Week 6:  What a Week!

Mom's Favorite Quote of the Week:  This is a quote from a personal email sent to me (Mom) this week that I really wanted to share.  She has been encouraging our family to read and study the scriptures and not just read them to say that we have read them.  So when we were taught about "Ponderizing" the scriptures I knew that it was exactly what she had been challenging us as a family to do.  This was her reply to my statement.  "Ponderizing...exatly what I was talking about a couple of weeks ago.  The great thing is, in our weekly planning I had set aside Moroi 10:4-5 to be the verse that I would focus on this week.  It proves to me that I am doing what I am supposed to be doig, Elder Durrant confirmed it!"  

Each Tuesday the Nevel's set aside their evening to spend with Sister Fisher and I.  If I haven't told you before that we have the best members in Fulton, we have the best members!!!  Unfortunately the appointment that we had set up cancelled :( so we spend a lot of time trying to find less active members whom we could visit.  The 8 o'clock hour is the hardest time to be out just because it's alreay dark and I always feel so bad knocking on people's doors.  Plus there is always the temptation of going back to the apartment and getting to bed a little bit early!  But it is also known as the miracle hour!  We have been trying multiple families and finally decided to try the Jamison family.  Much to our surprise we also found Sister Felt with the Jamisons, a woman we had been trying to contact earlier that day!  What a blessing.

Wednesday we had an appointment with our investigator, Juanita.  Juanita is a baptist minister who runs a church out of her home.  We had asked her to read the Restoration pamphlet and to pray to know if it was true.  Well she did just that.  But she didn't exactly give us the reaction we had been hoping for.  She told us that we needed to get right with the Lord and that one day we would come crawling back to her to tell her that she was right.  When she said that I kind of chuckled to myself, even though I probably shouldn't have.  I learned for myself that people really do have to be prepared to receive the gospel!

Thursday Sister Fisher was really sick so we spent the whole morning in the apartment so she could sleep.  I don't think I have ever felt so helpless!  I really did not like just sitting there, I wanted to be out working!  Around 2 o'clock we had to go to Columbia for a Zone Conference so we met up with some of the other Sisters and drove up there.  Last week the Zone Leaders had called and asked Sister Fisher if I was musically talented.  Unfortunately, I was out of the room so Sister Fisher said yes and that I would love to sing for Zone Conference.  So, I ended up singing "Beautiful Savior".  I really was trying to get Sister Fisher to sing with me since she volunteered me, but since she was sick I let her off the hook.

Conference was THE BEST!  What a great experience to be able to raise my arm to the square and sustain the three new apostles!  My favorite talk was Elder Jeffery R. Holland's.  Mother's are such a blessing and I would be completely lost without mine and her willingness to cintinue to bear me up.  I also really enjoyed the testimony of the newly sustained apostle, Elder Dale G Renlund and his story of how he had hardened his heart to mourning, because of his occupation.  But after he saw the parents of one of his patients weeping he began to weep himself.  And too much surprise, the parents comforted him.  How important it is to be able to see people through our Heavenly Father's eyes!  We are all brothers and sisters, how would we act if we truly saw others as our siblings?

I hope you all have a great week!

My address is:  

808 Center Street, Apt 203

Fulton, MO  65251

Love, 

Sisiter White

Here are some fun pics I would like to share!

First picture is Sister Fisher and I.
Second picture is Sister Sperry and I out on exchanges in Columbia
Third picture is Sister Fisher and I.  What scripture will you "Ponderize" this week?

Week 5:  Miracles in Missouri

Mom's Favoriet Quote of the Week:  When life gets too hard to stand, kneel.  Our Heavenly Father needs strong servants in his war against the devil.  How are we supposed to get stronger when life is comfortable? ... I am thankful for my trials because they have made me a stronger servant of the Lord; I would not be who I am without them.

This week has been nothing short of miracles!  We have been able to grow our teaching pool tremendously and Sister Fisher and I definitely have our work cut out for us!  We saw tender mercies as almost all of our appointments were cancelled on Wednesday so we were driving home trying to eet with our investigator when I saw an enderly woman sitting on her front porch.  Her face was flushed and it looked like she had been weeding her flowerbed.  I told Sister Fisher that we should pull over and go help her and she kind of looked at me like I was crazy because I was wearing a cream colored skirt and cream colored shoes and they would get all dirty. We finally pulled oer once we were around the corner and as we came walking up to her she said to us, "You're nissionaries, aren't you?"  We said yes, and then she told us to come and sit down and teach her about Jesus.  Well we definitely weren't expecting that!  I replied by saying, "Well, while Jesus Christ was on the earth, he went about doing service, so that's what we came to do!"  She actually put us to work!  Most people tell us that they don't need any help because we're in skirts and we probably shouldn't get the dirty.  Well I could care less about getting dirty! As we were working the woman said to us, "I didn't even ask the Lord to help, but he sent you anyway.  Goes to show that he knows what we need better than I do!  Cause I was just wondering how I was ever going to finish this by  myself."

This Friday I went on exchanges for the first time.  So I went up to Columbia with Sister Sperry.  That evening we were able to teach a family of seven.  The unique thing about this is, they spoke Thai and Burmese!  So I have been able to experience all types of culture right here in Missouri.  When we taught the faily about the First Vision, their reaction was, "Wow."  I love seeing the spirit touch people's hearts.  It was a miracle.  They later told us how they wanted to be baptized.  It made me sad that I can't be there to continue to teach them!  But it was an amazing experience.  Another investigator that we taught while on exchanges was Dod.  He was feeling that he has been stuck in a rut and has done everything he can to get out of it.  It was azing to see Sister Sperry litterally be the mouthpiece of our Father in Heaven.  I have never had an experience like it.  Sister Sperry is near the end of her mission, with only three weeks left and she said that Friday tops all the days that she has had.  It was Amazing!!!

Saturday was my one month birthday!  It is crazy to think that I have already been out for a month.  I came back to Fulton and we were visiting some less actives.  We met a less active who told us that she did not have any faith and didn't really want to build faith.  That broke my heart.  She continued to tell us of how she got in the situation she is now in.  I know that life is not easy for any of us.  But for me, the only way I have been able to get through those hard times is by praying.  When life gets too hard to stand, kneel.  Our Heavenly Father needs strong servants in his war against the devil.  How are we supposed to get stronger when life is comfortable?  In Women's Conference, Sister Reeves said that, "This is the time to prepare to meet God, not receive all his blessings."  We will be blessed as we overcome our trials, but those blessings are only the beginning of what He wants to give us.  He loves us.  And he weeps with us when we weep.  He wants to help us and He will.  I have felt it. God created us to be happy.  I am thankful for my trials because they have made me a stronger servant of the Lord; I would not be who I am without them.

Week 4:  Second week in Missouri

Mom's Favorite Quote of the Week:  There is a universal need in the world; the gospel.  Share it :)

This week has been great!  Sister Fisher and I have been focusing on trying to build our teaching pool because it is slowly diminishing.  So we have set a goal to tract for an hour every day so that we can find more souls who are searching.  On Wednesday we had our Missionary Coordination meeting whichis always exciting and motivating because we have such great ward missionaries!  Brother Brake is attending one of the Universities here in town and is doing a conference on campus where he teaches some of the doctrine of the gospel.  He did it last year where he taught some of the misconceptions and had a really big crowd so he is expecting even more this year.  He asked Sister Fisher and I to help him teach some of the doctrine which is great and should be fun!  Then he said that he wants me to teach most of it.  Oh my goodness!!  I got scared!  I told him that I was going to ask my Mom to pray for me and they all laughed like it was a big joke.  Little did they know how serious I was; Mom please pray for me! :D

On Friday we had a Mission Tour with Elder Grow from the Seventy.  It turned out to be exactly what I needed!  One of the things that was brought up was:  no matter how active someone is in the church, everyone is three weeks away from being inactive.  AH  how true that is!  I know for myself how easy it is to justify stayig home from church.  But I know how important church attendance is!  Personally, if I have missed church my whole week is off. Attending church sets the tone for the rest of the week.  We all have to continue to endure to the end, because it's not over unti we're all safely dead!  Near the end of the meeting, the missionaries were given a half and hour to ask Elder Grow anything that we wanted.  One of the questions was, "What is the key to staying active?"  His answer, TITHING.  People are not going to pay tithing if they don't have faith in where their money is going.  Put your faith where your money is and your money where your faith is.  I have seen that when you do so, the Lord will bless you by making sure everything works out like it's supposed to.  Especially when you sacrifce to pay tithing.

Once we got home from the mission tour, we had about an hour and a half, so we decided to go visit one of our former investigators, Diana and Greg.  It was great to be able to meet them but the lesson didn't go as well as we had hoped and we left pretty upset.  Earlier that week we had received an online referral, Allison, whom we contacted but they didn't even answer.  When we came out of the lesson with Diana ad Greg we had a call from Allison so we called her back.  She said that she was interested and was planning on going to church with three of her friends on Sunday.  Allison's phone call was exactly what we needed to feel like we could move on from Diana and Greg and to continue to find others.  Earlier that day, Elder Grow had talked about how it is okay to move on from investigators who are not progressing because there are people out there who will progress.  We just have to find them.  Missionaries are not the only oes who have that responsibility either.  As members of His church, we are supposed to share our testimonies and share our knowledge that we have o this good news.  With General Conference coming up, I challenge each of you to invite sone one to come unto Christ, by inviting them to listen to the words of the prophets.  There is a universal need in the world; the gospel.  Share it :)

I hope you all have a great week!
Love you all!

Sister White

Week 3:  First Week in MISSOURI!

Mom's Favorite Quote of the Week:  "We shared the restoration with her and a couple of her children and continued by asking if she would read the Book of Mormon and pray to know of it's truths.  Once again, she said yes!  AND she wanted to pray right there!  So we prayed in her front yard!"

9/14/2015 Email:  Well as many of you have heard, I am not a fan of flying.  On our way down into Minnesota I totally lost my stomach and it ended up all over my lap. It was fantastic.  Luckily, It only got on me, and I had an extra change of clothes in my carry on.  Once we landed I still wasn't feeling the best so I asked one of the Elders from my district to give me a blessing.  Who knew it would be so hard to find a place to give a blessing in an airport?  We decided to go into a family bathroom where we could lock to door so someone wouldn't walk in during the blessing.  So I knelt on the bathroom floor :)  The power of the priesthood is so real and God gives you comfort even in airport bathrooms!  My Companion and I decided that it was not our week because she kept getting bloody noses from the humidity and then I woke up with one in the middle of the night!  What doesn't kill you makes you stronger ;)  The four sisters that were in my district got to stay in a hotel because the house was so full with missionaires!  So it kind of felt like our mission was a vacation!

My new companion is Sister Fisher.  She is from Alberta, Canada and is seriously the sweetest!  I havve learned so much from her and she is very encouraging.  We seem to work really well together :)  We have been visiting a lot of Less Actives and potential investigators.  We set a baptism date for one of our investigators.  His name is Christopher and he is 11.  He is so full of knowledge about the gospel that he could have probably taught Sister Fisher and I the lesson!  Christopher lives with his grandparents because his mother recently passed away.  His grandparents are less active and really are working towards being able to be sealed in the temple.  It would be fantastic to be albe to help them accomplish that goal :)

I have been able to see the miracles of tracting!!  We were knocking doors a few minutes before one of our dinner appointments and the woman was short on time so we legft her with a pamphlet and our card.  Not even ten minutes later we had a text from the same woman saying that she had a few quetions and would like to meet with us sometime.  AHH!  Sister Fisher and I were having a minor freak out because we were so excited!  Yesterday we were tracting once again and I was the one talking this time.  I asked the one woman if we could share a quick message with her.  She said yes!  I was NOT expecting that at all!!  We shared the restoration with her and a couple of her children and continued by asking if she would read the Book of Mormon and pray to know of it's truths.  Once again, she said yes!  AND she wanted to pray right there!  So we prayed in her front yard!  It was such an amaing experience!  We scheduled an appointment to come back and teach her about how through God's plan for us, her family can be togeter forever.  She really liked the idea of that!  Tracting is awesome!

The members of the Fulton area are amazing.  They are anxiously engaged in missionary work ad are always wanting to help!  We have a goal as a ward to have 30 baptisms by the end of the year and are half way there!  The field is ripe and ready to harvest out her in Missouri!

I hope yo all have a great week!
Love you all!
Sister White

Week 2:  Flying to Missouri

Mom's Favorite Quote of the Week:  "Being in the MTC was like living in a Spiritual bubble.  It's like the Heaven's open up with knowledge and fill your brain."

No email this week.  Because Sister White flew to Missouri on Tuesday, she was not able to email, BUT she was able to call home, which did our hearts sooo, sooo good!  She talked about the blessings of being taught in the MTC and about being worried that she might not have the ability to open her mouth and share.  I know that she has that ability as she has never been a shy girl, as many of you that know her already can atest to.

We also received a phone call from the Minnesota airport where Sister White reported that she is "Not a fan of flying" as she had become air sick upon landing and lost her breakfast all over her new skirt.  As luck would have it, she had clothes to change and caring Elders close by who helped her to get off the plane and then gave her a blessing of comfort.

Upon arriving in Missouri, Sister White was assisgned to labor in Fulton, MO with Sister Fisher as her training companion. We are anxiously awaiting her email this week for more details.

A Tender Mercy happened this week, as Mom ran into a woman named Ginny from inside the mission in MO.  This woman, posted on a facebook page stating that she was going to be driving sisters to the transfers that week.  Mom asked her to please give Sister White a hug from her if she saw her.  Sister Ginny's reply was that she would, but she didn't think they would end up seeing eachother because of the commotion and many missionairies at transfers.  On Wednesday night, this sweet Sister Ginny, posted a picture to the facebook page saying that she had indeed found Sister White and had given her two hugs from her momma.  She went on to explain that Sister White was assisgned to her area in Fulton and that she traveled back with her in her van.  Sister White also ate dinner at their house later that week, Mom also received a picture of Sister White's smiling face.  All is Well and my Heavenly Father knows and understands what Mom needs to be able to put her heart at ease.  Feeling very blessed!

Week 1... At the MTC

Mom's Pick of Favorite Quote of the week:  "I realize how blessed I am to be able to wear His name over my heart every single day."

Farewell Talk

 Honesty and Integrity

Honesty has many words that describe it. I looked up “Honesty” on Urban Dictionary and one of the definitions read: a moral/philosophical quality that you can't buy at the local Walmart. Though this is true, it’s not exactly the definition I had in mind. When I think of honesty, I think of being sincere, being truthful and not being deceitful no matter what the consequences. There are many people in this world that do not know the difference between right and wrong, or the importance of honesty. The beginning of the 13^th article of faith reads:

 We believe in being honest, true, chaste, benevolent, virtuous, and in doing good to all men.

 Our honesty is tested daily.  Sometimes we may find that is easier to tell a “white lie” than to tell the true because we are afraid of the repercussion. However, it is important to remember that when we tell white lies, we progressively become colorblind and immune to telling the truth.

When you are honest in every way, you are able to have a sense of peace and maintain a level of self-respect. You build strength of character which allows you to be of service to the Lord and to others. For The Strength of Youth reminds us that dishonesty harms you and harms others as well. If you lie, steal, shoplift, or cheat, you damage your spirit and your relationships with others. Being honest will enhance your future opportunities and your ability to be guided by the Holy Ghost. Be honest at school; choose not to cheat in any way. Be honest in your job, giving a full amount of work for your pay. Do not rationalize that being dishonest is acceptable, even though others may think it does not matter. An example of integrity is Ted William’s story. 

Ted Williams was closing out his career with the Boston Red Sox. He was suffering from a pinched nerve in his neck that season. Williams explained that the thing was so bad that he could hardly turn his head to look at the pitcher. For the first time in his career he batted under .300, hitting just .254 with 10 home runs. He was the highest salaried player in sports, making $125,000. The next year, the Red Sox sent him the same contract. When he got the contract, Williams sent it back with a note saying that he would not sign it until they gave him the full pay cut allowed. He was always treated fairly by the Red Sox when it came to contracts, Now they were offering he a contract He didn’t deserve. And he only wanted what he deserved. Williams cut his own salary by 25 percent, raised his batting average by 62 points and closed out a brilliant career by hitting a home run in his final at bat.  Integrity is knowing the difference between what you have to do and knowing what the right thing to do Is, whether someone is watching or not. Proverbs 19:1 reads “Better is the poor that walketh in his integrity, than he that is perverse in his lips, and is a fool.”  President Kimball taught us that "Integrity is one of the cornerstones of character . . . No virtues in the perfection we strive for are more important than integrity and honesty. Let us then be complete, unbroken, pure, and sincere, to develop in ourselves that quality of soul we prize so highly in others.”

There are different aspects of honesty; being honest with the Lord, being honest with others and being honest with ourselves. We can be honest with the Lord by paying a full tithe or other offerings, by being worthy to partake of the sacrament, by fulfilling our church assignments, and by keeping our promises with the Lord. One of the most important indicators of how honestly invested we are is how serious we keep the agreements we have made. A story by Elder Keith W. Wilcox reads: ““During my second college year on December 7, 1941, the United States was attacked at Pearl Harbor. … I decided to join the Navy with the object of becoming a naval officer. An entire day was spent in the Naval Recruiting Office filling out forms for consideration. One of the last questions on the naval physical fitness questionnaire … asked whether I had ever had ‘hay fever.’ I remember staring at this question for a long time. … It was evident that my answer could affect my being accepted or rejected as a candidate for officer consideration. The simple truth was that I had experienced hay fever all of my life and sneezed very often. It would be so easy to mark no to this question since it would probably never come up again. However, marking no would be dishonest. It was a little thing, and yet a principle was at stake. With reluctance, I marked the space for yes and handed the paper back. The medical officer, upon seeing my answer, looked up and exclaimed, ‘Don’t you know that naval officers can’t have hay fever? You will have to take a special allergy test.’ The test showed that I suffered a considerable number of allergies. [The officer] then took my application forms, calmly tore them up, and threw them into a wastebasket. I … asked, ‘What shall I do now?’ The officer calmly replied that the ‘draft’ would take care of me and not to worry. Sick at heart, I went back to school, transferring to the University of Utah. … My graduation with a Bachelor of Science in mechanical engineering occurred in December of 1943, two years following Pearl Harbor. The day following my graduation, I again presented myself to the naval  office … and indicated that I had just graduated [in] mechanical engineering … and showed them my degree. When they learned I was interested in becoming a naval officer, I experienced ‘red carpet’ treatment. … A direct commission as an ensign was offered that day. I told the officer … , ‘Sir, I suffer severe hay fever. What do you think of that?’ The officer laughed. He said that at one time it was a consideration, but not anymore. The ship to which I was later assigned … was the USS LSM 558. It was our understanding that this ship was destined for the invasion of Japan. … Instead, we were given orders to patrol on the Atlantic Coast from Boston to Florida. In August of 1985, [Sister Wilcox and I] toured … the great war memorial in Manila dedicated to those from our country who had given their lives during World War II. … Our experiences at the Manila war memorial reminded us of many personal friends who joined the services in the first years of that war and who did not return. Had I become a part of those early engagements, the possibility of losing my life would have been very great. Had I been willing to tell an untruth concerning my hay fever, I would have been immediately sent into the first bitter battles where so many had lost their lives. Looking back to that eventful day, I realized that I survived one of the greatest tests of my life in telling the truth about my hay fever. … There had been a great temptation to tell a ‘little lie,’ but the counsel my father had given me … had served me well.'" Elder Wilcox was blessed for being honest. The rejection from the navy saved him from the possibility of losing his life, like many of his personal friends had in those first years of war. We may find that honest does not bring immediate blessings. Sometimes we may even suffer from being honest. We must trust in the Lord, and he will bless us for being honest.

Sometimes, it is harder to be honest with yourself than with others. Especially when you feel like no one will know, so you have no one to be accountable to. However, this is not true. The Lord knows. It is important to be honest with ourselves because it preserves our integrity and self-worth. At times, we may unknowingly effect others with our honesty. Elder Spencer W. Kimball told a story that read: “On the train from New York to Baltimore we sat in the dining car opposite a businessman and commented, ‘It seldom rains like this in Salt Lake City. The conversation soon led naturally into the golden question: ‘How much do you know about the Church?’ I know little about the Church,’ he said, ‘but I know one of its people.’ He was developing subdivisions in New York. ‘There is a sub-contractor working for me,’ he continued. ‘He is so honest and full of integrity that I never ask him to bid on a job. He is the soul of honor. If the Mormon people are like this man, I’d like to know about a church that produces such honorable men.’ We were able to leave him with a Book of Mormon and sent the missionaries to teach him.” The man in the story had a desire to investigate the Church because of how honest one of his workers was. Many times our honest actions influence others. Often honesty is easy to practice, but sometimes we may think dishonesty would be easier. However, honesty always brings blessings.

Honesty is tied to the principals of the restored truth.  Everything we do should be tied to the principles of restored truth and I have found that as I strive to be honest the Lord has helped me become more Christ-like and has helped me prepare to become an instrument in his hands. I know that if I am honest in my daily doings that I will have the Holy Ghost as a constant companion who will guide and comfort me. I know that as we can develop a love for integrity through daily prayer and scripture study, for I have found this for myself. Of these things I testify, in the name of thy son, Jesus Christ, Amen.