The Last Email!!!!!!!

Hello my dear family!

This past week has gone by uber fast, but so much good has happened. This past week we did what we call a Church Tour. We give a Tour of the Church, but we also teach the first lesson while we do the Tour. This past week we did one with Howard, who is one of our investigators. It was such a great experience. We had the a couple from our Branch there as well. I enjoy so very much hearing other's testimonies of the Gospel. And also watching Howard and his faith in the Savior grow as we taught.

 

We also did another Church Tour with Edward. Just the fact that we found him again was a miracle and we feel like he has been prepared to hear this message. As we were teaching the First lesson, which is about the Restoration, he was just eating everything we said up. We taught him that because God loves us, He doesn't want us to be in darkness and confusion, so He calls a Prophet and gives him the Priesthood or Authority to direct God's Church. But how when God's children (us-all of us) don't listen, God takes away that authority. Edward then stopped us and said, "Yeah! There has always been prophets throughout the Bible. They are really important. Wait, is there another Prophet on the earth today!!??" We were then able to testify that there is. We are not in darkness. There will always be a a Prophet on the earth. We then invited him to read the Book of Mormon.

 

I know that it is through the Book of Mormon that we can know the truth- that Joseph Smith was a Prophet and that this is God's Church on the earth today. I know that this is true because of the Holy Ghost. It is not because of what my parents taught me, although they did teach me very well, I still had to know for myself that these things were true. I know that this is Christ's Church! I know that the Priesthood has been restored to the earth once more. I know that Heavenly Father loves us! I know that Jesus is the Christ!!!

 

I love you all!!!!  I will see you soon! :) Have a great week! 
XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO
-- 

Con Amor, 

Hermana Wadsworth 

This is our 2nd to last letter!!!!

Dear Family!!!

I just have to say, I love you all! And I also have to say, I love being a missionary!!!
I am running out of time with writing right now... so this letter may or may not be a shorty, just saying....

Highlights this past week:

I went to the Temple with all of the departing missionaries, it was a lot of fun! AND I am the only Hermana/Sister going home this transfer so I have 10 Elders all to myself to carry my bags and everything... haha! (That is what President said to me at least... haha!)

We set a date with Mat and Michael (they are a part member family) We are so excited for them! They came to church yesterday and we have a lesson with them tomorrow. They will be baptized May 11th!

AND we also had an AMAZING lesson with Howard and he came to Church yesterday too! We will be setting a date with him this next week for mid May too!

Hm.... what else happened.... MISTY GOT BAPTIZED!!! I don't know if you remember her. Hermana Penrose and I taught her in Ottumwa and she got baptized this past weekend. We were able to go too!!! I forgot my camera today so I will send pictures next week... OR I could just wait to show you later. Haha! :)

SUNDAY!!! HUGE MIRACLE! Okay, so we were in Relief Society and our Branch President came in and said, "There is a little boy, who is 2, wearing a orange jacket that is missing and he was last seen on Henry Street. If you want to leave to go look for him you can." SO, we left to go look for him. We were all just praying and asking Heavenly Father to direct us in some way to find him. We were all listening to the Spirit and letting anyone that we saw on the street to look for him. We then say this lady walking down the street with a little boy and we told her about the little boy that is missing and she said, "this is him! we found him!" I could not hold back my tears and we got out of the car and gave her a huge hug! I could only imagine what she was feeling like. We talked with her for a little and found out that she is actually  member of the Church! She hasn't gone for a long time and in fact, her records aren't in the Branch either. What a blessing!! What a miracle!!!

I know that God loves us! I know that He gave us His Son so that we can become better people and change. I know that Christ is our Savior. I know that the Book of Mormon is true! I know that miracles have not ceased!! That there are no coincidences in this life. Only God given miracles! I know that families are Eternal! I love you all so much!!! Have a great week!!!

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO

 -- 

Con Amor,

Hermana Wadsworth 

18 days people!

 I have totally slacked the last few weeks-MUH BAD! Today you get 3 for the price of 1. I know you probably don't think I'm cool because of all the slacking and stuff on my end... but Deb wrote to me today to tell me "you are cool! haha!" so... there! 

18 days people!! Can you believe it!? 

Come to our house April 28th from 7-10 pm to say hello. Her homecoming talk will be at 8 am that morning at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints located on the west side of Greenfield north of Southern, south of Broadway. She would love to see you all there!

Enjoy this weeks letter: 

Dear Family!!

OH HOW I LOVE SPRING WEATHER!!! The past week I haven't even wore my boats because it was so warm outside... I LOVE IT! The trees are starting to show little buds and hopefully in the next week we will start to see some flowers bloom. I love spring! I wish Arizona had spring like they do here. I love the 4 seasons! Isn't it so wonderful that our loving Father in Heaven has created with world for us with all the seasons, beautiful colors and the lovely plants! I love living on earth! All the experiences that we have every week that bring us closer to Him, if we let them.

I have been thinking a lot about just that, agency. Every day, the gift is ours to choose to have a good day or to not. We have the choice to get mad or to not let things bug us. "So, be like a duck and just let the water run right off your back..." I loved the talk by Elder Ellis I believe that he said every morning we should wake up and sing at the top of our lungs "Oh what a beautiful morning! Oh what a beautiful day! I have a wonderful feeling everything is going my way!" Every morning we have this song that wakes us up and it is just totally upbeat and it says "Good Morning" Every morning really is good! We should continuously strive to keep every morning and good morning and every afternoon, even and all the little experiences and moments along the way be GOOD! Because they are good! How blessed we are!!!

We also must remember though, that if we do choose to get mad or have a negative thought, we can repent. Our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ did all that he did so that we could repent and change and become better and ALWAYS have a good time! I know that Christ is our Friend! He loves us and wants to help us! He wants us to have JOY!! And is through His Atonement that we can experience that joy and also to be able to change and become new people. I am so thankful for this wonderful Church that is His. For the chance that we have EVERY WEEK to change, to become more like Him as we partake of the sacrament and come with a "broken heart and a contrite spirit."

I know that the Church is true! I know that the Book of Mormon is true by the power of the Holy Ghost, not by any other means. I know that Thomas S. Monson is God's Prophet on the earth today! And how wonderful it was to listen to his voice this past weekend!  

I love you all! Have a great week!!!!

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXXOXOXOXOX
-- 

Con Amor,

Hermana Wadsworth

Last weeks letter: 

Hello Family!

So, this email may or may not be shorter then the rest. There are a lot of things to get done since I am coming home soon and so... bare with me here... ha ha!

This past week came and went so SO fast! I love being a missionary! I have to tell you something that happened on Saturday.

Do you remember me talking about Nita?! Nita was an investigator I was teaching with Hermana Penrose in Ottumwa. Well, I don't know if I told you this or not, but she moved about 1 month before her baptism to Burlington. She was baptized in Burlington and has lived there ever since. WELL, her daughter, Sierra, was scheduled to be baptized last Saturday. Since this last week was so very busy with District meeting on one day and Interviews on another, we didn't have a lot of time to go finding new investigators. The plans were sent and Hermana Stroud, Smith and I were going to go finding that day. OH, I forgot to mention, Burlington is in our district-which means that we could go to the baptism if we could find a ride there. ANYWAYS, long story short, on Friday night, while I was praying, I said "Heavenly Father, tomorrow is Sierra's baptism, and we haven't found a new investigator this week and we are going to work hard to find one for the hour of time that we have scheduled tomorrow"  (side note here, we still had to plan for our next week so we really only had 1 hour scheduled to find). I accepted the fact that I was not going to go to Sierra's baptism. I was sad, but I had to put the Lord first and what He wanted me to do. I wanted to accomplish our goal!

Unannounced to me, Hermana Stroud that morning received a thought to her mind "Hermana Wadsworth really needs to be at that baptism". So, she textedthe Elders in Burlington and arranged it. During the day, I really tried not to think too much about the baptism. I was really bumbed that I missed Nita's, but the plans were set. So, we went and we met some really, REALLY cool people in this trailer park and we are going to start teaching a couple of them this week. BUT we still had not found that new investigator. Well, after we were done at the trailer park, we had to go home to get something... and come to think of it. I cannot remember what that 'something' was, but it was important for the other activities we had for the rest of the day.

We went down stairs and Hermana Stroud saw someone (who I did not know) and she opened the lady's car door and then I asked her "Who is that?! I don't recognize her?" She said, "Well, Heavenly Father wants you to know that He loves you, that is a kind Sister from Burlington that is going to be taking us to the baptism." I could not hold back my tears.

When we got to the baptism, not even Nita knew that I was coming... I gave her a big huge hug! My heart was so filled with joy! And just thinking about it really brings that warmth back into my heart.

I know that Heavenly Father loves us! I know that Jesus Christ is our Savior and also the Bestest Friend we could EVER want/need. I know that the Book of Mormon is true, I have prayed about it and have received that witness through the power of the Holy Ghost. I am so excited for this coming weekend we have to listen to God's Prophet, Thomas S. Monson! I know that he is a Prophet of God and that he leads and guides this Church, which is Christ's Church!

I love you all so much! I hope you have a great week!!!!!!!! XOXOXOXOXOXOXO

-- 

Con Amor,

Hermana Wadsworth 

The email from the week before THAT:

HELLLOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I love you all so much!!!!!!!!! I hope that you all had a FANTASTIC week and that this next week will be even better than the last. :) HE LIVES!!!! OUR SAVIOR LIVES!!!!!!! I know that He lives! I know that He did what He did so that we do not have to go through this life alone.

http://www.lds.org/bible-videos/videos/he-is-risen?lang=eng

http://www.lds.org/pages/mormon-messages?lang=eng#none-were-with-him

http://www.lds.org/pages/mormon-messages?lang=eng#lifting-burdens-the-atonement-of-jesus-christ

I have to tell you about this really cool experience that we had this past week. On Saturday we were checking up on some referrals and decided to just walk there. It was really fun! The more I am out the more I enjoy finding. And talking WITH people and not AT people. Anyways, we had done our finding and then we were heading to the car. There was this man that was walking just in front of us so fearless Hermana Stroud stepped up her strides and started talking to him and Hermana Smith and I were right behind him talking as well. He wasn't the most friendly of guys, but we walked and talked with him till he went into the Bar. Still heading to the car we were walking through the square when we saw this man just walk right in front of us.... we kept walking when the Spirit just told us, "STOP! Go talk to him." So we all just turned around and headed straight to him. We sat at talked about Jesus Christ and the Book of Mormon with him. He told us his name is Brett and that he just got out of prison, he said that he had a little bit of religion, but that he hasn't really done anything with it. Just as we were talking with him I really could feel how much God loved him and I think I said it at least one time and Hermana Stroud and Smith also did. It really was such an awesome experience! We gave him the Book of Mormon and also our number. He said he didn't want to give us his address or anything. Which was fine.  Well, that is not the end of the story! Yesterday at Church, Brother Lance (who is 2nd Counselor in the Branch Presidency) came up to us. He told us of how this less-active named Brett really wants to start coming back to church. He said that he just got out of prison and that he wants to change his life around. We don't know 100% if it is the SAME Brett, but I feel like it is!

I know that God lives and that He answers our prayers and that it is through us that He meets their needs. I know that there are no such things as a "coincidence"  It is so humbling to be an instrument in His hands! To help others come unto Him! I know that this really is the work of the Master! That He loves us! I know that He lives! Let us always remember Him and what He did for us every day! And to not hesitate in giving thanks to Him and asking for His help. I know that Families are Forever!

I LOVE YOU!! HAPPY EASTER!!!!! XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO

-- 

Con Amor,

Hermana Wadsworth 

2 For 1

Oh hey! Tori here. Today you get the pleasure of reading not one, but two of Debs' emails! Enjoy :) (PS 39 days til she gets home, but who's counting?)

Email from last week (March 11, 2013):

 

LIFE IS SO EXCITING!!!! So, guess what?! We are getting 30 more missionaries this Thursday!!! 30!!!!! Isn't that so cool!!!!??? And only 8 missionaries or so are going home. The Lord truly is hastening his work! And I am going to be training one of the Hermanas coming!!! She is going to be waiting for her Visa to go through so we arent sure how long we will have her, but either way I am really excited to train!! Even though it is a little stressful- I know the Lord will help me!

 

I have to tell you a really cute story! So, we went over to see Tami and Mat this week (Mat is an investigator) ANYWAYS, we were over there visiting Tami because Mat was at work. She said that she "caught" Mat the other day reading the Book of Mormon is the hallway to the kids rooms.... she said, " I came around the corner and saw Mat, I said, 'What are you doing?' and he, while shoving the thing he was doing underneath him said 'Nothing!' Then she said, 'Are you reading the Book of Mormon?' He said, 'yeah..... I just didnt want you to know....'" haha!!! SO CUTE!!! He is loving reading the Book of Mormon!! It is so awesome! But this wasnt the only story I wanted to share with you.... The other one happened on Friday while we were just visiting Tami and I was talking to her son, Michael. Michael was looking at the Book of Mormon and just openned up to a random page and started reading... then he asked me, "Is this Alma guy from Texas?" "What?!" I responded. He read in Alma 60:19-20:

 

19 Or is it that YE have neglected us because YE are in the heart of our country and YE are ^asurrounded by security, that YE do not cause food to be sent unto us, and also men to strengthen our armies?

20 Have YE forgotten the commandments of the Lord your God? Yea, have YE forgotten the captivity of our fathers? Have YE forgotten the many times we have been delivered out of the hands of our enemies?

He was thinking like: YE-HAW!!! hahah! such a cutie!! He is 9.

 

We had really good lesson with Raz this week. He has a lot of things still to work through just because of the way he was raised. He is an awesome guy though with really good intetions. His prayers are so sincere and we both feel like he is coming a long so well. Especially since he doesnt really know if God is there, BUT he has a testimony of Jesus Christ. He doesn't seem to really doubt Christ. It is just a very interesting and faith growing experience to teach him. He just blows our minds!! I will have to send you a picture of him soon.

 

We have been going through our Branch directory this past week and finding all these part-member families! They are all such great people. We have found that so many of them are related to active people in the Branch or are still in contact with people in the Branch.  There are so many of them that know that the Church is true and just don't want to make changes. I know that our lives really are happier when we found them on the teachings of Jesus Christ. Not only that, but also going to Church is so very, very important! That is how we renew our baptismal covenant. That is how we "always have  His Spirit to be with us".

 

I know that this Church is Christ's Church. I know that the Book of Mormon is Another Testament of Jesus Christ! I know that this work is God's work! I know that Jesus Christ lives!!! I love you all!!! I hope you have a great day!!!!!!!!

 

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO

--

Con Amor, 

Hermana Wadsworth 

 

Email from this week (March 18, 2013):

Have I told you how much I LOVE LOVE being a missionary!?!??! It is the most exciting thing EVER!!! You get to meet people, help them build their faith in the Lord and also help them make covenants with Him. It is just the greatest!!!

 

So, we are now the Tres Hermanas!!!!!! Hermana Smith is so awesome! Brand new from the MTC and just ready and willing to hit the pavement running! She is so awesome! She is from Brigham City, UT and is just a joy to be around. She has an incredible memory! And her Spanish is definitely better then mine was... and she was only in the MTC for 6 weeks instead of the 9 that I had. The Lord really is hastening His work. She is a Visa waiter right now, she is called to the Argentina Mission. Apparently that is happening a lot now since there are so many missionaries going out, getting Visa are taking longer. I really don't understand why, but either way, I am excited that Hermana Smith is here. :)

This past week we had an AMAZING lesson with Liz! I don't know if I have told you about her, but she is just eating up everything that we put down. The Plan of Salvation is so real! I know that with all my heart. This life is not all! We are all children of God and He loves all of us. He created this earth for us and so that we can return to live with Him. He provided for us His Beloved Son, Jesus Christ to come into the earth to redeem us from the Fall. We can repent from our sins! And not only can we repent, but also whenever we are having a hard time in our lives we can pray to Heavenly Father in the name of Jesus Christ and we receive strength to overcome. I don't really understand how it all works, but I know it does because I have prayed and have been enabled! It is because of Jesus Christ that this is made possible.

 

Raz is doing good... he still has his set backs and we are trying to help him with them. The biggest thing is Joseph Smith, he thinks that Joseph Smith wrote the Book of Mormon... He didn't write it- he TRANSLATED it by the power of God! When you read the Book of Mormon, you feel the Spirit. Just like when you read the Bible you feel the Spirit. They are both the word of God! AH! OK, I will get off of my high horse now. I just know the Book of Mormon is true because I have read it and prayed about it and I received an answer by the Holy Ghost. And you can too!!! Pray with real intent... meaning, be willing to act on the answer that God gives you and you will receive it! I promise that!

 

I love this work! I know this is the Lord's work!!! I hope everyone who has the opportunity to go on a mission will go!!! This is the best time of my life!!! I love Hermana Stroud and Hermana Smith so much! They are both extraordinary women and missionaries! I am learning so much from both of them. I love the people here in Mount Pleasant! They are so great!!!! OH!!!! MAN! I wish I could send you pictures.... next week! But this past Tuesday and Wednesday we went to the Temple! Best ever!! I love the Temple so much!!! I WILL send you pictures next week! Have a great week!!!!

 

XOXOXOXOOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO
--

Con Amor, 

Hermana Wadsworth 

 

 

FAAAAACT

You guys my sister is awesome! I am so anxious for her to be home. I hope you enjoy her emails as much as I do! PS 52 days until she gets home!!!!!

Hello Family!!!

Did you know that the birthplace of John Wayne is in Winterset, IA?! I didn't know that till I was in Winterset this past weekend!! SO COOL!!! I didn't get to go to his home because the Lord's work is more important than that. BUT I did still take a picture of the street sign... haha! OH and that picture of the snow coming off the roof... SCARY!!! Haha! We did NOT walk under that....

Anyways- this week was so good! Have I told you how much I love my companion?! She is so awesome!! I will tell you some reasons why in a minute after I tell you what happened. So we have been working a lot with the members here! We have been serving them any chance we get. Well, this past week it has snowed a lot here so we thought of a list of members to go see and to shovel their sidewalks. So the happy little Arizona and Texas missionaries went on their happy way serving and having little lessons with our members and less-actives. It went really well and we found a lot of success in it. Towards the end of the night my left hand was a little achy, but not too bad. Well, I went to bed that night and at 3am I woke up in SO MUCH PAIN!! My whole left arm hurt and my back was throbbing... I laid back in bed and went to sleep. That morning we called the nurse and long story short, we had to stay in. I felt so foolish. I did not like it because that day we had some AWESOME plans to go and see some less-actives and members.... But Hermana Stroud was just awesome to me that day. She just served me all that she could and she made some cookies that we ended up giving to all of the Elders in our District. She is just so awesome!!

I just have to say, again. I AM SO EXCITED FOR WILL!!! And I am SO EXCITED for Justin!! We are all going to speak Spanish and just have a blast! And I feel like ya'll will be able to help me with my Spanish too because it is still a struggle for me. I do really good when I test myself on paper, but speaking not so good. I can understand good, but I am a little awkward of a speaker. Haha! Hermana Stroud and I speak it as much as we can too which has helped a LOT!

http://www.mormonchannel.org/have-i-done-any-good 

You have got to watch this music video! President Jergensen shared it with us on Friday and it is BOMB.COM worthy for sure!! I love it! It makes me so excited to do service for others! I think everyone should add this song to their iPods... haha! It is that awesome! :)

I love being a missionary and really helping others come to Christ. It is such a privilege! We went to Des Moines this past weekend for exchanges with the Sisters there and we went to visit this family. The dad's mother is dying of bone cancer and we could feel the heaviness that father was feeling because he was driving back and forth to help out his mom as best as he could. I was able to bear my testimony about the Atonement of Jesus Christ to that man. It was so cool to hear of his faith in Christ and about how he knows that he doesn't have to go through this trial alone.

I am so very thankful for a loving Savior who really does help us through the hard times as well as the easy times. I feel as humans we feel like "I just have to be tough and get through this". Why?! Why did Christ come here?! So "he could know according to the flesh how to succor his people according to their infirmities" (Alma 7:11) He did what he did so he could help us! We dont have to do it alone! I know that to be true! I know that the Book of Mormon is true! I know that God speaks to us today through His chosen prophet, Thomas S. Monson.

I love you all!!! I hope you have a great week!!! XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO

-- 

Con Amor,

Hermana Wadsworth 

Hello! Tori here! I'm taking over for dear Mary who is busy busy with school! We are sorry about slacking the last couple of months with posting Debs emails. If you have not been receiving them and would like to, please leave a comment w/your email address. If you would like to read her old emails between this email and the last one that we posted, comment with your email address and I will forward them to you. Thanks for supporting our sister! We love her dearly and couldn't be more proud! She's been doing amazing and will finish off the last 2 months with just as much energy and enthusiasm! 

Dear Family- 

I AM SO EXCITED FOR WILL!!! YAY!!!!!!! Just think, in a little over 2 years when you get back we can just chat it up in Spanish and no one will know what are are saying... MUAHAHAHAHAHA!! :) My heart is just so overcome with joy! I just want to shout it from the roof tops! The Lord has blessed our family in so many ways- I am so thankful to Him!!! 

This past Saturday was so great!!! As I am sure it was with all of you. Hermana Stroud and I headed back to good ol' Ottumwa to see Zeila get baptized! It was so awesome to see her in white! And in a couple of weeks she is going to go do baptisms in the Temple and I will be going to that too! :) YAY!!! Isn't this work so awesome!! There is nothing better than seeing people really come unto Christ and take upon His name!! Zeila was just beaming!! It was so cool!! Then, that night at about 10:20 President Jergensen called me and... I didnt think that I was in trouble or anything... It is just that President Jergensen is a very busy man and getting a phone call from him is just a very big deal. He started out by saying, "HELLO HERMANA WADSWORTH!! How are you doing?" I said, "Good President, how are you?". "I am good," he said, "so I just got off the phone with you Mom. She said that your brother got his mission call, but I am sad to say, it is not here in the Iowa Des Moines mission." I said, "OH man!! That is a bummer!! Where is he going?!" President then said, "well your mom said that if you want you can just wait until Monday when you email to find out OR I can tell you, but you are patient so would you like to wait till Monday?"... "WHAT?!? NO NO NO!! This is one thing I cannot be patient with, President!!" He then laughed at me and then proceeded to tell me where Will is going!!! AHH!!!!! WHAT AN AMAZING DAY SATURDAY WAS AND IT JUST WARMED ME UP!!!!! Such exciting news! I already looked to see when Chicuahua is... not tooooo shabby! It would not surprise me if you go right up to the New Mexico/Texas boarder!! YAY!!! I am so excited!!! Missions are the best thing EVER!!!!!! I love it!!! I think EVERYONE who can should go on a mission!! 

I am sorry that this email is going to be so short, but I wanted you to know how I took the whole thing... and how great the Lord is!! He really does bless us and know what our needs are!! I know that Jesus Christ lives and loves us!! I know that the Book of Mormon is true!! I know that through the Atonement of Jesus Christ we will all be saved after all that we can do! That when we keep the commandments the Lord will bless us!!! I love you all so much!!! I am so lucky yo have a family like you!!!  

FAMILIES ARE FOREVER!!!!! 

LOVE YOU!!!!!!!!! XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO 

Have a great week!!! 

--

Con Amor, 

Hermana Wadsworth 

September 17, 2012

Hello My Wonderful Family!

HOLY COW! Another week has FLOWN BY so fast.... Is time flying by to anyone else?! Cause it sure is going that way here in Ottumwa. Today is cloudy with a chance of thunderstorms. I really hope that happens, because I heard that Midwest thunderstorms are AWESOME and i haven't experienced one, yet. :) I am really hoping that I will.

 

Alexia was baptized by her father on Saturday- how cute is that! They are so cute, the WHOLE FAMILY! I just love them all to pieces. I cannot believe how fast time is flying! AND Brittany is getting baptized this weekend!! We are so excited for her!!! AWE!!! And then the next week we have the Relief Society Broadcast and then General Conference. I am SO VERY EXCITED to be able to hear from our Prophet in the next couple weeks. Life is so good, isn't it?! I feel like we are just so very blessed to be here on the earth at this time. We have a Prophet who leads and guides the Church of Jesus Christ and we have the Priesthood on the earth again AND we have another Witness that Jesus is the Christ, the Book of Mormon. This is such an exciting time, I love it!

 

Alexia's baptism went so well! Ashley, who was baptized on the 6th, gave a talk on baptism and Sister Peery gave a talk on the Holy Ghost and she related it to having a big warm blanket that she can have with her always. It was so cute! Ashley shared with us a little parable or... i cannot remember the other word. Anyways, she related our life here on earth as a roller coaster. She said, "Life is like a roller coaster, but when you have Christ by your side on the roller coaster of life, you don't have to be afraid the steep hills with His sitting by your side." How true is that?! I have had my share of going down steep hills or loops in the roller coaster of my life. But I have realized, that with Christ by my side, I don't have to fear. He will be right there all the way.

 

I know that this Church is true! I am so thankful for this chance I have to be the Lords Servant and to be on His errand bringing souls unto Him. I know that the Book of Mormon is true! I hope you all have a great week!!! I love you ALL!! And pray for you daily!

 

XOXOXOXOOXOXOXOXOXO

Love, Hermana Wadsworth

September 10, 2012

Hola!

Aloha!

O-Lo!

HELLO!

MY FAMILY!!!!

THIS PAST WEEK WAS AWESOME!!! ASHLEY GOT BAPTIZED!!!! WHAT-WHAT?!?!?! It was definitely a trying week for her up till her baptism. I must say, I feel like more and more I am learning why I was called her to Ottumwa. And I feel like, because of the Lord, I am able to do all these hard things. Well, at least I thought they would be hard, but they really aren't at all. All I do it put my trust in the Lord and He helps me through, I surely can depend on Him! Which I am so very, very thankful for.

 

Funny story of the week. So, the picture with me, Hermana Penrose and Sister Short has a lot of meaning to it. So, she asked us if for service, we would come with her to wash her dog. (she has a HUGE golden retriever- his name is Rusty) Of course we would love to! Especially since Hna Penrose and I LOVE DOGS! :) so, we loaded him up in her husbands truck and took him to the car wash that actually has a dog wash attached to it (pretty funny right?! i thought so at least..) Well, we get there and Rusty has pooped in the back of the truck... SO NASTY! It smelts so SOOOOOO BAD!!! BAH!!! No big deal though because we were at a car was and could rinse it out when we were all done washing him. Well, we did just that, we pulled into the car wash to wash the bed of the truck out. But, when we got done.... we couldn't find the keys to the truck... HAHAHA! They were locked in the truck... and the keys were in the ignition. HAHAHA! Lucky for us, Hna Penrose had our phone with her. She called Brother Short to bring her the spare keys. It was so stinkin funny! And little Brynn (she is 4) and Rusty and I went running around the parkinglot and just being goofy. It was so great!

 

So, have I told you about Brittany?! I dont think I have. Brittany is a referral from the family that got baptized on Sept 1st. She is actually Mary's age. (which is crazy because that is how old Ashley is too, they went to school together) Anyways, we have been teaching her and she is just eating everything up! She is getting baptized on the 22nd. She is so stinken excited! She told us about an experience she had with her Dad. So, after we invited her to be baptized, we could tell that she was really excited, but something wasnt quite right. She told us the next day why. She was really hesitant to get baptized because she didnt know how her dad would react to her wanting to join the church. And suprising to her, when she talked to him about it, he shared with her some concerns, but he was really happy for her. Well, after our second meeting with her she shared with us something really cool that happend. She said that her dad is a HUGE Glenn Beck fan and that he watches his shows all the time.. Well, on Weds or Thurs night Glen did a special episode about "Mormonism". She said that it resolved a lot of the concerns her dad had. She said that she knows that God knew that her dad needed to hear that and that she knows it was from God. I am so very thankful for her example to me of realizing the hand of the Lord in her life. It was so cool to see her just beaming from ear to ear saying "I know that God did that for me and for my dad!" How amazing is that?!

 

I know that Heavenly Father puts people or things in our way to remind us of how much He loves us! I know that He lives and loves us!

I love all of you and I hope you have a great week!!! XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

 

Love, Hermana Wadsworth

September 4, 2012

Hello Family!

 

Sooo... this past week was AWESOME! David and Jessie were BAPTIZED!!!! AWWWW!!!!! It was so exciting and very comical at the same time. :) David is a hoooot!! He actually reminds me a lot of Will! Hermana Penrose and David are really into computers and video games and stuff and then there is me and Jessie. Her and I get along really well! She is a sweetheart. We are teaching their daughter Alexia too and she will be getting baptized in the next couple of weeks (hopefully by her dad!!- how cool will that be?!) We are super excited for them. ANDDDD!!! Jessie, being the amazing little missionary that she is,  gave one of her friends a copy of the Book of Mormon and invited her to the bapstism AND THEN she came to church on Sunday too! Her name is Brittany and we have a lesson with her tomorrow.  Also, on Thursday Ashley is getting baptized too! I dont remember if i mentioned this in the last letter, but her mom was less-active and came back into activity all at the same time Ashley was taking the lessons. Ashley's dad is not a member as of now, but we are really praying that he will come around soon. He is an amazing dad and he actually reminds me a LOT of my dad too! And Dereca reminds me of Tracy Moore (funny, right?!) hahah! Anyways, so there are a LOT of really good things happening in Ottumwa (the O-T-T is what people call it here)

 

GUESS WHAT?!?! So, every week we get an email from our mission President and all of the upcoming baptisms. So, it has the name of the person being baptized and also their baptismal date. THERE ARE 2 IN DES MOINES!!! I am so excited for the Hermanas down there. That Branch is really ready for another baptism and I am really excited that there are some coming up.

 

This past week was really just crazy! I felt like a chicken with my head cut off. We did seen a miracle though. So, there is this family (little hispanic family, and I just LOVE them) Well, he is a member and his wife is not. I met them once when we were on exchanges here like 4ish months ago. ANYWAYS, so,I was asking Hna Penrose about them and if they had seen them much and she said no and that it is now really hard to get a hold of them. Well, we prayed and decided to go stop by. We got there and she answered the door and just let us in right away. When we went there before we shared a video about the Temple Dedication for the El Salvador Temple because that is where she is from. She LOVED it and she forgot to save it to her desktop and wasnt able to find it. So, we happily showed her where it was at  and then showed her around the website a little more. We shared some of the Bible Videos that the Church has made. Have you seen them?! They are so good! And a really good missionary tool too ;). She really liked the videos too. We asked her if there is any service that she needs done or anything that we can do to help her family. She said that she really needed help finding a bedroom. So, this weekend (hopefully), one of our members who is from Mexico, will be helping us finish the room. We are so very excited to go serve them! I LOVE SERVICE!  

 

I am so very thankful for this Gospel. I have been thinking a lot about the scripture "when ye are in the service of your fellow beings, ye are only in the service of your God". I feel Gods love for the people we serve and I know that I am doing exactly what the Lord would be doing. I know that the Book of Mormon is true! I love reading from its pages and discovering new things and just seeing how much Heavenly Father loves us. I know that Families are Eternal! I love you all!!! Have a great week!! XOXOXOXOXOXOXO

Love,

Hermana Wadsworth

August 27, 2012

HELLO WONDERFUL FAMILY!!!

 

So, I have been transferred to the great City of Ottumwa, Iowa. It has been great! A little bit of an adjustment though... I must say. I spent half of my mission just working with Hispanics and, I am not going to lie, it is kind of hard for me to talk to Americans. Isn't that weird?! Anyways, it is a lot of fun! The town is really small compared to Des Moines and I feel like I am already starting to get used to getting around town. Oh, ALSO, fun fact! We drive a truck! I feel so legit! hahaha! I love it!

 

Guess what?! We have 3 people getting baptized in the next week and a half. Jessie and David are getting baptized on the 1st and Ashley is getting baptized on the 6th. I love them so much! Even though I haven't been a part of their teachings really, I have such a love for them all! 3 of my brothers and sisters are being baptized!!! It is so humbling to be around them. I can tell that they are happier people. I ask Hermana Penrose all the time about their stories and what brought them to this point and it is just amazing to me that as they have showed faith in Jesus Christ and His Atonement, repented and prepared themselves to be baptized and receive the gift of the Holy Ghost it has just been amazing to me! And we have more people well on their way to being baptized as well. :) I will send pictures next week for sure.

 

This past week was such a whirlwind from everyone in the branch wanting to say goodbye to me and wanting us to come over to see them and stuff... and then coming to Ottumwa and jumping in with both feet and WOW! This past week really feels like a dream. Hahaha! :)

 

So, i know that i have mentioned in my emails before about "Los Hombres". Well, one of them is a less-active that we visit and on Monday night when we got done visiting them, i said goodbye to them and stuff and all of a sudden, this lady from across the street on the 2nd floor of this apartment bldg yells at us "HEY! ARE YOU JEHOVAH WITNESSES?!" i said, "NO, WE ARE MISSIONARIES FOR THE CHURCH OF JESUS CHRIST OF LATTER-DAY SAINTS!" She said "OH, LISTEN I REALLY NEED TO TALK TO YOU, CAN YOU COME OVER!?!" I said, "YES!" So, we went over there. She just started telling us about her life story about how she has been abused by boyfriends and stuff, she has 3 kids, and how she has been a member of quite a few churches and stuff and how then at the beginning of this year, her daughter who was a heroine addict was hospitalized because i guess she had tried to commit suicide. And she just asked us, why, why did this happen to her and her family. If God loves us why does He let things happen to us. I had NO idea what to say, I just wanted to cry. But then I opened my mouth and talked to her about the Atonement of Jesus Christ and how we can receive that healing power and that God really does love us. She was looking so intensely in my eyes and she was like, I want to learn more about how you know that. I know that Heavenly Father loves us and that He has provided a way for us to be happy in this life and I know He wants us to be. We just have to trust Him and lean and learn of Him.

 

I love being a missionary! I think I say that in every letter, but  it is because it is so true!!! It is well worth the sacrifice. I am so thankful that Heavenly Father sent me here to the Iowa Des Moines Mission! It really is the best mission in the world!!!

 

I love you all! I hope you have a great week!! XOXOXOXOXOXOX

 

Love, Hermana Wadsworth

 

 

 

PICS: Me and Hna Baird went to this YUMMY ice cream place. (I got a chocolate malt) YUMMMYYY!!!

MTC BUDDIES!!! That is Elder Spackman, he is a spanish Elder that came out with us! We love him!

ALL THE HERMANAS IN THE MISSION!!: Hermana Baird, Me, Hermana McGrath (she went to Des Moines), Hemana Collazos, Hermana Hunter and MY COMPANION, Hermana Penrose!

August 20, 2012

Hola Familia!

 

So, I am finally getting "the Boot" i will be transferred this week to a new area. I am having very mixed emotions about it, but i know that it is for the best. I had a great last Sunday with the branch too! This past week just was a really good one! We went to the Fair, moved apartments, found a couple really cool new investigators, learned a lot, ate a really good salad from the Marketplace... life was really good this week. :)

 

I am really sad to be leaving Des Moines though... I have been here forever and have come to love the people so much! I guess that is what happens, you leave the people at home you love to come on a mission, then you meet new people- love them! and then you have to leave. Good thing I will be coming back to visit the BEST MISSION IN THE WORLD!!! (which is Des Moines, Iowa for those of you who need clarification)

 

Holy cow! The fair was so fun! Everyone in our Zone was there including some other Zones AND President and Sister Jergensen were there too (my mission President) It was really fun! We enjoyed a really long corn dog, a deep fried snickers bar (SOOO YUMMY-PS) and a deep fried hot dog rapped in bacon. hahaha!!! Hermana Baird and I didnt eat for the rest of the day and went on a nice little jog the next day.HAHA! We also saw a lot of the animals. Hermana Baird got her horse fix... well, kind of, she said she really misses riding them. :) Anyways, it was a blast!

 

So, here is something that I have had on my mind a LOT this week! One of our new investigators is from Cuba. And if you know anything about Cuba, you know that they are a Communism country. Well, he was telling us how the people in Cuba have no idea really who Jesus Christ is. They cant read the Bible and if you hand out any kind of material about Jesus Christ, you get thrown into prison (which happened to him). When we introduced the Book of Mormon to him, he just kept saying, " I have never heard of this Book." We both testified that it really is what it says it is, Another Testament of Jesus Christ. He just ate it all up. We read the Introduction with him and he was just in awe about it all. He just had such a firm grip on the Book of Mormon and just thanked us over and over again about sharing this knowledge that we have with him. We both bore testimony again to the truthfulness to the Book of Mormon and that is why we invite everyone to read it and then to pray about it so that they can receive this witness for themselves. Because that is how we gained our testimony and knowledge of the truthfulness of the Book of Mormon.  Then, we invited him to offer the closing prayer. In the back of all of the pamphlets that we hand out there is a little explanation of how we pray. He read it over, and than began his prayer. It was the most simple, heartfelt prayer i think i have ever heard in my life. Then, he ended the prayer and looked at us and said, "I have never prayed before, not like that", we asked him how it felt and he said, "Magnificent, beautiful,... i dont have many words to describe how i feel right now" WOW! Hermana Baird and i after that lesson were just blown away! That was worth it! Even if we didnt teach anyone else in our entire mission, that would make our missions worth it!

 

How many of us really are thankful for the religious freedom in which we have?! How many of us read the Book of Mormon as the BEST Book, the BEST gift that the Lord has given us?! How many of us really pray with all our heart for the people we love and for the things in which we need?! I know that i have not been as grateful for the freedoms in which we have, especially religious freedom. Or about reading the Book of Mormon with a thankful heart that we have another Testament of Jesus Christ and the reality of His Atonement. I need to change the way I pray to my Heavenly Father with all my heart. My life has been changed in so many ways through my experiences I have had here in Des Moines! There are so many people who are starving for the truth! So many amazing people here in Des Moines and in Iowa! I love being a missionary so much! It makes me so happy!

 

I know that Jesus Christ lives! I know that God is our loving Heavenly Father, who loves us so much! I know that the Book of Mormon is true.  I know that the Church of Jesus Christ of Later-day Saints is the Lords Church, and that it was restored through the Prophet Joseph Smith and that we have a living Prophet, Thomas S. Monson who leads and guides the Lords Church on earth today! I know that the Plan of Salvation is real and that it is made possible through the Atonement of Jesus Christ. I know that Families are Forever! I love you all! Thank you for your letters and all the prayers and support in which i feel. I hope you all have a great week! Dont forget that you have a missionary that LOVES YOU in Iowa!!!! :)

 

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO

Love, Hermana Wadsworth

August 13, 2012

Hola Familia!!

 

It is a beautiful morning here in Des Moines. It is a little over-cast with a slight chance of showers. It is about 65 degrees outside which is just perfect weather to bust out the cardigan and we are getting ready to head to the State Fair with our Zone! (expect pictures next week!) This week has been CRAZY! Hermana Baird and I have been busy finding new investigators, packing, visiting less-actives, going to dinner AND lunch appointments(so much food...), and getting up every morning at 6 to go running. This past week seemed to fly by faster than the others. It is really sad cause i want time to slow down just a little more so that I can soak up more time with the Des Moines 5th Branch! I love the people here SO MUCH!!! It is going to be hard to leave, but I know that I will love the people in my next area too. I LOVE BEING A MISSIONARY!!!! I cannot imagine my life being any different right now. So, this morning Hermana Baird and I were talking about this and how we cannot imagine anything else. Well, we came to the conclusion that even on the hardest days/times of our mission, we think we are doing more good on those hard days than on our best days at home. I feel like it is so true! Because even days that all of our appointments fall through, the work of the Lord still moves forward and we know that we have planted a little seed in the hearts of the people here. It is awesome! I love being the Lords servant, even if I am only planting seeds, it is worth it!

 

So, last Wednesday we had Zone Meeting and it was so bright and sunny and the weather was perfect. Well, Hermana Baird and I went to a library to do our language study (which was an hour) Well, by the time we got out, we saw these HUGE STORM CLOUDS ROLLING IN! And we were going to an appointment and it was only like a 5 minute drive away... by the time we got there, the clouds were over us and it started POURING DOWN!!!! Like really bad! We were soaked by the time we got to our appointment only to find out that his wife wasn't home so we left... well, we saw her pull up while we were leaving and we called her and she said that we can come over the next day. So, we drove around the corner and the Tornado sirens went off!!!! So scary! haha! We ended up going back to their house and teaching them a lesson till the storm stopped. (by the way, there was no tornado, just tornado like winds)  There is the crazy story for the day. :)

 

This past week has been a great one! It is crazy to see the difference between people's priorities. We were out finding people to teach and we met this guy who was going to school and playing soccer and everything like that. He said that he didnt really have time to pray or to do anything church related because he was just so busy! It was really sad to hear because I know that when we put God first in our lives that everything goes better. Our days really are better! Well, right after talking to him, we found a family that were all outside working on their roof. We started talking to this guy, his name is JR and he just got out of being in prison for like 3 years.  He said that the most important thing to him is his family and his relationship with God. We have a follow-up appointment with him. :) He was really cool!

 

Anyways, I sure do love all of you! I love getting you letters and hearing how life is going. HAPPY BIRTHDAY LOLLIE-POP!!!

 

I know that this Church is true! I know that Jesus Christ is the Savior and Redeemer of the word! I know that Heavenly Father loves us so very much and He wants us to be happy and successful in this life, that is why He gave us commandments. I know that families are forever!

 

I love you all! XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO

 

Love, Hermana Wadsworth

August 6, 2012

BUENOS DIAS!!!

OH HOW SWEET THIS WORK IS!!! I LOVE BEING A MISSIONARY!!!! IT IS THE BEST THING I HAVE EVER DONE IN MY LIFE!!!!!!!!!!! I LOVE IT SO MUCH!!! EVERY MINUTE!!!!  Ok, I hope that you can really feel my excitement that i have for this work. I really, really REALLY love being a missionary! This morning, I woke up on cloud 15 just super-duper happy to be a missionary! I have felt this way for a while, but today i feel like i am bursting at the seams!

 

This past week was a good one. We are looking for a new apartment because the 1st ward is getting 2 sets of missionaries and our apartment is in 1st area so we are getting the boot. Which is ok because we dont really work around where we live. We are looking for a more central location.  So, hopefully by today or tomorrow we will know for sure which apartment we are going to move to....

 

Ok, so on Saturday, we had a service project with all of our district to go help out at the Iowa games... YAY! Saturday was running and cycling which is good because like 2ish weeks ago, we did service for the Iowa game and we kept score for basketball from 7:30 in the morning to 8:30 at night with about 5 mins breaks in between each one... I am ok to not do that again... haha! But aways, so we were outside and all of a sudden, all of these clouds started rolling in... and they were greenish (which is sign for a Tornado!!) It was POURING RAIN SO BAD! I was DRENCHED!!! And since we are obedient, crazy missionaries, i backed out our car... which means I was even more drenched. HAHAH! It was so fun through... afterwards, it was scary at first cause we thought it was a tornado. Mer! It was nothing.

 

So, last night, we had such a great lesson with some former investigators! The Spirit was so strong and Hermana Baird and I just left that lesson on cloud 20! Since I am a really slow typer, I cannot write the whole staroy, but i will write a part of it that I think will really help everyone who reads my emails. Jose and Carolina are their names, they have 3 beautiful girls! Jose, after the lesson was over for the most part he said "I cannot change..." We then asked him. "Jose, do you believe in Jesus Christ?" He said, "Yes!"  Then Hermana Baird and I bore testimony that we really can change, we can become better people through the Atonement of Jesus Christ. We can pray and ask for help to change and He will help us. I know that this is true with all of my heart! I have seen it in the life of my family, in the life of others and in my own life! No matter what we have done, Jesus Christ still invites us to "Come unto Him". He loves us so very much! He desires for our happiness more than anything.

 

I know that this Church is true! I know that the Book of Mormon is the word of God sent to us so that we will know that Jesus really is the Christ, what greater than out of the mouth of two or three witnesses?! :)

 

I love you all! Have a great week! XOXOXOXOX

 

Love, Hermana Wadsworth

July 23, 2012

Oooppss... HOLA!

 

Mi Familia- 

MAN! I cannot get over how good looking my family is! Mom, thank you for the pics at Will's Birthday, they made me happy! ALSO I loved seeing the pic of Michelle with Ted, Rex, Wally, Tim, Jared, Kristen, and  Mitch. It warmed my heart to see my friends too! haha! what a treat! MICHELLE- you are so lucky that you get to go on a mission, it is seriously the greatest thing ever! AND you are going to LOOOVVVEEE the MTC! I sure did! The Spirit is so strong there, i love it!

 

This past week seemed to fly by faster than the last. I know that I mention this every letter, but it really does. I feel like I just wrote you all a letter like yesterday. Is time flying by for anyone else?! I might just be super cray-cray! Anyways, I sure do love you all! Thank you for all your letters and pictures, I am going to be writing you all back ASAP! I promise.

 

Well, this past week was definitely a stretching week for me. I am not sure if I have mentioned this in the past, but I have not gone finding a lot on my mission (that is when you go door to door) and I am really rusty at it. This past week we had to stop teaching a lot of our investigators because they were just not progressing, not reading the Book of Mormon, nothing! It is really sad because we know that through the Book of Mormon we can come to know our Savior more and that the same church that Christ established when He was on the earth has been restored through the Prophet Joseph Smith. The Book of Mormon really is the keystone to our religion, if you take the Book of Mormon away we have no religion. Anyways, we we had to go finding and it is hard for me for some reason, to go up to a perfect stranger and talk to them. HAHA! I was so good at that when I was at home, why should now be any different?! Well, thankfully Hermana Baird has done her share of finding and she helped me a lot. It was really cool. We set goals of how many people we felt we could find in the looted time that we had to find! And guess what?! We hit our goal of finding people and also giving our Books of Mormon. We met this really cool guy that was working on his car outside. We both bore testimony of how the Gospel of Jesus Christ blesses families. He said that he didn't want to listen to anything that we say until he talks to his family about it. We then were able to bare testimony of how important that is, to have goals and to work together with your family toward the same goal. We gave him a Book of Mormon and invited him to read it with his family. He accepted the invitation and in the next week, Hermana Baird  and I will go back to their home and hopefully, teach their family about the restored Gospel of Jesus Christ!  I have such a testimony of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and that it truly does bless our families.

 

I have been learning a lot about myself through teaching others. It has been such a blessing to be a missionary and to be able to teach and testify of the Savior and His atonement. He has changed my life and He has changed the lives of the people I have taught and I know that He can change your life too. All He asks for is a "broken heart and a contrite spirit". Turn to Him!

 

I know that this Church is true. I know that we truly can be changed through the Atonement of Jesus Christ! I know that He loves us! I know that God loves us perfectly and that He provided a way to return to live with Him again, which is through His Son! I love you all! And I pray for you daily!

 

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO

Con Amor,

Hermana Wadsworth