It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year

Dearest Family,
I am so happy today. :)
So the reason that I am emailing so late is because we had our first snow storm of the season last night! It started out as rain, but when we woke up, it was a blustery storm outside! It snowed 1-3 inches, depending on where you are, but it basically shut down our mission. We weren't allowed to drive. So we finally got permission to drive just to the VC to email, and that is probably the extent of our day. We did laundry in our complex, which was super expensive, but whatever. The snow is fun. :)
Actually, it was a big deal because today is transfer day, and they had to delay transfers because no one can drive, including the transfer bus! So everyone will stay where they are for at least one day. The new missionaries get to hang out at the mission home for a day, waiting. That sounds exciting. Poor President Keyes.
Well, I don't have too much news, but life is good around these parts. Transfers were this week and Sister Harding and I are staying together. I am so glad. I feel like I am not finished training her. We will use the next 6 weeks to finish everything up. We also are staying on Thursday P-Day, so look for my email next Thursday. Sister Hansen, my co-Sister Trainer was transferred to the Liberty Jail (we knew it was coming) so, the new Sister Trainer is Sister Sant. I was so nervous about who it would be, but the Lord always comes through. I am so grateful. She is so great! I don't have to worry about fighting her about everything! She is humble and learns fast, so we will work well together. We already basically finished the schedule for next transfer. yay. :)
The other news is that Sister Hodson is training! So I now have 3 daughters and 2 grand-daughters. I am just so proud I could burst. I love Sister Hodson so much. She wrote me and is a little nervous, but she is excited. She will do great. I am just so proud of how far she has come from the awkward and quiet sister she was when she came out. She'll be great. I met my grand daughter last night, and she seems really sweet.
Last Saturday was the Ward Christmas Party, which was a hit. So many people came! The food was great (they had ham catered, and the whole ward signed up to bring a million different kinds of mac and cheese. What a cool idea. And salads, rolls, and desserts. What else do you need?) The Primary did a huge nativity with everyone involved. There were about 15 shepherds, 20 angels, 1 Mary, 1 Joseph, 7 wise men, and 1 cow. It was awesome. There were kids who listened and did what they were told, but there were kids who were dancing in the middle of the stage. Best Christmas Party Ever. :)
This week the VC got three brand new 2013 Chevy Cruz's (I think that is how you spell it. I dunno). They are awesome. I love them so much! Man, if only I could buy this nice of a car after my mission. They drive like a dream.
Okay, I have some bad news. On Friday last week I was flossing. I was trying really hard to do a good job. But the floss got stuck, and I pulled...and my bottom retainer popped right off. oops. I was upset about it, but then looking closer, I am worried that I might have gotten a cavity under my retainer because it has been sitting there for 7 years. So I set up a dentist appointment for next week to get it checked out. I don't know what else to do. Our home insurance will have to pay for it. I'm sorry. I'll see if he is willing to glue my retainer back on (it is all in one piece and not bent and I kept it) or I might have to go see an orthodontist here. I just hope my teeth don't move first.
Last Friday we saw Kris again and taught him the Restoration officially, even though he already knew it. It went great. Every lesson with him is the best lesson ever. We used a 19 year old boy in the ward as a team up, and he was great. They hit it off right away.
But then, on Sunday, we called Josh (the team up) to double check that he was giving Kris a ride to church. Turned out that Kris had told him that he wasn't coming because of his work, but neither of them thought to tell us. We were upset. It was no fun to sit alone at church. Kris worked 15 hours at his job Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights, so he was too tired to come to church. I guess I kind of understand, but I was really sad. Then he didn't respond to anything for 3 days, which is eternity in missionary world. But now we have an appointment for tomorrow like nothing happened. Man, I don't think he realizes how much we care. We might have to move back his baptism date so that he has time to learn everything. And I would prefer for him to come to church more than twice. So we'll see.
On Tuesday I did an exchange with a new missionary. Going in she said, "Maybe you can help us crack these investigators. We've been seeing them forever, and they aren't really progressing." The first one we taught the Law of Chastity (which he previously had a ton of questions about) and the Plan of Salvation. It went great and he really loved it. All of his questions were answered, and he got really excited about the Celestial Kingdom. It was awesome.
Side note: recently I have tried a new way of teaching the Plan of Salvation. I explain it differently and more simply and draw the diagram --in color-- we have all seen before with a few of my own adaptations as we teach it. Then when we leave, I leave them with my drawing as a gift for them to study along with the pamphlet. Every time we do that, the lesson goes great and they really understand. Everyone has been excited to keep my drawing. We taught it to Sandy, our recent convert, yesterday, and she loved it. She said, "I vaguely remember the elders teaching me this, but it made no sense. This was SO much better." :)
Anyway, then we went to see their eternigator. As soon as we said the prayer he asked, "So, who is going to baptize me?" We explained who could, confused because baptism was a touchy subject. "I want the Bishop to baptize me. I want to be baptized before the beginning of the year as a new start. I am doing this for Jesus. He has done so much for me, so I am doing this for him." He had tears in his eyes. It was a miracle!!! We hadn't even started to teach him anything! Then he asked what the requirements were for him to be baptized. He had forgotten about the Word of Wisdom, but just hadn't felt like drinking coffee for the last 5 days, so he can still be baptized on the 29th before the end of the year even though it is less than 2 weeks away! Miracle!
Anyway, it has been a good week. I love you! Talk to you on Tuesday!
Love,
Sister Atkin

Christmas is Coming...

Family!

Guess what? I get to talk to you soon! I just realized that! Anyway, we'll talk about that next time.

Life is great. :)

Last Saturday we had some members set up a last minute lesson with their friend for us. We went and taught him and had no time, and it was actually pretty awkward. He's single and in his late 20's. We'll have the elders teach that one. But it was still cool that the members would make the effort and help out the missionary work--and were willing to share the gospel with their friend. Even though we are not the right fit for him, the spirit was in the lesson. It was good.

Kris, our miracle new investigator, forgot his appointment this weekend. He called us later and felt really bad--he had been at the movies with his 9 year old autistic niece. We couldn't be mad at him. But he came to church on Sunday in his best jeans and a shirt that had a collar and buttoned up. He even took out his earring! We were so proud. Everyone was so nice, and he had a great time. At first he looked a little anxious, but he calmed down and had a good time. He even participated in class, and apparently the bishop caught him the hall and had a chat with him after elders quorum. Twenty minutes after church, Kris called us just to say he had a great time and he was so excited about everything and thank you. It was awesome.

Then we saw him again yesterday and taught him the Plan of Salvation and the Word of Wisdom. It went great. He just really gets it and is super excited about it. He really glows. It is so weird because I never thought I would connect so quickly with a guy with tattoos and earrings, but we are friends. I can't even really describe it because he is just 25 (he looks 19), but we just can teach in a way he understands and I just feel the Saviors love for him.  It is funny because things were so awkward with the members' friend, but things are not awkward at all with Kris. He's awesome. You'll have to meet him someday when he's a member and we come to visit my mission. I just know that both Sister Harding and I together were the ones who were supposed to teach him.

Monday was another awesome day. We had an appointment with Kylee, our other investigator that is married to an inactive member. It was the best lesson we have ever had with her. The Plan of Salvation again--now one of my favorite things to teach. Before it was intimidating, but now it is my favorite.

Then we had dinner with members, and this member is awesome. She was doing anything she could to get any of her neighbors to meet us or come to dinner with us. Finally her neighbor just randomly called after she came home from a trip and agreed to come to dinner. Her name is Nebraska, and she is awesome. I think she is coming to the Ward Christmas party this week.

THEN, we went to contact a headquarters referral. It took us forever to find it, and then he didn't live there. But the lady that did live there pointed us across the street to a man by that name that used to live there.

When we knocked on the door, the man that answered looked super surprised to see us, but went to get Carl because he did indeed live there. Carl came out and he was definitely only wearing boxers. No joke. Big beer belly, too. He looked shocked to see us and stayed standing behind the couch for decency. His friend finally got him a jacket to put on, but he just left it hanging open. We didn't let it get to us, and taught him anyway. It turned out he lives here, but works in Lawrence Kansas and stays there half the week. Last week he ran into elders out in Lawrence when he was drunk, and they gave him their number on a card--he showed it to us. What a coincidence. But he didn't recognize the name of the person that sent the referral. A member had called it in to the mission office (not the elders), but he didn't know a Lorraine. So we don't know how we found him. But we taught him about the Book of Mormon and he was interested, so we invited him to the Ward Christmas Party and set up a return appointment. So I have now found a new investigator in his underwear. Cool.

This week is going to be a good one. Tonight we are doing our Secret Sister gift exchange, and I still have to buy mine. Oops. I drew Sister Godfrey, one of the senior couple missionaries. We also have the Visitors' Center sisters musical night tomorrow when we are preforming. It should be good. The Ward Christmas Party is on Saturday, and I already know that there are going to be a ton of nonmembers there, so we are excited.

Transfers are next week, and I am just praying that Sister Harding will stay! I don't feel finished training her! I think she will stay. We'll see. I am almost positive that I will stay. Probably for the rest of my mission. Next transfer the new Visitors' Center director comes out (like a new mission president) and I really want to help him transition (because my position is like Assistant to the President to the Visitors' Center Director and I will be able to help a lot). Exciting things!

Well, I am out of time, but I love you. Thanks for your short email, mom. :)

I will talk to you soon enough! And I will have Thursday P-Day next week unless I get transferred (not likely).

I looooooooooooove you!

Love,

Sister Atkin

Miracle Monday

Dear Family,

What a good week. I do have stories to tell!

First of all, dad, I forgot to tell you about my Thanksgiving. It was alright. We had it with a few people in our ward and some old people living in a retirement community. There wasn't room for us anywhere except at a table by ourselves, and then the elders sat by us. So we had an awkward Thanksgiving with the elders. but then we went to a family in the ward's house for pie, and that was nice. It was an okay day. It was our preparation day, which was weird.

Second of all, dad, I agree. I don't want you to pick me up out here. I just want to fly home at the end of my mission and rip that bandaid fast. We can tour my mission later with Willie or something (I would love to show you the historical sites, though!). It is strange that my release date is the 15th because my ministerial certificate expires on the 13th. Oh, well. So anyway, you can fill out the paperwork that you won't be picking me up.

So. This week.

Last Thursday was a good day. We taught our spanish speaking investigator finally, and just had her read the pamphlet in spanish. I want her to be baptized someday! Man...

On Friday we tried a former investigator from three years ago, and when we knocked on the door, she let us right in like she was expecting us and we were late. She's this awesome black lady named Ms. Karen (yes, she is married). Her reaction: "They finally sent me girls!!" Her Book of Mormon and all her pamphlets were still sitting in the middle of her coffee table next to her ash tray. It was awesome. I liked her right away, although we weren't able to really talk much. She used awesome phrases like, "It's jus that simple" "Jus keepin' it real" and "see wha I'm sayin'?" The best part was Sister Harding's reaction after we left. She's never met a real black person, I guess, let alone taught one. I love it. They are great people. She told us some awesome stories. She's really good at preachin'. I laughed so hard. We really wanted to teach her, but even though we called her two hours before church and she said she would come, she never did. It turns out that her daughter told us that we thought black people were animals and wouldn't give her a ride. Hopefully she comes this Sunday, but she's moving to Oklahoma soon. We'll send missionaries there once we get her new address.

Sunday was Fast Sunday. After thinking about it, I decided to fast to be able to find someone that was ready for baptism=a miracle. I know God can give us miracles if it is His will, and this wasn't a selfish request. I want to be able to help, and I felt like it was time. I later found out that Sister Harding was fasting for the same thing.

(oh, and the Christmas Devotional was great. :) )

So then Monday rolled around, the day after our fast. We headed out with a lot of energy. We had a former investigator that we felt really good about, but hadn't been able to find. So we called the elders so they could use their GPS to tell us where it was. We headed where they said, and it didn't exist. It was a beautiful day in the 70's, so we decided to try some doors. We met one man who wasn't interested, but when he found out that that new temple was ours, he said he wanted to check it out with his kids. We explained that he couldn't go in, but he still wants to go to the grounds and get a church tour. Sweet!

Then we tried some more doors, but no one answered. As we were leaving one door, there was a young man walking down the street. I just said hi, and when he turned to say hi, he looked excited to see us. He stopped in his tracks and stuck out his hand to shake ours. He was just coming home from work. He is a skinny white guy with a tattoo on his neck, some bling in his ear, and a flat brimmed hat, but with the light of Christ in his eyes as he was excited to see us. I asked if he had seen missionaries before, and he stared at my name tag for a second "uh... yeah!" He had met with missionaries before and even gone to church a few times, but had missed some appointments and then moved, so he had lost track of them. He wanted to come to church with us and start meeting with us again! He even still has his Gospel Principles manual. :)

I looked at him and said, "Kris, you know, you are an answer to my prayers. We know that the gospel has blessed us so much and made us so happy, and we just want people who will listen! We love sharing it! You are the answer to my prayers."

Then he said, "Yeah, you know, I was just thinking as I was walking how I wanted more religion again. In fact this last Sunday I was so deprived that I went down to that church," he said gesturing down the street with disgust. "Their bible study was just a bunch of men talking about current events."

We agreed that it was no coincidence that we had met him on the stree that day. And there was his house, across the street from us. The timing could not have been more perfect.

The spirit was prompting me to set him on a baptism date. We already had a return appointment with him in two days, but the spirit kept saying now. So I brought it up. "Did the other missionaries talk to you about baptism and what that means?"

"Oh yeah. That it isn't something you just do. There are steps you need to do to be ready for it."

"Would that be something you would be interested in?"

"Yeah, or else I wouldn't be talking to you." He was almost laughing at me.

"We are holding a baptismal service Dec. 29th. Would you prepare for that date?"

"Don't you kinda have control over when those things happen?"

"Yeah, but would you start working towards that day?"

"Yeah, sounds great."

He looked so happy. What a miracle! I wasn't there for our return appointment with him because I was on exchanges, but it sounds like it went well. He's coming to church this sunday. We are so excited!

We met some more people on that street that wanted us to come back (and one guy that was just hitting on me, but whatever. "here's a website." the end.)

Then we went to try a Part Member Family. They weren't home, but as we walked away, a dog ran up to us. It was cute so we said hi, and helped it go back to it's owner who was calling after it. It was a man named Tom. He has hit a real low in his life and realizes that he can't regain what he lost. He had a job, a wife, kids, a house, a car, and then he started using Meth, and he has lost it all. He is working on getting clean, but almost has lost hope that the future will be better. He was really humble and ready for some hope. The spirit was so strong. He asked us to pray for him, and as we did, I felt hope for him. He can do it. I am not afraid of him at all, and I really feel that he has been prepared. He's right, he will never regain what he had before, but if he turns to God, he can get something else good, and turn his life around. I believe it.

As we went home, we were both in shock about our miracle morning. The Lord answers fasts and prayers. He knows what he is doing and he loves us. When it is time for a miracle, it isn't bad to ask for one. He provides. It's His work anyway.

Tuesday I wasn't feeling so great. I almost wonder if I am reacting to my meds, so I am going to go off of them for a few days to see if it helps. Don't worry, I'm doing good.

Then yesterday we did an exchange with the full proselyting sisters in Odessa. It was a good day. They drive a truck and live in an ancient tiny house by themselve in a tiny town. It's awesome. We had a pretty good day. Except that they lost both of their progressing investigators. One is moving and the other got hit by a semi and broke his back and both legs. What a sad day!

So here we are on today. I am pretty worn out, so I am probably going to take a nap.

I love you all!

Have a great week!

 

Love,

Sister Atkin

Another Good Week to be a Missionary!

Dearest Family,

Life is good. :)

Actually, not a lot has happened this week, but I am very happy. I am doing great. It is starting to get pretty cold, and last night my feet were frozen, but we made it through. We are going to start bundling up more.

I didn't get my release date, but I think I have known it my whole mission--I am going home March 14th, right? I did cry when I got Dad's letter about that, but I am not thinking about it too much. It will come fast enough whether or not I am thinking about it. So I won't. :)

Our life is good. Our area kind of suffered last week. We had Zone Conference, Thanksgiving, a no car day (=no proselyting day), and we had a big event at the Visitors' Center. We are hoping for a better week this week, but we are still struggling a bit. We feel so limited by the amount of time we have here!

Our main investigator we saw this week was Kylie. She is married to a member, and is super nice. She agreed to officially start investigating. We had another lesson with her this week, but it went really badly. They had a brand new kitten that was galloping all over the place, scratching the furniture, with their 5 year-old chasing it, yelling, all over the house. The 6 month old is scooting now and was trying to eat legos. The kitten thought it would be a cool idea to sneak up stairs, and then pretend to be a lion on the hunt as it galloped down the stairs and pounced, claws extended to kill the prey. Problem: I am not a very good catch. My arm is a bit scratched up. Our member team up also had to leave in the middle of the lesson, and we were still regaining the ability to breathe and think after leaving another home that had problems with cats (and a halfway naked, shedding dog). Needless to say, we were not able to teach her the Plan of Salvation. Hopefully next week.

Yesterday we got to our area to discover that we had forgotten the addresses of all of the places we wanted to go at home. So we went to a nice looking neighborhood and prayed for a miracle. We were able to talk to a ton of people last night, and we felt really led, even though we couldn't feel our feel. Sadly the only person willing to meet with us again is a less active, but we are excited about her. She needs the gospel again. None of her kids are members, so it could be really good.

The Visitors' Center is doing great. We are now in the super slow part of the year. Yesterday 2 people total came into the center, and one of them was some of the sisters' investigator that they had invited. It is hard to just sit for that long, knowing that the numbers in our area are pretty bad right now. It has been good to have time to try to teach Sister Harding. She is catching the vision of all of the things she wants to learn. I have been teasing her because some of the things I do drive her crazy, but she wants me to be her companion for the rest of her mission because she feels like she could learn a lot from me. We are pretty much exact opposites, but it has been good and we get along most of the time. Her overall stress levels have gone down a lot. I remember going through that.

I love my calling as a Trainer Sister because it keeps me a little busier. We were having some dress code problems (you can tell people before their missions to not bring skirts that are too short, but it doesn't mean that they will), so we brought it up again in our training meeting. One of the sisters that we have really been struggling with approached me a few days later to show off her modest skirt. I hadn't even talked to her personally--we just talked to everyone in general--but she said to me, "Did you see my skirt? I know that you were talking to me the other day. I was the problem. Look!" She was so proud to show me that she had pinned the slit closed and that it was long enough to cover her knees. It made her happy to be obedient. And that is what we want for her. I love it when we don't have to force the issue. It is a lot easier and more effective to teach correct principles and to let them govern themselves.

Today when we were doing our laundry, a man approached us. His personal hygiene wasn't the greatest, and he proceeded to tell us that not only was he 27 (He looked 62), he was cousins with the Osmonds, worked in the secret service to get corruption out of the police forces, and that he wanted to take us out. He was willing to find us in Utah (and he could because he is in the Secret Service), and we were beautiful ladies so he was willing to wait. Sister Harding has a nervous laugh, so she actually was laughing at him while he was there. I felt horrible. It is sad how some people live. I hope he finds happiness somewhere.

(Don't worry. We just told him that if he wanted to find our church here or in Missouri, he could go to mormon.org and we gave him a card for the website that doesn't have our number on it)

Well, I think that is the extent of our adventures this week. I hope to have more adventures soon to be able to tell you about them.

I love you!

Love,

Sister Atkin

Happy Thanksgiving!

Dearest Familia,
I love you very much. Today I am grateful for a lot of things, but you are definitely on that list. I am so grateful for you!
This week hasn't been very eventful, so hopefully I have something to say.
We did find a lot of new investigators last week. We were so excited! I broke my personal record! And you know how it happened? We talked to everyone. Preach My Gospel tells us that is what we need to do to find people, but I have never been very good at it. It is scary to approach people in parking lots and stuff. But, Sister Harding is amazing at it. She is pretty shy, but that doesn't scare her for some reason. Before I even notice someone around us, she's talking to them about the Book of Mormon. She's awesome. That's how we found so many new investigators last week. I am learning a lot from her. Hopefully she is learning from me, too. :)
One of the people we talked to was Angela. She has friends in New Jersey that are members, and they sent us to talk to her. We have tried a few times, but she hasn't been home. We went to try her this week, and her dad said she wasn't home again. We went to try a few houses in her neighborhood, and that didn't work, so we were wandering past her house again to get back to our car. She yelled out to us from her long driveway. We were impressed that she would even care enough to get our attention. Then she informed us that she wasn't interested--she's catholic and her daughters are taking their first communion soon. But she was still friendly, so we kept probing a little. It was strange how clear she wanted to be about us not coming back and that she wasn't interested while still wanting to have a conversation with us. Sister Harding asked her if she had a Book of Mormon from her friends. She had lost the copy they had given her, and was happy to accept a new one to replace her old one. Then she said, "If you come back, come in the evenings. It's usually better for me. Or you could call me--do you want my number? Call me this Friday after Thanksgiving." I was so confused. She did or didn't want us to come back? She then offhandedly mentioned that her parents that live with her don't like us coming by--so that is the real concern. We hope to start teaching her under the guise that "we won't come back" but we should this Friday... hm. People are strange.
On a similar note there is this family we have been trying to teach. We first met the dad, and then going back we met the daughter and her boyfriend that lives with her at her parents house. In the background we could hear the mom being very rude. "They have their own beliefs! Why are they talking to them?" (quiet mumbling from someone inside) "I don't WANT to be nice!!!" Oh dear. She sounded awful.
Well, when we went back by this week, she was the only one home. She barely cracked her door open to us and looked angry and suspicious. But as we asked her how she was doing and showed genuine interest in her, she started looking more surprised than angry, and then softer and softer. The door cracked open wider. We were able to bear our testimonies to her and teach her some of our unique message and she listened. She said we can come back Saturday. She still didn't seem to love us, and I am not sure it will go anywhere, but at least I think now she will allow us to talk to her daughter. It was amazing to see how her entire countenance changed as we talked to her. She felt the spirit, I know it.
Remember the lady that asked for a bible? Well, she wasn't home for her appointment, and she didn't respond to our text inviting her to church. A few days later, out of the blue we got a text from her saying that she was sorry--she had just gotten her phone back, and she would have come to church, but she will for sure come this week! We are so excited! We are tired of sitting by ourselves.
Tuesday was Zone Conference. It was awesome as always. I just love Zone Conference. I feel so spiritually fed. They announced the debut of our new Mission Song. It is awesome. It was written by an elder that came out with me that majored in music composition with an emphasis in theater music (I'm sure I mis-titled that, but you get the idea). He's been refining it in his spare time for about a year. President Keyes had him change some things, and now it is official. It's pretty cool. It definitely has a theater feel to it, but I like it. I will have to try to send you a copy of it.
Here are the lyrics:

In the Missouri Independence Mission
We are servants of the Lord.
Our challenge: To preach the Gospel
To all who'll hear it's word.
This Mission: A land of promise.
It's a sacred place of old,
A consecrated choice land.
It's destiny foretold.
We humbly seek for blessings
From God, our captain true.
The Gospel must be spread forth.
There's work enough to do.
We return to Jackson County
Where the early Saints have Trod.
As the eight and three before us,
we are witnesses for God.
As the eight and three before us,
We are witnesses for God.

I especially like the reference to the eight and three witnesses of the Book of Mormon. A lot of their graves are nearby in Richmond, Missouri (where Joseph rebuked the gaurds--remember?), so we have some monuments for them there. We are witnesses!
At Zone Conference they demoed an entire 30-45 minute Lesson 1. It was so beautiful and simple. I feel like I have lot to work on now. I love that feeling. As someone was speaking, the spirit really taught me that great missionaries aren't great because they are super talented and know just what to do. They are just as weak as everyone else. They just give God their hearts and He IS super talented and strong and ALWAYS knows what to do. HE is the great missionary. Who's on His team? They WIN.
President Keyes also gave a great farming analogy. The farmer plants seeds, and with God's help--the rain and sun, they grow. A farmer has a lot of different tools that he can pull behind his tractor to work the field. The disks can handle a lot, and so if he runs over a big rock or a piece of barbed wire, no big deal, it will be fine. The wire will wrap around the disks, and he'll just cut it off later.
But the harvester is a special piece of equipment. It is set apart and only does one job--harvest. If they run into a rock or a big piece of barbed wire, it could ruin the equipment, and there are a ton of places that the equipment could clog or fail. It is a special tool.
That is why missionaries have so many rules and why we are set apart from the world. We are doing a special job and things that aren't a sin for normal people are a sin for us because it could really hamper our ability to harvest. Movies or music that wouldn't harm a normal person and really aren't sinful for them could kill us. That is why we have to be so careful. We are different for now, set apart. It was a cool analogy.
The one other thing that he shared that I loved was about baptism. How special is is that we are baptized in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. The only other ordinance we use all three names for is the sealing. It is only used for the first and last ordinances--the book ends. How special is baptism! and Sealing!
Then last night we met with a part member family. They agreed to start formally meeting with us! Yay!
And yesterday I had an awesome presentation. It was a group of 6 or 7 people and none of them could hear. They were all deaf. But super nice. And none of the sisters in the center can sign. I actually met one of the men in the group when we had a booth in a fair in Olathe, and he is really nice. He had taught me how to say "physics teacher" in ASL, but I have forgotten. They really wanted a history presentation, so down we went.
One of the teenagers of the group was really good at lip reading, even though she couldn't hear either. So she translated for everyone else. She would watch my mouth closely and then say it in sign. She also had learned how to speak very well for not being able to hear herself. I could understand her, so she could voice everyone else's questions. It was awesome. They were some of the most friendly people I have ever met, and they had a lot of questions. I loved it. I know we all felt the spirit.
It turned out later that one of them had translated the Book of Mormon into ASL. They were a little disappointed that it wasn't in our display around the globe, and I was too. How cool would it be to have a DVD in our display of Book of Mormons?! I would have loved it.
Anyway, I think that is everything. I love y'all!
Love,
Sister Atkin

Miracles!

Dearest Family,

It has been a good and crazy week. CRAZY!

So last Thursday was transfer day. We weren't transferred, but I still had to do a lot personally to prepare the center for it. Little scheduling details to get everyone where they needed to go. It was a bit stressful, but it all worked out.

Then last Friday we gave a Friday morning training on women in the scriptures. We talked about 8 women from the scriptures and their gifts and had the sisters pick which they most related to, and talked about how they saw some of those qualities in the other sisters. It went well. The goal was to have the sisters think about their own gifts and what they have to offer in the center. They said I was most like Mother Eve. haha, maybe because I am the mom of the center (the old sister that runs the place. Or something). It was good, if a bit thrown together because of everything else going on in a matter of a few days.

So I mentioned to you last week that President Keyes closed a VC area so we are down to 14 sisters in the center. Well, Sister Hansen and I came up with a solution we thought would work. On Friday we sat down to actually make the schedule and see if it would work in action. We worked on that schedule for FIVE HOURS. It fried my brain. It was slow progress. Part of the problem is that we try to make everything fair so everyone has the same number of mornings and evenings in the center. It is a lot tricker when you are working with a prime number of sisters=7companionships. Pretty soon I was pulling out my problem solving skills I had learned in Linear Algebra and Differential Equations. I am not even kidding. It wasn't a problem I would have ever seen in that class, but we were trying to come up with a formula that would be the best fit to the fairness graph using a matrix. Wrap your brain around that. Add that to Sister Hansen's background in accounting--her skills on Excell and her drive for perfection--and we were a dynamic duo. I know that the Lord put us there together for this time at the center. No other sisters had the background for that kind of problem solving, and no one else would have the drive to do it. Anyone else would have given up and written in random names with no care for fairness. But fairness is important because it affects 7 proselyting areas. We want to optimize the production of every area involved. Anyway, there is your nerd out moment for the day.

And we didn't really get anywhere on the actual schedule on Friday. We did get the formula worked out (kind of), but nothing else.

Then on Saturday, the Independence Stake asked Sister Hansen and I to do a class on missionary work at the Stake Young Women's Conference. They had a series of classes they went to, and ours was one of them. In light of the fact that we had been working on transfers, doing exchanges, preparing for our Friday Morning Training, and working on the schedule, we hadn't had a ton of time to work on what we would say. But the Lord took what we had, and he magnified it. It was a miracle. We were able to have a good time and a good experience. We asked how many of them were planning on serving missions and it was well over half. Crazy times!

Then we got back and had 3 hours to finish the schedule and a long list of to-do's. I told Sister Hansen it would take a miracle to get the schedule done in 3 hours. We knelt and prayed and asked for a miracle, and we got it done in 45 minutes. Wow. God expands our time and quickens our minds sometimes. It was a miracle.

Also, I can't even tell you about all of the other miracles that have happened recently. Over the last 4 days we have found 6 new investigators, which is more than I have ever found (I'm sure Willie has, but we are working on 3 hours a day here). One of them is a couple named Steve and Danielle. Our map is bad so it took us forever to find our way there, but it was meant to be. We brought Alaina with us--a 18 year old that joined the church a month ago. She is planning on going on a mission in a year. She is amazing. She knew Danielle, and we were able to teach an awesome short lesson on prayer and got Steve to kneel and pray for the first time ever. It was amazing. We woke him up the next day to take him on a church tour, which was another miracle. He is really interested and really nice, and so in Danielle. We hope to teach her tomorrow.

We also got a text referral for a woman who wanted a bible. We only got half of the text, so we didn't know she wanted a bible (and we didn't have one with us) but we were right in her neighborhood when we got it, so we were there 5 minutes later. She was excited when we told her there are 12 apostles today, and she took a Book of Mormon while she is waiting for us to get her her bible in a couple of days. Awesome! We have so many people we have invited to church! I am so excited!

So, I'm sorry that this is the abreviate version, but life is good. Miracles are happening. Things are turning out. God knows how much I have on my plate, and He is making impossible things possible. I don't know how else I handled everything that happened last weekend. Life is good.

I love you!

 

Love,

Sister Atkin

 

Kansas City, MO LDS Temple

 

Unexpected Baptism

Dearest Family,

What a happy week! Life never slows down as a missionary.

Last P-Day we took a ton of fun pictures. I will try to send you some. Maybe this week, but maybe next week. Also, mom, I gave a neat training at our VC sisters training meeting on building confidence and a true identity. I am attaching a copy (I wrote it on the VC computer, so I have a digital version). I put a lot of time into it, so hopefully you like it. DiMK stands for Daughters in My Kingdom. BD stands for Bible Dictionary. PMG stands for Preach My Gospel.

So last Thursday was a crazy one. We took a bunch of fun pictures. I will hopefully have time to send you some.

Then that night we had a lesson with a part member family--Cecelia, the one that doesn't really know english. Well, we didn't have a car that night, so we did some crazy stuff to get some rides. But the lesson went really well. We read from the Book of Mormon with her, and she really got a lot out of it. She read in Spanish, of course. After the lesson we saw we had a missed call from our Ward Mission Leader, but we didn't listen to the voicemail until much later--our mistake!

It turned out that Bishop Vance and Brother Hermann (Bishop and ward mission leader) went out together to visit some people. Then Bishop Vance got the impression that now was the time to go visit Sandy and invite her to be baptized (she is our investigator. Her husband joined in February. We have taught her twice since the elders turned her over to us, but we like her a lot). So our bishop in his street clothes headed over. When they were almost there, he called to let them know he was coming. They crawled out of bed to see him. When he knocked on the door, he said, "Sandy, you know why I am here."

"Yes, I do." She said. They both knew he was there to get her baptized.

So they started with an opening prayer to bring the spirit and read 2 Nephi 31 together. After they read it, Bishop Vance told Sandy that it was time for her to pray about baptism. She agreed. They knelt down, and she started to pray. In her prayer she said, "I am praying to know if I should be baptized...I already know. In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen." They got up, and agreed that she should be baptized. Also, they didn't want to wait. She was ready NOW, and the elder that baptized her husband is going home this week, so if she wanted him to do it (he's an Assistant now), they had to do it that weekend (remember, this was Thursday).

So after a crazy amount of phone calls, everything was arranged. We met with her on Saturday to cover a couple of commandments, and then she was interviewed by our District Leader. It almost didn't happen because her grandson broke his shoulder really badly and she had to go to the hospital with him, but everyone was flexible, so it still happened. It was crazy because we randomly were at the church, where the lesson and interview were going to take place, a half an hour early (we were going to study there). Right as we pulled in she called to ask if we were there yet because of the whole situation with her grandson--she needed to meet with us NOW. So we did.

The night before our Relief Society President gave us a list of team ups we could invite to that lesson, and at the bottom of the list of 10 names was Sister Stewart. I just felt right about her. So did Sister Harding. We didn't even talk about it or stop to consider it was the spirit guiding us, we just did it because it was right. So we called her, and she could come.

Of course she was late to our moved up lesson, but she was able to share her story at the end of the lesson. Turns out she is a convert (we had never met her before, so we knew nothing about her), had been Methodist (Sandy was Methodist), and had followed her husband to baptism (so is Sandy). To top it off, they both are married to men named Jim and are about the same age. It was too coincidental to be accidental. That was a miracle. It was excactly what Sandy needed.

So the baptism happened Sunday morning before church. She was baptized at 9am and confirmed at 11 am. Elder Sanders--her original missionary--even got to do it. The baptism was packed. It was perfect.

I had a moment when I worried that we had rushed into it too much--we couldn't even personal vouch for the fact that she knew what the Word of Wisdom was--but then I thought back over all of the miracles that happened that made it possible, and I realized that if God hadn't wanted it to happen, He wouldn't have provided such a miraculous way.

So what a weekend. Everything was done on the fly, but no one but us and a few others knew. It was perfect.

Then on Sunday was President's Devotional and I got to hear the testimony of David Thacker from Overland Park. He bore his powerful testimony. It was amazing. He has truly been changed, and already is going out with the missionaries to teach. He gave me a hug, which was super awkward.

On Monday I did an exchange back to Lee's Summit! It was really fun to see that I still know my way around there. I was with Sister Wilson, a new missionary. She reminds me of myself and we taught really well together. We had a great day. Her companion is a lot like Sister Harding, so they had a great day, too. It was interesting to see that it would be easier for everyone of our companionships were switched, but we are learning so much more this way. It was still a fun day, and I was able to encourage Sister Wilson and help her see how well she is doing.

On Tuesday Sandy did baptisms for the dead! wow! How neat. :)

Yesterday we had another awesome night. We are flooded with referrals at the moment, and we were able to contact two yesterday.

The other big news is that transfer calls came this week, and of course, Sister Harding and I are staying. BUT, they closed a sister area in the VC, leaving us with only 14 sisters! That has never been done before, and I can't even start to explain to you how much that impacts scheduling. We had a meeting with the Assistants about it and how we would make it work, and they got to see the whole process of us digesting the news and processing all of the impacts it would have. They looked a bit in shock. They have no idea how much goes into scheduling the center. We are going to bring in a full-proselyting set of sisters to help on the weekends, and we literally are going to be short staffed for most of the rest of the week.

Honestly though, I am excited about it. It is a big challenge, but it is a chance for the sisters in the center to step it up and be better. We have to do better and be better this next transfer. We also had two of our really awesome sisters brought back into the center. Two of the three difficult sisters were transferred out. So I really think things will go well.

Well, I am out of time, but I love you. :)

 

Love,

Sister Atkin

There is Sunshine in My Soul Today!

Hello Family,

Life is good here. :) I am very happy! Crazy to hear that Willie is still staying in Joplin! I like having him there, because it means that we are always in the same state, which is fun. Our mission is getting 50 more missionaries (ending with over 300 missionaries. We already are the largest mission in the world as far as numbers of missionaries go, but now we will be easily the size of two missions!) including 30 more sisters!! The work is going forward. :)

I am doing a lot better as far as stress goes this week. Most the time I am doing great--there are just certain days that are not good. In general, I really love my calling as a Visitors' Center Sister Trainer. I feel like I am making a difference, and I enjoy being a leader. I think it is one of my talents. I am much better at leading than I am at executing tiny details like making the bajillion phone calls we need to make every day. haha. I do have a cheerful heart, mom. Life is good in the Inde-hood.

So last Thursday we had an appointment with one of our investigators named Cecelia. We had dinner together in a member's home, and then taught her. The members were awesome and the perfect team ups. They said all of the right things. Also, Cecelia mostly speaks spanish, so they helped translate. (Her husband mostly speaks English, so it bothers him when people speak spanish to her, but he will have to get over that. What a crazy marriage.) We taught the first lesson, even though she has been taught for years, and it went well. It came out that really the reason she hasn't seriously investigated the church is because of her husband, who is a member. He doesn't want her to. We asked him about when he joined the church 5 years ago, and it turns out that he has never read the Book of Mormon, and he never prayed about joining the the church. He just liked the people, and that is the only reason he joined our church rather than someone elses. So it makes him mad whenever we ask his wife to do anything because he doesn't understand the importance. So really, we have to teach one person in english to gain a conversion, and another in spanish to learn the gospel (she already has felt the spirit and knows it is true). Weird that it is the member we need to convert.

The other investigator we have been working with is named Sandy. She is great. Her husband also is a recent convert. They are great, and she knows that she will be baptized eventually, it is just hard to give up her old church that she loves so much. She just doesn't feel in a hurry. She wants to be sure before she joins, but she is expecting that to come--and actually was pretty casual about it.

I am so grateful that we already have two such solid investigators. It is really hard to open an area, actually. It was really hard on Sister Harding for a while to not be teaching anyone and to have only 2-3 hours a day to try to find anyone because we were at the VC the other hours, or studying. Things are so much better. :)

Last week, two of the sisters at the center had their car broken into, and their backpacks stolen with everything in them. They were just grabbing a bite to eat and had parked in front of the main window of the restaurant in broad daylight in a busy parkinglot. But someone busted in the windows of their car and took their backpacks=everything. planners, wallets with social security cards, credit cards, and driver's licenses, scriptures, cameras, journals, everything. Not only did that ruin their weekend as they canceled all cards and couldn't drive or really teach, but the VC was down a car that we all share, so we all had to take no car days. That is really hard when you don't live in your area. Some of us don't even live in our zone. Craziness. THEN, one of the cars got a completely flat tire. So for a few hours until we got the other car back, we only had 2 cars for 8 companionships. Great. Talk about stressful for the people in charge (pointing at self). but everyone was super nice about it, so it all turned out (we did have one sister whose response to me asking them to take a no car day was "It would have been nice to have more advance warning." like it was my fault. My response, "Well, I would have loved to have advance warning, too. I think those sisters whose bags were stolen would have especially liked advance warning." She then realized that she was not the only one that this was hard for. Then she was nice about it.)

Last Friday we had interviews with President Keyes. Because of recent drama at the VC I have prayed for days about what I could do to help these sisters and what I could be doing better. None of the drama is my fault or in any way related to me, but I want to be able to fix it. So we started the interview and he joked around a bit with me about how great I was. He was looking over the questionaire they always have us fill out. On it you can write a question. The question I wrote was "How can I help the sisters at the center? What is my role? How can I help?". He skimmed over the whole page and said, almost casually, "Sister Atkin, you're perfect. Don't worry about it." Then he paused and looked up to see me staring at him intently, tearing up. (for some reason, I always cry when I talk to him).

He said, "Do you want to know what you can do to help these sisters?" I knodded quickly.

"If I tell you what you should do, will you listen with real intent? Meaning, planning to act?"

"Yes!" I replied, with real intent, excited to do whatever he asked me to do.

"Be yourself. Be you. That is what you can do. Just be yourself. That will help the sisters the most."

The rest of the interview continued that way. He told me that I was great and that since there are going to be so many more sisters in the mission, the role of a Sister Trainer was going to be a bigger role in the future.

I am just amazed at the trust President Keyes has in me. It blows me away. I don't entirely understand it. I am not perfect at all, but somehow he trusts me anyway. I realized that perhaps he knows that that is the best way for me personally to learn. If he told me how to be good, I would do it. But if he just shows me that he trusts me and thinks I am wonderful, I thrive. I feel like I have really blossomed under his trust. He gives me room to learn on my own because he knows that I am going to try my very hardest, and perhaps the standard I hold myself to is even higher because it is self imposed instead of external. I truly enjoy being accountable to him. I know I am not perfect, but I feel confident and comfortable telling him about what I have done. I don't feel ashamed.

In a way, President Keyes represents Jesus Christ to me, in the same way that I represent Jesus Christ to those we are teaching. I have felt that as my understanding of my relationship to my mission president has grown, my relationship and understanding of my Savior has grown, too. I am very happy. I know I was supposed to serve here with President Keyes.

On Sunday we had a great day, too. We had an appointment with a 13 year old and her family that we brought a young woman with us to, and it turned out super awkward, but funny. I'm still glad we went. We met with the bishop and he is awesome. He really has confidence in us, too.

Yesterday was Halloween. We just stayed home and planned because we had no one to see, and we weren't allowed to tract (for obvious reasons). So totally noneventful.

Life is good! Transfers are next week, but there is no way I will get moved. It does mean that my P-Day might change, so just be warned. I think it might stay Thursday, but I am sure that it won't be Monday. Beyond that, no gaurantees on when I will be emailing.

I love you all!

Love,

Sister Atkin

 

Humid

Hello Family!

I am so happy to be emailing. Life is good. :)

I am trying to figure out how to capture everything that happened this last week. We'll see how it goes.

Last Friday we had our first district meeting and our district is huge! We have 7 companionships, and two of them are trios. I think it is the biggest district in the mission. Our District Leader is a young, shy, good missionary. He is doing well, and I am glad to have him. He is humble and close to the spirit. He also makes Sister Harding feel more comfortable because she can relate to him.

Saturday night was really unique. There is a recent convert in the ward that is really sweet, but perhaps a little too attached to the elders, so the bishop has advised them to limit their contact with her. So she is our responsibility now. This Saturday, her mother was passing away, and the elders couldn't go because they want to help her attach to other people. So we went. It was crazy because she invited us into her mother's home with her whole extended family. We were the only nonfamily members besides the nurse. The mother was on a hospital bed in the living room, and was unconscious. It was clear that every breath was difficult, and every breath look like it would be the last one. We were there to comfort. We talked about the plan of salvation in a simple way, especially about God's Love for us in the plan. The nurse for some reason looked to me a leadership person, and when talking to the group about the condition of their mother, was looking and talking at me. It was strange.

We went outside and prayed with this recent convert and cried with her. A half an hour after we left to go home that night, her mother passed away. It was really sobering. We were almost there when it happened, and the family would have been fine with it. We were welcome as religious figures. I looked at that old woman and thought about how she must be feeling right now. She was traveling along the transition between this phase of the plan of salvation and the next. Did she feel nervous? Excited? I can't imagine how I will feel when I get there someday...

On a more cheerful note, Sunday was fun because we got to go to Relief Society for the first time since we came to this new ward. Everyone was so friendly. I really like this ward. We had dinner with the Relief Society President. She was wonderful. She is in her late 20s, and is president over a full family ward with much older, more experienced women in it. Her husband is in dental school, she has two kids, and she works from home part time on the computer. I don't know how she does it all. She is so calm and put together, though. She says the Lord is really helping her. I am so impressed. There are so many people in the church carrying heavy burdens that I didn't even recognize before. I am so grateful for their service. She gave us a list of names to visit, and we are excited to do it and build her trust. We have already hit some this week.

On Monday we visited a less active part member family. They were so nice. The mom is a convert of a few years, and her kids don't even know about it! So we ended up teaching her daughter was baptism was. It turns out that later that day, the elders visited her, too! They had no idea that we had been there. But they ended up teaching her boyfriend (who we hadn't even met) and got a new investigator! We were super jealous. Funny that the spirit led both of us the same place that day. :)

Tuesday we did exchanges, and I learned a lot from the other sister. It was a good perspective change for both Sister Harding and I. Sometimes I just get so serious and concentrated that I forget to laugh and be carefree. The Lord has got this. But I do still have a lot to worry about it. I just need to be more peppy some days, I guess.

Then last night we had a miracle night in our area. We went to a street Sister Harding felt good about and we tracted and met a ton of people that were willing to listen. It was awesome. Sister Harding and I really clicked in our teaching styles, and it felt so good. We came home on fire and full of the spirit and joy. It was awesome. She is really growing recently. It is crazy to see that sometimes satan is really working on us to make us frustrated or grouchy, but when we overcome it, miracles happy. He's so sneaky. But we are determined to be better. I really do like her. She can be really funny. All of her clothes are cute, which makes me look bad, but who cares. haha. :)

Of course, not all is carefree. I have been faced with some pretty serious issues in my calling as a Sister Trainer at the VC. Please just pray for me to have the inspiration to do the Lord's will. Sometimes I don't know the right thing to do to help these sisters. A leader has a heavy weight to bear, especially when they know confidential stuff they can't tell their companion. I am doing well and handling it well, but I would appreciate some prayers that way.

I did get your mail--thank you! I wish it would snow here, too! That is awesome that you went to Flagstaff this week. I am sure you made a huge difference. :)

I love you all!

Love,

Sister Atkin

P.S. Also, It has been super humid this week. I am sticky! It has been hot and cold. I would just like it to snow...

Fall in Missouri

Dearest Family,

What a beautiful day! It is officially officially fall here. It is beautiful. There are so many trees, and they are all changing colors. I get to wear jackets again, which I love. Yay to not being hot anymore!

On Saturday was our Gladys Knight event. It was a smashing success. She brought out a huge crowd and a ton of referrals were sent out from it. What a blessing to have that here in our mission.

Missionaries could only go if they had investigators, but we don't really have real investigators yet. We tried and invited a bunch of people up to the last minute, but no one could/would go. So we didn't get to go. Sister Harding was a little disappointed. I was, too. But for the past few days I had had a feeling that not only would we not go, but that we shouldn't go. I let Sister Harding invite a bunch of people over the phone, but I just knew we weren't supposed to go. I still don't know all why, but I think the Lord gave me that so that we could be comforted about not being able to go. We had dinner with a member instead, and she had had bad experiences with the missionaries recently, so I think we needed to go comfort her and help her like us again. Maybe that's why. But we also didn't get any referrals from it. Some of the sisters got up to 14! Again, I just feel peace about it. This event was important, but it wasn't for us.

We did get lost for roughly 2 hours this week. I was really frustrating, especially because we were using up our miles and time--both precious commodities. The elders finally let us borrow their map, so we have a map of our area (if outdated in the boundaries). They also let us borrow their GPS, which has been a life saver. Hopefully things get better from here on out.

Our Ward Mission Leader and his wife have been wonderful. They feed us and buy us groceries and tell us we are great. I don't know what we would do if we didn't have their support. This ward is great.

By now you surely know that Margo Ahnder came to the Visitors' Center. It was Sunday, and I am only at the VC for three hours on Sunday. She came in and I was even the next up to take a group through! I was so happy to see her. They are so sweet. I was able to thank her for teaching me piano, which has been a very useful skill on my mission. It was a real blessing to see them

This Sunday was Stake Conference. I met someone visiting from Logan--Hugie (however you spell it) originally from College Ward. They wondered if they could bring you anything back from me, but I had nothing to send. Sorry! But I do love you!

Stake Conference was so good! Elder Baxter of the Seventy came and spoke. He's amazing. He told us that the MTC is going to cut the length of time missionaries stay there by 1/3. So Willie would have only stayed 2 weeks! Language missionaries staying 9 weeks will now only have 6. The idea is pump more missionaries through, and have them do more in-field training.

We did exchanges yesterday with sister in the Independence 1st Ward. Since I am Sister Leader, we get to do 4 this transfer--one every week. It's a lot, but it is good. It is one of the hardest things the Lord could ask Sister Harding to do, but it is probably the best thing she could do. She did great. She did it and faced her fears. I'm proud of her. Exchanges are interesting to see how everyone does things a little differently. These sisters are great planners and studiers. I am learning a lot from them. It is interesting to see how everyone has different teaching styles, though. I guess my style is a little...more passionate than some other sisters. Depending on the part of the lesson, I can get very animated. I try to have ebbs and flows in the lesson. I guess I am not a stiff missionary. This sister was so sweet, and talked slowly and quietly through the lesson. I am not like that at all. I get excited. I want an interesting discussion. But the work needs all kinds--some people will definitely respond better to her quietness. And some people will need my passion. Just interesting to see the differences in action.

Things are slowing down at the Visitors' Center. All of the major events in the mission (conference, Gladys Knight, History trip) are out of the way, so the schedule is much less stressful. It is making my life much easier. Some of the sisters were really struggling at first, but they seem to be doing better. I really am starting to appreciate all that our mission president does. I wasn't really as aware of it until I had this chance to see all of the details he takes care of, and all of the struggling missionaries he helps. He really is an angel. I am so grateful to be serving with President Keyes. This last week he has taken the time personally to help some of the sisters at the center who were struggling, and it has made a real difference. He loves us. He has given this mission everything. I am so grateful for all that he does.

Well, I'm sorry I don't have cooler stories, but know that I am happy. Life is good here. I can't imagine ever leaving, so I won't.

I love you all!

Love,

Sister Atkin

Another Week in Independence

Dearest Family,

I guess you didn't get the memo, but my Preparation Day is now on Thursdays. We'll usually email before noon. I'm sorry no pictures made it to you last time. I sent them, and right before we left the library I realized that none of my emails had made it to you because they were too big. I will try to send pictures today. I'm just glad I got my email to you last week!

So last Friday we got to go on a history trip. Around general conference time, they take all of the sisters who haven't been before, and show us Liberty Jail, Far West, and Adam-Ondi-Ohman. It was really cool. I am going to be sending a lot of pictures today. There is this cute little bed and breakfast in the middle of nowhere near Adam-Ondi-Ohman that feed the sisters lunch every time we go. It was wonderful and so homey. I don't know how expensive it is, but maybe we will spend a night there someday. Adorable.

General Conference was so good this week. I agree with everything Willie said about conference. Jefery R. Holland's talks are always my favorites. His talk actually was really similar to my Good Friday Sermon I gave. Do you remember that? That was a while ago, but really, I loved his talk. Uchtdorf's was good, too.

About the announcement of age changes, man we were shocked. We were watching at the VC when it was announced, and all of the sisters were like, "WHAT?!!" We were trying to be quiet, but we were really shocked. I will have to reread that session of conference because it was hard to listen after that.

My first reaction was, "Should I feel jipped?" And I thought about it, and I don't regret a thing. I know that if I could have, I would have gone at 19, but the Lord had a plan for me waiting a few more years, or it would have been announced sooner. I needed those experiences I had, so I don't regret it. Still crazy. I agree with all of Willie's conclusions. There are going to be a ton more sister missionaries serving in general. I could train a 19 year-old sister before I go home! Crazy.

Sunday was a long day. General Conference was really good. As a mission we were fasting out of gratitude for the success of the mission. I was glad to do it. The problem is, we had to run from conference to a meeting with our bishop and straight to being on shift at the VC. We were hoping to get dinner then, but the center was very busy because there was a President's Devotional that I was in charge of planning going on. So I was taking a presentation, worrying about how our devotional was going, and starving at the same time. But it all worked out. After accidentally fasting for 26 hours, we got to eat at 8pm. We didn't die. It worked out. We are never doing that again.

Oh, on Saturday, we had dinner with some members. It turns out (and I had found this out at church) that the wife is Claire's sister-in-law (you know, my roommate and best friend Claire?). Her mother had been at church my first Sunday when I bore my testimony, and had recognized me as one of the bridesmaids at her son's wedding. In fact, do you remember how the groom's mother tried to set me up with her nephew? Yep, same person. (we did go on a few dates, but clearly, I am on a mission now). So it was fun to talk about people we knew in common, and she even called Claire right after I left. She ran after the car (still on the phone) to tell me that Claire loved me and had made my pumpkin bread recently. I could hear Claire talking. It was crazy! It is a small world. It was fun to talk to them and see Claire's wedding announcement pinned in a collage on her wall. By the way, Claire is going to have her baby soon. How fun!

This week hasn't been that exciting. We have been able to slowly meet all of the people that the elders and bishop recommended for us to visit. Some of them are really pleased by the idea that we are sisters, so that is good. None of them have really progressed yet, and there are so many names that I will talk more about them as I get to know them better.

Working as a Sister Trainer in the VC has been fun, challenging, and hard. We still haven't found the magic Sunday Schedule that seems to be alluding us (there is no solution that we can find), and I am hearing about some of the things that most sisters had no idea happen in the center. We find out the problems and try to figure it out before anyone else has to know about it. A few the sisters have been very difficult to work with, but we are praying for them. I have found myself praying for all 15 other sisters individually every day, and it has really helped ease my burden and helped me love them even more. I feel like this is great training for the rest of my life serving in the church.

This weekend Gladys Knight and her choir, Saints United Voices, are coming to Independence. The tickets are long gone, and we don't have any real investigators to take, so we probably won't be able to go. It still will help missionary work in the area whether or not I get to hear the beautiful soul music and be in the same room as a famous person. I'm still glad to be here. :)

My life has settled down and is less exciting. I hope all is well at home and I look forward to hearing from you soon. 

I love you!

Love,

Sister Atkin

Changes and Service

Dear Family,

I will try to fit this whole week in this email, but it will be hard to do. I love you!

Okay. So last Monday we had an awesome P-Day with the elders. We played ultimate and I got SO TIRED. We had dinner with a less active, and she told me that I needed to go home because I looked so tired. I guess I shouldn't have played so hard...

Tuesday was a good day. We worked and taught. We taught Brother Thacker, and as usual, he had no problems with it. Right after the lesson I got a phone call from President Keyes. But I will tell you that later so that I can tell you all of the big news at once. That night we were able to visit a woman whose friends are all mormon. She lives in our neighborhood. She had a bunch of questions and was very nice. She joked that the reason she wasn't mormon was because she likes her tea. She'll get baptized someday.

Then transfer calls came full of surprises (well, not in my case):

They opened Iola to sisters! The sisters going there are great. I am very happy for them. For a bunch of reasons I talked to them this week, and they said that the ward has told them all about me saying I was their first sister missionary paving the way for more sisters to come. I think it is great because the elders were emergency transferred for disobedience, so sisters are healing the ward's hurt.

Red Bridge Ward got elders, but one isn't coming for two weeks because he is in the MTC learning ASL, so the sisters might still be double covering for two weeks (which wrecks all of our plans. We got them dinners and everything. Oh, well). The other one is in a trio until then.

And finally, I was transferred to the North Kansas City Ward. When President Keyes took me aside to tell me about it, he informed me that the temple is in my area--we meet in the church that shares a parking lot with the temple, the brand new stake center they held the open house in. Exciting! They already have elders, but the work has exploded there since the temple was dedicated, so they need another set of missionaries. They specifically requested sisters. The ward is very excited to have us. The Zone Leaders are in that area with us. We are in the Liberty Zone. I will be training Sister Karlie Harding from Lehi, Utah. We will also be serving in the Independence Visitors' Center. I also received the calling to be a Sister Trainer at the VC (basically a sister Zone Leader). Wow. I can't think of anything that could be harder. I am training, opening a new area, and acting as a Sister Trainer.

Last week I told you how stressed I was for a couple of days. Well, I asked for a blessing from my Zone Leaders just for strength. I was doing well, but I felt I needed something else to help me with what was ahead. I am so glad I did. It was a beautiful blessing that just said that God and President Keyes are both aware of me and my situation. They are both proud of me and I am training again for a reason. I just need to turn to prayer and the scriptures for help. It was all stuff I already knew, but it brought me a lot of peace. One of the elders giving the blessing cried more than I did. I was glad to give them the chance to serve, too.

Sister Hodson and I ended on a high. The night before I left we stayed out teaching as late as is allowed. It was an awesome way to end. I love her so much. I think we will be friends for life after all that we went through together. It wasn't easy, but I love her SO MUCH. I can't even tell you. She's amazing.

On Thursday were transfers. We left bright and early. I cried when I said good bye to Sister Hodson. I was sad to go. But I was also excited for the new adventure and challenge. I've learned that when the Lord gives me something new and hard to do, it is the best thing ever. I grow so much, and He helps me the whole time. That is when joy happens.

Then I met Sister Harding. She is pretty shy. She hated school, so she has worked for the last few years, and now has felt she needs to be here. Admittedly, when I first met her I was nervous. We seemed to have very little in common. And with no time to do anything, we dropped our stuff off at our apartment (new to both of us) and ran to the VC to be on shift. The other Sister Trainer is Sister Hansen. She was totally overwhelmed and stressed. I felt bad about it, but I had to leave Sister Harding for a long time to go and slave over the VC schedule, which is one of our responsibilities. The center was very slow.

The schedule is crazy. It is a nightmare. We have to consider a bajillion different factors to see who can serve when and make sure we have enough sisters on shift. Excell was our life saver. Sunday is even worse because the center stays open, but everyone has to be able to go to their church meetings. That drained a lot of my time this last weekend. Also, I am becoming aware of a lot of problems that happen in the VC that I was never aware of. I thought there was no drama there, but now it is my job to know about it and stop it. Complicated.

Also, I got to give a training to all of the sisters the day after I arrived. It went well.

Friday night we got a ride back to Overland Park for Jesse's baptism. It was beautiful. It was packed. When I walked in, I was chatting with someone and out of no where Sister Hodson basically tackled me. I didn't see her coming. She was so glad to see me. She seems to be doing well, though. She was smiling. It was a wonderful baptism. President Keyes even came. Everything went perfectly. In a way, I was glad to have that over so I could finally 100% be here now in my new area.

Over the next few days we met with the elders serving in our area a few times. Like I said, they are our Zone Leaders. They told me about the work. They had 4 baptisms the week before we came. One of them was new to the area, so it was one elder filling the rest of us in. It was silly because Sister Harding had no idea what was going on, and his companion didn't know anything yet, so basically Elder Fulmer brain dumped on me while I asked a bajillion questions. I think I intimidate him because he has seemed extra scatterbrained recently. Oops. They are good elders, though, and I am excited to serve with them. It took a few days before we even knew where our area was, and another few days before we had any kind of area book (it is currently an Area Folder).

We also met with the Bishop and Ward Mission Leader first thing. I am so excited to be serving here. They are on FIRE. The bishop is the most fiery, missionary minded bishop I have met in my whole life. Missionary work is his thing. He wants us to text him every night a report of what we did that day so he can put it on a google doc spreadsheet online that the whole ward counsel (which is all of the auxilliaries, their counselors and secretaries) can view all of the time. Wow. He told me (and got emotional saying it) that it was an honor to have me, a trainer in their ward. He said that of all callings, being a trainer is the most honorable. I think President Keyes talked me up to him. No pressure. But I guess as far as I know, I am the only sister to have ever trained three times....that's crazy. I love training, though. I wouldn't mind doing it for the rest of my mission.

On Sunday was Fast and Testimony meeting. The Bishop informed us that all four missionaries were to sit on the stand and be the first ones to bear our testimonies. Oh, and President Keyes would be there, too. No pressure.

Sister Harding was SO nervous. She is a shy person and this kind of thing scares her to death. I was fasting for her, and for our area. Specifically that I would be able to help her and that she would gain confidence. My fast was answered. I went first, and then she bore her testimony. Her voice didn't shake, she didn't break down into tears, and she spoke clearly and with power. She sat down and whispered to me after I told her she did well, "That has never happened in my whole life. I have NEVER spoken in front of people without crying uncontrollably or my voice cracking". It was a miracle and we both recognized it. Then after our part was done, a member got up and bore her testimony of missionary work and gave us--the sisters--a referral over the pulpit. Miracle number two. God is definitely been watching out for us.

Ever since Sister Harding's miracle testimony, her whole attitude has changed. At first she talked a lot about how hard this was for her, and how far out of her comfort zone she was, but now she is on fire. Her attitude is, if it happened once, it will happen again. She is bold and confident (if still awkward sometimes. We all are. Seriously, being a missionary is just awkward). She has changed so much in a matter of days. I really like her. I think we will get along great.

Yesterday we only had twoish hours in our area. But we wanted to hit the ground running. We taught 4 lessons, found 2 new investigators and 1 probably investigator. No one rejected us. It was crazy. I am so excited to be here (I am sure we will face rejection later, but God sure is helping us start out).

We have had some drama at the VC, and I have already had to take someone aside to address some concerns, but I really feel that the Lord has prepared me for this. Everything I have experienced so far has taught me the skills I needed to be a leader here. I still have a lot left to learn, but God has prepared me.

On Saturday we watched the Relief Society General Broadcast. It was so good. As I sat and watched the new presidency get up and share their thoughts, I felt a huge connection to them. I know what they are feeling right now, at least on a lower level. I know how overwhelmed, humbled, grateful, and supported they feel. It is a lot, but they trust God to help them. They are me. I can't even describe what kinship I felt to them. And then President Eyring's talk was meant for me, too. I can't wait to read that one (maybe you could email me the text?). Loved it.

Also, since we have been so busy we came in and had no time to grocery shop and no food. The Overland Park members that drove us home found out, so they dropped us off, went and bought a ton of food and brought it to us. I was SO grateful. I don't know what we would have eaten for the next few days if they hadn't done that. I was overwhelmed with their generosity. Then this week, our Ward Mission Leader's wife has insisted on buying us groceries every week. She always has bought them for the elders and intends on doing it for us, too. We felt really bad. When she demanded a list, we gave her a few things we needed. She thought the list was too short and went all out. We have SO MUCH FOOD. We were so grateful!!! Our fridge and cupboards are full! This has never happened to me ever. We are taken care of.

So that is a rough summary of what has happened in the last 10 days. My life is turned entirely upside down. I can't believe it hasn't been a month.

I am out of time and brains, but I love you. I am very happy here. Miracles are happening right and left. I just have to sprint to keep up.

I love you!

Love,

Sister Atkin