Tuesday, May 27, 2014

BEST TWO YEARS moment

"Flip, Elder!"
 
So, my coolest companion and I made this pact during companionship inventory last week. We were setting goals and she pointed out that I say "I don't know" a lot.. and she does too. So we pacted that every time either of us would say it, we would "flick" each other.
 
It went on for like 5 days and then I was getting flicked so much that I just gave up. I was like "FLIP, SISTER!! Stop flicking mee!" haha it was the funniest thing ever. Thing I'm most excited to see when I get home? Best Two Years, because even though it was my favorite movie before the mish.... now I'm going to be able to relate in all sorts of ways. YAY!!!!
 
WHOOOO for this last week!!! Holy Hops, so much happened!!
 
Last Monday was fun! We were able to do a BBQ with the elders and some of the branch member and got to play Volleyball at the sand court. SO COOL. It was burning hot this week-- bring on the humidity!!!
 
But we also had this wicked awesome storm! So sister Muasau calculated our miles for the next two weeks and we totally thought we would be going over, so we did a lot of walking this week. We had an appointment on campus with one of our less-active members (Shai) She is TOTALLY going to be famous one day. NO JOKE. Anyway, we walked over to campus and after our lesson as we were walking back to our apartment for dinner, we passed through this park and out of nowhere is just started DOWNPOURING. In less than like 10 seconds we were soaked from head to toe!!!! It was the funnest thing ever. So we swang on the swings at the park for a sec! The downpour only lasted maybe 10 minutes and so it stopped raining, the roads flooded and we were trudging up the "hills" (we're in Nebraska, don't get to crazy with the hills) on our way home. I totally felt the pioneer spirit come over me and totally related to my ancestors for a short second. It was way fun. We got back to the apartment and the other sisters are staying with us, and they too got soaked to the bone. So we laughed! We opened our soaking wet bags to take out our scriptures and PMG and materials and let them dry. MIRACLE!! The Book of Mormon is so protected I can't even handle it!! My scriptures were PERFECTLY dry, and my PMG only had a small corner wet. Sister Muasua's poor PMG was soaked, and her quad was wet... but it was only the bible that got wet!!! She shuffled through the pages and the wetness stops RIGHT before the book of Mormon begins. The other copies of the Book of Mormon that we were carrying were also as dry as can be. It was such an extra testimony builder!!
Definitely the closest we will get to swimming:) So fun!
 
We had Zone Conference this week! Oh boy I was so excited! I didn't wipe that grin off my face the whole day! I drove and we carpooled with other sisters back to LINCOLN!! My old stomping grounds! We got to stay with a family that I knew for the night and then went to my old chapel for zone conference. I cannot express how good it was to see everyone and meet all the newbies!! It was the best:) We sang our EFY medley version and had the BEST trainings! This time around it was all about our FUTURES. Kinda scary... haha and strange that Pres was telling us to think of our futures and set goals and plans for what we want. WHAT? WE CAN DO THAT? hahah. So we talked about our future families a lot and marriage and such. It was great!! It was great to see Weber, too! I hope and pray that she is doing alright!!! She's the cutest:)
 
We were able to do this service project this last week for the community called "walk out on your job" We made sack lunches and helped as people left their jobs for lunch, went on a mile walk and got a healthy sack lunch. It was fun!
 
Our Branch President Crocket moved to San Diego this last week, So we're a little concerned about how everything is going to work now with him commuting every weekend.... and there is lots of drama going on in the branch that we're trying to work out and bring UNITY to. Everyone that we bring to church for the first time, the members aren't the greatest at welcoming, so our big focus is working on the branch members right now to strengthen them. I hope it's working:) But we have seen big miracles and lots of referrals from it! We have 4 really good investigators that we are working with, but we have to travel around to go teach them, so it's a little tricky.
 
The Fergusons came through Kearney yesterday to see their son, so they stopped and took us to breakfast. They are seriously family. I love them sooooooooo much!!!!!
 
Yesterday for Memorial day, we were also able to go with some memebrs in the family ward to see a reenactment of the civil war out here at Fort Kearney. FUN! We got to participate and be in the war with many other people there and pretend as though we were shooting rifles. ahhaha the closest we'll get to shooting fire-arms tooo... man, we did a lot of things this week to getting close to bending the rules ;) FAKE swimming and FAKE shooting guns.... silly.
 
It's been a great week! We're doing our best to stay busy, and even though storms arise and we may get DRENCHED with Satan-- filing our heads with negativity and inadequacy, as we repent and turn to prayer, our Father and Savior will help us to be washed CLEAN again. They want us to be happy and we should never give up on anyone, including ourselves, because our Savior and Father will NEVER give up on us.
 
I LOVE YOU ALL!!!! Just keep swimming!!!!!! Time goes by wayyyyy faster than you will ever expect!!
 
Keep going strong. Know that I love you and pray for you often!! I have the greatest family and friends ever. Thank you for all your support!!
 
-Sister Checketts
 

Monday, May 19, 2014

Be A Missionary!!

Howdy!!

GREAT WEEK!!! Whoooo Kearney is the place to be! It's been fun.

MIRACLES ARE REAL #ibelieveinmiracles

Obedience is KEY!!

We were able to see the blessings of FASTING this last week! We have a LA who has lost like everything and we fasted with him-- he got offered a job, is able to get a new apartment, and his wife is still being tricky,,, but he's been able to see his kids this last week. IT'S A MIRACLE!!!! Cherish the miracles and don't take them for granted <3

At church yesterday we had 5 less-active return back! It was great! 3 of which haven't been in FOREVER!! We got to sing again in sacrament, I LOVE IT!!! Our Branch President secretly recorded it cause he's obsessed with our arrangement of the EFY medley. Hahah it was great. I love music and how easy it is for the spirit to be there when we sing. We are also singing in ZONE CONFERENCE tomorrow!!! I AM SO EXCITED!!! The conference is being held in Lincoln, so I get to go back and see all my friends there! Most especially- SISTER WEBER!! Yay!!!

BTW-- Transfers were this last week and Mushu and I are STAYING in the Kearney YSA ward. YAY!! I have this feeling that I know we will get a baptism this transfer. My faith is strong! They YSA out here are amazing. The switching on transfers all over the mission this time was SUPER small.

We've been trying this last week to interpret our dreams. Haha it's crazy how when we think back to a dream and try to see why Heavenly Father gave us that dream that we are able to gain lots of insights about the gospel. It's so fun:) And if you often forget your dreams when you wake up-- PRAY and ask Heavenly Father to help you remember them. It works!! What are your crazy spiritual dreams??? "I had a dream once..."  (it's Disney, don't judge)

It was my past comp-- Sister Carpenter's birthday this last week, So since she is super close to Kearney now, they drove up and we went to dinner. Fun stuff!

Can I just tell you how sweet family history is??? SOOOO I have the coolest ancestors. And with each one that I have found out about, I have been serving IN the area where a big part of their story takes place. Right now I'm by the Platte river and have recently come across an ancestor I have that was a big part in helping the pioneers to cross the Platte River. There is no doubt in my mind that Heavenly Father sent me here to Nebraska to walk in their footsteps. To learn of them, and to become like them. Some of the most faithful people I have ever known-- my ancestors. They gave up EVERYTHING for the church and the gospel. Wealth from their homelands, alllll manner of possessions. They are the greatest and I LOVE NEBRASKA.

Gave the BEST mission prep class this last week--- just sayin. We rotate between the other missionaries in teaching it and last minute, the other sisters couldn't and so we got to teach it. SUPER last minute-- and that is how we know that the spirit was ALL in directing it. It was the coolest lesson and these future missionaries are going to work WONDERS. They are the best!!

We had our DEEP CLEAN this last week-- end of transfers and so we rearranged our whole apartment and we get to have sleepovers everynight with my two other favorite sisters-- Sister Call and Sister Dumont-- they had to move out of their members home for 10 days so we get to have them with us. It's been the GREATEST blessing:):):) I love them!!!

We had many REAL good lessons this week, but it is so sad to see people use their agency to choose their will and not God's... These 3 separate guys that we taught: Andrew, Rafeon, and Bryan are all seeking for the truth, but they have NO desire to TRY reading the Book of Mormon, or to TRY to SINCERELY pray, or to TRY to experiment upon the gospel. They just won't do it because they "go with the flow" DON'T EVER GO WITH THE FLOW!!!! It's a lazy way to live. learn of the gospel, and LIVE IT. Live it Strictly and obediently and stand up for it!! Don't just move with the current because the waves will lead you into CRASHING on the shore. I wish we could just get them to understand. But we have been given the opportunity of agency--- so use it wisely . CHOOSE WISELY and be CONFIDENT and BOLD in that declaration.

We're working on finding new investigators and really getting this small (but growing) branch, to be in unity and love one with another.

I love working with the young single adults because their minds are so open to learning new things, but the are also still in the process of discovering the world, and they don't want guidelines to follow, so it's hard because I know JUST HOW IMPORTANT those guidelines are.

Always be aware of the strength of your faith and figure out where your faith and testimonies need to be strengthened.

You can do it!! I promise! Because the Lord is always with you.

Mission Scripture D&C 68:6 :)

I love you all! Good luck with everything at home! Big life decisions and everything. It looks like a blast!
These are the best days of my life #deep but the best is always yet to come!

-Sister Checketts

"don't just serve a mission, BE a missionary!!!!" <----yes, that means you.

Monday, May 12, 2014

Adventures of Cri-Kee and Mushu

Welcome to Missionary Monday!

Okay, I love my companion. She is the pea to my pod! Hahaha I am so blessed to have Sister Muasau. ^^^ Hence the title of this email. On my mission, people give up trying to look at my name tag and I can't tell you how many times people have called me Sister Cricket... haha :) And no one can pronounce Muasau, so they either call her Mufasa or Mushu. So we decided to go all MULAN on everyone and make us Cri-kee and Mushu. It's a good time:)

This week was crazy!! It's been tough. Finals ended and graduation happened. We got to go see Cornell graduate! That was exciting:) He's the coolest kid ever and now he's headed off the Lincoln. Farewell!!

I got sick this last week :( NO FUN. 2nd time on the mission. BOO. But hey, at least it's only twice. It's been embarrassing this last week with my voice out of wack. GOOD THING Branch President did have us sing for Mothers Day yesterday like he was going to. I have time to fix my voice before next week.

So because of graduation, and with the saying "You can't spell drunk without UNK", You can imagine the parties happening around town. We did our best to stay busy and find people who are staying in Kearney for the Summer. We did a lot of service. Being able to help the foreign students that are staying here for the summer to move into their new dorms. That was fun!

I got offered a beer this last week for the FIRST time in my life... haha as a missionary. That was an exciting adventure...

Got to talk to my fam yesterday!! That was the best:) HAPPY MOTHERS DAY, MOMMA!!!!
I hope you all know how much I truly appreciate all the support and encouragement I continue to receive from you. I have the greatest friends, family, and examples I could ever ask for. I have been SO BLESSED from such a loving Father in Heaven, I cannot even comprehend it.

I hope you all know that I have a very real testimony of the gospel of Jesus Christ. I know He lives. I know He is with me every day. I also know that sometimes I get so caught up in the things around me that I forget to recognize Him, but guess what, he never leaves. He understand me, He know my heart, my desire, my motives, and as I turn to Him and my Father in Heaven with questions, because I know they know perfectly everything, they can help me discover answers and lead me towards the right paths that will help me to reach my potential.
I have seen them work in the lives of all those I am surrounded by here in Nebraska. They work through prayer, the Book of Mormon, and the spirit that accompanies church as we partake of the sacrament. They are in the DETAILS of our lives!
This last week, Sister Muasau and I were able to share our true conversion stories with each other as we did our companionship study at the park one morning. As I again, vocally went through many moments and memories in my past, even MORE details stood out to me of just how involved my Father in Heaven is with my life.
I used to drive past the house that the missionaries were living in down the street EVERY DAY on my way to school in the early mornings and see a light on in one of the windows. And every morning I would subconsciously be wondering what it is they were doing. Now look, I'm on a mission, LIVING that life.
He is SO very aware of us!!
I KNOW that the Book of Mormon is true. I was really bad at reading it before my mission, I couldn't name off lots of the stories, but I knew that when I did read it, even if I didn't understand it, I felt happier. I know that as I've read it more, and as my desire to know it has grown, my understanding of it has also grown. I read in Alma 14 today and I KNOW that story is true!! There is no doubt. These people lived! Alma and Amulek suffered much and were able to have these Christlike qualities in themselves because they KNEW CHRIST. They knew the gospel made them happy. And they knew He would come. I KNOW the Book of Mormon is how we get to KNOW Christ.
Prayer is REAL. Sometimes, it may feel like you're just talking to yourself. But as you pay attention to where your words lead, you will feel the spirit guiding your words and will come to receive answers that you would have never thought of yourself. He listens. He cares.
It's a tough area out here, and I often ask myself why I have been placed in the Kearney YSA, during the Summer now. It's forcing me to get out of my comfort zone and discover new ways to find and teach people, it's molding me into learning something that my Father in Heaven wants me to be. Only time will tell what that means...
Don't be afraid to open your hearts, to yourself, to your family, your loved ones, and especially Heavenly Father. Don't be afraid. As my mission scripture says
"Wherefore, be of good cheer and do not fear, for I the Lord am with you, and will stand by you; and ye shall bear record of me, even Jesus Christ, that I am the Son of the living God, that I was, that I am, and that I am to come" -D&C 68:6

I love you all. I wish you the best of weeks!
Keep Calm and Carry On <3
-Sister Megan Elise Checketts

Monday, May 5, 2014

Spirit

Hey there!
 
First off, what is up with everyone getting injured and health failing? NO FUN.
This last p-day, after emailing, we were informed that one of our YSA members, Corey, had gotten in a car accident the night before (soon after we had seen him) on his way home to Grand Island and had broken his wrist.
Then we have our Ward Mission Leader, Johnny, who is finishing finals this week and had plans to go BACK to Japan to visit his mission, and on Saturday, he broke his leg playing dodgeball. EVERYONE IS GETTING HURT. But one thing is for sure-- the priesthood is real. And everything happens for a reason <3 Prayers out to my bishop and his family back home...
 
The beginning of this week was good! We helped Kylee pack for her mission, (the night before, she had NOTHING put together..) haha crazy girl. So we helped that night and then early the morning that she flew out to Utah to put our packing skills that we have gained on our missions to the test. I love that girl so much! She's serving in Ohio and is in the MTC now:) It was fun to get her all ready and to be a part of her last week.
 
For FHE we drove out to Grand Island to visit Corey at his house and to cheer him up after the accident. He is SO LUCKY that he ONLY broke his wrist... it could have been so much worse. We drove down with our Ward Mission Leader and Miquelle, an awesome member in the branch, and sang Disney songs, then drove back with April-- in whom is engaged to another member of our branch and she was telling us ALL about her wedding plans. That girl is in love.. haha  gushy mushy stuff.. yuck :P
 
I gave my training on Wednesday. I LOVE THE BOOK OF MORMON!!!!!! I was told this week that I am a great teacher from the Book of Mormon. That meant a lot. This book has changed my life. READ IT!
 
The small town of Kearney is SUPER Extatic this week because a GIANT Hy-Vee opened up in town. A lot of the YSA work there and they are so funny... they have a store cheer and everything. They are nerds:) So we went there this last week, it's way cool.
 
We had exchanges this last week! So I spent half a day with Sister Dumont (WHO WOULD HAVE EVER THOUGHT WE WOULD BE COMPANIONS WHEN WE FIRST MET ON THE FACEBOOK MISSION PAGE??) Hahah I love this girl like no other. First mission friend!!!
 
Then I spent another half-day with Sister Call in whom I have admired since the day I met her. She is an amazing missionary too :) LEARNED SO MUCH!!!
 
I got to meet one of their investigators from the family ward-- her name is Karen. She has a family and has just been SEARCHING for truth. She knows what they are teaching is true, she's just having a hard time committing to a date. I got to meet her daughter, Kendyl, who is recovering from alcohol abuse and she's going to start hanging out with us and the YSA. YAY NEW INVESTIGATOR.
 
We got to teach her the Plan of Salvation this last week, and the spirit totally led our words and I decided to show her the articles of faith. She had never read them before and started tearing up. It was so powerful! Those 13 articles are EVERYTHING we believe and more! The spirit will testify through those amazingly. I love the spirit, and being able to be an instrument in saying things that they spirit can testify of is amazing.
 
The sisters scared me SO BAD this last week. Dumont and I were walking out the bathroom in the church and I danced like a freak when they scared me.. so embarrassing. Hahah crazy.
 
Some sad news.... Rocio-- the girl we taught the restoration to last week that was the most amazing experience ever... we went to go see how she was doing this week and she didn't seem as happy as she had been when we saw her last week. She told us she was busy at the moment and that she had been talking to her family about Joseph Smith and the Book of Mormon, and she said that she is just in a really tough place right now. Satan is getting in there-- he is so good at that :( She kinda kicked us away, her husband was there too and he hasn't been so fond of us since day 1, so that was super sad... I left and wanted to cry.
 
We're going to try and see her tonight though when just her and her son is home, hopefully she will open back up to us so we can see what her real concern is. I know she wants to get baptized and I KNOW she felt the spirit last week. She said that everything we taught was exactly what she has been searching for. She's letting the opinions of others get in the way just like so many of us often do. She can do it:) I know she can!
 
I spent the night on exchanges with Sister Call. It was so great to get to talk to her. I love her so much.
We had some miracles that night together too. We had a half-hour left of being out for the night and we still had to reach like 6 more contacts for the day-- a goal that our district is striving to reach. We prayed and decided to go walking down this street near campus, we ended up talking to like 5 people in that half hour and each one of them knew someone that is a member in our branch. SO COOL!!! So we're going to start working with a couple of them and I'm so proud of our branch members for getting out there and sharing the gospel with their friends! There is no such thing as coincidences!!
 
We had a lesson with our 86 year old investigator, Arlys this last week. She's been reading the Book of Mormon, but she is just having a really hard time accepting Joseph Smith. She thinks that we worship him... NO, he's just the prophet that restored CHRIST'S church! Everything is centered on Jesus Christ. I love her so much, it's hard to teach her sometimes though because she is hard of hearing. Her husband is always present from the other side of the veil whenever we teach, we can sense him there. It's the coolest thing ever.
 
We had stake conference this last week. SO GOOD!!! We got to sing during it and we practiced a lot this last week. Everyone said it was incredible and that we had angels singing with us. I fully believe that to be true. It was the coolest experience!! All us full-time missionaries serving in the stake got to sing Called to Serve for the adult session Saturday night too. It was the best! Elder Ward was presiding, and he is so full of the spirit. I love when the big speakers go up to the pulpit with no real notes, but just saying what the spirit tells them needs to be said. He is the greatest. He also had a special meeting just for the YSA that we got to be part of. I LOVE STAKE CONFERENCE!!!
 
President and Sister Weston were here for stake conference as well and she actually got to come out tracking with Muasau and I for about an hour before it began. She is amazing and I love my mission mom:)
 
We got makeovers from the cutest girls ever. I'm kinda obsessed with kids lately <3 I love you Noah, Catie, Drewbie, CJ, Libby and Annelise!!!! <3
 
Coolest experience yesterday though. For some odd reason I was super emotional during stake conference (I promise I don't cry a lot). I just had stuff building up in my head and the tears just came out, I'm not even sure why. I had a great talk with Sister Muasau and Dumont and some of the family ward members. (I got to see Sister Carpenter too). 
 
I was given a blessing by one of our less-active members, Cornell. (He is the coolest kid you will ever meet. SUPER track star, he has the best singing voice and has received a scholarship to a film school in NYC. He wants to be famous.) He had never given a blessing before but had promised Sister Muasau a couple months ago that he would give a blessing before he moved. The words he said were EXACTLY what I needed to hear, and he was speechless by the experience that he had because of it. It was the BEST!!!!!  He was on cloud nine for the rest of the day and He knew that Heavenly Father was aware of Him. 
 
I love the gospel, I know this is the Lord's church once again established on the Earth again through the prophet Joseph Smith. I know that Christ is the center of all the decisions and actions that go through this church. Miracles happen. People's hearts, and bodies are healed through Christ. The power that Christ had on Earth is once again restored to us and that is the Priesthood. The organization and order of this church is exactly what God intends and I know that he is a God of order. He loves me and is aware of my every day challenges and decisions and efforts to be better, and He is aware of yours too. Sometimes He feels more real than at other time and we need to hold TIGHT to those spiritual anchors and memories that we have in our life. To continue to keep us strong and faithful.
 
I say all this in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.
 
I love you all, be safe and strong!!
-Sister Checketts