He loves me enough to give me this experience. And I will never be the same.

Dear Family, Friends, Countrymen, Citizens, Acquaintances, 

I can hardly believe that today is the last day I will email home as a set apart missionary for Jesus Christ's church. The 18 months has gone by both so quickly and so slowly. But fast or slow, here I am, on my last day. It's been an emotional morning, that's for sure. 

I've spent some time reflecting on what my mission has meant to me. And all the depths of my heart and soul could not describe the gratitude I have to the Lord for the last year and a half. When I think of the chances, my mission was truly a one in a million, once in a lifetime opportunity. What are the chances that I would be born in the time period where the Jesus Christ's gospel was in it's complete form upon the earth?  What are the chances that I would be born in the dispensation of the fulness of times? What are the chances that I would live in a decade where sister missionaries were able and encouraged to go forth as emissaries for the Lord? What are the chances that I would be born into a home where the Restored Gospel was taught and practiced as the core of my family's life? What are the chances that I would accept it? What are the chances that I would be called the the West Virginia Charleston Mission? What are the chances I would be assigned to labor in West Side, Cross Lanes, Roanoke, and Fairmont? (Here's where my mind blows.) What are the chances I would be in the perfect place at the perfect time to meet that one soul looking for the truth? What are the chances that they would accept? It's been a while since I did math, but it's absolutely astronomical! And the Lord, with His perfect foresight and knowledge, orchestrated it all so I could help bring souls to Him. He could have done that another way, but He loves me enough to give me this experience. And I will never be the same. 

Several people have asked me what the "biggest thing" I've learned is. And that's a tough question. So here's the top 5.

1. That God loves me. See the massive paragraph above. 

2. That God loves every person on an individual, personal level. I have  felt a small test His love for individuals during moments as I taught and testified. I know that God is truly our Heavenly Father. Literally. He wants the best for us. 

3. That God has reached out in love by restoring the Jesus Christ's Church. He did this through a young boy named Joseph Smith in 1820. He was called as a prophet in response to a humble prayer requesting spiritual guidance. God the Father and Jesus Christ appeared to him in vision, and the world has never been the same again. A church with all the correct doctrine, all the lost knowledge, and the authority to administer the ordinances of salvation (baptism, communion, etc.) has been reestablished on the earth. I have felt the Holy Spirit of God witness to my heart that this is the truth. 

4. Humility. If you're going to do the work of the Lord, you must do it His way if you want to succeed. 

5. That Prayer really does work. You can pray for help, guidance, healing, comfort, anything really. And no matter how small or insignificant or even huge your need may be, the Lord will answer, and help you through it. Every Singe Time. 

Some people say that a mission is the best two years (18 months) of your life. And it certainly has been the biggest, most soul stretching, happy adventure so far. I have learned so much, met so many people I love, and become a more Christlike person. But I refuse to let today be the end of a golden 18 months that I simply look back wistfully upon for the rest of my life.

So here's to the next 18 months! Life is only going to get better and better from here, and may each of your next 18 months be the best of your lives! I know mine will be. I love you all, and am so so excited to see you, and hug you, and be with you again. 

Godspeed!​

Sister Ward

I testify that the Restored gospel of Jesus Christ truly does change lives!

Dear Family,

This week I hit my 18 month mark. We call them click days here in the WVCM.  And that was a real weird feeling. I can hardly believe it's been that long. And the days keep getting faster. I'm not a particularly sentimental person, but it's been an emotional week. 

DM is continuing to blossom in the gospel- he's the one flying to church next week. I firmly believe that his amazing progress is all due to his amazing, self-assigned fellowshipper. Brother C. is literally his new best friend. He stops by to check on him throughout the week, gives him rides to church and activities, goes around introducing him to everyone at church, and shares his testimony with him frequently. D. was on date for baptism, the 28th, but the zone leaders said he needs to be tobacco free for longer, so it has to be moved back a few weeks. I'm sad that I won't be here to witness his baptism, but I know that's not what's important. When I look back and see how much his life has changed over the last 3 months, my heart soars. He went from being a "backslidin'" alcoholic with little purpose to life to the man on fire he is today. I testify that the Restored gospel of Jesus Christ truly does change lives! 

We went on two exchanges this week. Which was so exhausting and fun all at the same time. Sister K., from Morgantown, came here and spent the day in Fairmont with me. It was a happy reunion, we met for the first time 17 months ago on her first day in the mission. I learned so much from her about following the Spirit, and being constantly in tune with it's promptings. She has done so much good during her mission with that ability. I also was able to go to the Cheat River area with Sister Gale. She was a friend from early on in the mission, too! I have been grateful for the chance to get to know and work with all the sisters here. It truly has been the people that have taught me the most on my mission, and I will be forever changed by my interactions with them.

I ate escargot this week! One of our investigators was talking about how she tried it from a local restaurant, and we couldn't think of a better refreshment to bring to district meeting, so we went and got some to take. We made all the elders try it first before we told them what it was. They didn't buy it when we told them it was squirrel brain (which, believe it or not, is a local delicacy) They all did, to their credit! 

Well, stay tuned one more week, folks. It's the last home stretch, and will fly right by. Next Pday is Wed :) 

Love, 

Sister Ward

I know that the Lord loves every lost sheep, and that he sends us out as true under shepherds to help bring them back.

Hey Family! 

How are ya'll doing??  This week has been amazing here. A little frigid, but it's warmed up some, thankfully. 

Last night we had a Christmas missionary devotional at the good ol' Fairmont ward. It was based off of #LIGHTtheWORLD. It turned out awesome. We also had our December Zone Conference. I feel like all we've been doing lately in meetings. Unfortunately, I was dealing with a small bout of food poisoning again that day, so it was not as enjoyable as usual. I'm so excited to only eat Dad's sanitary food again!

Brother Morgan is officially one of my favorites! After our lesson with him this week, he asked us if we had a while to help him with something. And then we helped him wrap all the Christmas gifts for his grandkids! It was so fun! He is also progressing amazing! He says that the "scales of darkness have fallen from [his] eyes" and he is anxiously preparing for baptism on Dec 28th. Pray for him, that he will be able to overcome his smoking addiction this week! 

I was able to witness a sacred experience at church yesterday. Our investigator, Bobbie, has a mother, Sharon, who is a less active member, who is not on our church's records. We assumed the people at church knew nothing about her. So when she and Bobbi came to church this week, we were surprised when she recognized a sweet, old wheelchair bound lady in the congregation. It was a member that had been part of the ward she was baptized into decades ago. This woman is also her current visiting teacher! Visiting teachers are women assigned to befriend and teach and love other women in our church. We didn't even know she had a visiting teacher! And so this wonderful member has been sending her cards every month for who knows how long. And so Sharon went up to her and asked, "Do you know who I am?" and Sister Fetty responded, "No, who are you?" "You send me cards every month!!" And Sister Fetty gasped and threw up her hands and started crying, "You're one of my people!! Which one?!" These two women were so excited to see each other, and the spirit and the love in the room was palpable, even to an onlooker. I know that the Lord loves every lost sheep like Sharon, and that he sends us out as true under shepherds to help bring them back. To Sister Fetty, sending each card all those months with no response, no sign of progress, probably seemed like a fruitless task. But over time, and with the help of the Spirit of the Lord, those cards had a huge impact on Sharon. And the work is well underway to bringing her back. 

I love ya'll! Have a good one!

Sister Ward

If we choose to follow Christ, to live as he does, and always remain worthy of the Holy Ghost, people are able to see the difference it make in our lives!

Dear Family,

It has been a completely fabulous week! I have loved pretty much every single second of it.

Brother S. got baptized this week! It was an amazing service, the spirit was so strong, and basically every missionaries' dream come true! 

We also started teaching an amazing family yesterday! We had met the wife, Jordan, while we were tracting a few weeks ago, and we were finally able to catch her home and teach her family yesterday. When we first walked in the door, her husband, Parker, gave us one look, and got super excited to see us. He grew up in Ghana, and knew lots of Mormons there. He told us the people he knew who had joined the church had changed lives afterwards, how they were better, more successful people. And then he started telling us how he lived with a Mormon family in Elkins 5 years ago, and how they had influenced him tremendously. It was such a testimony to me that people truly are always watching us, and that the light of our example shines so much farther than we realize. If we choose to follow Christ, to live as he does, and always remain worthy of the Holy Ghost, people are able to see the difference it make in our lives!  Parker was even able to visit the temple in Accra, and said it was the most beautiful building in all of Ghana.  We are so excited to keep teaching them! 

I love you all! Have a great week! 

Sister Ward​

We RISE IN MIGHT when we w a t c h a n d p r a y!

Dear Family,

This week has been absolutely fabulous!! 

We had an amazing mission tour with Elder Peter Meurs of the Quorum of the Seventy before Thanksgiving, and had a special leadership conference with him the next day. Which meant that we spent Monday night to Wed night in Charleston.There were many things I learned, and I won't even try to tell you all of them. But one thing I am so grateful for is the service and sacrifice of the ordinary saints who accept extraordinary calls to serve in church leadership positions. They truly give up so much, and dedicate their lives to our good. I learned so much from our conference. One of the main highlights for me was when we sang "Hope of Israel" and discussed the lyrics. The chorus goes,

 "Hope of Israel, RISE IN MIGHT!! 

 With the sword of truth and right. 

Sound the war cry, w a t c h  a n d  p r a y  

Vanquish every foe today." 

I loved how Elder Meurs pointed out how w. We gain the most strength and power when we seek the power of the Almighty through prayer. And the more we seek, the more we gain. Shouldn't we, then, spend significant time in prayer each week? And watching for the reply?

After the mission tour ended on Tuesday, we were like, "Well, what are we gonna do until tomorrow morning?" And so I suggested to the APs that Sister Ivory and I go do some good ole fashioned missionary work in Cross Lanes with the sisters there. And they said yes!!! The Lord answers prayers, because I prayed that I'd be able to go back before I come home! Sister Skanchy, my companion from Roanoke, also came and visited Fairmont with her parents, and we were able to see her, so that was nice. Basically, it's been a trip down memory lane this week! 

I love you all! I ate 4 turkey dinners. I paced a little better this year, so that was good. But I still don't want to see turkey again until next November.

Love,

Sister Ward

I know that the message I share everyday with people is true, and I know that once a person hears it, they will never be the same again.

Dear family and friends,

Can you believe it's Thanksgiving???? Isn't that just the craziest thing ever? I can't believe it. 

And on top of that it snowed this week for the first time!! It was like 70 degrees on Friday, then miserable and rainy on Saturday, and then there was snow when we woke up on Sunday morning. Time to break out the fleece lined tights. And the Christmas CDs. (Actually, we already did that. A month ago :)) 

We've had a great short week-it's been full of miracles. Brother Sollars went to the stake priesthood meeting last Sunday, and during our lesson Thursday, he kept telling us how much he liked it, and how he felt he fit right in, and how excited he is for his upcoming baptism. I am so excited for him, too! 

Last Tuesday was one of those days when I'm like, "Why can't every day be like today?" We started teaching 2 new people and were pretty much running from appointment to appointment all day. It was great! 

One of the ladies we met and started teaching, Ella, is amazing! She has a son who is a Mormon, now, and so she loves the missionaries. But she is really worried about what her family is going to think about her learning from us. We had a really neat conversation with her about putting God first, even above family. 

One of our investigators, Clint, is a lovely Jamaican fellow. And he cooks! Jamaican food, too. So we had Jamaican barbecue on Saturday! It was amazing. It's one of the many reasons we love him! 

So tonight we're going down to Charleston to stay there for the next few days. Elder Meurs (he spoke at the last general conference) is coming for a mission tour, and I am so excited! I always feel refocused and lifted spiritually after meetings like these. It'll be a great was to start the week. Then on Wednesday, we're having an special MLC with him, so we're staying down there for that. Then, it's Thanksgiving on Thursday! Basically, we're not going to get squat done this week in our area, but I'm sure it will work out! 

So this week I spent some good quality time reading in the Gospels in the New Testament. I came across this little parable that I really, really liked. It's the parable of the seed growing secretly. In it, a man sows a seed, and then goes about working on other things and sleeping, and all the while, the seed grows, but he knows not how. And one day he comes back and the full corn is ready to harvest, so he grabs his sickle. When I go out and teach the gospel, it plants seeds, but that's about all I can do. No matter how good a teacher I may be, I can't build faith in a person or give them a testimony. Only they and the Lord himself have the power to make it grow. So we get to plant, and then come back for the harvest. The real heavy lifting happens between them and the Lord. It takes a lot of faith, sometimes, to walk away and work on other projects, but the Restored Gospel of Jesus Christ is a living, vibrant seed. Under the right conditions, it absolutely, without fail, will grow and develop. This week we got a phone call from Jon, who we had stopped teaching a few weeks ago. He previously wasn't willing to make commitments, so we had to walk away for a while. But this week, he called us, wanting to start lessons again. All the while, the seed has been growing inside him. I know that the message I share everyday with people is true, and I know that once a person hears it, they will never be the same again. There is something new in there, trying to grow. 

I love you all! And I'm so excited to see ya'll again someday!

Love you to the moon!

Sister Ward

Hey, God loves you!

Dear Family,

This week has been a blessed one. I am so lucky to be a missionary, and have this amazing opportunity. Since this week marks the beginning of my last transfer as a called and set apart servant of the Lord, I've been slightly more sentimental than usual. I'm so grateful for all of the experiences I've had-both joyful and disappointing, soul stretching and easy as breathing, hard and fun. It has been the best 17 months!!

David came to church for the first time, and had a wonderful experience. It was the Primary program, where the kids give the service, and it is always super cute, sweet, and spiritual. (And slightly nuts. David contributed to the chaos with a few unexpected "AMEN!!"s. It was oh so West Virginian) Church was especially special for him because he loves his grandkids, and won't be able to see them again in the foreseeable future. 

We went on exchanges! Sister Sackett came down here, and we had an awesome time!! We did a fair amount of tracting that day, and it was surprisingly effective. Usually it's... eh. Afterwards she said it made her want to go and tract out her area! Which is good, because the goal was to help them tune their finding skills. 

We also had an awesome lesson with Amber! She hadn't gotten too far in her Book of Mormon reading, because she was having a hard time understanding the ye's and yea's and thee's. So we read the Book of Mormon with her. And a miracle happened. She got hooked! We had only planned on reading 1 Nephi 3 with her, but right after we finished she plowed right on ahead in to chapter 4, and then said we couldn't leave until we read at least 5 with her. The scriptures really are a page turner.  And the converting power of the Book of Mormon is real. We're up to Helaman 9 now, and the time I spend reading is my favorite part of our study time every morning. It's also super cool how it can always apply to our life, in one way or another. 

Well I love ya'll! Talk to you in a few! 

Sister Ward

An eventful week!

Dear Family,

Whew. It's been an eventful week. 

Monday- PDAY!!!! We played some hardcore basketball. Couldn't walk normally for 3 days afterwards. And it was Halloween. 

Tuesday- We went to Charleston for MLC. The car ride did not help the soreness factor. It was a good meeting, and as usual, I felt like we are going to go out and baptize the world now. And now that Sister Ford is in Buckhannon, we got to ride down together! It was quite the party!

Wednesday- We were able to reconnect with one of our amazing investigators. It's been like a month since we were able to see her, and  It was 10 minutes before our dinner hour, and we were discussing if we had time to try Amber, or if we should just head for dinner. We decided to try her, and ended up teaching her the Restoration again. And she was so excited about it!! She told us afterwards, "Ya'll have to come back, because we are going to study this thing out." She also felt the Spirit strongly and we relayed the First Vision to her. I love the First Vision. When we recite those words to people, they almost always react, saying something like "Wow, that was powerful." I know that it truly did happen! 

Thursday- Have I told ya'll about the S.? They are awesome!! Sister S. grew up in the church, and has recently started coming again with her husband. He's going to be baptized on Dec 1st. We have dinner with them every Thursday, and teach their family. In preparation for baptism, Bro. S. has repented and started coming to church every week, and has come 3 weeks in a row now. And his testimony that he was on the right path was so much stronger this week! When we keep the commandments of God, we are more in tune with the Spirit, and we can feel more peace and guidance in our lives. Especially from coming to church! 

Friday- We went on exchanges with the Morgantown Sisters! I went up to their area with Sister Jarman. She is amazing, and we had a fantastic time! We miraculously found a woman to teach. We were walking by her apartment as she was going in, and we shouted hello up the front porch stairs. She then proceeded to tell us that it was not a good time, because she had just accidentally left her dinner in someone else's car, and that is was the only food she had. We had just come from a dinner appointment, and had leftover lasagna in our car, so we ran and grabbed it for her, and taught her the Restoration. She was a truly prepared soul, and felt the Spirit as we taught, so she invited us back. 

Saturday- An average day in the life of a WVCM missionary. We taught. We tracted. We ate hot dogs.  It was nice!

Sunday- It turns out our phones aren't high tech enough to do the Daylight Savings Time change on their own. So Sister Ivory and I showed up an hour early to the ward council meeting that had been cancelled.  The best part was, the elders came running in frantically 2 minutes after we did.  We were pretty sad about missing out on the extra hour of sleep. Then we faced a truckload of opposition that afternoon. Literally everyone we tried to see or talk to for 4 hours straight slammed the door, ran away, told us not to come back, or were mean. It was a little rough. But it always seems to come in waves like that. It makes me appreciate how lucky I am to serve somewhere where people actually love to talk about religion. It'd be rough if everyday was like that!! And we had a good finish to the night. We had a good lesson with David, and the member we brought with us turned out to be distantly related to him! Miracles! 

So next week, PDay won't be until Wed :) Ya'll get extra time to write me!!

Love ya'll!!  

Sister Ward

Halloween!

So... There's not a whole lot of time for emailing today. Blame Halloween :) 

But here are some quick highlights.

1. Cute little 4 yr old L. didn't gauge out my eye with a stick like I thought he did at first. Almost got my first black eye, though! 

2. The So's. came to church! And are steadily working towards their baptism date. :)

3. We had an amazing Ward Trunk or Treat activity, and our investigator Collin came with baby Bella. 

4. M. took us around the neighborhood and introduced us to all his friends. This guy is a character, you'll have to meet him someday. He calls us everyday with some random update at least once. 

That's all I got time for! 

Love you!

Sister Ward

When he was being confirmed, he said he truly felt God's power, and that those people really were being given the opportunity to follow God they never received in this life. I love the temple, and am so excited to go again!

Dear Family,

It has been a wonderful, wonderful week! We have been so incredibly blessed!

One of the biggest miracles of this week was getting M. to the temple!! He went to the Washington DC temple and performed the baptism and confirmation for his deceased grandfather there. It is so important to get recent converts to the temple quickly, so they can feel of the spirit and power of the House of the Lord. We are supposed to help them get there within a month of their baptism, and M. made it the day before his 1 month anniversary. Hurrah!!! We were a little sad that we weren't able to go with him DC, but he made it, and that's what counts. We got a phone call from him in the middle of the day saying,  "Hey, I'm looking at the temple!" and it was amazing! What was even cooler, though, was the testimony he bore of the temple. When he was being confirmed, he said he truly felt God's power, and that those people really were being given the opportunity to follow God they never received in this life. I love the temple, and am so excited to go again!

Another amazing thing from this week is Brother S. success quitting chewing tobacco. He's 8 days clean, and on his 2nd try!! He's been dippin' snuff since he was five years old. (5 YEARS OLD!!!!) and he's in his 40s now, so it is quite the accomplishment. We are so happy and proud of him!!! Sister S. is next. :D 

I love ya'll! Keep being amazing!

Sister Ward

Be diligent! And prayer really does make stuff happen.

Dear Family,

Today marks the day that I have been a missionary for 16 months! I can hardly believe it! It seems like just last month I entered the MTC, but at the same time, I can't even remember what it's like to not be a missionary. ("Would normal human beings consider this stalking?" is a question I ask myself daily.) Easy, time, you are getting ahead of yourself! 

This email is slightly later than normal. That's because we enjoyed the beautiful fall foliage on a recreational bike ride this morning! I thought, "I bet at least one of my family members is going on a bike ride today" as we took off! It was fun! The leaves are starting to turn, and it is beautiful. 

This week has been full of miracles! Yesterday, we had 2 lovely individuals show up at church! They weren't investigators, so that was really cool! One of them, Chris, had met with missionaries in the past, and decided he wanted to keep learning. So he came and brought his daughter with him. Normally getting people to church is like trying to pull Satan's teeth (He must work double time on Sunday mornings. It's ridiculous.), so it was quite refreshing to have them just come.  And his daughter is in our area so we get to go meet with her later this week. 

I also had a neat experience with prayer this week. We were out working one morning, and Plan A-Plan Z had fallen through, so we decided to go try to see Steve. He's a recovering drug addict, and we didn't want too miss seeing him for a long time. But he can be tricky to catch at home and awake. We knocked on his door, and his parents told us he was somewhere in the neighborhood, but they weren't sure where. So we started knocking on his neighbors' doors, looking for him (Remember the stalking question?) but no luck. We decided to say a prayer, and asked God to help us be able to see him. And then we kept knocking. Eventually, though, we decided we'd crossed the stalking line, and got into our car to leave. Right as we started pulling away, he walked out of his basement! And so we swerved into park again, and jumped out to go talk to him. Moral of the Story: Be diligent! We wouldn't have been able to teach him if we hadn't knocked on his neighbor's door, even with the prayer. And prayer really does make stuff happen. 

So as you probably know, we're doing a Book of Mormon reading challenge in our mission! 8.5 pages a day, and we'll finish by Dec 4th. (If you are already to Jarom by now...) As I've been reading it this time, I've been studying and marking the doctrine of missionary work in red. On a previous reading of the Book of Mormon, I had studied and marked up all the verses about charity-the pure love of Christ-in purple. And it is really cool to see how often those two topics overlap! The heart and soul of missionary work is love! I love my Heavenly Father and His Son Jesus Christ, and I am a missionary because I want to serve them. But the only way you can serve God is by serving your neighbor. And when you serve your neighbor, you develop love for them, and desire their salvation. So you take every opportunity you can to teach them the Restored Gospel, so they can have everlasting life! Just as Elder Oaks taught in his General Conference talk, sharing the gospel flows most naturally out of relationships that are filled with love! 

I love you all,

What he's learned from reading the Book of Mormon and from us visiting is changing his life.

Dear Family,

Hola! How have you all been doing these last few days? I'm trying to think of what to write about, but I can't think of anything I haven't already told you...

Ah. Found something! M. got ordained to the Priesthood yesterday. It was a complete surprise to us, because he hadn't been formally interviewed yet, but apparently the bishop decided that based on the conversations he'd had with him, he was ready! So it was kind of sprung on us all. And then in Sacrament meeting during some other sustainings and callings, and the man conducting asked if there was anyone opposed, and Micah scratched his nose. (For those who may not know, our church is staffed by volunteers! And we show our support of people in their responsibilities by raising our hand for them at church when they first get the calling) And then they called his name next to stand, and he kind of freaked out, and explained to everyone, "I was just scratching my nose!! I don't oppose!" But it turned out OK, because they were just ratifying his ordination. He pretty embarrassed though. Moral of the story-be careful when you scratch your nose. 

I guess I better tell you about Sister I., too! She is a doll from Price, UT. She just came from C. River, (which is like 20 minutes away) so I know her somewhat already! She takes lots of pictures, and inspires me to do so as well, so good things are headed your way this transfer. I betting  she'll be my last companion! We're excited to get 'er done, around here.

One of our investigator's named Brother M. is progressing so well! He has been reading the Book of Mormon, and says that what he's learned there and from us visiting is changing his life! He was going to come to church yesterday, but he ended up babysitting grandkiddos. So I'll let you know how he likes it next week! He is the epitome of a good West Virginian. 

Love you all! 

Sister Ward 

That is what this life is all about! Helping others come to Jesus Christ.

Dear Family,

Hello! How are ya'll doing? I feel like it's been a while since we've had communication. I'm glad it's PDay!! :)

This week has been fantastic for Sister C and I. As good as it can be when your find out your awesome companion is migrating south for the winter, at least. :( She's getting transferred to Bluefield, WV. It still hasn't hit me that she's leaving yet, despite the fact she's completely packed, but I'm going to be real sad when it does! She is an amazing friend, and I've been lucky to have her for 3 months! Sister Ivory is the name of my new companion, and she's been serving up in Morgantown for the last month, so I know her a little bit! I will likely spend the balance of my mission here in good ole Fairmont. Which is great! This place is on fire! 

We have so many investigators who are progressing well right now! Have I told you very much about Rocky and Billie Jo? They are awesome! They've been investigating for a few months, and they come to church regularly. But Rocky took a nasty fall this week (long story) and ended up in the hospital with no feeling in his legs. Our wonderful ward mission leader went up to the hospital in Morgantown and gave him a priesthood blessing for healing. We didn't hear much feedback at that point, but when we came for our next lesson yesterday, Rocky was home and doing good. He told us that when they came to the hospital and gave him that blessing, he had a tingly feeling that he'd never felt before, even in his completely numb leg! And, voila, the next morning all feeling had returned! He told us that, "I was saved in a Church of Christ, and I was baptized a Pentecostal, but I have never felt anything like that!" I know that the priesthood power held in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints is a real force, and that miracles, and healings, and visions, and prophecies, still happen in this day and age!  

Another amazing thing about this week was the kickoff of the WVCM White Christmas. "White" as in baptismal white and temple white! Because unity is key to doing God's work, we are reading the Book of Mormon in unity together as a mission! I've read the Book of Mormon a number of times, so this time, I am reading it looking for missionary work applications this go round! And it is amazing! Did you know the whole Book of Mormon is about missionary work?? This morning I read about how Nephi exhorts his brothers with all the "energies of my soul," and I thought that sounds a lot like serving "with all your heart, might, mind, and strength." In reality, it isn't just the Book of Mormon that is all about missionary work, that is what this life is all about! Helping others come to Jesus Christ. I am such a lucky girl to get the opportunity to serve. 

I love you all! 

Sister Ward

"I'm just going to jump on it! "

Dear Family!!

This week has been absolutely wonderful! 

M. finally took the plunge this week! He was baptized on Friday night, and confirmed on Sunday. It truly has been such a privilege to teach him. Through obstacles tall, wide, and thick, he has been true to his testimony of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Both of his parents attended the baptism, and several other investigators, and it was a incredible spiritual experience. The ward came out for it, the impromptu primary choir was angelic, and all of Micah's hair/feet/clothing were successfully submerged the first time! Hurrah! The best part, though, was when he got up and bore his testimony after the service. What a powerful spiritual moment! And we're hoping opposition will ease up a bit for him, now that he's baptized.

One of our investigators, Jon, really really loved the baptism. He's a 40 yr old man, with some slight special needs, and he loves loves loves what we've been teaching him. He feels like he can't switch churches though because he lives at home, and his parents are super active in a Pentecostal church. But at the baptism, he kept telling us, "I'm just going to jump on it! You need to convince my parent's to let me switch churches!" We were like, "Hold on Jon, we're working on it." It was so funny, and so cool that he wants to be baptized this badly though! 

And has Women's Conference really already happened?? That was amazing! And maybe it's my missionary bias, but I loved the emphasis on the doctrine of Christ! No matter who you are or what you do, you have to know, live, love, and understand faith, repentance, baptism, receiving the Gift of the Holy Ghost by the laying on of hands, and enduring to the end (or just 'enduro' as Devin, our 10 yr old investigator calls it)

Another mini miracle: I lost my scriptures (for the 50th time) and as usual, the were miraculously returned to me a few days later! It sure was stressful though, while they were gone!

I love ya'll! have a great week!

Sister Ward

It was a miracle!! He has gone from waning interest in the restored gospel, to seeking out opportunities to be around missionaries!

Heya dear family!! 

Whelp. It was good week! Full of lots of random miracles! 

M. is doing amazing! He's going to be baptized this Friday, so we are super excited about that. He has such a strong testimony and conversion, and I'm so lucky to be one of his missionaries. I love the enthusiasm he has for the gospel! This week, he's been going around his college campus sharing Book of Mormon verses with random people! He's going to make one heck of a missionary himself here in a year or so. 

We had a cool experience the other night with a man who had been investigating the church earlier this year, but has fallen of the map/quit keeping his appointments. We stopped by his apartment to invited him to the baptism, made some small talk and wished him well and went on our way. We didn't want to be pushy so we didn't try to invited ourselves over again. But as we were driving away, he texted us and asked us to meet him at the local ice cream parlor. It was a miracle!! He has gone from waning interest in the restored gospel, to seeking out opportunities to be around missionaries! it was rather late at this point, so we only got to the ice cream, but we have another appointment with him this week! 

I love you all! Have a good week! 

Sister Ward

I am so grateful for the unspeakable Gift of the Holy Ghost! And anyone who wants to, can, know by His power that these things I share are true.

Dearest Family!

How are you all doing!! It has been a great week around here!

Monday: We visited the beautiful park It was gorgeous! And made me wish I could go swimming/white water rafting. Someday! We took a lot of really cool pictures, but I forgot my camera cord....sorry! We had a follow up lesson on the Stop Smoking WS with the Stottlemyres. They were struggling, but still clean. The member who came with us gave them priesthood blessings, and the Spirit was tangible.

Tuesday: MLC in Charleston! You know you're an old missionary when you revisit your first area, and get yourself lost.... "I used to know this place like the back of my hand! AHH!" MLC was great though! The mission is having a "White Christmas" initiative, and it is going to be amazing!!! We got back to Fairmont in time to have a lesson with M. He had been exposed to lots of anti, but after praying hard for the last few days, and really desiring to know if Joseph Smith was a prophet, he received an answer! He said he felt inexpressible joy and happiness as he watched us walk up to the porch and have our lesson. If you really desire an answer, God will always respond.

Wednesday: A pretty typical day in the life of Sister Ward. We found 2 new investigators!  And taught some folks. And tried to teach about 500 people who were not home when we came by.

Thursday:  Awesome, awesome day where everyone was home!! Thank goodness! We trekked around the outlying township of R. for a while, and saw Brother Dan. We also had 2 dinner appointments-both of which were with part member families, and we didn't want to cancel either.... So we took one for the team, and had 2 back to back dinner appointments. Totally worth it though! The S. family is amazing, and the Dad and boys are so ready for baptism! We just need to figure out what's keeping them from committing. Also the Stottlemyre's were doing well. Sister S, in particular was completely clean (and still is today!) And Brother S was finally on board with quitting so that was a step.

Friday: Zone Meeting! It was a great spiritual experience, and we did lots and lots of roleplays. I love roleplays! Then we worked the rest of the day. And taught some LA folk. Some were more interested than others.

Saturday: More R.time! We taught the Thompsons, an awesome part member family. Their cute 11 yr old son wants to be baptized, but is waiting for Dad to be ready too. Family unity is so important! We also had a dinner appointment at the local  with Brother Fleming. He's a funny funny man, and is preparing for baptism in Oct.  We sent Micah off the the Sat night session of Stake Conference, and on his way home he called us to tell us how sure he is that this restored gospel is true. It was a miracle! Baptism in T-minus: 10 days!

Sunday: Stake Conference! It was good, really good! We also had a missionary meeting for all the ward and fulltime missionaries. Working with the members is like an ox pull. You have to pull together in the same direction, with the same speed and force, or you will be unbalanced and trip over each other! I'm so grateful for all the wonderful members here in Fairmont!

Overall it was just a great week! I feel like I've learned a lot about listening to the Spirit and not trusting in the arm of man. Anyone who will listen to the Spirit, and trust it more than what their friends, pastors, or Google says, will come unto God, even the Father. It takes a lot of faith to put aside all those other voices, but when we do we will come to know of things as they really were, they really are, and really will be! I am so grateful for the unspeakable Gift of the Holy Ghost! And anyone who wants to, can, know by His power that these things I share are true.  

I love you all!

Sister Ward