Fourth Floor, Last Door....

Hi Guys!

Happy birthday yesterday, Dad! I hope you ate a piece of cake for me, hahaha! :) 

This week was so great! We had so many blessings, that we were exhausted by the end of the week from all the happiness. ;) There were so many experiences where we saw small little miracles that reminded us that God is helping us in the work. 

We had zone conference this week in Oakville, and it was so good! The first part of the meeting was about the Doctrine of Christ. We talked a lot about repentance, and President Shields told us that coming on a mission is like coming to "Repentance U" (university). It's so true! On your mission, you really realize your sins and weaknesses, and you get opportunities everyday to repent, change, and improve. I realized this week, that this is the only time in my life that I'll be able to focus 100% on the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We can give all of our time to studying and applying His gospel. I'm so grateful for this time I have to focus on other people and learn how to live the Gospel. The second part of the meeting was all about music. We got a new senior couple in our mission, and one of them plays the piano beautifully. President Shields let him bear his testimony to us through playing a song, and it really brought the Spirit into the meeting. After that meeting, Sister Seegmiller and I decided we were going to be more picky about what we listen to, so we can have the Spirit to be with us more fully.

We have an amazing investigator named Tina, and we had two amazing miracles with her this week. On Tuesday night, we were on exchanges, and I was with Sister Rhodes in Mississauga. We were teaching Tina about the Word of Wisdom, and we were a bit nervous because it was the first big change she would have to make in her life. But it went so well. She told us she didn't have any problems with it. She said, "Baptism is something I really want to do, and I know that it's going to require some changes." Miracle! Miracle #2...on Friday night, Sister Seegmiller and I were teaching her about keeping the Sabbath Day holy, and again, she willingly accepted the commandment and committed to making the necessary changes so she can obey God's commandment. She's such a good example of having faith, and being willing to act upon it!

Our investigator Lisa got baptized on Saturday! It was such a good baptism; the Spirit was there! It was really cute, because she has an eight-year-old son who watched her get baptized, and as soon as she came up out of the water, he said, "when can I get baptized?" So now Dave is preparing to get baptized too. :) Later that day, we got to FaceTime into Peter's baptism back in Bowmanville. That was such a miracle for me. I felt the Spirit so strongly, and it was amazing. You can tell he's made changes to his life, and that it's brought him peace and happiness. It was probably my favorite memory of my mission so far! 

I got to work in a YSA unit for the first time this week. We went on exchanges with our Churchville East sisters, and so I went to Toronto with Sister Kim, a Korean sister. We got to go talk with people close to the York campus, and it was so much fun. We got to talk to a bunch of college kids about the gospel. After about an hour, we started walking back to the car. As we were walking, we saw a girl coming towards us. We got to talk with her, and she agreed to let the sisters come back on Sunday before general conference. It was like Elder Uchtdorf's Fourth Floor, Last Door story. 

Anyways, I'm going to run out of computer time if I don't wrap this thing up, but I hope you all have a great week!

Love,

Sister Dille

I Love Diversity!!!!

Hi Guys!

Holy cow! I love my new area so much! It's so much fun!!!! The ward is amazing and it's so diverse, just like the city. You can walk down the hallway at church, and hear conversations in Tagolic, Spanish, Mandarin, English, and French all at the same time! It's so cool. I've met people from the Philippines, Ethiopia, China, Thailand, Nigeria, and a whole bunch of other places that I can't remember. 

Mississauga is huge! It's so much fun because there are always people we can talk with. I love the diversity. I never thought I'd say this, but I love being in the city, haha.

My new companion is awesome! She's from Orem, Utah! She's a diligent and obedient missionary, and she knows how to teach by the Spirit. I'm learning so much from her! 

We had a really cool experience yesterday afternoon. On Saturday, I was sick, so we had to come inside for a bit. I was in the bedroom taking a nap, and while I was asleep, Sister Seegmiller called 200 people! One of the people she called (Shina) said we could come and visit her. After church on Sunday, we went and taught her the Plan of Salvation, and it was such a good lesson! We were able to help her recognize the Holy Ghost and answer her questions about what happens after we die. She told us she had been wondering for four days where we go and who we go to when we die, and then we just happened to call her up. So cool!

I love you!

 

Sister Dille

Mississauga.....Here I Come!

Hi Guys!

Well, as usual, time is flying by. I'm in my last four transfers now! AHHHH! It's crazy how fast time goes.

We got to go see a less-active member this week that I've been trying to get in to see since I got here! She texted us and wanted us to do a primary lesson for her kids. We were so excited. We've been trying to reach out to her whenever we see her by offering to help, seeing how she's doing, etc. I've learned so much about how important it is to love people from her! Once she knew we loved her, she opened up! 

On Wednesday, we had the last district meeting of the transfer. :( For part of the meeting, we went out street contacting. Sister Barrow and I walked over to the gas station and started talking to this guy who was filling up his car with gas. (Mom, he just so happened to be driving a Sequoia!) We talked to a few more people at the bus stop, in the parking lot, on the sidewalk. It was a bit scary, but it was fun to try to talk to everyone, no matter where they were.

Sunday was a bit of a crazy day. One of the speakers got sick, so Sister Barrow and I got asked to speak. We threw some talks together, and voila! I was so nervous, but as soon as I stood up, I felt calm and knew exactly what to say. It was cool! Sister Goral and I played a violin duet, and we made it through! I was so nervous! My hands were shaking so badly I couldn't even vibrato, hahaha. We did singing time in nursery, and I have to say, I was having a hard time remembering all of the Primary songs. Good thing Sister Barrow has little siblings, so she knows them all. :) We taught Peter after church too, and he's almost done with the discussions. I'm so excited for him. His testimony is growing so much, and he's going to be such a powerful member of the Church! 

So Canada got cold again! There was one day this week where it was -30C! The other days have all been about -15 or -20. It's so cold! The wind just blows right through! Sister Barrow and I have now become experts in the art of layering. 

Speaking of Sister Barrow, she finished training! She's not a greenie anymore, hahaha. Last night was her last 12-Week Lesson. We had a little party to celebrate. :)

Well, I'm going to have to end this letter here because we are in a big hurry today! Last night at 9:00, President Shields called, and when President calls on transfer night, you know it's not good. I'm sad to report that I have been transferred. :( Sister Barrow will be staying in Bowmanville and a sister from Denmark will be coming in. Her name is Sister Jensen and she's really sweet. They both came out at the same time. My new companion is actually Sister Jensen's trainer. :) I'll be going with Sister Seegmiller to Mississauga. I've met Sister Seegmiller a few times, and she's really nice! Everyone says she's really sweet and happy. I'm pretty sure she's from Utah. She came out the transfer after me, so we're about the same "mission age." I'm really excited to go learn from her! Mississauga is in the Brampton zone, and it's right outside of Toronto. I'M GOING TO THE CITY! Pray for me.

I love you!

 

Sister Dille

 

 

This is the White Family

This is Jacqueline.  She's a former investigator we visit in the nursing home.

Our last district meeting.

The Ulloa Family

This is a family we are teaching.  Jeff and Lori! :)

The Leebody Family

Gauthier Family.  They made us Mexican food!  I've had Mexican food twice on my mission, and both times have been at their house.  Brother Gauthier owns a catering business, so it's always really good!

Here's Peter!!!!!

Brother Van Alebeek

Sister Gelvez

The Challenge Is My Answer!

Hi Guys!

I'm short on time today, so this will be a really quick email.

This week was really good. We had zone council on Friday and it was a really good meeting! I received an answer that I've been searching for for eight months! Last June, in our last zone conference with President Clayton (who will be speaking at this general conference! Woohoo! My mission president is speaking in general conference!) he left us a blessing that the desires of our hearts would be fulfilled on our missions. He told us, "I want you to go home and think very carefully about what you want. So I went home and thought for awhile about it, and one of the things I came up with was I want a really strong testimony of my Saviour. Since then though, I haven't been able to figure out how to develop a testimony of Him. In our meeting, they talked about a challenge that President and Sister Shields have just given to all of the missionaries. We've been challenged to read Jesus the Christ before the end of our missions. As they talked about it, I realized that the challenge is my answer. Our mission president promised that we will be able to understand our Saviour better as we read the book.

After zone council ended, we had interviews with our mission president (I only have four more left! AH) He promised me that if I would read it, I would have more peace, I would be more concerned about others, and I would develop a strong testimony of Jesus Christ. So I've made a plan to finish in the next six months. Wish me luck, haha!

In our interviews, President Shields was dropping hints to us about transfers. He was asking Sister Barrow if she knows the area well enough to handle it on her own. Then in my interview, he asked me how long I've been in the area. I told him 4 transfers, and he says, "Wow, you're about due for a transfer then!" NOOOOOO! So unless he changes his mind, this will be my last week in Bowmanville. :(

Peter set a baptismal date!!!! He's going to be baptized on March 25th! I'm so excited for him! We told him that transfers are coming up, so I might not be there, but I would try to get President's permission to come back for it if I leave. When he said the closing prayer, he prayed that I would be able to be there. It's so exciting when someone you teach accepts the gospel!

Well, I love you all! Have a good week!

Sister Dille

This is Brother Roman and Sister Solo...we had lunch with them on Saturday.

There's a holiday in England called Pancake Tuesday, so since Brother Fenton is English, and we happened to be at their house on the holiday, we got pineapple pancakes! Score!

These are the Spencer's and two of their grandkids, Dillon and Durrell.

Kinder egg day!

We bought each other a present, haha!

Early Morning Wake Up Calls Bring Blessings.....

Hey Guys!

We only have two weeks left of the transfer, and it's so weird! I can't believe how quickly my last four transfers in Bowmanville have gone. I feel like I just got here yesterday! 

We had such a cool experience this week! On Wednesday, we had a lesson with our investigator, Peter. We were following up with his Book of Mormon reading, and he proceeded to tell us how he's been reading and praying about it. He said that early that morning (at 4:00), he woke up from a dead sleep, and was wide awake. He had a strong desire to pick up the Book of Mormon and read. He read through several chapters in 1 Nephi, and felt good as he read. I asked him if he received his answer that the Book of Mormon is true, and he said, "I have. That's why I was woken up to read this book." I was so happy I almost started crying! Sister Barrow and I had a party back at the apartment when we got in for the night! Miracles do happen...sometimes they take a while, but they do happen!

We also had another really cool experience that built my faith this week. I wrote a few weeks ago about how Sister Barrow and I have been working to achieve the standards of excellence by the end of the transfer. So this week, we increased our goal to find new investigators a little bit and got to work. By the time Saturday came around, we still hadn't found any new investigators. I was starting to get a bit panicky. We went out and dropped by a former investigator, but she wasn't home, so we started talking to the neighbours in the area. A man named Stallone answered one of the doors, and we talked about the Plan of Salvation. He wants us to come back this Wednesday to teach him more. Then, yesterday, we had so much to do after we got home from church, we didn't know how we were going to have any time to go find new investigators. We scheduled in as much finding time as possible and then went out and worked. We were blessed to be led to two more people who are willing to let us come back and share the gospel with them! 

Well, I think that's about it! Love you!

 

Sister Dille

 

Hello Toyota! We got a "YO," Dad!

Bye, bye Subaru!

 

 

We Will See Our Loved Ones Again......

Well, guess what?! The transfer is halfway over already! I don't know where the time goes, honestly.

But this week was really great! No more ice or snow storms, thankfully. It's actually been like 12 C the past few days and it's so nice! We've been out working in jackets. It sure makes the work a lot more enjoyable, I'm tellin' ya! 

We had our first district meeting of the transfer on Wednesday. We talked about different ways we could start conversations while we're talking to people. We've been trying to use some of them, and it must be working because we found two new investigators this week! We're really excited about it!

We also had a lesson with our investigator Peter on Wednesday. We read in the Book of Mormon with him, and it was a great lesson. 

I had a powerful experience with the Book of Mormon this week. The first few days of the week were really rough for us. Both of us were completely exhausted, the work was difficult, and it was really difficult to stay motivated and keep working. I remember getting down on my knees and pleading with the Lord for help, because I didn't know what else to do. I opened my Book of Mormon to Alma 26, which is one of my favorite chapters. I've read it several times before when I've struggled on my mission, and it's helped me a lot. As I read it this time, so many wonderful principles stood out to me, but one in particular really hit me hard. In verses two and three it says, "And now, I ask, what great blessings has he bestowed upon us? Can ye tell? Behold, I answer for you; for our brethren, the Lamanites, were in darkness, yea, even in the darkest abyss, but behold, how many of them are brought to behold the marvelous light of God! And this is the blessing which hath been bestowed upon us, that we have been made instruments in the hands of God to bring about this great work." I noticed as I read, that Ammon was grateful simply because he was able to be an instrument in the hands of the Lord. He wasn't grateful because they found a lot of new investigators of had a lot of baptisms. I thought that applied really well. I just need to be grateful for the things the Lord has blessed me with, and not worry about everything else. The Book of Mormon is such a great way for us to receive answers to our prayers!

I had another cool experience on Sunday. We had a less-active member who came to church, and she stayed for the Sunday School lesson. We were talking about what happens after we die. When the lesson was over, she came up and told us about how she had lost one of her children before he was born. She wanted to know if she would ever have the opportunity to see her baby again. The teacher told her that because of Heavenly Father's plan, she would be able to see her baby again. She burst into tears, and it was so special to see how much it meant to her. It made me realize how much I take God's plan for granted. We're so blessed to have the knowledge that God really does have a plan for each of His children.

On Friday, we got to do a service project for some members in our ward. They were moving honey into new, clean containers, and let me tell ya, it was a STICKY process! It was so much fun though. They let us take a little bit home, and Sister Barrow was really happy about it!

Yesterday was Family Day up here, and we got to go help some members with their basement. We've been working on dry walling, mudding, sanding, and painting, and we're making so much progress! We're almost to the point where we can put colour on the walls! 

Anyways, I think that's about all for the exciting things that happened this week. Have a great week!

Love,

 

Sister Dille

 

 

Here's the honey project at the Fenton's!  It was so much fun!

Here's our district!

This is Sister Clark.  She's the member who is letting me borrow her violin..

                                           We got to volunteer at the soup kitchen in Oshawa, and we thought the                                              hair nets were so attractive, that we would send you a picture.

 

Icy Hair and Crunchy Coats...

Hey Everyone!

I hope you've all had a nice week! Well, winter is officially back in Canada. I think the snow has left the west and has now settled in the east, because we got dumped on yesterday! We got almost one foot of snow! It's also been freezing cold and windy, which ya gotta love. It was almost -20 C the other day with the wind chill. We also had an ice storm earlier this week, which we got caught in. We were walking back from the library when it started. By the time we got home, we had ice in our hair, on our coats (they made crunching sounds whenever we moved), our feet were soaking wet, and we were freezing, haha. Ice storms are kind of cool though because once they're finished, the trees will creak and groan in the wind. It sounds really cool, but you really start praying that the branches won't fall off and land on your head. ;)

We had zone conference on Wednesday. We talked a lot about the Sacrament and the role that it should play in our lives. One thing that really stood out to me is that we should be repenting and applying the Gospel of Jesus Christ to our lives throughout the week, so that when Sunday rolls around, we're very prepared to partake of the Sacrament and we can spend the Sacrament portion of the meeting focused on the Saviour. They also said that sometimes, people can change their lives without the help of the Saviour, but this is not repentance; it's just willpower. True repentance requires the Saviour's help. I've been thinking about that a lot the last few days, and it really shows how important it is to have the Saviour in our lives. We can't repent without Him.

After zone conference, we went on exchanges with our Sister Training Leaders. I stayed in Oshawa with Sister Santaluoto. She's from Finland! :) It was a really great exchange. We talked to a lot of people and learned a lot from each other.

One of our coolest miracles this week was on Saturday. Our mission president has established some standards of excellence to help us work hard and increase our faith. Our standards are 3 new investigators, 2 investigators at church, and 1 baptism every two months (3-2-1). So at the beginning of the transfer, we were sometimes getting one at church and one new, but that's about it. So we set the goal that by the end of this transfer, we want to be at the point where we're hitting standards. Last week, we found one new investigator, and one of our investigators came to church. This week, we wanted to bump it up to two new investigators. So Saturday rolled around and we were still sitting at 0. We've developed the habit of fasting once a week for our area/people, so we began our fast and went to work. We were so blessed to find two new investigators by the end of the day! It's like goal setting, planning, fasting, prayer, and diligence work or something! Haha. :)

On Saturday night, one of the bishopric counselors texted us and asked if we could fill in for one of the speakers who had cancelled last minute. So we said sure, and then completely forgot about it until early Sunday morning when we were sitting in our ward council meeting. Right after ward council, we have a missionary coordination meeting, and then church starts, so it left us with no time to prepare a talk, haha. Let's just say we were slightly stressed out. So as Sacrament Meeting began, we were flipping through our scriptures like crazy to try to find something to share. It kind of reminded me of cramming for calculus tests, haha. We wanted to be sure that we didn't talk on the same thing, so I said I was doing prayer, and Sister Barrow said that she was doing faith. But as I searched, I felt like I needed to speak on the Saviour instead. So Sister Barrow went first, and she obviously must have had the same prompting, because she got up and spoke on the exact same thing, haha. Luckily, we picked different scriptures though. I shared a scripture from Luke 22: 39-44. "And he came out, and went, as he was wont, to the mount of Olives; and his disciples also followed him. And when he was at the place, he said unto them, Pray that ye enter not into temptation. And he was withdrawn from them about a stone's cast, and kneeled down, and prayed, Saying, Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me; nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done. And there appeared an angel unto him from heaven, strengthening him. And being in agony he prayed more earnestly: and he sweat as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground." These verses have never stood out so powerfully to me before. As I read the verse that says "Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me;" I had to stop here in the middle of the verse. I really felt the Spirit as I read, and I couldn't continue. It took me awhile before I could get the rest out, "nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done." I am so grateful for that last phrase. The Saviour was in so much pain and agony as he took or trials, sins, sorrows, and weaknesses upon Himself one by one that he didn't want to continue. But because He loved us so much, he said, "nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done." That last phrase makes all the difference to me! I am so grateful for my Saviour.

Oh, one more thing...I HIT MY YEAR MARK! We had a party to celebrate, haha. I can't believe how fast time goes!

Love you!

Sister Dille