Monday, November 24, 2014

Happy Thanksgiving!

Hello Dearest Family and Friends!!!
 
Happy Thanksgiving week!!! It's actually here and happening.. that is weird!!
 
This week has been great!!
First off, I cannot express how much I miss living with members..... I've been without it for like 7 months now... and we've been thinking a lot about it this week because all we want for Christmas is to live with members! There are lots of members in the ward who are able, they are just waiting till holidays, or they're still trying to get situated or whatnot.. so it isn't happening yet,  but I just wanted to say "thank you" to all those who house missionaries and especially to all those I've had the privilege to live with. They change the lives of missionaries, that is for sure!!!! Thank you to the Denkers, Nix's, Fergusons, Flacks, and Cammacks... I love you all!!!!!
 
We had exchanges this week! So although I've been here for only like 3 weeks.. I feel as though I know the area very well. So Sister Stiles, who goes home at the end of this transfer, came to our area with me and we spent a day and a half together. Golly, I love her! She's sweet and helped a lot! We saw MANY MIGHTY MIRACLES and tried to commit all our investigators to baptism.
We brought it up with our 84 year old investigators Carol-- and although she didn't commit, we are whole heartedly trying for her to be ready by January 3rd. She is soooo ready, just scared for the initial change and is letting a little thing like Coffee hold her back, but she is INCREDIBLE!!! We go and iron for her every week. This 84 year old is learning to play the harp and reads every book she can get her hands on. She LOVES the ward, it just nervous for the initial change. She came to the RS dinner than night and absolutely loved it, then came to church all three hours yesterday even AFTER attending her Methodist church. Said our church is MUCH different than hers, but she couldn't stop smiling the whole time and she always lingers around talking to everyone forever-- her fellowshipper, Sister Larsen, has the hardest time getting her to leave:) So that's a good thing!! She can just stay forever! She loves it when we call her Grandma.. so I have ANOTHER grandma out here in Nebraska. She'll make it to January 3rd. Everyone keeps joking with her that she "just needs to get dunked already" So keep her in your prayers:):
 
Sister Stiles and I had a sweet BOM handout too. We were on our way home for the night and were stopped at a stop sign. The car in front of us-- the license plate said "PRAYNOW" So we giggled and took a picture, and the car just kept sitting there. So we put our car in park, ran up to the window and the lady opened the door looking really confused. It was a crazy encounter and cars were all around us, but we gave her a Book of Mormon and a card with our number. #sweetaction
 
Teri-- is another one of our investigators that we talked to about baptism. She absolutely LOVES the ladies in the ward too. She has a daughter that joined the c church a couple of years ago and is now on a mission coming back in February, so sisters have worked with Teri for almost a year and a half. I finally just asked her.. "Teri.. why aren't you a member??" And she brought up some concerns. She fits RIGHT in with all the women and she has GREAT friends there. Earlier that day, we had prayed about a date to commit her to be baptized.. and we felt good about Feb 28th. So we asked her about that date and she said "... that is Sarah (her missionary daughter)'s birthday!! How cool would that be??? #NOCOINCIDENCES. She flat out turned us down still, but keep her in your prayers because I know she can make it for then too!! She reminds me SO MUCH of my moms sisters. I just love her!!
 
We had Zone training this week. Sister Crist, who goes home at the end of this transfer, gave such a great testimony!! She said something that meant a lot to me. She said "as long as you TRY, you ARE enough". Satan's really good at making it seem that we aren't enough. Don't ever listen to him. (easier said than done, I know, but it's true!!)
 
Sis T and I had dinner with the Checketts here this week! My 2nd cousins that are in our ward!! We drove out to their gorgeous house in the middle of all these fields and Laura Checketts had arranged for like 4 of the 10 siblings and their families to be there. So it was like a huge family reunion! It was sooo sweet!! Hahah:) They're hilarious:):)
 
I also got new this week that MY BROTHER IS A DADDY AGAIN!!!!!!!! To another one of the CUTEST little boys ever!!!! I swear.. my family just gets better looking with each one!!!!! AHHHHHHHHH I'm SOOOOOO excited! So yes, I am Aunt Sister Checketts to another beautiful child!!! It's hard to not be there, especially when ALLLLLLL  this week we have only really been focusing on families, and EVERYTHING is being tied back to Eternal Families.
 
I have a new baby nephew, the primary program put on our sacrament meeting yesterday, we taught Gospel Principles and the topic was "An Eternal Family". So many of my family have birthdays coming up, and the HOLIDAYS are a family affair. SO I just want to bear testimony on this lil email that FAMILIES ARE ETERNAL!!! And the GREATEST happiness in the world comes from learning and growing with our precious loved ones. They are literally my world and my rock. I love them beyond any words I could ever use to describe. And I know we will be close, and be together until forever. How BLESSED we are, family, to have the blessings of the sealing in the temple. So many people do NOT AT ALL enjoy those blessings yet, or only have partial of those blessings. My dear companion is only sealed to a portion of her family because her siblings do not yet understand the importance of the gospel. So DO NOT TAKE IT FOR GRANTED. But embrace and share the blessings we have. As a missionary, THAT knowledge is a big portion of what keeps me going. I will ALWAYS have that support from my loved ones, and I thank my Father every day for that. I serve for family. And for sharing the message of eternal families.
 
Anyway, I had a great study this morning all about Trust. It is SO easy for Heavenly Father to trust us. He knows His plan, knows what is going to happen, and places us in specific instances because He knows what we will do to fulfill His plan. HE TRUSTS US. The thing we need to work on is trusting HIM. You'd thing it would be the other way around since He is the ultimate creator and it should be easy for us to trust Him. But that is where FAITH comes in. We do not see him... so we act in FAITH, TRUSTING that he is there. The more we trust, and work for that knowledge, the more He will give us. Anyway, there is my 2 cents for the week!
 
I love you all!!! We have a TEMPLE TRIP this week! My first time going in over 7 months. How grateful I am for that.
I hope you all have a PERFECT Thanksgiving!!!!!! We'll be spending time with a single lady and her mom and children. It'll be good. Then we might be stopping at the Checketts' for desert or something too, so I can still claim to be with "family" for the holidays ;)
 
I miss you, YSA!!! Know how much I love you!! And thank you to all who are reading these, truly, I wish I could communicate my love and appreciation more 1 on 1, but just know that I love you sooooo much!!!
 
There is MUCH to be grateful for this holiday season.
 
Watch the "He is the Gift" video and #ShareTheGift!!
 
 
Please, SHARE with all you friends!!!
 
Love, Sister Checketts
 
 
My Checketts Family!!:)
 

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