Dear Family,

I really do not appreciate you reminding me that I am half way through my mission. It really freaks me out because I feel like I have so much Heavenly Father wants me to accomplish and not enough time.... so next person to say something about it is in trouble hahaha

This week was wonderful. We had a great exchange with some sister who were struggling. They live in a really rich area and had no one to teach. We found this lady who was very open and they will be teaching her this week. I know that obedience is key to all blessings. Not just in missionary work.  

We also were able to do a lot of service outside this week. It was like 80 degrees and wonderful. I am very excited for it to be sunny again. Although this morning we woke up to snow but I don't really want to talk about it. haha  While doing service I got to talk to a sister in the mission. She told me her story of getting on a mission. I just think it is so neat that so many missionaries sacrifice so much to get out here. Her mom dad abused her and growing up and her mom passed away so she was living with her grandparents. She told them she was going on a mission and they basically disowned her.... and I thought I sacrificed a lot to serve a mission.

Anyway we also saw a really neat miracle last night. The bishops wife came out with us. We were able to contact a less active family. We felt really impressed to talk about the Book of Mormon. While we were talking about it they remembered how the mom had wrote her testimony in the first book of Mormon the dad have ever had. They went and found it and read it to us. The spirit was so strong. I know they all remembered the power of the Book of Mormon. They committed to start reading it again. :)

So since this week is Easter I hope you all would remember our Savior. Because of Him, those feelings of sorrow, loneliness, and despair will one day be swallowed up in a fullness of joy. I am so grateful for all that Christ has done for us. With out the Atonement we could not progress. How horrible would that be to be in a state of damnation? I love Elder Uchtdorfs talk about how we are eternal beings with never ending beginnings. Let us all remember what is most important in life. I love being a missionary and having the opportunity to share my testimony of the Savior in so many settings.

I love you family. Have a wonderful week!

Love, Sister Page

This week was a wonderful week, as always. A Sister I came out with has been waiting for her Visa to Brazil... Still. So basically she spent half of her mission in Nebraska. Anyway she got her Visa last week. She was serving out west so she came and stayed a couple days with us before she left. So I got to be in a trio! It was way fun. It was also an answer to my prayers. We had this sister under own stewardship who was really struggling with obedience. She didn't want to go on exchanges with us either and really just wouldn't talk to us. haha normally I wouldn't put up with crap like that but I need to be more Christ like. Anyway so I was super discouraged and didn't know what to do. I just wanted someone to talk to about it, but since Sister Larson was stressed about it too, I didn't want to unload on her. So Heavenly Father sent me this sweet Sister who was leaving to Brazil. She is a wonderful sister and just listened. It also really helped me to know how I can better help sisters when they are struggling. I fasted and prayed to know how to help this sister who was struggling. We ended up going on exchanges and it was the best exchange I have ever been on. She opened up and talked about how she wants to be better and understands the importance of obedience.

Another neat experience happened Friday night. We had spent all day helping sisters transfer.. oh by the way I didn't get transferred haha anyway so we were busy all day moving sisters into their new places. Friday night hit and we hadn't taught a lesson. I never want a day on my mission to go by without teaching someone something. We prayed to be able to find someone and teach them. We were walking down the street at like 8pm when we met Josh. WE taught him about the Book of Mormon and how to pray. He prayed with us and the spirit was very strong. He said he would come to conference! He didn't end up coming but I am grateful Heavenly Father gave me the opportunity to teach a lesson that day.

So last conference in October was so wonderful and I remember being so sad that we had no investigators there to watch. Conference is too important and life changing to not have people watch. So, this last week we invited everyone to watch! I was praying really hard to know how we could take full advantage of it! Our investigator Ally wasn't suppose to be in town this weekend, but last minute her plans changed. We watched the first session with her and a recent convert at our ward mission leaders home! It was so wonderful. When President Eyring spoke he said something like, "Some of you may have been invited by missionaries to watch and our considering being baptized." Ally turned to me and said, "Sister Page, he is talking to me!" It was so wonderful. After that session when talked about how the speakers held the authority to speak in God's name. I am grateful she got to experience it first hand. I truly believe there is NO WAY you can listen to them speak and not know they are called of God to do so. I am so grateful for conference and I can't wait to get the Ensign and read and apply what I learned.

 My testimony on fasting and prayer definitely was strengthened this week! I know I need to include Heavenly Father more in this work. I know this is the Lords work, so we can't fail.

I love my family. You all better go back and read and apply Elder Ballards talk!!! I will be following up to see if you did it! ;) have a wonderful week.

Love, Sister Page

Dear Weirdo's,

How is the snow? hahaha

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MARMS!

This week we went on exchanges with Sister in Omaha. The Sister I spend the day wanted to focus on "not worrying about things that are out of her control." As always the Lord works in mysterious ways. It is kind of like how if you pray to have patience the Lord will test you patience. So basically all day no one was answering. They live in a super rich area and no one answers their doors because they live in "estates" whatever that means. Anyway we had all but one appointment cancel. She finally turned to me and said, " I think God tests us sometimes just to see if we will keep going." We just kept praying and with like 10 minutes left in the night we found this older lady and talked to her about the church. I know we needed to find her. I know Heavenly Father blesses us when we are diligent and obedient. It was neat.

This week Sister Larson and I saw many miracles. We had two investigators at church! We also set Ally for baptism. She wont be getting baptized till June but she is so ready!  

The General Womens Broadcast was amazing. Sister Larson and I were late because we were trying to go our investigator, Jackie, to come. She drove and followed us there and then last minute decided not to come in. It was so heartbreaking. She is very catholic and feels she is like going against everything she ever learned. As I sat in the broadcast I just couldn't help but be a little sad. There are so many women in the world that don't have the knowledge of their loving Heavenly Father and their divine potential. It seriously kills me. I was praying so hard to get someone there BUT the miracle was Jackie came to church the next day and loved it :) I totally talked her into coming back in the church to play volleyball with all the ladies in the relief society.. plus then I get to play too hahah

I am so excited for General Conference! I just pray we will be able to get investigators there! We are so blessed to have the opportunity to hear the testimonies of special witnesses of Christ. It reminds me of King Benjamin's address's he gave. He is such a stud. Mosiah 2:9, "Hearkin unto me, and open your ears that he may hear, and your hearts that ye may understand, and your minds that the mysteries of God may be unfolded to your view." I hope we are prepare well for General Conference this week. :)

So really guick funny Sister Page moment... I have been trying to talk to everyone I see. Now that it is getting warmer people are more outside! So, yesterday we were walking down the street and this man was sitting on his porch. I started talking to him and asking question, but his answers were really weird. My companion just whispered to me, " He is on the phone." haha I seriously had a conversation with this man and I didn't realize he was talking on the phone.. so embarrassing. Whatever. Something else that is funny. The church's here have like billboard bashes. haha I will send some pics next week. I should probably just stop talking because I am just saying stupid stuff now. haha

I love my family. Be good :)

Love, Sister Page

Well it sounds like the family is doing well. Thank you for your emails and letters I really appreciate it!

This week went well. There are always ups and downs, but I am grateful to experience hard things so I can appreciate the miracles and blessings.

We had the opportunity to have a lesson with Ali our investigator. She is so prepared it is insane. She is not even a member yet and is already doing personal progress. She wants to be baptized so bad, but she has to wait for her dad. He also wants to be baptized but he has to wait to be married first. I do know the Lord definitely has prepared them. It is so amazing to see.

I had a really neat experience this week with a set of sisters we are over. We had exchanges with these sisters a week ago and they seemed to be doing well. This week though they just seemed to be on my mind especially when I prayed. I didn't understand because I felt like we had helped them and I needed to focus on a different set of sisters. I finally listened to the promptings and we took them out to lunch. They were having a rough couple of days. They don't have a car and they are in a really rich area so they don't see a lot of success. We were able to sit down with them and pray and make some plans with them. I know with all my heart Heavenly Father is aware of all of His children. I love when Heavenly Father trust me to be an instrument in His hands.

I am so excited for the Women's Conference this week. We met with a former investigator last night and invited her to it. She accepted :) we will be praying our guts out that she comes. I am so excited for conference to come. President Weston has invited all of us to study last conference to prepare for this one coming up. In one of President Monsons talks He said, " The history of the Church in this, the dispensation of the fullness of times, is replete with the experiences of those who have struggles and yet who have remained steadfast and of good cheer. the reason? They have made the gospel of Jesus Christ the center of their lives. This is what will pull us through whatever comes our way. We will still experience difficult challenges, but we will be able to face them, to meet them head-on, and to emerge victorious." I know this is true. I think this is the thing I am grateful for most to have learned so far on my mission. I know if our foundation is not build upon the Gospel then Satan will defeat us. I have seen that in so many peoples lives, in both ways.

I am grateful to have the Gospel and I am sad it has taken me this long in my life to realize it. I know this is the Lords Kingdom here on earth. I love my family and I am so grateful we get to be together forever.

Love, Sister Page

ps I still rock my Dixie state clothes hahaha I miss my sweats

Well first off CONGRATS TO DEEMA! I am so happy for you :)

This week feels like forever long but it was good! I went on two exchanges this week and they both went pretty well. I went to Millard for one of them and had a neat experience... we taught this Polynesian family. It was so neat how close they were to the spirit and how their spirits connected with ours and they simply just accepted the truth of the gospel because of it. I learned a lot about helping people feel the spirit and how the spirit is the teacher. I wish more people would be accepting to the spirit.

We have been working with this part member family and they are doing pretty well. Their daughter, Ally, who is 14 is moving into their house from her moms house. She informed us she wants to learn more about the church. We taught her the restoration and gave her a book of Mormon. She is such a sweet girl and she has such a wonderful spirit. She wants to be baptized, but she is going to wait for her dad to be baptized.. :( and he has to wait to be baptized because him and his wife won't be married until May or June. It is sorta frustrating but I know Heavenly Father blessed us for sending us Ally. I am so excited to have the opportunity to teach her.

One of our recent converts, Mariun, was baptized in December. She just found out she has cancer. We went with some members and had a really powerful lesson with her. Her home teachers gave her a blessing. It is so amazing to see her faith overcome her trials. Most people would see this as a sign that she "shouldn't have gotten baptized" but she knows by the spirit that the gospel is exactly what she needs right now, especially with what is going on in her life. I am so inspired by her faith. I know a need to exercise my faith more in the work.

Also this week we were teaching this family. The dad is super against the church but the mom is open. We invited her teenage boys to join in with the lesson. They did, but were very closed off. After the lesson they went outside to play basketball. I asked them if I made a shot they made if they would answer my religious questions. They said yes haha so for 30 minutes we played religious question basketball. They opened up and told my they didn't know if they had faith and so forth. We are going back this week to teach them :)

This week I was really thinking about  how grateful I am for a Savior who knows exactly what I am going through. I love the song Savior, Redeemer of my Soul. My favorite line is, " Chasten my soul til I shall be in perfect harmony with thee. Make me more worthy of they love, and fit me for the life above." I know Jesus Christ lives and loves us. This is His work and so we cannot fail.

I love you family. You are wonderful! Always remember what is most important.

Love, Sister Page