Transfer Day

HOLYCOWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW

dear everyone i love.
dear family

I HAVE LIKE ZERO TIME EVER but out of all the weeks i want to tell you about this is the one

theres so much to tell you i dont even know where to start and my brain is so scattered and im flustered cause i have no time and too much to do that its going to be all over the place so bear with me

-3 NEW INVESTIGATORS THIS WEEK.... I HAVE TO TELL YOU ABOUT EACH OF THEM because how we got them all is just miraculous

first investigator

we met him on the bus.. he is DEAF and he started signing to me.. and i had no idea what he was saying so i just showed him that i only know how to finger sign ( spell with my hands the alphabet)

so we started "talking" very slow conversation because we are spelling each word. i was getting frustrated that i couldnt communicate better so i just got out my tracting notebook and we started writing back and forth.. he wanted to know what church we were from and what we do who were were cause we "stood out" and ya!! but also sign language really IS a different language and it was hard to put together what he was saying and if what we were saying was making sense to him.. basically got his number met up with him the next day and had a lesson over notebook, and then the next day had a lesson with a missionary who COULD sign! it was awesome!!! except i dont know how much longer he will investigate cause his family is muslim and doesnt like that he wants to learn about other faiths.. he wouldnt even take a book of mormon.. just took a picture of it... so it was a cool oxperience.. but more of a planting seed experience not really harvesting

the other two new investigators just FELL into our laps... they literally just came to church because her mother in law is a memer and brought them and now they are investigating... reallllly cool experience teaching them... they are Filipino. they are not married but starting a family. she is catholic.. and very catholic.. like she was almost going to be a nun... but she says she is trying to keep an open mind and she really would like to learn if our church is the RIGHT one like we say it is...

there was a time in their lesson that i just lost it cause they are so amazing.. we had read the first chapter of the book of mormon with them and the introduction..talked about the spirit what it feels like.. warned them of the advesary and how he is going to try and distract them from this and anti mormon stuff will come up so pay attention to how they FEEL and i asked her this question

"so... IF this is true.. if all that we claim to have... is true.. what are you willing to do?"
and she said,"well the scripture comes to mind... 'as for me and my house.. we will serve the lord', if this is God's church i will join it"

:O
:')

i cried.

sooooo im excited to see where that goes for the new sister here to teach and sister B, they will do so well :)

- on MONDAY which was victoria day... and May long weekend.. thats why i didnt email yesterday yet AGAIN... well we got the opportunity to go to fort edmonton which is kinda like this is the place... except wayyyyyy huge.. with a train and everything... SO fun :)

- i gave a talk on sunday!!! on the role of the book of mormon in conversion.... which i thought was funny cause the last time i talked in sacrament was my farewell and it also had to do with conversion.. and then mom you TALKED on conversion.. interesting... i see a theme here. but basically the book of mormon coupled with the spirit.. IS the converter.. we cannot become CONVERTED without the book of mormon.. it is the rod. it is the sickle. it is the keystone. pretty neat stuff.

-ummm what else.. oh i sent a package home today... theres some stuff thats mine that i just want you to save but most of it is gifts... so ENJOY :)

- oh.. i guess i should tell you about transfers hey?? hahahaha

IM GETTING TRANSFERRED!!! GOT THE CALL YESTERDAY...

im going to drayton valley!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! and ill be serving with sister W :)
this is what i know

-drayton valley is tiny

-its a branch

-i served there like 12 days and i loved it

-but i also think finding new people will be a CHALLENGE

-sister W just got out of training

-but she was trained by sister J who i love

-and im just super excited for this challenge and change

- i will miss ellerslie people and sister ballantyne

ummmm what else what else quick before i have to go...

this week we gave our all.... and it was AMAZING!! like heavenly father dropped two new investigators in our lap!! just for us giving it a little more than before! its not about running faster its about running smarter.. PACING yourself, planning ahead, not getting caught up in the stress of it all.. just focus on where you are what your doing and GO :) (SOUND FAMILIAR.. im so grateful for cross country and coach and all that i learned.. application of experience is such a sweet joy)

well i love the work

i love the gospel
i love you all and i appreciate you and miss you but time is flying!

love sister douglas

I choose joy. I choose peace. I choose happy.

sorry sorry sorry this is a day late AGAIN... annnnd that it is so late in the day! im sad i missed you.. i like the thought of you waiting for my emails... but i dont like the thought of you sadly walking away from the computer with no email from me... :3 haha

anyways

DEAR family and friends and everyone i love as MUCH

 as i would loooove to say that this week has been the turn around week... it KIND OF WAS THE WORST EVER!!! but good stuff still happened :)

ill just get the bad news out first and then talk about everything good

K dropped us..
i dont want to talk about it, but she did. i just hope with all the hope i can hope in my heart that the seed we planted will grow. i PRRRRRAY for her and CH... THEY NEED THE GOSPEL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

huff.... SO that was hard and sad.

BUUUUUTTTTTTT we had some super cool things happen :)

sister band i got the flu AGAIN.... (thats what we get for sneaking past the flu shot in the mtc.... for all the new missionaries coming out... GET THE FLU SHOT!!)

but what was cool was DESPITE feeling miserable, we still went out and worked... (not as hard as we could have or would have liked... cause ya know.. we were dying and it snowed... which is like the icing on the cake) but we WORKED and WORK+GOD=MIRACLES. thats a fact. i dont know why it suprises me everytime it happens.

2 stories for you

1) tracting during a snow storm. (it makes for really good conversation.. especially when my cheeks are blue.. i think it makes the nice people feel bad for us and they let us in ;) )
so were tracting and we found a guy named R who actually said he was INTERESTED and set up a return appointment and everything!! he asked US to come back... AND for any reading material we could give him... it was one of those moments when they actually say yes you already have the line of "well thats ok never mind" but then its like... wait what?!?! oh!!! :):) so that was really cool :) the elders will be teaching him :)

2) we have flash cards in the car.. well they are giant signs that say "Jesus loves you" "we're mormon missionaries" "learn more?" "and our number" annnnd when we are freezing we go "traffic contacting" (ok when i say we go do this i mean we have done it one other time lol once means sometimes, twice means always ;) ) SOOOO we went traffic contacting and it ACTUALLY WORKED!!!!! this guy took down our number and called us! and we set up an appointment at the church!!!!! he couldnt COME to the appointment... but we'll try him again next week :D kinda cool :)

we helped M move like 3 days this week... helped clean both houses.. she's moving but staying in our area.. the spanish elders are working with their family but we were the ones that found them and still love them so much so we stop by as much as we can... IM LEARNING SPANISH and can actually carry on a broken conversation with her mom now!! ALLLLLSO when we were helping pack up their van her husband was there and he was asking us all sorts of questions (he has not been able to be at any lessons so this was totally new to him to be talking to missionaries) i feel very strongly that this family will be sealed one day. they are so choice. i dont think i will be here to see them be baptized... but i do love the fact that i helped. i knocked on the window to make her come outside!! what a great decision to be cheeky sometimes ;)

life is meant to be enjoyed. and we dont need to be having an easy time to be enjoying it.

joy is a choice. it results from righteous actions

peace is a choice it happens when we give our hearts to god

happiness is a choice it comes when we do our best.

i choose joy. i choose peace i choose happy.

guess what??? although this week has been hellacious...
my heart has gone back to that feeling i had in the MTC... that i was completely overwhelmed if i did it myself... but if i lean on the Lord.. i have no worries. welll thats not entirely true its like... i just have a deep sense of the fact that it will all work out.. and that this is good and happy and im ok :)
i love you all so much. you have been on my mind IMMENSLY lately. im praying for you dad seeing as you have so much going on and mister momming it... which reminds me.... I AM SO BAD AT NOT EMAILING BEFORE BIRTHDAYS HAPPEN.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DADDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

BAHHHHH YOUR THE BEST DAD IN THE WHOLE WORLD AND I WISH I COULD JUST GIVE YOU THE BEST BIGGEST HUG EVER!! I LOVE YOU I LOVE YOU I LOVE YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

HAVE A GOOD BIRTHDAY WEEK!! :):):):):):):):) OH I LOVE YOU!

im praying for you mom to have FUN and to be safe!! and that you will feel my love from edmonton to lethbridge cause it doesnt have to travel as far :D haha

im praying for you all! i love you i love you i LOVE you!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

love sister douglas