Have Faith in Him (:

I remember sometime ago I decided that I wanted to Hike Mount Timpanogos. I had heard lots of great things about this hike but underestimated how hard it was actually going to be. For some, this adventure is not that bad but for me it was strenuous & the death of me. 
  About an hour in I remember thinking, "How on earth am I going to do this?". I was sure I would not make it.  After 6 hours of hiking I was convinced the end would NEVER come. I was sick of looking at dirt, plants and rocks and I was in a lot of pain and wanted to go back. Eventually we made it to the top....( It was a miracle!)
   As I stood and looked over the valley at all the beauty I was filled with the feeling of accomplishment and peace. I then  realized that all the pain I was previously put through was worth it and because of the great people I was with to support me along the way I made it. (:  
    I love the words of Dieter F. Uchtdorf "Just because we cannot see something with our physical eyes does not mean it doesn't exist." 
   There are so many trials and hard times that come into our lives and we often can not see the light at the end of the tunnel. But as we strengthen our Faith in Him we receive strength, and special people come into our lives to help us along the way.  

How can you strengthen your faith in Him so He can show you the peace that lies ahead?

The Masterpiece

    When I was serving in my first area one of the families there had their daughter come home from her mission. At that time I was struggling with somethings because well as we

all know life is well.. hard. She came home and became a great friend to me. One day she gave my trainer and I this poem and it has been such a blessing in my life. Our Savior Jesus Christ truly knows what we are going through and how to help us. She gave me this poem at the perfect timing when I needed it most and to realize even more, than I did, that I was NEVER alone. Sometimes we want to quit but He always has our back and isn't going to let us down. I have been through some hard things in life and it's because of My Savior that I am where I am today. Trusting in Him and making Him one of my best friends has helped me accept and be proud of who I am.(: When you feel low and down look to the one who has felt it all and I have NO DOUBT you will find comfort there.(: Be proud of who you are because YOU are a masterpiece in His eyes!

                  The Masterpiece 
The Master Artist awaits, chisel in hand. 
 I say, "Ok, I'm ready," and I brace myself for the process.
"This will hurt a little, "He warned," and it won't be easy.
       You will often feel discomfort and will want to quit. 
        But just trust me. I am here the entire way."
At that, he began to chisel.
        He is chiseling away what is unnecessary.
        He is smoothing lines and adding definition. 
"What if you make a mistake?" I ask, 
       "How do you put a piece back on?"
He smiles and whispers to me, 
        "I never make mistakes. I will never need to add pieces wither,
         because the masterpiece is already within. It is just hidden."
And he continues to chisel away ever so gently. 
It does hurt occasionally, and I catch myself doubting His work when
    I see certain pieces fall, but I still trust His skilled hands.
At times throughout the process I feel all alone. 
      and scared because I can't see Him anymore.
I call out to Him and He comes out from behind me.
      "It's Ok," Hes says, "I am here. I was just working from a different angle."
The process is long and sometimes I do want to quit. "Are you almost done?"
      I ask,"I don't like the comfortableness, or the pain."
"I understand," He replies, "but wait until you see the result. Just wait!"
   His eyes sparkle in response.
I am beginning to feel lighter and more alive. He is just smiling and working away.
"Ouch! That was a very painful cut," I exclaimed with tears in my eyes.
     To my surprise He had tears too, " I know, but it was necessary." 
And so the process continued. I didn't fully understand all of His approaches or ideas, but I continued to trust. 
    Finally He stopped and stood in front of me. I thought it mean He was finished.
"I am not done. This is a life long process." He said.
    "Well then why did you stop?" I asked, actually not minding the break at all.
With tears rolling down His face and a look of love in His eyes, He said, 
   "I just had to stop and admire my masterpiece. This is truly the greatest one yet.
You will be very amazing when I am through. This is a masterpiece. 
    Then He wiped away His tears, bent down and picked up His chisel, and carefully
resumed His work. 

What doesn't kill you makes you stronger right?(:

Raleigh District(:

                                                  Raleigh 1st & 2nd District (: Transfer 5

Posseh Got Baptized!

Well today Posseh got baptized!(: It's been an exciting day! I remember when I first met her with Abby Slade, we became friends right away! Then my dear sweet companion Sister-Kaitlyn Spring came and we have been teaching her ever since. It's been 4 months and I wouldn't trade anything for this journey that I have been able to be apart of with Posseh. She has grown so much and I couldn't be more proud of the person she has become(: I know our Savior Jesus Christ lives and that because of him we have the opportunity to change each and everyday!(:
‪#‎BecauseOfHim‬ ‪#‎Baptism‬ ‪#‎Friends‬

My Love for Ford Raptors Led Us to an Investigator.. Who Would Have Guessed...(:

         Last week Sister Spring and I had a fun experience.(: We were headed home from a preparation
day activity and as we are driving along the road I looked to the left and saw a Ford Raptor on display at car dealership. For those who know me well I kind of have a thing for The Ford Raptor. I looked at Sister Spring with my eye set on the prize and said, "Sister Spring get in the left lane we MUST go take a picture with the Ford Raptor!!!" She thought I was crazy but I was thankful because she agreed. As we pulled into the lot we quickly made our way to the front where it was on display. I got out of the car and started walking up the rocks when I noticed a sales man coming toward us. My first thoughts were, "Oh boY he is probably not happy with us.." As he walked over I expressed to him that the truck behind me was one of my favorites and asked if I could take a picture. He kindly said I could and then saw my tag. Now when people see the tag it's really a do or die. They want to talk or ... they want to get rid of you as fast as possible. To my surprise he said, "Oh your missionaries! I'm currently investigating the church." At this point I thought I was in a dream.... because we came here to take a picture with the Ford Raptor and here we have... an investigator. He asked us many questions and said he just wasn't getting it.. we asked him if he had been reading the Book of Mormon and going to church. He looked away and said the missionaries said I should be but I haven't. We shared our testimonies and expressed that it's easier to know the truth of things when we actually try them out. For example Faith without Works is dead. By the end Sister Spring and I as well as Patrick were all spiritually uplifted and I got a picture with the truck. It turned out to be a Predator and not a Raptor but hey I wasn't complaining by the end of that Miracle!(: I know thaqt Heavenly Father truly takes who we are and our interests and puts them to good use. It's because we are His sons and daughters and he knows us personally! What a great experience! I love my mission and I would not trade it for anything! Well there you have it ..the story of how my love for Ford Raptors brought us to an investigator, Pretty neat if you ask me(:

Freedom

                                                    Finding Freedom In Obedience
One of my favorite sayings currently comes from the August Ensign. One of the Articles is titled "We Found Freedom in Obedience".
This has hit home for me a lot the last couple weeks because though the road of obedience seems rough it is what leads us to a better ending. I have particularly found this in reading the scriptures.
Scripture reading and study is something that our leaders have asked us to do diligently and daily. Sometimes we feel alone, sad, lost etc. but as I have been reading the scriptures more and more I have been able to find how they apply to me specifically and I have found "freedom".

 
                In what aspect of your life do you need to apply obedience to become free?

                                         

                                                             Pioneer Day 2015 (:

                                      Sister Spring and I (: Almost half way through training (:

               Posseh's is our investigator and she is from Africa! She is the sweetest person ever. I love her she is family (: This is from her second time at church(:

           I may be a missionary but that doesn't mean that I am not still "Gymnast Abbie" (:
                                    Gotta love early morning exercising #MissionLife

                                                        Members and Missionaries (: 
   Last week we had an activity with Raleigh 1st ward where we brought the members together with the missionaries and brough snacks to share, played games and watched meet the mormons. I love that just by inviting someone to a ward activity the members of the church can do "Missionary Work". Always remember that you don't have to be knocking doors or teaching full on lessons to people who are not members to be a member missionary. It is truly so important for the members and the missionaries to be on the same page and to be working together! You as the members are just as important as we are as the missionaries.(:

  I challenge the members everywhere to start reading Preach My Gospel with their families because it truly is an easy way to become more missionary minded.(: After All President Mckay did say, "Every Member A Missionary" (:  I would also invite you all to listen to the talk called....
Preach My Gospel---- The Unifying Tool Between Members and Missionaries by: Erich W. Kopischke of the Seventy

https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2007/10/preach-my-gospel-the-unifying-tool-between-members-and-missionaries?lang=eng

Ask the leadership in your ward this Sunday how you can become more involved in Missionary Work(:

 

                             Put the Lord first and He will help you know what to put second(:

                                                      A Miracle for the Raleigh Sisters(:

   It all started when we went to visit a potential investigator about a week ago. He had been someone that had been visited before, about a year ago, but did not seem very interested at all leaving his wife alone in the lessons. Something changed when we went and visited him last week; something changed in him. This man that had never really talked religion with anyone before opened up to us and started talking to us about what he believes and asking us questions. He eagerly left us with an assignment to study a certain topic for the next time we came. With big smiles on our faces we happily agreed and were on our way.

Fast forwarding now... we went and visited with him again a couple days later. We asked him if he had read the chapter in the Book of Mormon that we had left with him and without hesitation he said "yes!" and began to read to us his favorite verses. We continued to talk about his favorite verses and while answering some of his questions a man came out of no where. Literally out of NO WHERE. This man happened to be our investigators friend. He started talking to us and told us that he just had a feeling he needed to come pay his friend a visit because it had been awhile since they had seen each other. After he introduced himself and we learned more about his religious background he sat down with us. We gave him a Book of Mormon so that he could follow along in our reading and discussion. Throughout the discussion we invited him to come to church and he started asking us if we'd judge him because of some addictions he has in his life. We then began to explain that we don't necessarily support those things, but that we wouldn't judge him because that is not our place and that is essentially why we go to church so we can become better people.

 As we began to wrap up our meeting Sister Slade was talking to our investigator and I began to talk to his friend because I could tell a lot was on his mind. I expressed how good it was to meet him and that he could have the book we gave him. He got wide eyed and asked, "Really???" With a smile I said of course! Then he started telling me about how this was a miracle and that God truly answers prayers because he had been praying that God would provide him with a way to get a bible/ book of scripture and now he had one in his hands. What a happy moment this was for me. How truly blessed I am to be a missionary and that I along with my companion could be the answer to someones prayer.(:

   This was such an amazing experience because just hours before we were talking to a member about missionary "Special Moments" which is defined as moments when a missionary truly realizes that they have been put in the right place at the right time and it's no coincidence. This my friends was a special moment of mine, and I will NEVER forget it! Big or small Miracles happen everyday.(:

#NCRM #SisterMisionary

                                         How Has The Lord Prepared You For The Future?

  Growing up I had a strong passion for gymnastics. Though doing gymnastics was one of the best things I ever did it was also one of the hardest things I've ever done. I loved the sport with all of my heart and I couldn't go without it. As I continued to progress and move up in levels over the years it started to get harder and harder. My love for the sport did not decrease but everyday I would have to remind myself of the counsel one of my coaches gave me that I could not give up on a bad day. If I decided I wanted to give up I could but it had to be a day where I was at the peak of my performance and progressing in what I love. My coach was very smart because she knew where my heart truly was.

 Gymnastics taught me some really important lessons that will forever be apart of my life. The sport taught me how to endure hard times and be grateful for the good, to be dedicated, to spend my time wisely, and it taught me that I can't do everything on my own,especially when it came to my mental block on the beam. This mental block slowed my progression and it would slightly fade some days but then be back the next. The 3 years I dealt with this mental block was a very heartbreaking time. I loved the sport but I simply could not understand why my mind was doing what it was. My experience with gymnastics was not easy. I cried often due to great frustration that came from trying my hardest to do my best but sometimes I still felt like it wan't enough.
 
Fast forward now 2 years later after I stopped doing gymnastics. I am on the ultimate life changing journey of serving My God, and the lessons I learned from gymnastics are now being used today. I to this day honor the advice to "Not give up on a bad day", I am still working to endure the hard times with all my might, mind and strength, I have learned to appreciate the good because I have seen the bad. I still cannot do everything on my own because as it is said in Alma 26:12 "Yea, I know that I am nothing; as to my strength I am weak; therefore I will not boast of myself, but I will boast of my God, for in his strength I can do ALL things"
 
  Due to these experiences I know that the Lord is always preparing us for the future because the rewarding yet difficult adventure that gymnastics took me on is much like the journey I am on now. I am someone who grew up in the church and have been through the bad and the good, but no matter how hard things have gotten I have not loved My Savior any less. At this moment in time I am serving a mission. I love the Gospel so much and it has blessed my life immensely in fact that is why I am here in North Carolina, "Because I have been given much I too must give" but sometimes it's hard because though you have the love and passion in your eyes, people often turn their backs and don't wish to listen to the things we have to say. I know that this life is not something for us to tackle on our own, that is why we must put our trust in Him. I love how this is laid out for us in Mosiah 7: 33 " But if ye will turn to the Lord with full purpose of heart, and put your trust in him, and serve him with all diligence of mind, if ye do this, he will according to his own will and pleasure, deliver you out of bondage." Sometimes we must put our lives in the Lord's hands and simply say I have tried my best, now show me where you want me to go. I now invite you to consider the following questions..(:

   How is the Lord currently preparing you for the future? What will the experiences you are going through now teach you later down the road?

                                Is Your Tank Full or On the Verge of Reaching Empty?

           Well here I am, a Missionary for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. I have only been out about 2 1/2 months but I have seen my self make many little changes in my life that have made a big difference. It's funny how life works where the littlest things in our lives seem to change our whole view on things. My mission has showed me what things I truly need to make a priority in my life. In the past I could have been better at reading my scriptures, praying twice a day, using not as many repetitious phrases in my prayers, being on time to Seminary etc. I got so caught up in sports and friends and just life in general; time was flying so fast that I needed to reconsider my priorities because it seemed that I didn't have enough time for the "little things."  In Mathew 6:33 it reads "But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all things shall be added unto you." I love my mission because it has taught me how to slow down and put the Lord first. Ultimately when we put the Lord first he knows how to comfort and lead us to know what things should come second.
    I like to think of it as you have a awesome big truck. With that truck you can do so many fun things! You can go mudding, you can use it to pull your trailers and boats to go camping and just have a good time with family. You can use it to take you to beautiful places like the mountains etc. But if the trucks tank is not full then it can't do anything for us. We must keep our spiritual tank full with the big things such as conference, but we also need the everyday small things like scripture, study, family prayer, etc. If we want the blessings of the gospel in our life it is essential that we seek for those things that help us grow spiritually, so that we can have that light and have that ability help other people get to that place where they can find the light of Christ. I know my Savior lives and that by the small and simply things our lives can truly be changed for the better.(:

A Day In The Life Of A Future Missionary

Well things are going mostly how I thought they would at this point. Christmas and New Years flew by so fast and now I only have 34 days left! Wow.. 34 days left what a reality check that is! Well with limited time left there is no time to waste! Today my dad and I went on an all day adventure. Not going to lie it was so fun to just spend some quality time with the guy that I have always looked up to he is truly my hero. I asked him if he would take the day off work to day because I had to get my shots and for anyone that knows me pretty well I am DEATHLY AFRAID OF SHOTS. They seriously make me cry every time without fail. So he generously got the day off work and we went to the bike shop to pick out the perfect bike for my mission and the funny thing was that due to being only 4 ft. and 11 inches tall I had two bikes to choose from because those were the only womens specialized extra small bikes in store, but it all worked out because I loved the first one I saw. (: Then we went to the flag store to get a NC flag for pictures in a couple weeks, next we journeyed to the DMV to get my driving record and dang that place was just full of life. After all of those exciting stops we headed to the dentist and I came out of the dentist very disappointed. Back in November I went to a dentist that said my wisdom teeth would be fine for my whole mission but this dentist says I need them taken out before I leave and you all know how dentist offices are totally booked the first of the year, so I have to schedule 3 dentist appointments and get my wisdom teeth out this month... yay...talk about STRESSFUL. Not going to lie I'm not too excited to be drugged up half of this month. Can't forget to  mention that they said I needed my wisdom teeth taken out and I a 19 year old girl (pathetic I know) started to cry because I'm deathly of shots and the dentist etc. Though today was crazy I know that everything happens for a reason and that the best is to come.
Well that's a day in the life of a future missionary.. crazy but needed.

A Decision That Will Change My Life Forever(:

    As I was growing up I was always a pretty happy girl, optimistic for the future but I never once saw a mission in my future. I always sang the song "I hope they call me on a mission" but I always thought of boys when singing that particular song and I always thought yes a mission would be cool but it's simply not for me. 

In the summer of 2k14, right after I had graduated, I was not sure what I wanted to do with the future. I could go to school or work, or go on a mission but I had no idea what was the right decision for me. With hope that it would guide my decisions I decided to get my Patriarchal Blessing and as I got there the Patriarch asked me if I was planning to go on a mission and with out even thinking twice I told him no, and that it wasn't something I wanted to do. As the summer came a mission was not really at the top of the list of things I wanted to do with my life but  I decided to attend a Missionary Training Camp that was put on by the stake. I had wonderful experiences at this camp, my eyes were definitely opened, and I could feel the power of missionary work  but I still felt insecure about it all and thought that even if I decided it was something I wanted to do I would be incapable of it.

      As August came I had to decide what I was going to do. I decided that I would just focus on college and I officially decided that I WAS NOT going to go on a mission and that I would just go to school and support all of my friends that were on missions. (When I say all my friends I mean ALL my friends considering the fact that all my friends are guys and they had all already left or where leaving soon.) 

      We are now in the last week of August and I am starting college, which terrified me, and I had to say goodbye to my best friend! Oh I may have forgot to mention there is a boy.. a very special boy..(: His name is Alec and he left on his mission to the Philippines on August 27th 2 days after I started college. Anyways.. though most of the people I knew moved out for college I decided to stay at home due to having 2 jobs that were within a mile of my house and I was only home to sleep which would make it ridiculous to pay lots of money to sleep somewhere else. College was nothing like I expected though I loved the freedom generals are BEYOND boring, I had not made any new friends, and I constantly found myself thinking that there was something more I needed to be doing. As I was hitting the middle of the semester I realized that I would be 19 shortly and a mission was constantly coming to mind time after time. 

       It is now October, Conference was coming and I was going crazy having all of these questions about if I should go on a mission.  I knew I had to rely on conference to answer the questions and concerns I had. Alec's parents had generously invited me over for conference and the first session was over and we were waiting for conference to come on again. As we all sat at the table I finally had to say something about my thoughts concerning a mission because I hadn't talked to anyone about it and all my thoughts were being held in and someone had to know. I expressed to his parents how I had been thinking about going on a mission a lot lately but the Lord was not answering my prayers directly so I was very confused. They explained to me that the Lord has his own timing and we must be patient. As conference came back on we were all on the coach cuddled up in blankets and I at this point was a little discouraged because we were at the last session of conference and I still hadn't gotten an answer, but after I had heard the first words of the session coming on I knew my life would be changed forever. 

   Elder Carlos A. Godoy was one of the first speakers in the session and he started his talk with the following words... " All of us have experienced or will yet experience moments of great decision in our lives. Should I pursue this career or that one? Should I serve a mission? Is this the right person for me to marry?" 

After I heard these words Alec's mom looked at me at the exact same time I looked at her and I knew without a doubt what the Lord wanted me to do. At this point all the confusion was gone and I knew what I had to do. This talk also talks about how we will have to make decisions in our lives that will be a great blessing to us but will not be easy. Elder Godoy addresses the fact that we are going to have to be prepared for things that are not easy and that we need to be up to accepting the new challenges that come with these decisions. After that day I accepted to take the challenge of choosing something that was greater over something that was good and to be ready for what ever was to come with that decision. It may be hard but the blessings will be worth all the hardships!(: I know the Lord has a plan for all of us we just have to be patient with his timing.

More to come about this wonderful journey ahead of me!(:

-Abbie Elizabeth

    p.s. You should all read Elder Godoy's talk you won't be disapointed(:

https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2014/10/the-lord-has-a-plan-for-us

?lang=eng