Week 53: Un Año!

 Hello all! This was a fun miracle-filled week, and I just had to say I absolutely love this work :)) Hope you're all doing well too!!

Things to know:

- Our friend William wants to get baptized on the 28th and we saw a huge miracle with him! We had a phone call lesson on Friday to tell him he had to give up chewing tobacco and drinking coffee and we showed up for a lesson Saturday and He had all of his stuff ready in a bag to give to us. He even gave us his whole coffee pot! He said he was scared but he knew he could do it, because He has Jesus Christ! 

William is making so much effort and it is so amazing! May 28th here we come!! 

- Hit one year! Yes I know I'm not an hermana and my title was in Spanish, but a Sister can dream alright?  Nah I'm kidding everything just sounds cooler in Spanish haha. I thought it would feel different hitting a year, but its like a birthday for me: it feels the same. I will say tho it is very bittersweet thinking about being at a year! It feels like just yesterday that I started, and I don't want it to keep going by so fast. But I also absolutely love being a missionary! And I think that was the best part about being at a year; just seeing the growth I've made this past year and how I've learned to rely on Jesus Christ and know who I am because of Him! 

- Had interviews with President this week and it went really well. He gave me some great counsel and told me some very kind things about how much he trusts me. He always tells me I'm like a daughter he never had and I just: I love my President!

- We had 5 friends come to church and it was awesome! Saw a huge miracle with being persistent in inviting a friend Jon and getting him a ride. He told us that this was the first time he has felt the spirit at church!!! We were so happy. Saw another miracle with one of our members inviting his nonmember friend Ralph. He came up and asked us a bunch of questions about our church, and we ended up teaching him for all of second hour! We made him a new and have another lesson this week now! 

- Had an amazing MLC and it was fun to be back since my 3rd transfer. We talked about some amazing new things we want to implement in the mission, and I got to see some old friends! Always a good time.

- Saw some gorgeous sunsets and a double rainbow that just reminded me how much God is aware of me, because I was praying for lots of miracles this week and it was almost like they were some mini ones just for me.

Stories of the week:

- Watched President Nelson's awesome youth devotional last night and he said some pretty legendary quotes I thought I would share: "I stopped buying green bananas" and "The ultimate FOMO would be missing out on the celestial kingdom". I love our prophet so much. If you want to know the context of the quotes, you'll have to watch to find out! You won't regret it!

- We were teaching someone we made new last week and she was telling us about how she believes in "icons" in her church. She then pointed to a shrine of Jesus and crosses in the corner of her house and proceeded to recite a prayer from her prayer book. All of a sudden she lunged towards the table in the middle of the prayer, totally catching Sister Hart and I off guard. I will be honest, I had to hold back some major laughs after the lunge because it reminded me of Nacho Libre. I told her "yeah we don't worship idols in our church" lol, and she wasn't very happy. Apparently there's a big difference between icons and idols? But ig I have yet to learn or understand how haha. Oh well. All I can say is I'm grateful our church believes in honoring Christ's name by our actions!

Spiritual thought:

- This week as I was reflecting on all I have learned in the past year, I was thinking about one major thing I have learned and that is to trust the Lord wholeheartedly. I used to have a lot of doubts, but now I am grateful for the faith that I have grown in my Savior Jesus Christ. I know that whatever He needs me to do will be better than what I want to do, and that His plan is perfect. I know that whatever I go through will only be for my benefit, which helps me see light at the end of the tunnel when it seems all hope is lost. I couldn't have learned to trust Him if it weren't for the hard times, and I am truly grateful for the struggles I have endured to help me better rely on my Savior. It has truly been a year of ups and downs, but I am glad to know now that I haven't been alone any step of the way. I am beyond grateful to know Jesus is my Savior, and I hope you can come to know this too. It has brought me more confidence, peace, happiness, purpose, and love. And who couldn't use more of those?! Praying for you always, and please ever let me know if I can help with any doubts or questions, because I will never EVER judge you! I simply want to help because I love you, and answering concerns is like my number one job rn ;)

I love ya'll!

Go expect miracles this week

Big or small,

Because He is waiting to give them to you!

- Sis Diggy

Pictures:

Enjoy 

 #iykyk

1 week in Idaho = cowgirl

Contraband

Elder Neerings

Elder Lotz

Elder Port #rip

Fat Tendermercy

MOD w - MOMscow

ONE YEAR !!

Rainy head

Sis <3

Sister Cravens!!!

Troy

Ye

Week 52: "Just goofin pot-boofin"

 Hey y'all! What an amazing week. I am honestly thriving out here in the boons, I forgot how much I missed it since being in the Silver Valley at the beginning of my mission!!! Also Sister Hart and I have too much fun and have the same humor, it's kinda scary. Hope everyone is doing well!:

Things to know:

- I ran out of contacts and have had to wear my glasses this whole last week. I hope you all enjoy these pictures while they last, because I will never be wearing glasses again once my contacts come. That's all.

- We have about 7 different small towns that we cover, and we rotate through them one/two days a week. This makes time FLY because we are somewhere different each day, and the people are all so fun.

- Everyone here is so receptive, we easily made 7 new (in the city we had to GRIND and would barely hit the standards), and saw lots of miracles with finding people we never would have found if we hadn't opened our mouths to talk to everyone!

- We have a friend named William who is getting baptized on May 28th and we went over for a lesson and he asked if he could move it up to the 25th to do it on his birthday!!! William is so cool. Miracles.

- We are over a ward in Troy and a branch in Potlach, but have to rotate each week because someone had the great idea to put them both at 10. We went to the Troy Ward and Sister Hart spoke, and two of our friends came! William came to the branch and so did another one of our friends! :D

- Tomorrow we have MLC and Friday we have interviews with President, so should be a great week! (Full of lots of driving too haha, it takes 2 hours to get to Spokane).

- I hit one year this next week and honestly I'm starting to feel really weird the more I think about it. I'm not ready to have 6 months left haha, time is going by too fast.

Stories of the week:

- We went to a meeting for new trainers/leadership this last Thursday and I got to see Sister Skinner & my roomies again (Woohoo! I was so happy!) because Sister Allen is 2nd training Sister Skinner and Sister Bird was getting a new missionary. Sister Skinner got to sit in on the meeting so she didn't have to be alone in the hall, and she made a super awesome comment during it. I was having a proud "mom moment" after because she's just so awesome and I was blessed to be her trainer, and President called on me after her. So I said: "That's my baby" before I shared my comment and President stopped me in the middle of my sentence and chastised me in front of 50 missionaries. He said he doesn't want us using terms like 'baby, mother, father, son, daughter, etc' when we refer to trainees or trainers because we should respect our titles. It was easily one of the most embarrassing things that have ever happened to me, and I could literally feel the second-hand embarrassment from the entire room. But it's alright because my goal of humility last transfer prepared me for it, so the corrections from leaders hardly faze me at this point. I'm just glad it was me and not Sister Skinner or another newer missionary that probably would have been haunted by President yelling at them.

- We got AWESOME news on Wednesday night that President is allowing us to message over messenger again! So that was super awesome. Someone in the MLC responded with a hilarious text message and I about lost it, because everyone is always so serious in that chat. So funny.

Spiritual Thought:

- This week I was studying in Alma and I loved this verse in chapter 40 that says:

"Now, I unfold unto you a mystery; nevertheless, there are many mysteries which are kept, that no one knoweth them save God himself" 

A lot of people we meet lately want questions answered for everything. They are on an endless search to fill a void inside of them, that can only be answered by the gospel. Because of the gospel we have the necessary questions of the soul answered, and with our testimony of the basics it leaves us trusting the rest of what God has in store for us. Don't get me wrong, I still have a multitude of questions, but I don't let them get in the way of what is most important. I wish I could help everyone understand that, and how once you have a testimony of the basics it makes it easier to have patience for God's mysteries. I know that God has a plan and everything will be answered according to His time, because of the scriptures and all His promises that have been fulfilled. Luke 12:2 - "For there is nothing covered, that shall not be revealed; neither hid, that shall not be known" (Seriously can't wait for this day though!) I know that God will answer your questions and make the hidden things revealed as you ask, seek, and knock in faith. It will just be according to His time :).

Quote of the week:

"If a creek is a crik, then are the greeks actually griks?" - Sister Hart

Have a good week!!!

I love being a missionary

Message me on messenger if you're cool

Love ya!

Sis Diggy

New addy if you need it:

116 No. Main St. Troy, ID 83871

(Also if you lived in my last apartment and are reading this, please give my sunglasses and my boots to the ZL's so they can give them to me at MLC haha LOVE YOU)

Pictures:

!!!

"Pot-boof" - Elder Rigby

April

Best friend Molly

Bye

Chicken slingers

Ex - techies

Hahahah

Help

Mc(c)(k)ay(e) x 2

My new area

Rip the Golden apartment

Rusty + Deanna

So much rain

Soaked again

Trio for a day

Walking on Heaven (iykyk)

weiner dogs

Week 51: Whiplash

 Sooo this was probably one of the craziest weeks of my mission. Hence why my weekly is titled whiplash: because there were some awesome times, and also some big unexpected news, so stay tuned.

Things to know:

- Our friends Latticia and Adora did not get baptized this weekend because neither of them are ready :(( But I know that they just need time, and its all in His timing.

- My birthday was one of the awesome parts, one of my members had us over for dinner and decorated her whole house for me. My roommates also made me a cake. I thought it was going to be weird just doing missionary work most of my bday but I absolutely loved it! 

- This week we also had a cool miracle: A lady called our Bishop and asked to meet with the missionaries. We called her and she said she was a non member and wanted us to come and teach her! We invited her to church and she wasn't able to come but said she wanted to next time. So cool!

Stories of the week + Spiritual thought: (SORRY THIS IS LONG BUT YOU GOTTA READ)

- Sooo it all went down on Friday. It started with us going to Chewelah for exchanges with our STLs. We get up there and they tell us that they feel like the Spirit is telling them there's a reason we shouldn't be exchanging. So we all prayed to see how we felt and we felt like we should leave after doing service together. We get to service and notice we have a missed call and a voicemail from one of our returning members named Michelle. Oh man was I unprepared for what happened next. Her voice was breaking and it sounded like she had been crying, and she asked us if we could send a blue heart to one of our members phones. My heart dropped and I knew immediately what that meant even without her saying it. Our member Brooke Ellefsen in the River Ridge ward has been battling stage 4 terminal lung cancer for 5 years, and her health had been declining very rapidly lately. I couldn't control the tears and sobbing that started erupting lol, and the sisters walked me back to the car. Brooke had passed away Friday morning and it was a quick painless death, but I was just so in shock because no one was ready for it to happen so soon. I had gotten very close to Brooke during both my times in North because she would fellowship for Michelle. Her and Michelle were friends in high school but hadn't seen each other since then because Michelle hadn't been active her entire life, and when we started helping her reactivate, they were able to reconnect (What a miracle that she just HAPPENED to be living in the same ward as her childhood friend). Those lessons held some of my strongest spiritual experiences on my mission, and I am so grateful that I got to know Sister Ellefsen on my mission and witness her doing what Heavenly Father needed her to do and help bring Michelle back. My heart aches for her sweet family, and seeing them at church this week just about broke my heart. It's times like these when I am so grateful for the knowledge of the Plan of Salvation and having faith that God is in control. I know that having faith in Him means trusting in His timing. 

- So for part two of crazy news on Friday. Trusting in His timing has definitely been the theme of this week. The STL's were definitely listening to the spirit because after that news we decided it would be best for us to just leave and drive home. While trying to drive home through tears and a massive migraine, we get a call from President. My heart dropped to the floor, because it was danger day (the day that missionaries get called into leadership or to train). We pulled the car over and answered the phone, and President called me to be an STL, and I was nottt happy. I feel bad hahaha because since I was already so emotional I just started crying on the phone with Him. I told him about the unexpected news I had just received and how this was all just very unexpected for me because I thought I was going to get to finish training Sister Skinner. We talked for a bit and I told Him I would be more than happy to accept the call and do what the Lord needed me to do. My heart was still broken because I really wanted to stay in my favorite area & keep training my sweet Sister Skinner. But President confided in me who her 2nd trainer would be and I immediately felt so much peace. We opened transfer calls yesterday morning and what he told me was confirmed, Sister Allen (my roommate) was going to be her 2nd trainer! And I found out I'll be going to Moscow. AGAIN! Crazy. I was feeling major deja vu because last time I left North I went to Moscow. This time I'll be in a different area, I'll be in Troy & Potlatch (which is super boonie, I'm hyped to be back in the boons) with Sister Hart! It should be a party, especially because we have the same first name. Kinda funny that my transfer goal was humility tho, because I have definitely had numerous very humbling experiences this transfer.

Anyway thanks for anyone who read all that, you're a real one. Excited to continue doing the Lord's will and finding those who He needs me to find, no matter where that is. Said a lot of hard goodbyes but honestly so grateful God let me come back to North and get more time in my home away from home. I'll never be able to put into words how much the experiences I've had in this area have impacted me, and I'm just glad I can come back and see all my favorite people and ward members after the mish.

Until next time...

In Moscow!

Love,

Sister Diggy

Pictures:

(Spam with lots of bday & bye pics)

Adora

Alma

Balloons

Bday Pickleball

Brooke

Bunnies

Bye baby

Floating away

For the fam

Hi

Janice + Katie

Manito Gardens last pday

Michelle

My child's adopted mom

Rip Norf zone

Sister Dunn

Spogang

Spoiled

The Bawdens

birthday