First Week In Indiana

This week has been amazing! Lots of miracles and tender mercies. We've met with so many amazing people like our district and zone and families in this area. We are working hard to give them everything they need and teach them as best as we can and let the Spirit do the rest. We've seen a couple agree to be baptized already! We just need to keep teaching them and set a date. It's great they are such sweet, humble people. But I've quickly come to learn that people are mean. And rude. But they have their choice and that's fine. Heavenly Father has His hand in everything. 

We are the first sisters in this ward in EIGHT YEARS!!!!!  You can tell too because our apartment needs a lot of work.  I'm doing my best to clean it but we have limited supplies and not a ton of time.  Like no time at all actually.  So we make do and do what we can.  The ward members love to feed us!!!  We get such good food and they really like having sisters.  It's a novelty to them I guess because they haven't had any for a long time.

My companion's name is Sister McKendrick.  She's been out for 15 months and will "die" in this area.  (I don't like some of these mission terms.)  And according to the other missionaries I'm going to "Kill" her or send her off.  (Again...no likely!)  So all in all things have been great and we've been off to a good start.    Hit the ground running.

So these are some of the thing that happened this week which is a lot better than last week.  I love all of you!  I'm getting pictures but I'm having a hard time remembering my camera.  :( Mom I'll send it home soon so you can upload.

I love you all!  Have a great week!

Love
-Sister Halverson

Picture of my companion, Sister McKendrick

Week Two

Hello!

So we received our flight plans last week and we are getting ready to go out tomorrow! It's kinda sad leaving half of our district (they are headed to Georgia) but it's exciting to go! We are doing laundry today and just getting ready to go. I have to leave here at like 4:30 a.m. so I'll be getting up early tomorrow morning.  So all is well! I'm a lot better this week. I got sick. But now it's over and I don't sound gross as often. This week was pretty cool. We taught a lot of "investigators". I really learned a lot from it. WE WENT TO THE TEMPLE TODAY!!! I'm seriously on cloud nine! The Provo Temple is Gorgeous! I don't think they need to redo it because it's so pretty. These past two weeks have kinda been a blur. It's like drinking from a fire hose. You get some water but it mostly hurts your face. I can't attach photos. :( It won't let me. They turn out to be too big. I'll keep figuring it out though.

I'm sorry this one is short! I'm trying to remember what I did haha!

I love you all!

Love,

Sister Halverson

 

 



An "investigator" we taught at the MTC
 

First P-day

I'm doing great! We finally have a chance to do laundry and only one hour to write everybody. There are four girls in my room, Sister Fenn, Sister Smallcomb, Sister Howard (my companion) and me. I left my camera back in the room so I can't upload photos this week. I will for sure get them up next week. We got our travel itinerary on Friday! We are headed to MN next Tuesday (September 9th) for an hour layover then headed to Indianapolis. I'll write next Monday about when I can call Mom.

This week to be honest was really hard. I was struggling to feel the spirit which is hard considering it's practically everywhere here. I had prayed for the entire weekend to find a way to feel the spirit within myself. It wasn't really answered until yesterday when we went to choir practice. We sang "Where Can I find Peace". LOVED IT! And then our district leader was able to give me a blessing. I immediately felt 100% better. We went to the Sunday devotional and heard from Brother Richard N. Holzapfel. It was powerful and made me that much more in tune. Then we saw a film called the Characters of Christ by Elder Bednar and it is my new favorite.

So. My district. We had ten total but and elder went home due to medical. So now there are nine. Elder Williams is our District Leader. Elder Fiefia (Fee ya fee ya), Elder Critchfield, Elder Lamb, Elder Reber (Like Webber but with an R. Not ree ber) and then the sisters. We went on a temple walk yesterday which was a blast! Love our teachers. We are learning so much here! I am learning SO MUCH here!

Hugs to everyone.

Sister Alexandria Halverson

Not a Trace of Doubt In My Mind

So...tomorrow is it. The big day. I'll be a missionary tonight and in the MTC but 1 tomorrow. It's exciting! And scary. Really scary. And sad. Which it shouldn't be. But it kind of is. I mean, I'm not going to be gone for ever. And it's not like I'm dead so it isn't a permanent farewell. It's just gonna suck missing everyone now and again. But it'll be so worth it!!! It's been worth it now! From who I was 7 months ago when I started this journey to who I am today, I've grown so much! It's astounding! And I have so much more growin to do!

This is honestly goin to be the best adventure of a lifetime. And I get to do it for the people I love most: my Heavenly Father and my Savior. Without them, I'm not sure how far I would have gotten on my own. I may have given up or called it quits at the last second. But They know me enough to know I will go and do the things which my Lord has commanded me to do. It won't be easy. Not in the slightest. There will be days that I will want to come home and be done. However I know I have a family who supports me 100%. So I won't give up.

I'm so excited to go and serve. I'm excited to be busy and have something to do!! I'm ready for this. :). See you in spring of 2016!!!

57 Days and Counting!

Time is winding down. It seems like only yesterday I had received my called with 133 days to go. I'm over half way through the wait!!! It's crazy! And to think how far I've come with the mentality of being kinder and more Chirst-like and remembering His teachings to apply them to my everyday life...it astounds me. Sure I'm not 100% there yet but I'm working on it!

And today was just a reminder of how much I love this Gospel! I had the opportunity to meet with future sisters and RM's at temple square! It was so cool to meet so many eager and willing young women who are just as excited as I am to serve the Lord in our missions! Shout out to Isabelle Diederich! Got to meet one of the sweetest young ladies on the planet! It was amazing being able to talk to these sisters and share my story and what makes me want to serve. 

                    Temple Square!!!

My mom asked me the other day if I was going to go through with a mission. Not that she was doubting me or thinking I can't do it, just some things earlier this week made it a bit harder on my case about serving. I had quit work to focus on the last math class I would ever need and then had to quit math because I was stressed out of my mind about serving and having everything I'd need for the next 18 months. (Mission Prep isn't as easy as you'd think! Love it!!)

So she asked me if I still wanted to go, if I was still going to go. And I shocked myself with my answer. Fervently I told her yes! I WANTED to serve. I was going no matter what. A mission is a wonderful opportunity for me to serve God's children so fully and so devoutly and learn things that will help me down the road five, ten, fifty years from now.

It made me that much more excited when I completed my wardrobe. One step closer! It feels incredible having my clothes. Silly thing but it's AWESOME!!! :)

As always,

Soon-to-be-Sister Halverson

I Find Strength

So a lot has happened. One of my closest friends made a decision that impacted her ability to serve a mission. She's now at a crossroads of marriage or mission and is pushing it out for a few months to really decide. And I know it shouldn't, but it impacted me as well. We had so many big plans! Send a journal between the three of us and turn that into a book for future Sisters, write each other nonstop about our missions and the blessings we've been receiving, just share with each other the wonders and trials of serving full-time missions. I feel hurt that we can't experience these things on the same level anymore. But life happens and we have to press onward.

Which is why I'm even more determined to go serve. These things happen for a reason, to make us stronger, to open a door to a different path that we need to take or have the opportunity to take, or to make us face a trial that will ultimately benefit our lives for some reason. I find strength in my friends and family. Those who have served, are currently serving, or are about to serve are all amazing examples to me. I find strength in my God. I know I'm not the best person in the world. I have many flaws. I work on them and then fall back into bad habits. And yet He's here to help me through it.

Sometimes it's hard to get down on your knees and open your heart up because it feels like you shouldn't bother Him with your pathetic pleas, you just feel so icky. We've all been there more or less. And it's a battle. But it helps in the end. You win the battle, and keep fighting on.

I find strength in my ability to fall on my face, time and time again, and pick myself back up and keep moving. I find strength in realizing I need to be motivated and get things done. I find strength in myself. Even when it gets bad on the inside.

Proverbs 3:25-26

Be not afraid of sudden fear, neither of the desolation of the wicked, when it cometh.

For the Lord shall be thy confidence, and shall keep thy foot from being taken.

Keep going even when the darkness comes and the Lord will be there to help. Reach up, His hand is waiting to help you up. 

Find your strength in Him.

Hard Work

Satan works hard on all of us. He makes us feel unworthy. He makes us feel small. He makes us feel like we aren't good enough and we should just give up. And it's all lies.

To be honest, I don't feel worthy to go out and do this work. I don't feel good enough to even pray because I'm so afraid I'm not worth it. I don't feel like I'm worth it. And it's these thoughts in my head that are telling me I'm not good enough and I start to believe it. I have to believe I'm good though. Or I won't endure to the end. That in itself is part of the battle.

I talked to my friend about this. I've told him how unworthy I feel and how scared I am to leave everyone behind and face the unknown. He told me not to stress. Heavenly Father knows my struggles, that He's here for me. That He is the shoulder I can cry on and I'll never be given up on. This really helped me. For someone who feels so low, it helped. A lot. He also referred me to a talk given by Elder Brad Wilcox titled His Grace is Sufficient. 

This talk is one of the few tender mercies I needed this week. And so far so good too. It makes me realize how different my way of thinking is. To me, I need to work to repay what my Savior did for me. In reality? He's standing beside me, having already paid the price. It's like a mother paying for piano lessons. (I got this from the talk.) She wants her child to succeed. And to work hard to show appreciation for the lessons. And it's like our Savior as well. He wants us to appreciate His gift and to work hard to show our love and appreciation. He wants us to take advantage of it.

It isn't money to be paid back. It's money to save. To savor. He did it selflessly so that we might come home in the end. His grace is enough for everyone. Even me. Someone who feels so low, she doesn't think she should pray. And right now is when I need to pray the most.

His grace is good enough for all. He isn't standing at the end waiting to congratulate us. He's right next to us, guiding us when we're too tired to go on. Carrying us when our feet and legs and body have given out. Pushing us along when we want to go the opposite direction. He's here, standing beside me, holding my hand, and telling me I'm good. I'm good enough. I'm more than enough. I'm everything. And it's because of Him that I want to serve a mission. Not everyone knows what I do. And I want to share this message with them. They are good enough. They can be forgiven. They are loved. They are wanted.

And so am I.

I say this in the name of my Redeemer, Jesus Christ, amen.