From Bitter to Sweet

Just like I was saying last week...miracles! Heavenly Father answers prayers and does care about us in ways we can't even imagine...we just have to give him a little time to answer and to learn from the wait. I will have to work on patience the rest of my life...THAT'S for sure. haha Things only got better this week. We were having 1-5 lessons every week this transfer and last week we had 14! Our goal as a mission is to have 20 lessons a week so we were really really frustrated...but we had 14 last week and expect to have a couple more this week. Many amazing times. Even some of the hard times have turned sweet. Example: we went over to a 17 year old boys house (name-Alex) and we wanted to teach him so we were talking and testifying. And he was a really nice kid....and he didn't want to hurt our feelings. But I didn't want to force him to meet with us and gave him an out because I knew he was going to say yes to just to make us happy. In the end he told us he just wasn't ready. So we left. It was kind of a breaking point for me...when I couldn't stand anymore rejection and realizing we can't make people interested in our message. Well then we got the blessings and many other people did help us too...and prayer and fasting. Then we had the turn around. Well this past week Sister Hardey a sister in the VC called a little 9 year old girl and asked her grandpa if she could receive this free gift from her friend. He said yes and so we were given the referral. We went over and talked to her (name-Nani) and I kept thinking 'she looks so familiar' and Sister Schoppa said something about it too. Nani goes "you know my brother Alex!"....and then it clicked. We had met Alex's little sister and brother but hadn't talked to them because they were in and out of the house. Now Nani IS interested...we were at the right house but for the wrong person. Alex wasn't ready but his sister (unknown to us) was! The Lord made sure that we came back in contact with her. She hasn't been raised with a religion so she knows there's a God but not much else but she's so excited to learn! It's amazing. I think that Alex will be more ready if his sister is an example to him. AMAZING!

Many of those expeirences and more will follow through out the rest of my life...if I look for them. They can happen to all of us...if we're looking for a spiritual experience or a chance to share the gospel...and pray for it...IT WILL HAPPEN...we can MAKE it happen with the help of the Holy Ghost. I looooove that there is no such thing as a coiensodence... Heavenly Father knows where we need to be and at what time.

Love, Sister Page

Many GRAND Things

I have felt your prayers and your love...and the love of the Savior. My last email I was pretty frustrated. I wasn't sure what to do anymore for my area...here's what I learned....WAIT. and then WAIT some more. Patience has never been a strong point of mine but I think the Lord from time to time likes to remind me of that when I feel I have a grasp on things. But due to your prayers and fasting and I'm sure many others combined with our own...we are seeing the miracles promised.

Sister Schoppa and I received a blessing from some elders in our district and since then I have seen the blessings come true. I didn't notice that I was under pressure but he blessed that the pressure I was feeling would lift and the stress would decrease. It has come and through many ways. List:

Tracy
Mom you are going to meet her. ;) I've talked about her before and discussed how we needed to drop her a couple times. She called us and asked us to come back. I think dropping her was the best thing we could have done! She said on the phone "I know I haven't been reading...I know I should attend church more" see it got her thinking. Well we both apologized for things said and how it had happened....and we went back. Well we got her a huge BoM because she has bad eye sight...and she takes it to church withe her and she stays for Gospel Principles! And we taught the word of wisdom and she said she'd work on it all. THEN we find out that she made a goal....(which she was opposed to in the past) "I want to get married in the temple on my 15th anniversary and that's next November so I need to get baptized before November" HOLY COW. That's not it. Pres. and Sister Pitts gave a fireside at the tabernacle and we sang at it. So we invited a couple people...and she was one of them. She said "well you've done so much for me...I can do this for you." and she CAME! Not only that the whole fireside and everything that Pres. Pitts said pertained to her! Afterwords we talked to the other missionaries and hugged sister Pitts and then I had a feeling "go talk to Tracy now"...so I went down. And she was crying..."I've never felt like this before....I'm hot but I have goosebumps....and EVERYTHING he said was related to me." She recognized the Spirit for the first time. If Tracy Solomonson could recognize the spirit and want to get baptized...this gospel IS true. She can't wait to get there now. She's on fire. I don't know what happened but everything is falling into place.

Former investigators and new investigators. We are finding now. We have gone back to people we used to teach and they are ready to see us again and we're starting fresh with a couple people. Then we have a couple new people we're started teaching. Yesterday we were led to someone who was ready. She's catholic and we talked to her about prophets and asked if she was willing to listen to more...and she's very active in the catholic faith. So we're getting ready for her to say "oh no I'm okay.." but she said "sure yeah I'll meet with you." Then we set up a time for tonight. I pray it goes well and we teach what she needs to hear.

Pres. Pitts and I had a good interview and he assured me he knows we're working hard. He had so much confidence in me and allows me to see things I can't! I will miss him. I'm going to see the Hill Cumorah pageant in 2012 and staying with the Pitts after their mission. :) 

Today we went to the Grand Canyon. It was a lot of fun. I don't have time to list it all but pictures to come. My last two districts have been some of my favorite. It was an amazing sight...very high up...but very worth it. The car ride was about 2 and half hours so it was fun too. So many GRAND things happening this week.

The work is amazing. I love you all. I can hardly believe it's close to the end of this chapter of my life. It's been THE best thing I've ever done. Love, Sister Page

Roller Coaster of a Life Time

Honestly, the mission is like a roller coaster. Each and every day is like a roller coaster. We could be on cloud 9 at one point and down on the ground in another point of the day. I've gotten used to this on my mission but it's hard when there's not as many cloud 9 moments. Things are pretty hard in our area right now. We're giving it our all. I've never never struggled this much in an area before. It feels like the peoples hearts are just hard. They don't want to listen. It's amazing to see the growth I have made on my mission though. I have never been the best at going up to peoples doors and knowing what to talk about....honestly I've been pretty awkward. But I'm different now. I talk and help them understand who we are and why we're here and share a principle at every door...which is something I didn't master until last transfer with Sister Cluff. It's amazing how the Lord molds and shapes us. To quote a song from "wicked" the musical: "Something has changed with in me something is not the same I'm through with playing by the rules of someone else's game. To late for second glances to late to go back to sleep it's time I trust my instincts, take a breath and leap. It's time to try defying gravity." So we are looking for new ways to help people come closer to Christ. We're not going to let Satan win the hearts of these people. We're going to keep working until we can't work any more.
Some good things are that Izzie a 9 year old we're teaching is doing really well. She went to church on Sunday and she reads EVERYTHING we tell her too. She's so cute. And even Tracy went to church who we haven't seen in a while but she's been sick so we haven't been able to teach her but we stop by to see how she's doing. So there are some good people we're working with. We went and visited the Bishops on sunday and they were really nice and wanting to help us but I don't know if they completely understand that we need help....it really can't just be the missionaries. The members are so vital in helping in finding. It's not just about going out with the missionaries its about BEING a missionary and saying "hey I have a friend that would like you to teach them." Music to our ears. Knowing that they're truly prepared.
Well that's all folks. I'm not sure I'll email next week because we're going to the Grand Canyon and it's an all day event but we'll see if we can still make it to emails. Love, Sister Page

So Little Time...

SO MUCH TO TELL YOU!

First: We went to 3 sacrament meetings on sunday and bore our testimony in each...but the testimony that stuck out most to me was a 9 year old. 9! He got up and said "my dad made me a little treasure box with pirate skulls on it. I put my most favorite toys in it. I have 2 batmans already but I put other things in there too. But something I realize is that no matter how much I love my toys nothing in that treasure box REALLY matters. The only thing that matters with the gospel, scriptures and our family." HOW AMAZING. Every one mentioned his testimony after that and talked about what they keep in their treasure box! So now I'm asking you...what IS in your treasure box...what's your biggest priority and thing that takes most of your time? Should something be taken out of your treasure box?

Second: Zone Conference was Monday. (Thus my pday was today instead of normal Tuesday...confusing I know) I won't go into what all was said at zone conference but I did bear my final testimony...it was my last zone conference. It's soooo strange. I jsut talked about how I was on a pursuit of Charity my whole mission but I realize that it's something that possesses us not the other way around and it's a LIFE long mission not just a fully time missionary mission. I told myself I wouldn't cry but we all know I did. I've just learned sooo much while I've been here and I don't know how I could have learned the things I needed to any other way. I'm just happy i leave with Pres. and Sister Pitts...it was their last zone conference too down in St. GZ. The mission offically splits July 1st.

Third: Things with Sis. Schoppa are amazing. I'm my crazy goofy self and she laughs at it. I love her. We're getting along great. The hard thing right now is our area. We're not consistantly teaching people as much. We are definitley looking for new investigators. I want to get enough so that she can have a great next transfer.

Fourth: I saw Kim DeRyke "Stapley" at the VC. OH man I love her. We talked for an HOUR! Me, her and her hubby. I can tell what kind of missionary she was and it would have been awesome to be companions...even though that was NEVER a possibility since she served in Charlotte. We switch places basically. But her hubby is a huge redsox fan. It's awesome. And she gave me ideas for planners when I get home. I might get a planner or I might just use my phone to plan out my day...depending on the phone I have and if I know how to use it. haha But it was great to see her....definitley a highlight of the week. And she wants my mom and I to stop by in Cedar City on the way down from Provo. (it's like 45 mins away from St. GZ) So yeah...that would be awesome. So many places to go and so little time. I want to plan things but I can't because I don't know the time frame for everything. I'll let it work itself out because I have other things to do.

Oh and shout out to the Fischer's -a couple went up to visit the mission president in the Billings Mission because they're good friends and had nothing but amazing things to say about the mission up there! They talked about how awesome the missionaries they met were. I don't know if Colton was there but if they met amazing missionaries I'm sure he was one of them.
Love, Sister Page

Door Knocking/Ringing

Hallo! Guten tag! That's German for Hello and good day...so different isn't it! hahaha Why am I speaking German? Well probably that's because my companion is from GERMANY! I'm training Sister Schoppa (Shop-pa) and she's awesome! We haven't even been together a week but we are already great friends and I love her. She's ready to work and wants to learn to do everything on her own. She's going to be a great missionary. One of the first things she asked is "how long have you been on your mission?" And I had to tell her right away "this is my last transfer!" BOO. She's amazing and I have to leave. We are really having to build our area because we don't have a lot of investigators and the ones we do have aren't really progressing...it's pretty much the toughest area I've ever been in but with a great companion and a dose of faith we're doing just great. This means we're knocking a lot of doors and honestly that means a lot of really funny experiences. The more people you meet the more experiences you will have. We met a 94 year old man and he was a member but so nice. He wanted to give us something he had made...so he comes out with a BANANA HANGER! He works with wood and had like 20 of them. It was so funny. We were just walking around with a banana hanger in our hands. We're so proud of it.

We also talked to a Jewish guy. We were finding out if he was interested and he said "not really I'm happy with my faith" so we talked more and asked if his roommates would be interested and he said he didn't know. I didn't know what else to say so I said "well have a good day and umm...good luck with your "faith" " and as I said faith I pointed my fingers out like they were guns. Then we left but couldn't stop laughing. I couldn't believe I did that. But it made for a funny story.

On a more serious note...something I'm seeing in myself is that I'm not afraid to testify at doors. I have worked my whole mission trying to get to that point and I feel like I'm finally there. I'm finally in a place where no matter what they say I bring it back to the gospel and testify! It's been amazing to see the difference in knowing I did my part to invite them. We have a lot of follow up and such to do but at least we're keeping ourselves busy.

In the VC Sis. Schoppa is doing GREAT! She's made 3 phone calls and received 3 yes's so far. She's scared at times but she doesn't let that stop her. We've been having a great time and every shift she's on there's at least 1 person who speaks German and is a nonmember. WOOT. She was needed.

So many great memories made and many more to come.
I love you all! Ich liebe dich.

Liebe, Sister Page