Thanksgiving!!!

 It will be a little short today. As I had informed Mom and Dad (and as I'm sure they relayed to most of you), we had our P-day delayed this week because today we got to go to the temple! It was amazing. As always. I just had the Spirit confirm to me that the Temple is a very sacred place and that by attending, we can grow closer to our Father in Heaven.  I love it. I hope each of us that can attend will do so as much as possible. Never take it for granted! 

   Anyway, how was everyone's Thanksgiving? Ours was amazing. We are so blessed to have wonderful and caring ward members that want to make sure we are taken care of.  We actually lost count, but I think we had at least 8 families invite us over to share their meal/evening with them.  We only got to 3.... the Henrie family, the Moomey family and the Wambolt family.

   I think the most special visit was with the Moomey's.  They have a son on a mission right now, so they wanted us to feel as much "at home" as possible. They asked us about our family traditions, and when I mentioned Mom's famous Lemon Meringue Pie, she went so far as to request Mom's specific recipe!  It meant so much to me. It was a great day. I have so much to be grateful for! I can't even begin.

   I love you all so much!

Sister Pratt

 

A painting service project!

 

LET IT SNOW!  LET IT SNOW!!  LET IT SNOW!!!

(11/17/14)

   That's basically the biggest part of this week. It snowed. Not just a little bit, but it was snowing for about 36 hours without stopping. Civilization here basically shut down. It was intense. Sister Venable and I almost died twice on the first day because I never learned how to drive in the snow, but we went to a parking lot to practice, so now I'm better. 

   On the 2nd day of the snow, we got together as a district for lunch/a huge snowball fight. Somehow it ended up being Sister against Elders, which never works out well, especially when none of the Sisters can throw very well. It turned out to be target practice, with the Elders just pelting us over and over again. Fun times.

   Also, this week, I got to go on exchanges with Sister Clegg in Eagle. It was super fun, and I loved meeting some of the people she was working with. We went to visit a crazy lady (I've met her before on exchanges) & she answered in her pajama pants. So naturally, my companion says, "I like your pajamas." She responds, "Thanks, I just peed my pants..."  It was all I could take not to just bust up laughing.  It was pretty hysterical!

   Well, we don't have a whole lot of time today to email, so I'll just send you some of the pictures of the snow.... They should be able to give you a glimpse of what this week has been like. Also, it started snowing again this morning. Dang.

   Have a great (warm) week!

Sister Pratt

 

Welcome to November!

 I never know what to say on these emails/blog posts! If I tried to even touch all the things that happened in the week...... well, I wouldn't have time. Let's just put it that way.  Sometimes, I wonder what would be the most important thing to share.  What should I talk about? What significance does my missionary service even have in your lives? Does it have any at all? Do I share teaching experiences? Information about investigators? Funny stories with my companion and members of the ward? Should I share thoughts and impressions that I've had or revelation I've received? Or do I just bear my testimony every week?

   I will try to be more prayerful as I think about how I should include you all as much as I can in this mission and the effect that it is having on my life. It is truly changing me, and I want to share that with you all.... I just don't know how. I don't know how to express the transforming power of the Atonement in my life that I experience in greater measure each day.  

   Lately, I have been reflecting upon repentance. As missionaries, we ask people to repent.  We teach them of Jesus Christ and the way by which we can truly tap into the power of His sacrifice for us. That way is through sincere, consistent repentance--not just saying "sorry" when we mess up one time, but having an overwhelming desire to change forever. It's selecting ways in your life where you can continue to improve and progress. It's not becoming complacent when we think we are doing well. It is being painfully aware of our need for the Atonement and pleading with the Lord: "Yea, what shall I do that I may be born of God, having this wicked spirit rooted out of my breast, and receive his Spirit, that I may be filled with joy, that I may not be cast off at the last day?" (Alma 22:15).  I know that our Savior is waiting, standing there for us to turn to Him.

   I remember as a little kid, Mom trying to teach me Sign-Language. One of the only things that stuck with me was that the words "change" and "repent" are signed the same exact way, with the letter R replacing a fist.  To repent, simply, means to change.  Just because it's simple, though, doesn't mean it's easy.  It was never meant to be easy.  To quote Elder Holland, "Salvation is not a cheap experience." Jesus Christ came to make it possible. That through His grace we might be able to change.  Change doesn't come without growth, and growth doesn't come with out some degree of pain or discomfort.  The miracle of the Atonement is that we can do it! All we need to do is turn to Him and enlist His divine help. He will know the path we should take. He will know where our next step will be. He will even carry us when we feel that all of our strength is gone.

   I hope to grow. I want to change. I don't want to be the same old me, but a transformed, renewed me.  I know that I can do it only in and through our Savior, and I am excited for the journey! :)

 God bless you all!

Sister Pratt

Transfer #10

Thankfully, Sister V and I haven't been transferred! Yay!! I am so happy to be staying in Star. I love the people here, and I know that I can still learn a lot from them.  We're about the only ones that didn't get changed, though. We lost 5 members of the zone, including a Zone Leader and a District Leader and Sister Molbek! I'm going to miss her a lot.

   This week has been pretty wonderful. I have just been loving every bit of missionary work--the finding, the teaching, the randomly walking around and talking to people in their front yards.  We did a lot of that last one because of dropped appointments and people not being home, etc. It was actually really good, though! We found a couple people to teach that way, and taught some lessons.  It was a fun time. 

   Our investigators are doing pretty well, and a lot of them are continuing to progress! One man we were teaching is actually in jail right now... so our lessons with him have been put on hold.... but other than that, things are going great!

   For Halloween, we had to be in our house by 6 pm, so Sister V and I decided to bake! We made onion soup for dinner, cookies, fudge, pie, etc. We went ALL out. It was so much fun! Then we watched the church movie Together Forever--you know, the super cheesy one with all the 80s music? Yeah, it was a good time! Then we went to bed an hour early. That's what I call a party!

   The most wonderful thing that happened this week, though, was our Zone Conference! Elder Godoy of the Seventy came to our mission and gave us some amazing instruction. He taught us about developing Christlike attributes and about "becoming." Something that stood out to me was when he asked us, "Are you having challenges? I hope so!"  Trials are those things that help us grow the most. So often, we think that struggling is a sign that we aren't as strong as we should be, but without the struggle, we wouldn't be strong at all! 

   The one thing that I got most out of his training was just his animation and love for the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Simply being around him made you excited about missionary work and sharing the gospel. He really just radiated love for our Savior. I have a lot of respect and admiration for him.  

Well, I hope your week is amazing and full of miracles!

Sister Pratt

We carved pumpkins!! Sister Venable did a scary one, and I experimented with "CTR"

We switched name tags for Halloween!

Cutting onions makes me really sad, apparently...

Our Open House at the church--we had a bounce house!! It was so cool and weird at the same time.

 

A Seed Planter For Life

   So after last week's tremendous outpouring of blessings and Spirit, Sister V and I almost expected a small decline in the area's general progression.  I know that patterns happen, and rises/falls are characteristic of any work--especially missionary work! Naturally, I was bracing myself for the hard times to return. I was totally wrong.

   This week kept going up, up, up! Our investigators have started to keep their commitments.  Other members are inviting us over to teach their friends.  Our less-active members are actually making appointments with us! It has been simply amazing to finally see this area begin to blossom and achieve the potential that I have always seen in it.

   As I was reflecting on my mission, I realized that I have always been sort of the seed planter. In my first area in Meridian, I didn't see a single baptism or even a progressing investigator.  Some transfers after I left, I heard that the area then had over 12 investigators, and I knew that my hard work contributed to that, even though I was not able to see the benefits first hand.  In Boise, I was finding a lot.  One of the wards hadn't had an investigator in over a year, and the work was rather slow.  A few weeks after I was transferred, one of our investigators got baptized. It was the first baptism that ward has seen for over 3 years. The members are catching the "missionary bug," and the whole area is just booming.  Again, though, I didn't see all the results of my hard work until I had gone.

   This area is different, though. When I got here, we had no investigators, but I saw all the hard work and effort that previous missionaries had put into the wards.  It had so much potential, and I have just been trying to tap into it! I feel like I am having the privilege of caring for other missionaries seeds--not quite harvesting, yet. That will come eventually--but helping the area grow to the potential that Elders and Sisters have seen in it for months and years. I am SO grateful for their hard work when they didn't see the results. 

   I know I will probably always be a seed planter when it comes to service and missionary work, probably for the rest of my life! But I have now begun to see that eventually, if you plant enough seeds, you will get the opportunity to care for seeds that other people have planted along their path. Then, after the planting, nurturing and growing, the harvest comes. However, just because you haven't harvested as much as the next person--or haven't harvested at all--doesn't mean you haven't been instrumental in the process. So don't be afraid to plant those seeds!

   I love you so much! Hope you have a blessed week :)

Sister Pratt