Spring is Kinda-Sorta-Not-Really Here!

Hello Friends and Family!

Spring is crazy weather with sunshine, snow, and tornado sirens. O.O Tis the season. Spring is always bad for Tornadoes. Too many days of cold and hot and insane. I'm doing good!

I don't have a lot of time this week to write so here is the low-down on my week:

 

Monday we played sand volleyball in Goshen! The Elders got creamed. :) haha

 

We went on exchanges on Thursday and got 3 new referrals! AND put one of our investigators on baptismal date! We're going to have to move it already because they won't come to church but I know I'm still going to see that April Baptism.

 

Saturday was sports night last night and we played chair soccer!  Super fun.

My Dad gave me some very sound advice this week that I wish to share:

"One of the principles that got stressed to me on my mission  over and over again is the principle of OBEDIENCE!!  And compliance with all that the Lord and our leaders ask us to do.  It was also stressed to us that we must become missionaries of excellence and that we should lead by example.  Remember that obedience is the first law of Heaven, the cornerstone upon which all righteousness rests and the road that all successful missionaries must travel if they truly want to serve our Heavenly Father.  In the 58^th section of the D&C, the Lord gave this counsel: “…for this cause I have sent you, that you might be obedient and that your hearts might be prepared to bear testimony of the things which are to come.”

Be as good an example as you can be. The Church is true, you are called as an emissary of the Lord to bear that witness.  You will get the opportunity to bear that witness.  He has promised you that."

I am determined to be an emissary of the Lord and to bear that witness to all.  I am a better missionary this week because of my Dad's advice.  We will chat again next week.

Love you all,

Sister Halverson

Spring Is Here!

Hello Friends and Family!

Well, Spring is finally here in Warsaw! About 70 degrees today with sunshine and a high chance of SAND VOLLEYBALL!!! Oh yeah. It's going down. :) Best ever! I'll be able to put some Holmes Family Reunion skills to the test. :) The Elders won't know what hit them. ;) Haha just kidding! It'll be fun. :)

We had interviews this week as well as Zone Meeting. Interviews were good. Left Warsaw at 11:30 am and got home about 8:15 pm. What a day. :) The AP's were sick so that was why they took so long. Hopefully they're feeling better! Especially since they called a new one! Crazy times in Indy man. 

Not much to report this week other than the great trainings we had this week on finding the needs and concerns of new people and helping them with a message centered on that need. And also on Potatoes. What do sheep eat? Potatoes. What kind of potatoes? This topic came from an Ensign article about a teacher and the potato a little girl brought to her. She took it as a way to be reminded to share something with those who need her no mater what it is and no matter the time. Instead of waiting for a lavish meal to give or a flower. Just something that is needed of her when someone is in need. I liked it. :)

From President!

Ether 12

As he concludes the Book of Mormon, Moroni's message to us is one, have faith in the Lord, that is trust in Him, second, enjoy and live by hope, which is a "revealed confidence" that blessings will come! When we have faith and hope in our souls charity, the pure love of Christ, is bestowed upon us, preparing us for eternal happiness.

The prophet Ether exhorts the people to believe in God...

"Exhorting the people to believe in God unto repentance...saying unto them that by Faith all things are fulfilled." (Verse 3)
"Wherefore whoso believeth in God might with surety Hope for a better world......which Hope cometh of Faith" (Verse 4)

Moroni recounts the wonders and marvels done by Faith...

"Faith is things which are hoped for and not seen...for ye have no witness until after the trial of your Faith" (Verse 6)
" For if there be no Faith among the children of men God can do no miracle among them...he showed not himself until after their Faith" (Verse 12)
"And there were many whose Faith was so exceedingly strong, even before Christ came..." (Verse 19)

The Lord gives men weaknesses that they may be humble....

"And if men come unto me I will show unto them their weaknesses...I give unto men their weakness that they may be humble; and my grace is sufficient for all men that humble themselves before me...and have Faith in Me, then will I make weak things become strong unto them" (Verse 27)
"I will show unto them that, Faith, Hope, and Charity bringeth unto me...the fountain of all righteousness" (Verse 28)

Faith, Hope, and Charity are essential to salvation....
"And I also remember that thou hast prepared a house for man, yea, even among the mansions of thy Father, in which man might have a more excellent Hope; wherefore man must Hope, or he cannot receive an inheritance in the place which thou hast prepared" (Verse 32)
"And now I know that this love which thou hast had for the children of men is Charity...except men shall have Charity, they cannot inherit that place which thou hast prepared in the mansions of thy Father" (Verse 34)

Moroni saw Jesus...
"And then shall ye know that I have seen Jesus, and that he hath talked with me face to face, and that he told me in plain humility...concerning these things....and only a few have I written because of my weakness in writing"
(Verse 39,40)
"And now, I would commend you to seek this Jesus of whom the prophets and apostles have written..." (Verse 41)

Everyone we teach needs to understand the doctrine taught in Ether 12!

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Sorry things are so short this week! Haha like I send short emails lol. ;)

Have a wonderful Week!

Love,

Sister Halverson

Sister Bradshaw and I

Spring in Warsaw, Indiana

Oh  the faces we see while tracting!

Change and Olive Trees

Hello Friends and Family!!!

This week was interesting to say the least. For starters the weather here has been so insane that I got really sick and am still feeling crummy. For another, we saw 21 lessons and committed Corinna to baptism!!! That's what I'm talking about! I'm so excited to be here. We're doing good and I know it can only go up from here. Obviously some days won't be as good as others but I'm keeping positive about it. :)

Last Monday we went up to Elkhart and I got to meet the Elders. Being in a zone full of Elders is always entertaining. But I did what I do best and made cupcakes. Needless to say I think this will be a great transfer! Tuesday I started getting a cold with the weather flip flopping back and forth on us. But like I said I'm doing a ton better. :) Wednesday we taught Corinna. She is a former we picked back up and the Spirit was so strong there! She wants to read and pray first before she truly commits to a day and even to baptism. She did that all on her own too! We were so excited. We're going to meet with her again this week and talk to her about the Book of Mormon. :) I'm so so so happy for her! Thursday was the worst of the sick days but we weekly planned, I got a blessing, and then crashed pretty much until about 2. Then we went out and worked and saw lots of miracles. :) Friday was First Friday. They do this thing here in Warsaw on the first Friday of every month and our ward puts on a booth to help us get the Church name out there as well as helping them with whatever. It's pretty cool. We did a "job fair" on Friday and put out information on the Church's job search info. There weren't many people but it was cool to see how it worked. And despite the freezing cold, we made the best of it. Saturday was pretty much just a chill day. We ate at this awesome restaurant called Mad Anthony's and the food there was AWESOME. So good! A member took the four of us to dinner right before we had sports night. I think I got my companion sick on top of it...whoops.

Sunday was a great day. There is a returned missionary in the ward who gave a talk on Change. She saw a lot of wonderful people in Chile change and bore the sweetest testimony on it. The next speaker gave a great talk on forgiveness and in Relief society, she gave an awesome lesson about letting go of the past to learn from it as well as looking towards Christ who can help us in our processes to change and become more like Him.

President sent us a letter this week with the Olive branch Allegory in the book of Jacob and I wanted to add it in because it's just that awesome. So here it is!

"Thoughts on The Tame and Wild Olive Trees-An Allegory of our Saviors Love" ( Jacob 5-6 )

An allegory is a story that uses symbols to explain important truths. The allegory of the olive tree in Jacob 5 teaches us about the Lord's purposes in the scattering and gathering of the house of Israel. In chapter 6, the prophet Jacob summarized the major points of the allegory. The story as we have it was originally contained on the plates of brass, which are not available to us today. Jacob, however engraved the story on the small plates of Nephi.

Before Nephi died, he committed the small plates to Jacob, instructing him to record only what was precious-sacred preaching, great revelation, or prophecy for Christ's sake. (Jacob 1:2-4) In keeping with this charge, Jacob taught his people to have faith in the Savior.

As Zenos, (Jacob 5:1) begins the story, he defines the primary figure: the tame olive tree, which he said represents the house of Israel. He speaks of the tree growing old and beginning to decay. From the opening verses, the love and concern of the master of the garden are evident as he seeks ways to help the tree survive and bear good fruit.

At the end of Jacob 4, Jacob asked how the Jews could ever build on the "sure foundation" of Jesus Christ after they rejected Him. The answer to that question is found in Jacob 5 and 6.

Understanding the Allegory:

The Vineyard - The World
Master of the Vineyard - The Lord
Servants- The Lord's prophets
Tame Olive Tree - House of Israel, Lord's covenant people
Wild Olive Tree - Gentiles, or non-Israelites, later in the allegory apostate Israel
Branches - Groups of people
Roots of the Tame Olive Tree - Covenants the Lord makes with His children, constant source of strength and life to the faithful.
The Fruit - The lives or works of men
Digging, Pruning, Fertilizing - The Work of the Lord helps His children be obedient and fruitful
Transplanting the Branches - Scattering groups of people throughout the world, or restoring them to where they came from.

Application
1. What are some things the Lord has done in your life to "prune" and "nourish" you?
2. What do you learn from the allegory about Heavenly Father's concern for all His children?
3. What part of the allegory do you think we are living today?
4. Why do you think Jacob was willing to record this long allegory on the plates?

I don't really know how it ties in to this email but I thought a Spiritual message to you would help in some way. :) Hope you all have a wonderful week! No pictures this week! I'll be sure to send some next!

Love,

Sister Halverson

Squiggas and Jesus Music Boxes!!

Hello Friends and Family!

Greetings from Warsaw! I've been transferred up north almost to Michigan! It's really really cold here and already I'm wanting spring to arrive. It's awesome though! We, my new companion and I, have a really big apartment! There were once four sisters living there but now it's only the two of us. We still have the mattresses in the other room which I call the dressing room because that's where we go to get ready in the mornings. Sister Bradshaw is my new companion! She's from Beaver, UT and is totally awesome! She's super dedicated and wants to be out doing work. I'm no longer afraid of the word Tracting even though the first door is still always the hardest. Everyday is something new and we're just getting to work on doing the work. Totally needed from the last 6 months! Things have been interesting that's for sure! Speaking of...I'VE BEEN OUT 6 MONTHS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Can we just think for a moment here? I'm 1/3 done!!! That is absolutlely BANANAS!!!!! I'm still reeling haha. I've got 1 year left... March 8, 2016 I'm coming home! Time flies! I don't want to wish it away but it's a reality! Crazy!

So the week started a little crazily with Church being cancelled last Sunday in Seymour. That was just weird. So we ent around and said our goodbyes to as many people as we could and managed to get out a lot of lessons and see lots of people. We had a great day!

Monday followed with normal preparation day things and we got to go up to Columbus to say goodbye to everyone. Four missionaries were leaving the Columbus zone. Not a whole ton, out of the 18 in the zone at least.

Tuesday we said more goodbyes, finished packing, and then Elder Busath and Elder Owens took mine and Elder Porter's stuff up to Columbus so the Zone Leaders could take it up to Fishers. I still had to finish packing my big purple suitcase and pack up my bedding. I've got a lot of things I need to send home... O.O

Wednesday was abolutely NUTS!!!!! And Dad guess what?! I FOUND JOHN MELLENCAMP'S HOUSE!!!!!!!!!!!!! It's on Highway 11 right before the bridge leaving Seymour. Day=made haha. We left Seymour at 9 am to get up there on time at 10:30 am. If that gives you a clue as to how much driving we put in. Once we got there President started as usual. We all got transfered around, I'm up with Sister Bradshaw :), and then things got interesting. We have to close a ton of areas here because we're starting to send home more missionaries than are coming out. 25 went home. 12 came out. The Church Missionary Department wants all or almost all U.S. missions to level off at 200 missionaries. More and more are being sent out to foreign lands. Talk about hastening the work! The Franklin STL's were moved to Greenwood! Greenwood 1st ward. 7 areas closed completely and tons more were white washed. The elders moved in. Then he did something INSANE!!! He released Elder Capener as AP!!! We all thought he would die as AP but he was transfered down to IU! It was awesome. Everyone clapped because Elder Capener is just an epic missionary. It was cool. :) Then he called an Elder who never even saw it coming. Elder Hill was called and the look on his face was priceless! He and Elder Coles are going to be awesome. :) We all moved out after transfer meeting.

Thursday! Weekly planning! We got done in an hour and a half. That's record time. I got to work cleaning the apartment afterwards haha. The apartment has a lot of various junk and weird stuff like a Jesus music box that plays Nearer My God to Thee which sits proudly on my study desk. I got rid of a bunch of junk and we deep cleaned the apartment. It felt good. Still need to vaccum though and take out the remaining trash. We're going to have to make a big haul to Goodwill with all the junk in the closet. Lots of blankets and clothes some sisters didn't want anymore. Totally scored a Bears hoodie that is kindly being washed by a member in the ward who does our laundry. She's so sweet.

Friday and Saturday we went to work trying to find people to teach. Sunday we had another snow storm and the cars were grounded. We ended up playing card games after dinner at the Ward Mission Leader's house.

Also! They have BLACK SQUIRRELS here!!!!! What?!?!?! They call them...Squiggas. I'm pretty sure you can come up with the rest... Too funny.

Well that pretty much sums up my week! I hope you all have a wonderful week!

Love you tons!

Sister Halverson

Jesus Music Box

Squiggas