Working Hard in Salmon!

Jumping for Joy in Salmon, Idaho

To understand this, check out a video on Youtube with a comedian talking about
 the person who discovered how good a pineapple was underneath its rough outside :-)

Then there's the guy who stopped after trying a pine cone... "I was so close"

Hello Everyone!

This has been an amazing week! The weeks here fly by but you know what they say, "time flies when you are having fun! My companion and I have so much fun together and she helps me to become a better missionary every single day! 

One of the happiest days on my mission so far was last Tuesday. My companion had been teaching this 14 year old boy for about a month and he was suppose to be baptized last Saturday but we moved it later in October for a good reason, and I will tell you why. So, Tuesday night we were able to meet this boy’s mom and dad. Sister Gaston had taught the mom the week before but has never met the dad. Well let me tell you, they are all GOLDEN! The dad came into the lesson and said that he was a little hurt because he had not been taught sooner by the missionaries when they were teaching his son and when we were teaching him he just loved everything we taught him! He was so happy to get a copy of the Book of Mormon and they all agreed to be baptized at the end of October! I am so happy for this family! The dad is from New Jersey and he has a really cool accent as well!  The dad said, "I have been feeling like I'm missing out on something here in Salmon. Maybe it is the Mormon church!” You can imagine his spunk: from NJ, sweetest accent, and he has "swag". When we taught a principle he liked he would nod his head and say "Mm, yeeah". I absolutely loved that.

On Wednesday we also had a really cool experience! So all of our plans fell through and we did not know where to go so we decided to pray and ask. After that we started to drive away and we say the Relief Society President in one of our wards dropping an invite off at someone’s house and so we started to talk to her. She asked if we could go visit this one sister in our ward who is having a hard time with her dad, so we did. She was working at Saveway (the grocery store) when we saw her and talked with her for a while. Sister Gaston remembered that a member had given us a referral for someone else that worked at Saveway so we went in to go see if we could find her and talk to her. Well we did and she invited us to come teach her daughter! We ended up teaching her and her daughter yesterday and they both agreed to be baptized! 

We later called a member because her name was in our ward directory so we wanted to see if she was already a member but guess what she's not!! No one in her family is yet and they are just in the directory by accident! Crazy but so cool! 

Here is a funny story. We are pretty excited to witness the baptism of Daniel this weekend! He has come a long way and has completely changed his life to follow the Lord. Because of his rough childhood, he is really really shy and quiet. Until our lesson with him this week we had never heard him laugh before. We brought a lady to teach with us and while she was talking about something their little dog went behind the couch and pooped. LOL. My companion and I were dying of the smell! Daniel saw my reaction and started to bust out laughing and then we all started laughing and we couldn't stop. Ruru's pooping was kind of a tender mercy in our lives that day! 

I also saw this awesome quote that I think applies to everyone not just missionary work, "Love is like the North Star. In a changing world, it's always constant." -Gordon B. Hinckley

I love that quote because it reminds me of the love that Jesus Christ has for all of us! I hope all of you guys have a great week and watch General Conference!

Love,

Sister Lacey​​

I'm in Idacold..... I mean Idaho!!!!

Last time with Sister Wilson :-(

With Sister Gaston (her trainer)

Sister Navarro and Sister Lacey @ the Idaho Falls Temple

Sister Lacey and Sister Navarro sporting their new mission shirts!

(First off, sorry if this is a long email, just a lot has happened) Guess who is finally in Idaho and who is freezing... That's right this missionary! I do not think it has been over 55 degrees very much since I have been here but nonetheless I seriously love Idaho so much!

So on Wednesday we took a shuttle to Idaho Falls and it was a tender mercy of the Lord because I was able to travel with most of my district, even the ones in the Pocatello Mission! It was sad to say bye to them but I was ready to get to my mission. We got to the mission office and met my mission president and wife and I love them so much! President Nelson and Sister Nelson are so in tune with the spirit and they lead this mission as the Savior would want it to be led.

I was able to stay at the mission home Wednesday night and get to know the new missionaries I did not already know and I was able to get to know President and his wife better and guess what?? They got sealed in the Manti temple!! I was so happy when I heard that!! We were also told that night who our trainer would be and where we were serving and I am serving in Salmon, Idaho and my trainer is Sister Gaston!!! 

On Thursday morning I finally met Sister Gaston and she is the best! We have like everything in common and she has such fire for missionary work! I was excited to get to our area but my companion is a Sister Training Leader and they were having a leadership conference on Friday morning and Salmon is too for to go to and then come back so we stayed in Idaho Falls that night in the mission home as well. We were able to eat dinner with President and his wife, which was a lot of fun!

So we live with two other sisters, and you would never guessed this but they are serving Spanish speaking. I am telling you, I cannot get away from Spanish! I love them so much though! Sister Navarro is new to the field just like me and she is already fluent in Spanish so she tries teaching me some and I guess I am sassy when I speak Spanish. Anyways, we spent Friday morning together because our trainers were in the conference and we tried to get some warm clothes and we were able to go to the temple! It is so beautiful there! I was also feeling a little overwhelmed and the temple just gave me the peace that I needed!

So that night we were finally able to make it to Salmon and let me tell you, it is one of the most beautiful places I have ever been! We live in a trailer on the Stake Presidents ranch and it is awesome! I can look out our kitchen window and see cows! It has seriously been my dream to live on a ranch and now I am! The Lord knew that I would love it here!

So that night when we got into town we got to work! The first house we were able to get in were two kids that my companion had been teaching. They have a really hard life and during the lesson I realized that these are real people and not just people who are getting paid to be our investigators. I was too quite during the lesson and did not trust myself or have enough courage to say things that the spirit wanted me to say. After we got out of that lesson I just started to cry. The boy, who is 13 years old, is just so unhappy and his little sister is so willing to follow Christ but her mom will not let her or him, she is 9. I pulled myself together and we went to go see if we can meet this family that my companion had been teaching. Well she had been teaching the kids but has not been able to meet the father yet but we were able to meet him! We even taught him a lesson and he started reading the Book of Mormon! He and his son are now just trying to pray and ask if the Book of Mormon is true. During that lesson I tried harder to say what the Holy Ghost wanted me to say and open my mouth and it was amazing. He gave me the words that I needed to say at the very moment I needed to say them!

So on Saturday we had a baptism!! I was not able to teach her the lessons but I am glad I get to teach her the new member lessons and hopefully go with her to the temple! She is 12 years old and also has a hard life but she is the sweetest! I am excited to get to know her more!

On Sunday I was able to meet a lot of the ward members and they are great! They love missionary work and give us so much referrals! We probably get more than 3 a day! I do not know if that is a lot or not but we are busy so I think it is! We also get fed every night by members and it is amazing food! I can see why they say you gain 40 pounds on this mission... That being said I am being running more with my companion so hopefully I will be good! 

I love this gospel so much and I love the people of Idaho already! I testify to you that this is the Savior's work and he is the head of this church! I love being a missionary and getting to know so many new people! My companion is amazing and has built an amazing relationship with the 2 wards that we serve in and I hope I will work hard so that they trust me as well! I want to close with a scripture in Doctrine and Covenants 100: 4-6

4 Therefore, I, the Lord, have suffered you to come unto this place; for thus it was expedient in me for the salvation of souls.

5 Therefore, verily I say unto you, lift up your voices unto this people; speak the thoughts that I shall put into your hearts, and you shall not be confounded before men;

6 For it shall be given you in the very hour, yea, in the very moment, what ye shall say.

 I can tell you that I know that I was called to Idaho for a reason and the Lord does give me what to say in the very moment I need to say it! I love you all!

~Sister Lacey

Spud Missionaries!!

Sister Lacey and Sister Ebmeyer (from Apple Valley, CA Stake)

Sister Wilson and Sister Lacey

MTC District at the temple

Hello everyone!! 

I hope that all of you guys had a great week! So after I emailed you guys last week we had a devotional that night and Elder Dallin H. Oaks talked to us! It was so amazing to hear from a prophet of God and have him tell us what we need to know as missionaries! The main thing I got out of it was the importance of the Book of Mormon! He said that the Book of Mormon is the most powerful source of teaching and that it draws people closer to Christ. I have seen that in my life and I hope that if any of you guys are needing a boost in your life, The Book of Mormon is how you can get that boost!

We finished teaching our last investigator and the first lesson on Wednesday did not go the greatest. It is super hard to simplify answers when they ask us questions. My companion and I are pretty good at simplifying the lessons but then they start asking questions so we answer them which I know is good but we start saying unnecessary things that she could learn later but I know we will learn. We have been trying really hard to get her to pray and know that the things that we are teaching her are true and when we taught her for the last time on Friday she said she prayed! She also said that she felt good about meeting with the missionaries and she knows that that was the Holy Ghost! I was excited! 

So I wanted to share with all of you guys a few things that I have learned at the MTC because this is my last full day being here.

1. I need to be better at asking questions.

     -This has been one of my biggest struggles here at the MTC and I hope that I learn how to ask better thought provoking questions. I never realized how important it is to ask good questions when you are teaching someone about Christ. I still have to learn how to ask better questions but I know that with Christ's help, I will get there!

2. I am horrible at kickball...

   - We played as a district a few times this week and let me tell you I am horrible!! Running is good but kicking and catching could use some work. I thought the elders on my team where going to disown me for how bad I was doing! It was my fault though because when the ball would come for me... I am ashamed to say but I would run away from it. What can I say I am a runner!

3. I am a Spud Missionary!

   - We learned this week that people in Idaho call potatoes, spuds! Therefore, we are Spud Missionaries! I cannot wait to get to Idaho and meet and learn and teach! And eat some spuds!

4. Having a relationship with our Savior Jesus Christ is essential.

    -This is probably the most important thing that I have learned here at the MTC. The MTC is such an amazing place and I am so blessed to be able to be here. The spirit is so strong and I have grown so much in the short time that I have been here! Something that has helped me the most was knowing that my Savior is right with through everything. I realized this when I was teaching my "investigator" and testifying to her about the Savior Jesus Christ. I know that if I am going to be teaching others how to gain a better relationship with the Savior, I need to be doing the same. I love my Savior Jesus Christ so much and I know that He atoned for the sins of all mankind and only through Him can we live with our Father in Heaven again!

I love you all so much! Thank you all for the support and thank you to those who helped me to become a missionary for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints!! I just wanted to share one last thing. If any of you guys get the feeling to do something good for someone else, DO IT!!! I have also learned that while I was here. Have a good week and wish me luck in Idaho!!!

Love,

Sister Lacey 

Priesthood Power!!

Elder Bitter, Sister Lacey, Sister Wilson, Elder Walburger

MTC District at the Temple - 9-5-17

Hello everyone!!!!

I finally understand return missionaries when they say that the days in the missions seem very long but the weeks in the mission are very short!! So much good and some hard times have happened this week.

So first off I would like to tell you why I named my email Priesthood Power! So last week around P-Day I started feeling a little sick so I started taking air-born (not sure if that's how you spell it) and thieves a lot but it did not work. I got pretty sick and it was the worst because I did not want to stay in my room because I wanted to go to class and be a missionary! On Wednesday it started getting pretty bad but it was cool though because we taught 3 lessons and before each one my comp and I would pray that I would feel better and during the lessons I would but it did not stay that way when we were not in lessons. The sisters in my district suggested that I ask for a priesthood blessing but I did not want to at first. I guess I am stubborn or something lol but anyways on Thursday I got more sick so I decided to ask some elders in my district to give me a blessing. It was a really awesome experience! These two elders like to mess around a lot but when I asked them they took their priesthood responsibility very serious and they gave me a great priesthood healing blessing! Elder Bitter consecrated the oil and Elder Walburger was the elder that gave me the blessing. It was cool though because Elder Walburger said in the blessing "Your Heavenly Father knows your trying" and I really needed to hear that. I had only really prayed about and mentioned a little bit about to my comp about my concerns with that but I just love that no matter who gives a priesthood blessing it is from God! I am also grateful for worthy priesthood holders who are willing to give priesthood blessings! So to finish off the story, I did not feel very good for the rest of Thursday but when I woke up on Friday I felt soooo much better!! I still had a little cough but I could finally breath better and did not have such a bad headache! Priesthood Power!!

So on Friday, my comp and I had the worst lesson ever -_- It was on the Plan of Salvation and we had just learned in class on Thursday how to teach it. So, we were really prideful and thought, "Oh, we do not need to prepare anything else! We learned this yesterday" (Word of the wise, DO NOT ever think that!!) So we go in there being quite cocky and come out being very humbled and a little broken. We did not have the spirit in there with us and we kept on complicating the lesson which led our investigator to ask questions that we did not know how to answer. We lacked the power and authority that you need when you teach. Needless to say, it was bad! We walked out and talked to a teacher that had taught us a few times and she was saying that everyone has bad lessons and just to shake it off, but it was really hard to and she had my comp and I both crying when we left her. My comp and I went in a little classroom to talk and pray and when my comp was praying I had the thought pop into my head, "Well do you know that the things that you are teaching the investigator are true?" And I thought back, "Yes!! It's the Plan of Salvation and I know that it's true!" The next thought was then, "Well then tell them that!!" It was a very powerful and humbling experience! It was still a little hard after that and you know that when I start crying it's hard for me to stop and you can tell that I was crying and some of the elders in my district where concerned haha it's nice because it's like I have a little family here!

So to continue that story, the next day we were practicing the Plan of Salvation in class again and we were practicing with Elder Neufeld and Elder Swartz and my goodness! Those elders know how to teach! My comp and I would just look at each other and then feel bad because of how bad we did the day before and how they were doing so good! My teacher, Brother Jenkins, helped us out though by helping us ask questions and we finally started to get it! We were going to teach our investigator later that day but she did not show up but I think it was a blessing in disguise because my comp got a huge headache right before we were going to teach but then we did not have to because she was not there. We were finally able to teach her yesterday and it was the best lesson we had ever taught! My comp and I were nervous but were trying to prepare the best we can and when we went in there, we did not teach what we had planned but it was better! We talked about President Monson and how he is a prophet of God! We watched a video of him in the last general conference and the spirit was so strong! When it was finished I bore my testimony about the prophet and the Book of Mormon and I was bailing my eyes out haha! First time I have done that in a lesson and then my comp asked her if she found that the Book of Mormon was true if she would be baptized and she said yes!! We teacher her tomorrow so I hope we have another great lesson!

So lastly I want to share that I seriously had the best teacher in the world here!! Brother Jenkins is such an amazing man! He served 10 months of his mission in Japan and then came home. He had a really hard time for about 5 years but then he changed his life around and decided to finish his mission! He finished the rest of his mission in Georgia! We thought that we were going to be able to keep him until we leave to the field but were not able to because of BYU starting and the teachers schedule being switched around so our last day with him was yesterday! He had taught me so much while I have been here! We would always compliment him and say that he is an amazing teacher and he would always get mad and say that he is just the instrument. I tried telling him that you have to be a good instrument to have the music sound good haha! He is just really good at following the spirit and he is just an amazing teacher! We were all very sad that he was going and we asked him to give the closing prayer during our last class and that was probably one of the most powerful prayers I have ever witnessed! During the prayer he prayed for each missionary in our district individually and I think he almost had all of us crying at the end! When he was praying for me he prayed that sad people will be put in my path and me in their path so that I can help them to be happy with my spirit and attitude. That is actually pretty close to something that is in my patriarchal blessing and it was just so cool! I am so sad that he will not be teaching us anymore but I am so grateful for the time that we had him as a teacher! I will send you pictures of us and him! Excuse my face in those, I was crying so my eyes are red!

I seriously love it here so much and I am learning and growing so much! Thank you for all of the support! I know that this church is true with all my heart and I cannot wait to go and tell others about it! I love you all so much and hope you guys have a great week!!

Love,

Sister Lacey