Him to SAVE US! I know that He loves us because He has called prophets throughout history to guide His children home and He still leads ustoday through a living prophet. He loves us so He reached out to a 14 year old boy in the 1800's and called him to be a Prophet..to restore Christ's church and Christ's authority to the earth. So each of us could have access to personal revelation, access to the fullness of the gospel, and access to the Priesthood power which power can bind our families together forever!! Exaltation is possible because He loves us. God loves us so much that He has provide scriptures, particularly the Book of Mormon to guide us in our journey here on earth. I know the Book of Mormon is true with every fiber of my being. It is the "keystone" of my testimony. I know that as we live its teaching we will COME CLOSER TO CHRIST. He is the only way. 

I am so thankful to have been able to spend 18 months in His service. It's been the happiest time of my life. 

Thank you for loving me. Thank you for believing in me and praying for me. I couldn't have made it here without your examples and unfailing support. I LOVE YOU ALL VERY VERY MUCH!!

I CAN'T WAIT TO SEE YOU ON FRIDAY!!!! 

Love, Sister G ...saying goodbye to the sea

PS - I'm eating LOBSTER tomorrow!!

I STAND ALL AMAZED

Hiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii 
I can't remember if I've already used that title for a different email but even if I did..I'm still standing here all amazed..I am amazed by the goodness of God. I am amazed by His tender mercies and the miracles that NEVER CEASE. I am amazed at the love Jesus offers me.

We have been focusing on miracles this week as a zone. Miracles that will help us fortify our faith. As a companionship, instead of praying that we would see miracles in our own lives, we prayed that we might be the means of bringing miracles into the lives of others. And oh how Heavenly Father answered our prayers. I want to just name a few. 

1. We felt inspired that we needed to teach our recent convert about tithing. She hadn't been paying a full tithe mainly due to a lack of understanding (which we didn't know before the lesson). As we taught and bore testimony, the spirit touched her heart. She was so excited to begin paying a full tithe. She knew it would be difficult because her job was recently eliminated and she didn't have much money coming in. But she realized that paying her tithing "was the only intelligent thing to do." Yesterday she bore her testimony of the miracles she had seen because she paid a full tithe. A check came in the mail from her previous job that she hadn't expected! She was glowing with the Spirit and was so happy.

2. Kaitlin is an investigator that we haven't been able to see for a long time. We sent her a mormon message this week and she told us that it made her cry. It was exactly what she needed to hear.

3. We were knocking one afternoon and saw some people outside (down a different street) - I recognized the house as a former investigator's who we had never been able to make contact with so we went over to talk to them. Paulette is suffering through cancer right now but told us she would love to meet with us. She has strong faith and wants to know how she can live with her granddaughter (who means everything to her) forever.

4. We went to visit another former who was running out the door and needed help carrying food out to her car for a supper she was hosting SO WE WERE ABLE TO HELP! She had a great experience with missionaries in the past but they had suddenly stopped coming and she didn't know why. She said she would be open to learning more.

5. We met a single father named Mitch. We knocked an entire street and he was the only one who answered (well actually he was outside so he couldn't escape but he would have answered had we knocked)..he has a five year old daughter and it was easy to tell that he had a lot on his mind. He was struggling. We told him who we were and what we do. We told him that we share a book of scripture called the Book of Mormon that has all the answers to the deep questions of life. He is so excited to meet with us on Tuesday!!

6. We were able to teach Sylvia and her friend Tammy, whose mom is dying of cancer. The Spirit was very strong in our lesson. They are both amazing people. We helped them understand that God is not simply an energy in the universe but our Father with a body of flesh and bone. That He loves us and will answer our prayers through the Holy Ghost. We texted them later to follow up and see how they were doing. Sylvia told us that we opened her eyes to a whole new perspective. She enjoyed our visit so much that she can hardly wait to see us on Tuesday.

7. We are working through the branch list and trying to find/contact all of the people that we know nothing about. Last night we decided to message one on facebook - all we knew about Stefan is that he moved to Kentville. Long story short he told us that he hasn't been to church in 3 or 4 years but that he still has a strong testimony. He felt bad going to church because he hasn't been living the word of wisdom. He said that he really wants the elders to come over and teach him and his non-member fiancée. They both want to stop smoking. Then they want to get married and one day go to the temple. He thanked us for reaching out and said that he knew his prayers would eventually be answered. MIRACLE OF A LIFETIME!! 

I am so happy. 

It was a good week to say the least. We had zone conference on Thursday and met President and Sister Pratt. THEY ARE SO CUTE!!! They are the most kind, gentle people in the world. They both grew up in Utah but have been living in Florida for the last 30 years. It is amazing to see how the Lord works - I know that all of our leaders are inspired and they are given the strength and Spirit that they need to fulfil their calling. 

Canada day was strange...there were NO people out. So it just felt like a normal day but we had fun!! 

I just want to bear you my testimony that "the tender mercies of the Lord are over all those whom He hath chosen because of their faith.." As we seek to draw closer to the Lord we truly can be instruments in His hands. The joy that will come into our lives is overwhelming. I know that in order to overcome the evils of the world around us we must wake up every morning and put on the whole "armour of God" - we must fortify ourselves through prayer and scripture study so that we can have the power of God on our side. Without it, we will crumble under the pressures, temptations and evils of the world in which we are now living. I testify of the light and joy and hope that fills our hearts as we learn of the true nature and character of God, that He is our loving Heavenly Father. I know that this is Christ's true church - the only true church on the earth and the only church with the power and authority to save us. This is the road to eternal happiness, God knows us..each of us..He loves us and therefore leads us through a living Prophet and 12 Apostles. I know that their words are the anchors we need to stay secure in the world of shifting values that we live in. We are blessed beyond comprehension. 

I hope you feel my love and prayers. I hope you know how grateful I am for my family and friends. And how grateful I will be for the rest of my life for this mission - it has my heart.

YOU ARE MY SUNSHINE!!

I'll see you next week!!! Love you! 

Love, Sister G 

July 1st Canada Day

"went out to work in my slippers" - ?

It Is Almost CANADA DAY! July 1st, 2015

 HELLO

It continues to rain here..but that doesn't stop the work from progressing!! 
We had a good week..and laughed a lot. Sadly many of the people we were teaching have slowly faded away for several different reasons but Heavenly Father has opened new doors! One day we were driving around for too long trying to find some former investigators. After stopping by several who were not home we re-evaluated where we needed to be. We said a prayer and felt like we needed to go knocking. There was a street that had been on my mind for a few days but I didn't actually know how far away it was - we had already been driving around a lot and I just wanted to get out and talk to people, my patience was wearing down..we put the name of the street in the GPS, it said we would arrive about 15 minutes later. So we took off, our precious little GPS took us a very scary, long, interesting way (on dirt roads and up large hills covered in massive potholes - remember our road trip mom? HWY B hahaha) but we finally arrived. We prayed again before we left that though we had been driving too much we were ready to work as long as we needed to to find someone prepared. We pleaded for the Spirit and went to work. The second person we talked to knew some members of the church, his wife had been given a Book of Mormon years ago and she had read the whole thing, We had a great conversation with him and each of us had the opportunity to bear testimony. In the end he told us he was happy where he was at and we said goodbye. About a half hour later we knocked on another door. A woman was leaving (the mom) and we started a conversation up with her and her son (who she had been visiting). As we talked about our message, how it helps us understand the purpose of life and can strengthen us to deal with the problems and challenges we all face - they just looked at each other, amazed. It was as if we were an answer to his prayers. He explained that he is going through a difficult time and that he'd love to learn more. We are going to teach him tonight!! I know that we needed to be there at that exact moment to talk to him. "All things [are done] in the wisdom of Him who knoweth all things." 2 Nephi 2:24

We had a few very funny moments this week, we were trying to prepare an object lesson on how the scriptures can protect us from Satan. Sister Lund told us that if you put your finger (completely straight) on the edge of a Book of Mormon and then slam it with a soup can..it won't hurt!! We thought that was cool and interesting so we decided to test it out and make sure it worked before we slammed a can on someone's finger..Sister Hardy volunteered her finger and I filmed it all. I'll show you all the video someday but we quickly learned (the hard way) that IT DOESN'T WORK!! Sister Hardy had a throbbing finger for the rest of the night. It was hilarious..and sad. (missionaries are so trusting!!)

Today President and Sister Pratt arrive!!!!! We get to have another zone conference this week! I am excited to meet them and to hear their testimonies. President Leavitt told us that during the MTC and the beginning of our missions it's like we are trying to drink water out of a fire hose..haha I thought that was a funny image and SO TRUE! He asked us to be patient and kind to the Pratt's as they are adjusting. I know they will do an incredible job. I can't believe that the Leavitt's are actually leaving. This week I was able to have an exit interview with President. It was great to be able to talk about my mission, my companions and all that I've learned. He asked me...

"What 3 pieces of advice I would give to a new missionary..

it's difficult to choose but this is what came to my mind - 

1. The Book of Mormon is the most powerful tool in conversion - it changes hearts. 

2. We can choose to be happy. 

3. The little things are really the big things. "

I am so grateful for President and Sister Leavitt - I learned so much about hard work and faith from their examples. I'll never forget the powerful testimony I gained of fasting and prayer as we did so as a mission when President Leavitt's health was failing. I am grateful that they both made me laugh..A LOT. Today in President's final letter he talked about NEVER GOING BACK TO WHO WE USED TO BE. Our missions are meant to change us forever. He promised us that they will not go fishing (like Peter did after Christ had died) that they will still be missionaries, that they will still be constantly reaching out. That's the wonderful thing about our missions - they never really end! 

I hope you know I love you. I hope you know that you have strengthened me and helped me feel happy. Your constant love and support means the world to me. 

Have the best week!!

Love, Sister G 

PS - Happy Anniversary (yesterday) to Mom and Dad - 31 years! And Ralph and Abby - 2 years..that went way too fast. Thanks for being examples to us all. I LOVE YOU!

And also Happy Birthday to Grandpa and Laura last week..sorry this is late but I hope you both had a very special day. 

Born As On Wings Of Eagles

Threesome - Sorry Sister Hardy closed her eyes

 Hi everyone. 

I sure love hearing from you. 

It raining it's pouring, the old man is snoring...I think we are in the middle of a tropical storm!! We had a great week though!! We found three new people to teach!! A couple, Wayne and Michele are on date for baptism - July 18. And Arnold, he is an older man with a lot of questions about the Plan of Salvation. His wife and youngest son died three weeks apart both suddenly and that is still very hard on him. We continue to see great progress with all those that we are working with, especially the less actives. We are focusing on getting them to read the Book of Mormon because the reason that most people go less active or just stop progressing in heir spiritual growth IS THEY HAVE SIMPLY STOPPED READING THE BOOK OF MORMON. It is the key to continuing conversion and I feel that so many people forget that. Don't ever stop reading. And if you have stopped - start again today!! We have seen great changes in those who have committed to read every day. I love being in a trio because we just have more fun!!!! We crammed the third bed in our room last Monday so now there is basically just one HUGE bed and it's fun to stay up and have deep, awesome, conversation about life and the gospel. We are getting along well though we are all very different. It seems to work. And I get to drive the big red van - so you can't miss us around town!! 

Today I want to leave you with something that has been on my mind lately. One of my favorite hymns is number 72 "Praise to the Lord, The Almighty" (I didn't know it before my mission but now it's my favorite 

These are the words of the second verse:

"Praise to the Lord! Over all things he gloriously reigneth.

Borne as on eagle wings, safely his Saints he sustaineth.

Hast thou not seen, How all thou needest hath been

Granted in what he ordaineth?" 

I would like you to think about the second line. What does it mean to be "borne as on eagle wings"? How do you think that would feel? The Lord will sustain His people. He will strengthen and uphold those who love Him. He will keep them safe from the temptations and evils of the world. 

I read a powerful, life changing talk by Sheri Dew this week. It's called, "You were born to lead, you were born for glory." She ends the talk by explaining how we can access the sustaining power of God in our lives to help us fight the last and greatest battle against the adversary --

"My dear young friends, I repeat that these are the days in which a true leader wants to live. These are days when opportunities to change lives and even destinies are nearly endless. You are running the anchor leg of the relay because you were born to lead. You were born for glory.

In conclusion, in the words of Moroni, “I would commend you to seek this Jesus of whom the prophets and apostles have written” (Ether 12:41) so that you experience for yourself the power in Jesus Christ to strengthen you, to sanctify you, and to help you run this leg of the relay. Don’t ever underestimate the power of Jesus Christ to help you. Isaiah said it this way:

Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard, that the everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary? . . .

He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength. . . .

. . . They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint. [Isaiah 40:28–31]"

Again Isaiah talks about eagle wings   

"..SEEK THIS JESUS.." It is when we put in the effort to develop a personal relationship with our Savior. Specifically through heart-felt prayer and taking the time to listen - that we access this sustaining power in our lives, divine guidance, hope. Strive to have this relationship with Him, it is so important. 

I know that though the world would bring us down, Christ can lift us higher.

I know that though we all face moral appetite and weakness, Christ can make us strong.

I know that though we all face fear and regret, Christ can forgive and keep us safe.

I know that when we face heartache and loss, Christ will bear us up - as on eagle wings. 

He won't let us faint. He won't let us fall. 

I love you all. I hope you have a happy week - you deserve it!!!

Love, Sister GG

YM and YW service project!

here is the big red van we drive!

everyone sees us coming!

The Power Is In You

green food for her "green companion"

Hi people!!!

Sounds like things are going well. Hope you are having lots of fun in the sun - we are!!!!

I don't have much time today, we are leaving in a few minutes to drive to Halifax to pick up our new companion!! We are going to be in a trio (woot woot 3X the fun!!) But I still wanted to write and give you a quick update. It has been an amazing week. I'm sorry to keep bringing up the mosquitos but we just learned that all of the bats in Nova Scotia contracted some disease or fungus and they all died. Therefore they are not here to eat twice their weight in mosquitos...therefore we get eaten ALIVE!! I can't even describe how many attack us when we are out. We were at a door and one landed on me face..the guy almost smacked it off!! Oh dear. It's itchy (I told you that my mosquito bites never itch..I lied. Stinking Canadian mosquitos).

On Monday we were at a dinner appointment and because my companion is a "greenie" they fed us an ENTIRELY green meal..green water, green butter, green rolls, green coleslaw, green turnips, green mashed potatoes and green beans. The only thing that was not green was the chicken..the whole time we were eating I was thinking "mind over matter, mind over matter." My mind was saying - no one should ever eat anything this green. It was an experience!!

We found a new investigator named Korona!! She lives on base and has the cutest three year old son. She is searching for a church and realizes that so many religions today "draw near to God with their lips, but their hearts are far from Him" She is fascinated by the Book of Mormon. It has been fun teaching her. 

We had zone conference on Wednesday and I got to see Sister Curtis!!!!! That was awesome. It was an amazing meeting. The Spirit was strong. To be brief I want to share what President Leavitt testified of. He shared Doctrine and Covenants 58: 26-28  

26 For behold, it is not meet that I should command in all things; for he that is compelled in all things, the same is a slothful and not a wise servant; wherefore he receiveth no reward.

 27 Verily I say, men should be anxiously engaged in a good cause, and do many things of their own free will, and bring to pass much righteousness;

 28 For the power is in them, wherein they are agents unto themselves. And inasmuch as men do good they shall in nowise lose their reward.

He pointed out that the POWER IS IN US. Because of our agency we can do and be anything that we want to be. The choice is ours - we can choose Christ and become young men and women of great faith. 

I finished the Book of Mormon this morning and read this verse (Moroni 10:23) "And Christ truly said unto our fathers: If ye have faith ye can do all things which are expedient unto me." In order for us to access the power that is within us we must have faith! Faith in Christ and His promises. Faith in the power of the Atonement. Faith that Christ can turn our weaknesses into strengths. Faith that we can one day live with God again. When we have faith we can do ANYTHING! 

I love knowing that their is DIVINE POWER coursing through our veins. We have the power and freedom to choose who we will become. Our potential is limitless.

 "Choose your goals. Work towards them! Direct your thoughts. Control your emotions. Get into action, and you ordain your destiny. Daily Decisions Determine Destiny"

FINALLY I JUST WANT TO SAY HAPPY BIRTHDAY JACOB LANE!!! I can't believe you are 16. I'm a little freaked out that you could be driving me around when I come home...hope you know that I love you. I miss laughing with you. You're the best "little" (who is not that little) brother in the world!!! 

Also happy birthday to Camille and Nana, Chris and Christian this week!! Love you!

AND HAPPY FATHER'S DAY!!!! I'm writing you a letter today dad. I can't thank you enough for setting such a strong example and helping me learn who I can become. Thanks for working hard, thanks for making me laugh, thanks for cheering me on. Love you to the moon and back. 

I love you all!!!

BYE FOR NOW.

Love, Sister G 

Our apartment

Scatterbrained

My new companion Sister Hardy

Hi <3 

Hope you all had a wonderful last week of school!! 

So the transfer has begun. My new companion is Sister Hardy. She is from Billings, Montana. She has blond hair like me  she is a softball player. She doesn't like fruits or vegetables and she still can't really say my name (it's a hard one  I think she is going to teach me a lot. We will have fun together. She was very nervous when I took her out knocking for the first time. I had a flashback to 17 months ago when I was driving in the car to Fredericton with Sister Lewis..she was telling me what she had planned for the rest of the day. All I heard was, "then we are going to go knocking" and I thought, "Oh no. Seriously? We are going to go knock on a random person's door and talk to them about the gospel??" YES WE WERE! Oh if I only knew.. I WAS SO SCARED!! Haha. But those uncomfortable moments are the moments when we grow. My testimony has been strengthened with each door I have knocked on. And now I really love it. I don't think Sister Hardy likes it much right now but all things get better in time!

We saw a few amazing miracles this week. It was a sacrament meeting I hope to remember forever. We were greeting members when I noticed the less active FAMILY that we have been working with walked into the chapel!! My heart was so full. As I sat by them I felt a little bit like Alma and the sons of Mosiah when they returned from their missions and were so happy to see each other again after all that they had endured. "Now these sons of Mosiah were with Alma at the time the angel first appeared unto him; therefore Alma did rejoice exceedingly to see his brethren; and what added more to his joy, they were still his brethren in the Lord; yea, and they had waxed strong in the knowledge of the truth; for they were men of a sound understanding and they had searched the scriptures diligently, that they might know the word of God." Everything just felt right. We were all supposed to be there at church together - that's where we belonged. The spirit was strong. 

Then Amanda bore her testimony about family history and the temple. She told of the experience she had had with her Grandma - how it had changed her life and helped her find her testimony again. It was such a powerful witness of the truth.

We have several lessons set up for this week - I'm pretty excited. I love it here. I have decided to focus on charity for the next six weeks. I know that if we "have not charity we are nothing" and when we love people they can feel it. Loving them makes all of the difference in their lives. As I have tried to forget about myself and just LOVE more deeply, the conversations we have are so much better. I know that these people need this. They might not know that they do but I KNOW. And even if they are hard to love, God loves them. And I love God and I know that He has called me to do His work and to be His hands and to love His children so because I love Him, I can love them also. We all have weakness, we are all trying. When "love of God and our neighbor rules the world" that's when the work moves forward. That's when our natures change and we begin to fulfill the measure of our creation. 

I have been reading and studying so many wonderful talks and I want to share ALL of them but for now I will just leave you with a few quotes..hopefully they will apply to someone somewhere..These are from Lawrence E. Corbridge

"Every challenge you face, every hard thing you confront, every bad thing that happens to you,

every unfairness, every conflict, every sadness, tragedy, every disappointment and heartache, every

temptation and every opposition happens for one purpose only: to give you opportunity to respond by

applying in your life the teachings of Jesus. As you do so you are changed to become more like Him."

"The purpose and central blessing of life is change. It is to be changed to become more like Jesus Christ. It

is to incorporate into your character, the qualities of His character. It is to move from one degree of intelligence

and capacity to the next, and from there to the next, until you see God face to face and know Him as He knows

you."

"In the end, your heart and your will is all that you have to give that the Lord does not already have. If you

give your time, two years, and your strength, you give only that which He grants to you with each beat of your

heart and each breath that you draw. If you dedicate your gifts and talents, you only return to Him what He

already has given to you. If you pay tithing you only return to Him a tenth of what he has already given to you.

Everything that you have to give to the Lord, has its origin in Him, except one thing: your will. He does not have

your heart, nor your mind, unless you give them to Him. It is the only gift you have to offer that He does not

already have. And so when you give yourself, you truly give everything to Him."

"The only wav to win is to lose. Lose yourself in the Lord's work, and you will win beyond your

wildest imaginations, for "Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the

things which God hath prepared for them that love him." (I Cor 2:9)."

"It is easier to walk with the Lord than it is to labor against

Him."

This week is President and Sister Leavitt's last zone conference..and mine. I am looking forward to it.

AND LAST BUT NOT LEAST - HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOM!!!!!! I hope you have the best day!!! Thank you for being my hero. You'll never know how much I love you and how much I look up to you. I feel like the luckiest person in the world to have you as my mom. HAVE FUN AT DISNEYLAND (if your are going that day 

BYE BYE LOVE YOU ALL!

Love, Sister G

everyone in Canada has a cat!

BABY NUMBER 2

Hello - happy June 1!!

We found out about transfers! I am staying in Greenwood and training a new missionary (my baby)!!!!!!!! I could not be more excited. And I know this is a major blessing from Heavenly Father to be able to focus completely on the work for my last 6 weeks. Give everything I can to Him. Sprint through the finish. Help my companion start her mission off in the BEST way possible. We will have so much fun! 

We had a pretty eventful week. The weather has been beautiful, HOT AND HUMID. There are soooooooooooooooooo many mosquitos!!! But i can't complain because I know there are all kinds of freaky bugs out there (that other missionaries get to deal with) #countyourmanyblessings. They are just a little bit annoying because we open the door and 50 of them fly into the car and I'm trying to hit them down as I'm driving (it's distracting) then as we walk around they fly all over your face..I had a big red welt on my forehead the other day haha...lucky for me the bites don't actually itch. It's weird but awesome!! Anyway, moving on. We started teaching the cutest young mom!! She is the daughter-in-law of a less active member so on our way to find this member we met Kaitlin. She had four kids and was impressed by missionaries in the past who were so willing to offer support and help to their family. She doesn't really have a religious background but is very open to learning about the Book of Mormon. Her family is the most important thing in her life and when we told her that there is a way she can live with them forever she lit up. She has always felt that that had to be the case but was kept from the truth because she didn't know where to find it. I am so excited to teach her. 

We also had the privilege of attending the temple on Saturday with a recent convert, Anne and another member that we have been working with, Amanda. Both of them had prepared family names and it was incredible to see the Spirit of Elijah working in their lives. Amanda had a particularly profound experience. She had been struggling for awhile with different things. She knew the branch temple trip as coming up and we encouraged her to begin her family history. She was baptized just over a year ago and none of her family members are in the church so she thought it would be hard to get the information and permission that she needed. But she moved forward with faith. She talked to her great aunt and received enough information to begin. When she entered in the dates of her great grandma, tears came to her eyes and the Spirit flooded through her body. She knew Vivienne was waiting for her work to be done. As she contacted more relatives she accessed more information and found one of her lines went back to 209 AD!!!!!!!!!!! She was so excited that she was hardly sleeping. I won't forget the Spirit that attended us in the temple that day as she was baptized and confirmed for Vivienne. We all felt her there. After that, Sister Tegge and I were able to participate in some sealings which was another wonderful experience. This week my testimony of eternal families, family history and the joy of the temple was strengthened immensely. There is no better work in the world than the work of Salvation - and as Latter-day Saints we get to be a part of it!!!

We have also been working with a cute family who are struggling in their church attendance. They had us over for dinner and they told us that their 8 your old son wanted to take the missionary lessons to prepare him for baptism. It was a sweet spiritual experience as we taught the simple doctrines of the restoration. I felt like the Spirit touched each of our hearts and they are excited to have us come back for the next lesson. They sent us away with a whole carton of eggs from their chickens, jam, home-made bread and leftovers from dinner!! MOM I AM NOT GOING HUNGRY. 

I wanted to tell you something that an amazing missionary told me last Monday. She wrote and said, "The thought I want to share stems from my relief society lesson yesterday. I realized that the one thing that if humans would NOT DO then self esteem, self worth, self confidence, self competence etc would flourish is DON'T COMPARE. Comparing ourselves to others is poison. I don't struggle with this overall but I know the second I allow comparison to creep in I feel like garbage. With that realization I can sort of imagine how people who struggle with it daily feel. Wow! Of course, it's often easier said than done BUT if we CAN avoid comparing ourselves to others then "happy are we, happy are we!" I encourage all of you this week to recognize those things where Satan sneakily slips thoughts of comparing into your life and learn to shun it and him at the onset. I truly believe if we can do this our self confidence and self esteem etc will soar!" She is so right. This is a lesson that I feel is important for each of us to be reminded of. I have learned form personal experience that comparison is the thief of joy. God made you YOU for a reason. He loves you - weaknesses, imperfections and all as long as you are trying. I think that we need to love who we are and work hard to become more like Christ. Comparing ourselves to others is selfish and miserable. As I have tried to work on this throughout my mission (though it is sometimes hard and I am far from perfect at it) I have found it easier to have confidence in myself and my Savior. When we compare WE TURN IN. The Savior's way is to always TURN OUT!! I hope you will all think about this - it helped me. 

I have a testimony that God answers prayers. I have a testimony that life is what you make it. I have a testimony of the divinity of my Savior and His work. I know that when we put God first in our lives - when we focus on people - when we live the first 2 great commandments LOVE GOD AND LOVE YOU NEIGHBOUR - life is better.

I DO LOVE YOU ALL!! And I will see you soon.

Love, Sister G 

PS - Happy happy birthday to grandma g this week! I am thinking about you and hope you know that I love you. You are a light in my life. And happy graduation LUCE!! I wish I could be there but know that I'm proud of you. Hope you have an unforgettable week!!