West Virginian Funerals

Dear Friends and Family,

It has been another great week! West Virginia and the Lord's work continue to keep me in absolute wonder. 

I guess the biggest news of the week is that our investigator, Justin, died. He was the one who was in the later stages of muscular dystrophy, and so while his passing wasn't entirely unexpected, I think the timing of it caught his family by surprise. I am so grateful to have known him for the few weeks that I did, he had a really great heart. Through this experience, I have gained such a testimony of God's timing; we were able to teach him and his family about the Plan of Salvation just two days before he passed on.  I can only imagine the pain they must be going through, and knowing that through the gospel of Jesus Christ, their family can be together forever must be such a huge relief, and at the perfect time. I also believe his death was part of Heavenly Father's plan for that family. Because Justin passed away, his parents will be able to participate in the gospel, (they were his 24 hr, 7 days a week caretakers before) and he will be able to be baptized by proxy in a temple. Mine and Sister Campbell's goal is to help his father and brothers get ready to perform that baptism. We went to the funeral on Thursday, and it was interesting-definitely West Virginian. Everyone but Sister Campbell and I were wearing football jerseys. 

On a lighter note, we have found so many more people to teach this week! We found one couple by helping them carry their groceries into their house, and they are super funny. The husband told us that he used to make sport of the Elders in the area by inviting them in and Bible bashing them, but he apparently likes us, because he hasn't done that yet! We also have had quite a bit of success by talking to men who are working on their cars, we were able to teach two mechanics outside their houses this week.

One of the members had us over for dinner this week, and we roasted marshmallows in their backyard. Apparently I looked super contemplative as I roasted mine because my comp took a pic haha. She also tried to force feed me one.

I have gained such an appreciation for the scriptures this week! I love having an hour of scripture study scheduled in every day. I don't know how I survived all these years without it. Reading the scriptures is such an anchor when the storm gets rough, and it helps remind me why I am out here every day. And more than just bringing me peace and direction, I am learning so much! We had a lady tell us this week that she doesn't need to read the Book of Mormon again because she has a photographic memory, but I get so much out of it every time I reread. Things that I have read countless times before take on new meaning and nuance the millionth time I read them. They truly are from Heavenly Father, no man could have made these up.

I love you all!

Sister Ward

Member Missionaries

Dear Family,

Oh my goodness, it has been such a crazy, eventful week that I don't even know where to start. Sister Campbell and I have been so blessed, and we have learned lots.

We had an additional, temporary companion this week! Her name is Sister Sorenson, and she was such a great missionary and so much fun. Her companion went home suddenly, and so she got to come work with us until her new companion came up from Virginia. Also, we went on exchanges (I went to the South side of Charleston) this week in the midst of the emergency transferring, so it definitely wasn't a run of the mill week! Ironically, I went on exchanges with a different missionary named Sister Sorenson. She just lives upstairs, though, so I already know her and stuff. But I loved going on exchanges, it has given me a lot of new ideas and plans for our area.

We had another miracle self-referral this week! His name is Lee, and he just decided he likes his Mormon friends, and is looking for a new church, so he requested to have missionaries come see him. He is progressing so well, and is accepting everything we give him. He has been so prepared by the Lord, and I am so excited to continue teaching him. He has been a living proof to me of the importance of being a light to the world and how critical members are in missionary work. Because his Mormon friends had always lived the way they should, he has noticed, for years now, the happiness and light that they enjoy. Because of them, he wants to find out more. On the other hand though, Lee could have been a member of the church years ago. He is so ready. But none of those friends ever invited him to learn more. It makes me wonder how many missionary opportunities I have passed up (and I'm not perfect, it's been a lot) that could have opened the door to the light of the gospel for someone. I would invite all of you to take a self evaluation of your member missionary efforts-you can and will make an impact beyond what you can imagine!! You have no idea how important you members are in the work of the Lord. But I guess everything happens in the Lord's timing, and this must be Lee's time. He is so great, and I am excited for his baptism. Plus, he has an awesome house. It's decorated like you are inside of Mario's video game world, plus there is Star Wars furnishings. So much fun. :)

Another cool thing from this week! We have been trying for weeks to contact this lady, Tina, who we met a while ago, but she is never home. But, yesterday, she finally answered the door, and we were able to help her through a really hard time she was going through right then. If we had been able to contact her earlier, we probably wouldn't have knocked on her door at that perfect moment that she needed an uplifting message and someone to comfort her. God is really good at timing everything perfectly. Even though we won't be able to continue teaching her because she is moving, I felt that Sister Campbell and I were doing the Lord's work-comforting those that need comfort and lifting the heads that hang low. I am humbled more and more every week by the greatness of my calling and the things the Lord lets me do for him here.

I love you all! Still no apartment, but that's OK. Have a great week!

Love, 

Sister Ward

Awesome Week!

Dear Family,

This week was so awesome!! It was amazing to see the Lord's hand in everything that you do as a missionary. Sister Campbell and I are so blessed.

We don't have an apartment yet, so we are still staying in the other sisters' basement. We have upped our apartment-finding game though, because we'll probably be transferred out of the area if we can't find one soon. It's turning out to be pretty difficult because the members are helping us find one, but they really want us in their area but we're supposed to be in (where there aren't that many decent apartments anyway). So they have a lot of suggestions, but none of them are where we actually need to live. We had a pretty funny experience with apartment hunting, though. We (I) had accidentally taken a wrong turn up this long, windy drive, and then when we got to the top, there was a bunch of really nice, clean, apartments right there. Sister Campbell and I were like, "Whoa, these are actually nice!" so we got out to ask someone about them. We found this lady sitting outside, and asked her if they were leasing any, and she looked at us really weirdly, and said, "They are, but you ladies are a little young to live here." Haha turns out, it was an senior assisted living place. But the lady was really nice, and we talked to her for a while. 

The work has been moving along great in our area! We have been getting so many referrals from the members, and also finding a lot of people by just talking to everybody. The family we are teaching right now came to church yesterday, and we have a baptismal date for their 2 boys. Their dad always tells us he is not interested in hearing anything we have to say, but we've also noticed the window to the porch is open more and more every time we come over and teach. The mother also said that since we've starting coming over, she feels less depressed and doesn't crave cigarettes like she normally does. It's a powerful witness to me that Jesus Christ's Atonement is working on them and changing them into the people that God wants them to be. It is so exciting to see this family who has been struggling in so many ways for so long, become happier and more united. Eternal families are the best!!

Another really cool experience from this week. A lady called the mission office asking if she could have missionaries come to her home. We were so excited, because, that doesn't happen very often. When we got there, we found out that she had really called in behalf of her son. He is bedridden with muscular dystrophy, and he just wants someone to come by once a week to share a religious message with him, since he can't go to church. He is such a neat person, and the spirit he brought was humbling. I felt so privileged to teach him that God loves him, knows him personally, and has restored his gospel and priesthood authority again on the earth. 

Sister Campbell continues to be the best companion ever! She is such a hard worker, she loves everyone she sees, and she is so good at teaching. I learn stuff from her everyday. And her birthday is on Thursday, so think of her then!

I love you guys lots!!

Sister Ward

Arriving in the Mission Field

Dear Family,

Thank you for all the letters, I love reading them! This week has been an awesome, and I have seen so so many miracles in the last few days!

We got to West Virginia last Wednesday, and it is so beautiful here. I was in awe as we flew in over the mountains. God loves me, there are flowers everywhere! President and Sister Salisbury are such and inspiration to me, and the power and authority they teach with is incredible. They took us to a West Virginia museum on Thursday, and I was shocked at how cool it was. West Virginia is awesome!

My companion in this area is Sister Campbell. She is from Aurora, Colorado, and she is so cool. She only has 3 months left of her mission, so we might be together until she leaves. She works so hard, and motivates me to be better all the time! 15 months in, and she still has her greenie fire going strong, which is so cool. I am learning so much from her. :) 

So the first area that I have been assigned to is a new one, the West Side of Charleston! Which makes Sister Campbell and I the West Side Sisters, so that's fun! It is an interesting area. President especially felt that sisters needed to be here, so I'm excited to see what this transfer brings. They haven't found a non-ghetto-y apartment for us yet, so we are staying in the basement of the Sister Training Leaders apartment the next area over. It is fun to have other sisters to talk to at night, but we are burning so many miles on our car each day just to travel to our area. Also, Sis Campbell doesn't have a driver's license so I have drive everywhere, and the roads are terrifyingly narrow and windy. So... please pray that I will not die and/or wreck the brand new car. We are really hoping to find some younger families to teach, because the average age of the ward is about 70, but they are a sweet old bunch. One lady in particular, Betty June, is one of the most amazing people I have ever met. She is 86, she served a mission when she was young, and she is all over Facebook just so she can keep in contact with less active members and investigators in her ward. She also hosts a family home evening every week for 25 other senior citizens who don't have families nearby. I hope I'm that awesome when I'm 86. 

The people here are so great. Everyone has such great faith in Christ and God, and they are so fun to teach. Sometimes I almost bust out laughing at the things they say, but I'm starting to understand it all. :)  One little boy gave me a sand dollar and a hug when I gave him a Book of Mormon for he and his brother to read. It was adorable.  Because it's a new area and our area book is 15 records long, we've been knocking a lot of doors. Luckily though, it hasn't been too hot and we have actually found a bunch of new and potential investigators from it. Also miracles do happen! We were walking through a neighborhood, and 4 vicious dogs came running out into the road growling at us, but we said a prayer and just kept walking, and they didn't bite us or follow us anymore! We also found a family who has met with missionaries before and are interested in seeing us again, and they seem awesome! And, their next door neighbor saw us talking, and she wants to meet with us too! Somehow, the fact that we aren't allowed to go swimming came up, and now she wants a copy of the white handbook for herself, which is kind of funny. She is very concerned about how we'll keep cool when it gets hot. :)

I love y'all! Have a great week! 

Sister Ward

MTC Letter

Dear Family, 

Hi!!!  I'm at the MTC and I still love it, so that's good.  The classes that we go to are so uplifting, and I feel so much more able to teach people about the gospel of Jesus Christ.  I never realized how much I didn't know about missionary work, but I'm learning. :) One thing that I have especially appreciated learning about is how critical accepting this gospel is; it is so important!  Knowing this makes me way excited to get to West Virginia and tell all the people there about it. 

So my companion is absolutely awesome! Her name is Sister Tafea (Ta-fey-a) and she is super cool! I love her vibrant personality and her amazing testimony. We teach well together, (or at least as well as us greenies can), and have so much fun together. Also she played rugby with the American team before she came out here and was hoping to go to the Olympics next time around, so that's just really really cool!!  She is Tongan, but has lived in Oregon for a long time. Last night she gave all of us girls in the room a cultural lesson on Tonga, and we all call each other Tokoua (sister) now. The rest of our district is pretty cool, too, but only us sisters are going to WV. The rest of them will be off to the Richmond, Virginia and Houston, TX missions. 

Things around the MTC campus are a little crazy this week because they are having the New Mission President training conference, and we aren't allowed in some of the buildings. Plus, 615 new missionaries reported for duty yesterday, so things are getting a little cozy here. It is fun to be constantly surrounded by people who are so spiritual and focused on preparing to do the work of the Lord. We joke that the Spirit at the MTC is so strong, you could cut it with a knife, and it is so true! Even during gym time and meals, you can feel how holy this place is. Speaking of meals, the food is.....interesting.... I'm excited to buy my own food again. 

Anyway, I'm out of time. I'll have to practice writing faster.  I love you guys a lot, I miss you, and I appreciate all the mail and packages you are sending me!!

Love ya lots,

Hannah