{Week Eight}

Dear Family,

Sounds like quite the weather you have been having this week at home. With all that mud and muck and snow... It shows that although winter is long, spring is coming!

It keeps raining here in Richland and so we are getting into Spring. It will start out all sunny outside and then after lunch get stormy. But it makes tracting not so hot, so I am grateful. I guess it gets up to about 100 in the summer... so I am for sure grateful for the nice 'cool' weather right now.

This week has been good though. Some days seem long and like we have no appointments, but really, after I look back, I can see how blessed I really am.

Last Tuesday night we decided to try getting a hold of a lady that we have tried before and it just never was a good time for us to come in. But last Tuesday, we went to her door and she let us right in.

It was amazing! Amy Martin had been having a rough week, well, a rough month and year. She has been out of work for a month, no money because of a past devorce, and her boyfriend just left her (that part was good though, she may not know or realize that yet, but it was good), and she has been praying for someone to come and help her.

She was watching TV one night and saw a commercial about some church, she wasn't sure which, but it said something about starting to go to church. She broke down that night and just prayed for help, and then waited. So when we came, she was practically in tears and grateful to have someone there.

She was going to make it to church, but was unable to because her car wasn't working and she hadn't slept all night. We were sad because she didn't come, but she said she will come next week. We get to explain what General Conference is, and I am hoping she will come with us to the Stake Center to watch it! I think she will :) We have been hepling her find work as well, and she has been able to apply at more places now too!  She is very interested about learning more and we are teaching her more tonight! I am so excited!!

So another exciting event is that Austin Edler was baptised on Saturday! The entire ward, well just about, came to support him. We should have moved it to the Chapel, but we squeezed into the RS room. He was completely excited to be getting baptized and can't wait to be able to pass the sacrament! Sad thing is that we have General Conference, then Stake Conference. So he has to wait a few weeks. But it will come soon for him :) It was precious to watch him be baptized because he (I think I told you he has autism and is 14 in a past email) had to ask his mom to be able to do it. His parents are divorced but have joint custody and he lives with his dad. His mom asked him why he wanted to do it, and so purely he said he wanted to have the Holy Ghost with him and he wanted to pass the sacrament. He is a sweet boy that truly is Christ-like.

So for us, this past Sunday was Fast Sunday and I was thinking about geting up and bearing my testimony, but we didn't have enough time. And I didn't want to take up the member's time either because so many people were getting up too. But then I thought about how lucky I am that I get to bear my testimony every single day to multiple people! It is so fun to share the knowledge I have and I continue to learn more each and every day!

I have set a goal to re-memorize the Articles of Faith, the Proclamation to the Family, and to continue my progress in memorizing D&C 121:34-46. I am getting better at remembering, but it takes lots of repitition and practice. I know that as I accomplish this goal, that I will be blessed with the knowledge. 

I am so excited to get to watch Conference this weekend! We will most likely watch the morning sessions at our home and then go to the Stake Center for the Afternoon sessions. I have just started reading the April Ensign and it is geting me excited about the real meaning of the Easter Season. It truly should be focused on the Resurrection of Christ and the Atonement that we have been given. 

The gospel is amazing and I am enjoying my time as a missionary :) This morning we helped some RS sisters tie some quilts for the humanitarian project and one of them, Patty Squire- not a member, but our investigator, asked if it was a difficult transition to be without a computer, my phone, internet access, tv, pretty much without any technology or "fun stuff" and all I could do was smile and tell her it was a relief! I really don't miss all the extra stuff and I am much too busy to focus on any of it. 

I am loving studying out of the Ensign, my scriptures, Jesus The Christ, Our Heritage, and all the other missionary library books. It is so fun to learn more on my own and also from others around me! 

I love you all and challenge you to listen to Conference this weekend with open hearts and open minds, taking in the wonderful inspired messsages!

Love,

Sister Stephanie Crandall

{Week Seven}

Dear Family,

It has been quite the week. It seems like lots of people have just opened up with us; whether for good or for bad... but we still love them and work with them.

Before I forget! Cause I have for the last 4 weeks, Katelyn, My companion knows David Archuletta... he sang at her birthday party once because he was there and her mom asked him too ;) haha... kinda funny...

This week we tracted a ton! We had some successful people too that we are going to try back with! We knocked on this one guys house and he said, "My grandma was a Mormon from Idaho and her last name was Garrett and I use to move pipe for her in the summer times!" I told him I was from Idaho and that I was sorry he had to move pipe and then he asked us if we wanted to come in. We took him up on the offer! Turns out she was from Idaho and this guy, Martin Hausser has family in Rexburg, the Killpatricks, the ones that do Cedar Badge! haha... so Clay, next time you go to a CB meeting... I can't remember their names, but remembered the last name and that he did CB. :) We had a great time visiting with him and he said he would like to have us come back. He and his wife aren't very religious any more and they send their son to a baptist church on Wednesday nights only because a bus comes and picks him up. He was playing legos and reminded me a bit of Clay ;) So that was one good door that was opened up to us.

Down the next few doors no one was interested. Then we got invited in to another house by a man and his wife. They started by wanting to bible bash, but we left our scriptures in the car since they are heavy. He offered us his "New Age Bible" and said it was the same, but since it is completely different, we didn't use it. So he started to church bash us with really random questions. I guess they weren't that random, but they weren't ones that people usually ask. He grew up with a Best friend that was Mormon, and he knew a lot. He kept asking us questions and trying to prove us wrong on stuff, but when we testify and say that we know something is... it hard to have something to say back to that. We probably wont go back for a while since he isn't interested in the church, but more about bashing religions. It was just intresting.

We also tracted into an interesting fellow. He was completely racist and wierd. Even though he claimed he has a phd, he was not all that smart... but then this morning I read from the March Ensign (i finished an dloved it!) about "The Healer's Art" By Elder Yoshihiko Kikuchi... It was fantastic! It made complete sense!

So I want to tell you of an experience of visiting with a family. The Mom and kids just got baptized so we still visit them everynow and then to check up and see how they are doing. It was my turn to give the dinner thought and so I was trying to find a scripture to share with them. I couldn't find one that I wnted, nor did one ever pop into mind during dinner, but Katelyn's last week letter came to mind. In Katelyn's letter to me, she told me about the missionaries challenging everyone to make personal study better. And she asked how I make my study good. I thought about how to answer and told her it was finding a purpose. So I decided to share with this family the importance of making our personal study better and decided to ask them to make theirs better. As I started telling them about Katelyn, I was all of a sudden asking them how they could make their family scripture study more spiritual. Giving hem time to answer, Rocky and Jewlz said that it didn't exist and that starting woul be a good place to start. Their Children, Judy and Dacota agreed and they are now doing this each night as a fmaily! I am so excited for them! They are excited about it as well!

Well, more happened this week, but I guess most of all, my testimony was strengthed that the gospel is true no matter what questions come my way. Sometimes we don't know all the answers because God has not reviled everything to us. But he knows all and I know that he loves me and has given me an opportunity to share his message with his children!

I love you all so much!

Love,

 Sister Stephanie Crandall

P.S. Des, we don't get much snow here ;)

{Week Six}

Dear Family,

I was excited to get all of your emails this week! It is fun reading how everyone is doing :) I remember very well the feeling of not being completely ready for festival when the time had come for the recital! But then the next week I was somehow ready! While I was playing the piano at District Meeting last week, an elder asked me how I learned to play and if I could read music. I smiled and told him lots and lots of practice. And that my mother was persistent that we learn how to play. I miss the piano and violin and play the piano every chance I get!

It has been extremely windy here, just like at home. The rain has started to pick up, but not too bad...

We tracted a lot but stayed warm with gloves, coat, and scarf. It is decieving when I look outside because there is no snow! Just cold wind and rain :) Nothing I can't handle though~ We gave out lots of Mormon.org pass along cards and shared lots, but no one is really interested, YET. We have some follow up appointments that hopefully will go well!

Although our week was slow and difficult, as I am looking back, it had some good times too.

We do have 2 people set with baptism dates! So that is a big plus. One is Iris who is 9 years old, and the other is Austin who is 14 year old. Austin has autism, but he know what we are talking about in the lessons. He has such pure answers and is so sincere and loving. He a great dad and wonderful grandparents that are great examples to him.  Iris is also so sweet. Her step-dad is a member and her mom is an investigator. She has a more difficult time learning, but is also coming right along! It's fun teaching younger people the gospel! They are so honest in their answers.

We did some service for a lady in the ward. It has convinced me that cleanliness is next to godliness :) Mom, thank you for teaching me how to keep a clean house! This sister is confined to a wheelchair as is unable to take care of her home. We cleaned her kitchen and her bedroom. She had a hard time letting us throw away anything though... so we more or less just moved things around. We sorted through hudreds of magazines and her son took them out, probably without her realizing it. It is sad to see how many people can live in a dirty environment. She is a sweet lady with good intentions, but just needs help cleaning things up.

We also visited with one of our bishops (Desert Hills Ward). Bishop Volmer is 6'7", or like he would say 4' 31". He is pretty funny too... he likes to joke around and have fun. Ends up he is a big time hunter. He showed us his elk heads and convinced Sister Garrett that jack-o-lopes are real (he had one of them too). He even said if you, Dad, would let him hunt in Chesterfield, I wouldn't have to talk in church and that he would do it for me :) I laughed and told him it was unlikely and that I didn't mind talking... So I get to talk in 2 weeks.

Last night we had dinner at Bishop Damsteadt's home. (Cottonwood Ward) He asked where I was from and he has been ice fishing on Chesterfield Reservior! haha... he also knows people from Pingree, but not the Carters... We shared the Plan of Salvation with them for their FHE lesson. They have 6 children and 3 adopted children from China... they loved the lesson with all the little cut outs that we used. I am in the process of making some for me to use while teaching :)

I also meet a lady in the ward that know the Creers, that recognized they were somewhere near what I described as Chesterfield :) It is still fun to meet people that can pinpoint where I am from.

The highlight of our week was that 4 investigators were at church on Sunday! We were so excited to see them! We taught in Primary about the Priesthood too. So that was fun!

The other highlight has been my studying. Dad, I loved the Atonement Scripture Chain. I read and studied it Wednesday morning and then shared it for some of our dinner thoughts this week! I have also started reading the Book of Mormon over again and marking each time the Lord speaks. It is amazing to apply the scriptures to our lives and see how similar we really are to the people from the scriptures. The only real difference is technology... When we have faith, the same experiences can happen, and when we are wicked, the same distructions can happen. More or less so, but we are so similar.

The work in WA is progressing and we are keeping our heads up each time the door is closed because they are "not interested" in the message we have yet to share with them. This week is looking up though! And I am excited to continue in the work!

I love you all and wish you the best week! Best wishes with Festival, work, school, play, and with everything!

Love,

Sister Stephanie Crandall