Walking on the Stars!

Hello Friends and Family!

This week has been absolutely incredible. We have two baptisms this weekend and Jesse from Crawfordsville told me he is going to be baptized in December!!!!!!!!!!! I have seriously been on cloud nine this week! I tried my hardest to get up on time and I feel like I did a pretty good job of doing it. Sister Munoz helped me and it worked. I felt better all in all of the morning and I feel like we've had a pretty successful week out of it. I'm so excited to work in Fishers and I want to keep chugging along with the work. We picked up a sweetheart of an investigator who is so sincere and wants to change her life around. She needs it right now. It'll be good for her to have this kind of change in her life. It's been great to see and begin the journey with her. I know Heavenly Father put her in our path for a reason. It's going to be wonderful.

Lisa wants to be baptized as well! She wants to make sure her foundation of faith is where it needs to be and that this is what she 100% wants to do but I know she knows that this is a good path. Her daughters are starting to soften their hearts and they are going to be ok I think if their mom joins the church. I feel like she is changing so much and experiencing the healing aspect of the Atonement and having that wonderful joy and peace fill her. She has been searching for some light and has found it. I cannot wait for the day to see her receive the Gift of the Holy Ghost and become truly clean. I think that will be the day she looks forward most to as well. :)

I'm really happy here and I'm so grateful for these wonderful members. All of our investigators thus far have been given to us through the members. It's amazing. I really hope we can go out and find those in need and be able to build up a member wall and increase trust as well. I feel like we have a lot of Part Member families we could reach out to and bring to church. We're actually working with a family named Joe and Natasha Porter and they are so nice! The only problem is that he works graves and has a hard time focusing. We also have a hard time meeting with them in a time that he can have had sleep and be aware and functioning in the lesson. We have a great member fellowshipping them and we're going to work hard to bring her back to church because she is less active and they want to raise a family together in a Church. He wants to know about her church.

I have loved serving in Fishers and I'm excited to be able to continue that work. I love this ward and feel like I'm home especially with people who have been so kind to me and we have a great new bishop. It's been wonderful!

This week we also went to the temple with two recent converts/returning members and were able to see them do 10 names for my family in the temple. Ten of my ancestors were baptized and the joy I felt in that room as I watched these two wonderful sisters who I've gotten so close to was unimaginable. I loved being there to watch that sacred ordinance performed. It was amazing and so wonderful. I'm so grateful for this work and for the Spirit I have felt while I've been here in Fishers and I'll be able to stay here for a while longer to continue that work. :)

Love and miss you all!
Love,
Sister Halverson

There Was A Baptism :)

Hello Friends and Family!!!

WOOO HOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Dave and Vikki are Baptized!!! So exciting!!!! It was a great night last night. :) I'm so so so happy. It really does pay off. And in the grand scheme of things, I know it's going to continue. :) It was a nice event last night. Sister Thalman and I gave talks at the baptism and the Spirit was so so strong. :)

Ok so they were not in our area but they have become really close friends and we've been team teaching with the Elders to help them become trusting and comfortable. This family is so stinking awesome! We've helped them a lot and provided service and have loved being there. We're hoping that they can continue to make goals to later be sealed in the temple. :)

I love them and I'm so excited for Carl. He's doing really really well and is setting things up and finalizing things for his upcoming baptism. He's so excited. We had a lesson with him Wednesday night and he literally glowed. Carl and Linda are just so happy and it shows now that they have the Gospel in their lives. They have brought up valid concerns with what they do bring up and they just want more answers. He loves getting the pamphlets and I'm so excited. We're also teaching a man named Michael. He's from the Philippines and his Parents converted a long time ago. They were very less active and the Sisters went over to help Soledad, the Mom, become active again. We also found out that her son Michael wants to be baptized! He's been looking for the true church. Grew up Catholic, been searching ever since. Most of the things we've taught him resonate and he wants to take this Gospel back to the Philippines to his family! We looked up where he would live in the Philippines and have found he lives really close to a church building!!! It's seriously so cool. :) He wants to be baptized and convert his family. :) It's the best feeling ever. And then there's Lisa. She's been LOVING the lessons! She calls it guidance which is so funny. But honestly it couldn't be more true. I feel like we've been seeing progress and have been texting her scriptures each night to read. Which she does! She's had to start from the beginning I feel and start with a basic testimony of a loving Heavenly Father. I know she is seeing a difference as well and that is helping her see the bigger picture.

It's been hard the first couple of weeks but I feel like I can manage well before times flies and I'll be heading home. It's been a good learning experience for me to bring back past experiences with companions and being able to let go. I've valued that more than anything. I've also come to laugh with my companions and love them as sisters as we've been seeing miracles come to fruition here in Fishers. It's been interesting to say the least and I feel like everything is working out ok. Sister Munoz is helping me to see the things I can improve on and helping me set out a way to do it. We made a goal to have her wake me up at 6:30 in the morning so I can be more exactly obedient. I've been trying really hard to do just that and improve my morning routine. Sister Thalman is kind of comic relief. She's the laid back one out of the three of us and I feel like I'm pretty chill. So it's good to have a stable medium. :)

I've also come to see some changes that need to be made as well. But I feel it is in my best interest to do all the things that I can do with my companions before changing this area. I would love to stay here in Fishers. We're working hard with people and I feel like we can still work harder. Sister Thalman has been sick and we've been taking it easier so she doesn't get worse. It's been steady for the most part but I want to get high numbers and reach higher goals. I think we can do it. Whatever happens next transfer will be a great turn around. I feel it has been stressful on all of us in a trio to do what is needed here. We're working on it and doing the best we can. We've had many great lessons and are definitely seeing miracles. :) I'm excited to keep working here and I would love to be here the rest of my mission. I feel like I can do great things and have been able to see what I can fix to move forward too. I feel like I'm doing and learning a lot here and the miracles are never ending and baptisms are catching up. :)

Love,
Sister Halverson

Miracles for Dayzzzzzz!!!!!!!!!

Hello Friends and Family!

Miracle time! We've been helping the Elders team teach a woman who is more comfortable with Sisters teaching her. So we've been up with that and have been really coming close with her and her husband. I's been awesome.   So the other day this couple calls us and tells us that they want to be baptized and have chosen a date!!!!! The only catch is it's 6 days away on the 18th! O.O Crazy right?!?!?! We're so stoked for them! All the prayers in the world will help for Vicki and Dave!!!!! They really need it in order to make this work!!!!

We've been meeting with Carl as well! He really wants to be baptized and has been waiting so patiently for his opportunity to do so! He's been on date now for October 31 at 10 am! I'm so excited for him. It's really hard to get in contact with him because he's so busy but he is doing those things that are helping him and he's working hard with his Recent Convert girlfriend to meet the goals he's set. We're looking forward to helping him come to baptism and see him at church. :) We're also working with a sweet lady named Lisa. She's been having a hard time lately and we've been helping her feel God's love and help her with her struggling 12 year old daughter. She's been reading and we're going to meet with her again tomorrow at a member's house. :) It'll be good and it's been so good for her.

I'm doing well! we're just trying one day at a time basically. That's all I can do and that's what is working. Trying. I'm not always successful but at the least we're trying to get one lesson a day. Need to build that back up and this week we're going to hit hard. Tracting went well the other day when we went out. Many people out here are set in their faiths and that's very admirable. They're very kind and we get to have really good conversations with them. I'm just praying Heavenly Father will soften their hearts to our message. That's what I want. A softer heart and happy heart to go out and do this work. Which is happening. :)

Love,
Sister Halverson

General Conference and Interviews

Hello Friends and Family!

I think we had a really good week. We have a lot to keep improving on but we had a really good lesson the other day with our investigator Lisa. She's been having a hard time lately and is in a rather dark place. We are helping her let light come back into her life which she is flourishing with. It's a hard process for her at times but I think the worst of it is over. She has loved the Book of Mormon and the feeling of the Holy Ghost. She radiates light. She's learning that the feeling of the Holy Ghost is something she wants to keep working towards. It's been fun being in a trio and teaching her. Other appointments are falling through but we're trying and setting up appointments with others and always trying to get a return appointment.

I'm truly excited to get out and tract this area because it's a different challenge and I've been looking forward to working hard with the members to try and strengthen them too. :) I really want to unify this ward. They seem super awesome but I feel like there's something missing. I really want to start a member wall in our apartment and help them to get to know the missionaries and us get to know them and ASK FOR REFERRALS!!! I've been doing so much better about it than I have in the past. I make it a point to just ask. It comes up naturally in the conversation and we have fun. :) I feel good about being here. Really I do. I want it to flourish. I know it can too. :)

This general conference was really hard. I actually was told yesterday that the Relief Society President in my last area just passed away from an unexpected heart attack. It was a blow and I was so so shocked especially when we had just talked to her weeks previously. It was also a blessing and comfort to me as well at an unexpected answer to my career prayers. Elder Renlund's talk helped provide peace as well as President Nelson's. Both men talked about the heart and their careers in the medical field and the problems that they overcame. This really helped me and I felt peace and God's love for me and for His Daughter that just returned home a few days ago. While I'm still sad at the unexpected loss, I know she is doing the Lord's work on the other side. :) I loved hearing from the General Authorities and from our beloved Prophet.

Love,
Sister Halverson