{Week Eleven}

Dear Family,

This week has been slow at times, fantastic at times, and phenomenal at other times! In all, it has been great :)

Easter was great :) We had a nice Sacrament Meeting with both wards and then had a nice afternoon with some families. It was a change from my normal family tradition, but it was a fantastic time to ponder about the Resurrection of Christ. I loved being able to focus completely on the Savior. We did enjoy decorating eggs with Elizabeth Hansen, Iris, and Michael. They LOVED IT!

We did lots of service for less-active and active members this week. We are trying to develop relationships with them and helping them understand why coming to church is important. Slowly but surely, they are progressing. 1 step backwards and 5 steps forwards is still progressing and we are working  with many less-active members. Although they know the truth of the gospel, having a testimony and knowing through faith is so important as we build our own testimonies!

Our baptism with MacKena was great! We had it early in the morning because Savior of the World has been overrunning the stake center... She was pretty excited and is such a cute 9 year old. She has been waiting to be baptized for so long; well, a year is long for a 9-year old. I spoke on the Gift of the Holy Ghost and Sis G played the piano. They had lots of friends and some family supporting them too, so that was good. Her parents are both converts, so neither family are members, but some came which was awesome! They are excited for their next step. Being sealed as a family for time and all eternity! We are excited for them as well :)

This week we had some wonderful lessons with Jane Goldberg! She has a friend in another ward and asked if she could go with her to that ward, (the building is closer than the one she is suppose to go to, so that is sometimes a hassle to explain...) but she said it wouldn't be a problem that she was suppose to come to our building and ward! We were so excited that she came to church on Sunday!

We have been teaching Jane about the Plan of Salvation. She is very concerned about seeing her parents and grandparents again. When we told her she would, she (65 years old or so) jumped for joy and had the biggest smile on her face ever! Jane has bi-polar disorder and we have noticed that she has become more stable and so much more happy the last few times we have seen her. She is so amazing and we love teaching her. A neighbor down the street is a member and comes with us, and I can say, member fellowshipping is SO important and vital to missionary work!

Another exciting story is about Mike. We tracted into him a few weeks ago and gave him a pamphlet about the Restoration. He said he would read it and we said we would return to follow up. Well, we stopped by and he did read it! He said it sounded very familiar, but he got to thinking why his church, the Lutheran faith, didn't have modern day prophets. We gave him more and he said we would read and look at Mormon.org. We are so excited! He wouldn't commit to reading the Book of Mormon, but he did say he would consider it. I am excited to follow up with him again! He also wouldn't commit to us teaching him, but little does he realize that he is being taught by the spirit.

I am loving the service of being a missionary. It is such a great time to share the gospel and the joy that I have in my life. I am so fortunate to have been taught the gospel at such a young age and to have examples to follow and learn from. I am surely loving the Book of Mormon reading we are doing as a mission and I love looking for the Doctrine of Christ in it. I am finding so much new that I have not before realized or remembered.

I love you all so much!

♥,

Sister Stephanie Crandall

ps. Des, I hope you liked Tangled ;) I am glad the Easter Bunny found you! I Love you and Clay lots! Along with everyone else! Continue to pray and read your scriptures daily and you too will be blessing in the trials and discouragements in your life. I love you all and am looking forward to calling home on Mother's Day afternoon!!! :)

{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 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