Called To Reno!

CTR Has Become a Special Emblem in Our Lives . . . Choose The Right!
In Our Mission It Has Double Meaning . . . Called To Reno!

Car Inspections

Reno & North Reno Zone Conference

Reno and Reno South Zone Conference, July 10, 2013

 Reno Zone

Speed Role-Playing Proves to Be Lots of Fun!

 Time to Eat!

 HI!!

       

New Companions

Hastening The Work Of Salvation

Hi Everyone!

This last week was great!  

Yesterday we watched the broadcast Hastening the Work of Salvation, and it is AWESOME!!!!  Church leaders spoke on the importance of ALL of us working together to assist in moving the Lord's work forward, & they had some awesome videos of examples of members & missionaries working together.  

Here's the link:

http://www.lds.org/training/wwlt/2013/hastening/special-broadcast?lang=eng

^^ EVERYONE NEEDS TO WATCH THIS!!!!!!!!!!!! ^^  :)

We've met a few more people this week, & they are very receptive & open to learning more!

We can't wait to find more people whom the Lord is preparing for the gospel!!

Have a great week!

Be strong & faithful because the Savior was!

~Sister San Diego

Mission Temple Day, June 26, 2013

Back To Reno

Hi Everyone!

Last week was transfers, & Elder Moyle, one of my first Zone Leaders, finished his mission.  He was an amazing missionary who had one of the most powerful testimonies I've ever heard & felt, and it was an honor to serve with him as my Zone Leader & as an Assistant to the President.  I wish him the best as he goes back to regular life & hope he has much success!

I'm in an old zone of mine, & it feels awesome to be back!  My new companion is Sister Waterman, who just finished her training in Sparks.  She is an awesome missionary (energetic, easily talks to anyone, awesome desires!) & we're both excited to work with the members in our new ward to move the Lord's work forward here!  There is so much potential!!  The ward members have been so helpful & awesome so far, especially our ward mission leader.

We live with Sister Frost (remember her from my 1st transfer? =D ) & Sister Hurd, her new trainee!  I love being here!!!  ^__^

Elder Howarth (from Truckee River Ward a few months ago) is now our new District Leader, & he is super awesome!  He's an excellent teacher & leader, and I'd say he's the best District Leader out there!

Happy Dad's Day to my "old man"!!  He just turned 39, hehe ;P

Have a great week!

Be strong & faithful because the Savior was!

~Sister San Diego

 Transfer time again!

Hi everyone!  Sorry it's been a little while since I sent a post.

Update on this past transfer:

I was transferred to Fallon to finish Sis. Green's training and to train Sis. White, who was fresh out of the MTC & is waiting for her visa to Brazil (she will serve in the Brazil Curitiba Mission).  In the first couple weeks, we helped a lady whom Sis. Green & Sis. Michaud taught prepare for baptism.  I'll call her Miriam; she is such a sweet & awesome lady!  She's 85, has MS, & went through with her baptism!  Her strength & determination were inspiring :)  We also worked with some members in the ward & met a few people that we've started teaching.

Belated Happy Mothers' Day!!  It was nice to talk to my family on Skype again, and the next time I see them, Elder San Diego will be home & younger Elder San Diego will be in the El Salvador San Salvador East Mission!!!  Congratulations to my baby bro on getting his mission call!!!!!!!!  =D

I am getting transferred tomorrow back to an old zone; this will be an interesting experience being double-transferred in again, & we'll see what lies in store!  I will miss Fallon; even though it was a short amount of time here, I met some wonderful people & I look forward to seeing them again someday!

Hope you're all enjoying your summer!
~Sister San Diego

 The Trio - GreenishWhiteSand (a.k.a. San Antonio, Verde & Visa Waiter) :P (Sister Green is on the left)

Marilyn, our recent convert! ^__^

Train the New Missionary and Training Meeting (TNMT), Reno

Like The Rainbow After A Long Storm :)

Hey hey!

I apologize for not getting a good update in for the past 2-3 P-Days...please forgive me!

General Conference was pretty awesome!  I recommend all the talks, though I really like Elder Holland's talk, Pres. Monson's talk, & Elder Falabella's talk.  you can watch them at http://www.lds.org/general-conference/sessions/2013/04?lang=eng

The past few weeks have been filled with highs & lows; strangely, just before & after Conference weekend some of the people we had been working with either dropped us or had stopped progressing in their commitments.  But the up side is that a less-active sister asked us to come teach her & she wants to get her life back in order--we really look forward to helping her out!  We also met an awesome family who may become investigators soon, & a guy who wants us to come & teach him about the gospel!  We're still working on meeting more people in the Ward who aren't active, & we met several during the past couple weeks who were very welcoming & wanted us to come back!  The Elders in our Ward have also found a bunch of people to teach; things are looking up & it feels the rainbow after a long storm :)

_________________________________

This just in:

I'M GETTING TRANSFERRED & I'M TRAINING!!!!!  Not only am I training a new Sister from the MTC (for the 1st time), but I'm also finishing another Sister's training at the same time!  This transfer group has 14 new Sisters coming in & 2 going out, so there are a lot of Sister trios in the mission for the next 6 weeks.  I am going to miss serving in the Truckee River Ward--it has been a privilege to work with so many awesome members & I will miss everyone we worked with!

I would like to tell you about a guy named Mike--we were trying to contact a referral & knocked on his door.  Turns out the lady we were referred to is his landlord & she lived a couple doors down.  We talked with him for a little bit, gave him a mormon.org card, & asked if we could come back.  He was super open to us coming back, & he went straight to his computer to check out the videos on mormon.org!  We had an awesome first lesson with him on Saturday--a member came with us & he totally felt the Spirit as we talked with him & testified!  I wish I could watch his progression--I know he will grow so much in his faith in Christ, & he will find what he has been searching for.  I love the gospel!!!  I know this church is the true Church of Jesus Christ, and I know that His Atonement can work miracles in anyone's life, if they will follow Him.  I say that in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

Be strong & faithful because He was!

~Sister San Diego

Sister Davis & I

Lunch is served!

 Reno Zone Conference - April 3, 2013

Happy Easter!!

Happy Easter yesterday, everyone!  :)

Hope you had a wonderful time with family & friends, and I hope you had some time to reflect on the Savior's life, example, & sacrifice for us during this Easter season.

This week, I would like to share with you some scriptures relating to Easter:

John 3:16-17
16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
17 For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.

Isaiah 53:3-7
3 He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not.
4 Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.
5 But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.
6 All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.
7 He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth.

Alma 7:11-13
11 And he shall go forth, suffering pains and afflictions and temptations of every kind; and this that the word might be fulfilled which saith he will take upon him the pains and the sicknesses of his people.
12 And he will take upon him death, that he may loose the bands of death which bind his people; and he will take upon him their infirmities, that his bowels may be filled with mercy, according to the flesh, that he may know according to the flesh how to succor his people according to their infirmities.
13 Now the Spirit knoweth all things; nevertheless the Son of God suffereth according to the flesh that he might take upon him the sins of his people, that he might blot out their transgressions according to the power of his deliverance; and now behold, this is the testimony which is in me.

Mosiah 16:6-9
6 And now if Christ had not come into the world, speaking of things to come as though they had already come, there could have been no redemption.
7 And if Christ had not risen from the dead, or have broken the bands of death that the grave should have no victory, and that death should have no sting, there could have been no resurrection.
8 But there is a resurrection, therefore the grave hath no victory, and the sting of death is swallowed up in Christ.
9 He is the light and the life of the world; yea, a light that is endless, that can never be darkened; yea, and also a life which is endless, that there can be no more death.

I testify that Jesus Christ lives and that he is the Savior of the world.  I know His Atonement (suffering, death, & Resurrection) is real, & that through faith in Him & His Atonement, we can overcome anything in life.  I know that our Heavenly Father & Jesus Christ love all of us & know each & every one of us.  I say this in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

Have an awesome week!

Be strong & faithful because the Lord is!

~Sister San Diego

"What Desirest Thou?"

Hi all!

Well, this last week was pretty busy--lots of running back & forth between Reno & Sparks to pick up & drop off people, & to go to a leadership training.  Sis Verkist & I had Sis Firmage with us for a couple days; we went to transfers & they got their new trainees; and then Sis Briggs was with me for less than a day as we waited to pick up our new Temple Square companions, Sisters Behrndt & Davis.  Sister Davis is a great missionary from Oceanside, San Diego County :)  We've had a pretty good week so far & we're looking forward to really getting the work going here.  

With the transfer last week, Elder Hall (my 1st District Leader) & Elder Altamirano (my 3rd District Leader) finished their missions, along with Sister Porter, whom I met a while back.  I wish them the best on their new adventures back home!

This week, I would like to share with you some of what I learned from the leadership training.  We talked about desire & how it affects our attitudes & the way we do our missionary work.  When we're out & about, sometimes we get discouraged or tired, and we let it get the better of us.  We may think "I'm not good at talking to people" or "No one is going to want to listen to us" or "Nothing has been happening, we might as well call it a day" or even "I'm not cut out for this work--I should just go home."  Dallin H. Oaks, an Apostle, shared this in his talk in April 2011 General Conference: "Desires dictate our priorities, priorities shape our choices, and choices determine our actions. The desires we act on determine our changing, our achieving, and our becoming." http://www.lds.org/general-conference/2011/04/desire?lang=eng 
(I definitely recommend reading the entire talk).

In order to change our attitudes & the things we do, our desires will have to override whatever is holding us back, be it discouragement, insecurities, tiredness, and so on.  So how do we get our desires to become more centered around spiritual things than earthly/human things?  How do we as disciples of Christ gain a stronger desire to share with others the good news that through Jesus Christ, we can overcome anything; find true happiness in this life?

Alma 32:27 says: "But behold, if ye will awake and arouse your faculties, even to an experiment upon my words, and exercise a particle of faith, yea, even if ye can no more than desire to believe, let this desire work in you, even until ye believe in a manner that ye can give place for a portion of my words."

Alma is saying right here that if we have faith & even have a little desire to believe & try something different, we're on a good start.  Our desires also increase when we have a greater understanding of the Atonement & the gospel.  In Preach My Gospel, it says "As you treasure up the words of the scriptures and latter-day prophets by study and faith, your desire to share the gospel will increase (p.19)."  Boyd K. Packer of the Twelve Apostles also said, "True doctrine, understood, changes attitudes and behavior.  The study of the doctrines of the gospel will improve behavior quicker than a study of behavior will improve behavior."

With that, what are we waiting for?!  Take the challenge; try your faith by studying the scriptures & words of the prophets!  Then take the things you learn & apply them into your life, and pray for the ability to change, and I promise you that you will see awesome things happen inside you and, consequently, around you.

Hope you are all having a wonderful week! Love ya'll!

Be strong & faithful because Jesus was :)

~Sister San Diego

p.s.--I was checking out mormon.org & saw Lindsey Stirling's video!  I knew of her in high school & she's so awesome :)  http://mormon.org/lindsey/
p.p.s.--many thanks to Elder Moyle for the lesson on desire & change

the 2-day trio--Sis Firmage, me, Sis Verkist

one-day companionship: me & Sis Briggs

My new companion - Sister Davis

Playing "Musical Sisters"

Hi all!

First off, I want to wish my Dad a Happy Birthday in a couple days!  I won't say how old he is, but I'll reference my brother's blog post from last year, hehe.

Well, this week is transfers again!  (This transfer was a short one)  13 new Sisters & 2 Temple Square Sisters are coming on Tuesday & Wednesday, so all of us Sisters except 4 are being paired with them.  Sister Verkist is getting transferred to Sparks, & I'm staying in my current area with one of the Temple Square Sisters--this will be an interesting experience showing her how to work with ward members & other things.

This week is also pretty crazy because we're playing "musical Sisters," moving different Sisters around during transfers. :)

Also, everyone in the mission has been asked to get bikes!  I still have the car, but I'm sure we will soon be on bike.

One of our investigators is set for baptism next month!  :)  Sister Verkist has gotten to work with her for a few months, & has seen such a huge change in this lady's life!  Can't wait to see her continue to grow!

I got word last night that an investigator from Elko just got baptized yesterday morning!  I'm so happy for "Brother Ben" & hope his testimony in Christ remains strong & keeps growing!

I hope you all have an awesome week!

Be strong & faithful because Christ was!

~Sister San Diego

p.s.--mom is almost out of the hospital, yay!  Thank you for your prayers!

Hurray For Our Mission Temple Trip!!!!

Hi all!

Things are going good & we're making progress with a lady we are teaching--she has kept all of our appointments this last week, she has quit smoking, & she is just about ready to have a baptism date!  :)

Yesterday was a missionary sacrament meeting--the Elders, our ward mission leader, & us spoke And sang a musical number.  The hymn we sang was There Is a Green Hill Far Away, and with each verse, more & more people were part of the group (Bro. Norton, missionaries, ward missionaries & families of missionaries, then the whole ward).  It was awesome, & beautifully illustrated how when we all work together to do the Lord's work, it is So much better than someone doing it alone.

We had our Mission Temple Trip this last Wednesday & it was so nice in contrast to the super windy snow flurry outside!

Sorry this is another short one; hopefully I'll have a much longer post next time!

Be strong & faithful because the Savior was!

~Sister San Diego

p.s.--please keep praying for my Mom

The RENO Zone

Reno Nevada Temple

Bringing People Closer To God And Christ

Hi yall!

We still don't have a ton of investigators yet, but we're working with a few that Sis. Verkist was already teaching & we're visiting several less-active members.  Most of the less-active people that we visit are super friendly!  It's awesome!  :)  We look forward to visiting & working with them more.

Yesterday was a really awesome Sunday because so many recent converts & members returning to activity were there!  That's the simple joy & main reason of being a missionary--seeing so many people come closer to God & Christ and watching the change for the better in their lives :)  One man named Fred who was baptized in January shared his testimony in Sacrament Meeting.  It was his first Sunday back in a few weeks because he had been in the hospital due to a heart attack, pneumonia, and a badly infected foot.  He said he always knew that members of the church were always very kind & giving & cared for one another, but while he was in the hospital he truly experienced & felt the love of the ward & how he really is part of a family.  Sister Verkist afterward leaned over & said to me "And THAT is why we're on a mission."  Amen to that! :)

I know the Church is SO true!  I hope you will also seek to find it out for yourself.

Be strong & faithful because Jesus was, and please pray for my Mum as she has gallstones & may need surgery.

Have a great week!

~Sister San Diego

This is our ward mission leader :)

Service is fun :)

New Gilbert Arizona Mission Announced!

Hola familia,

This last week wasn't too spectacular, but we've been receiving quite a bit of help from members that we've visited, and we did have a couple lessons with investigators this week.  With most of the work being in Elder Belliston & Elder Howarth's area (downtown part of the ward), Sister Verkist & I are just working to get things rolling in this part of the ward.  We have a plan to contact all the less active members on our side & hopefully find more people to teach that way.

Yesterday was Stake Conference (or rather Area Conference) that was broadcasted to all the Stakes in Nevada!  Elder Gregory A. Schwitzer, Ann M. Dibb, Bishop Gary E. Stevenson, & Elder M. Russell Ballard spoke on having confidence in God's promises, love & unity, focusing on real & authentic happiness and relationships, family, priesthood, & the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  It was awesome :)

In recent news, there will be 58 new missions in the world!!  Two of them are going to be in Gilbert & Scottsdale!!!  :D

The church is true!  

Be strong & faithful because Jesus was :)

~Sister San Diego

Elder Howarth, Sister Verkist, Me &  Elder Belliston

From Small Town NV To The Big City!RENO!

Hi everyone!

Transfers went pretty well--nice 4-hr road trip in our own car (Sis Michaud & I came out together for transfers), dropped off a few people, said bye to Sis Michaud :'( , & met up with our new companions.  Elder Clunas is in my same zone, woohoo!  Sister Michaud & Elder Fillmore, Elder Gellert & Elder Stene, Elder Linn, & Elder Martindale went to different zones.  Everyone else is still back in good ol' Elko & Spring Creek Zones.

My new companion is Sister Verkist--she is an awesome Sister & is very organized :)  We live in a little glass box next to our Bishop's house (a bigger glass box).  It's a nice place, though it's a little weird not being around members each day at home.  This whole move to Reno is a culture shock in general, haha--the streets are not in grid form, I just came from small town NV to big suburb/city, & the Ward here has a LOT of people in Sacrament meeting!  And this ward now has Elders AND Sisters (the Elders came into the Ward this transfer) and the Elders cover the downtown part of the Ward.  But I'm adjusting fine & things are going well so far.  Lots of change & lots of work to do here--looking forward to seeing how this transfer goes!

Scripture of the day was inspired by the movie Joseph Smith: Prophet of the Restoration, which we watched this morning.

D&C 128:22 - it's a lot more inspiring if you watch the movie :)

Hope you are having a great week!  The church is true!! :)

Be strong & faithful because He was!

~Sister San Diego

RENO, Here I come!!

Good Bye Elko, Hello Reno!

Hi everyone!

This last week was pretty good--we had more lessons with our investigators with members present than we have previously had during our time in 2nd Ward! 

In current events, Sister Michaud & I are getting double-transferred out of Elko :(  We are both heading west on Wednesday.

I LOVE THE ELKO WEST STAKE!!!!  This place has been my "home away from home" & the people here have been like a second family to me--I will miss them all very much & I hope everything goes well for them until we meet again!

I am grateful for the privilege & opportunity I had to serve & serve with so many awesome people (yes, that means You).  There is a lot of work & potential out here, and I look forward to hearing about how the work is progressing down the road!

Carlin Ward + Eureka Branch + Elko 5th Ward + Elko 2nd Ward = best areas ever!

That's about it for now, sorry it's short.  Have an awesome week--love y'all!

Be strong & faithful because He was!

~Sister San Diego

Sisters at Work!!  Way to go Sisters!!

"God Is Waiting To Answer Our Prayers!"

'Ello!

This past week has been one of our most successful yet!  We have been meeting more less-active members and have been setting up appointments for this coming week, and the investigators we set appointments with kept them!  It is a joy to teach people, help their faith strengthen, and keep busy!  Something we have been focusing on with most people is prayer.

So why is prayer so important?

For starters, prayer is our way of communicating with our Heavenly Father.  Imagine it this way: you (or your kids if you're a parent) go on a trip far away from home.  When you/they call home, how do you feel?  Overjoyed, right? (especially parents of missionaries ;D )

That's the same way Heavenly Father feels--He loves us so much and wants to hear from us about how we're doing, any struggles we're having or help that we need, and so on.  We just have to "pick up that phone & call him" by getting on our knees & going to him in humble, sincere prayer.  I promise you that as you do so, you will feel His love & peace.

Another reason we need to pray often is found in 2 Nephi 32:8-9 and D&C 10:5-8.

 8 And now, my beloved brethren, I perceive that ye ponder still in your hearts; and it grieveth me that I must speak concerning this thing. For if ye would hearken unto the Spirit which teacheth a man to pray, ye would know that ye must pray; for the evil spirit teacheth not a man to pray, but teacheth him that he must not pray.

 9 But behold, I say unto you that ye must pray always, and not faint; that ye must not perform any thing unto the Lord save in the first place ye shall pray unto the Father in the name of Christ, that he will consecrate thy performance unto thee, that thy performance may be for the welfare of thy soul.

 5 Pray always, that you may come off conqueror; yea, that you may conquer Satan, and that you may escape the hands of the servants of Satan that do uphold his work.

Those scriptures are telling us that we need to pray because it is how we can ask for spiritual strength in all aspects of our lives, whether in our faith, in our studies & learning, or in resisting temptation & worldliness.

Finally, we have been trying to help all those that we teach understand that prayer is how we receive answers & confirmation of truths.  James 1:5-6 & Moroni 10:3-5 illustrate this well:

 5 If any of you lack wisdom [if you're unsure of something], let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not [meaning God won't think badly of you for asking]; and it shall be given him.

 6 But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed. [basically let your faith be firm, not shaky]

 3 Behold, I would exhort [strongly encourage] you that when ye shall read these things [the Book of Mormon], if it be wisdom in God that ye should read them, that ye would remember how merciful the Lord hath been unto the children of men, from the creation of Adam even down until the time that ye shall receive these things, and ponder it in your hearts.

 4 And when ye shall receive these things, I would exhort you that ye would ask God, the Eternal Father, in the name of Christ, if these things are not true; and if ye shall ask with a sincere heart, with real intent, having faith in Christ, he will manifest the truth of it unto you, by the power of the Holy Ghost.

 5 And by the power of the Holy Ghost ye may know the truth of all things.

Pretty simple, right?  If we really want to know if something is true or right, we need to study it out, ponder it (give it some serious thought), and ask God in the name of Jesus Christ with faith, sincerity, & a desire to act on our answer (real intent).  And then pay attention for any thoughts/feelings that come to you.  We call those "impressions" or "promptings" from the Holy Ghost.  The impressions you receive will either be yes, no, wait, or "you already know/it's up to you."

So, I challenge you all to increase the amount you pray each day.  I promise you that as you pray more often, more sincerely (like you are having a conversation with someone you love), and with a little more faith, you will be blessed in several areas of your life and also in the areas you are praying about.

I know that God lives, He loves us, and He is waiting to answer our prayers if we will just ask Him.  In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

I hope you are having a great start of the month, and that the rest of this month finds you happy & healthy!

Be strong & faithful because Jesus was!

~Sister San Diego

Sister Michaud & I

A Nice Warm 40 Degrees!!

Hi Everyone!

This week has been not too bad--we haven't been able to get a hold of most of our investigators to set appointments, but at least they haven't said "we never want to see you again."  So we're sure that we'll get things set up this week.  We've met a bunch of less-active & part-member couples, and from those we have a new investigator!  She was taught by Sisters some years ago, and she is so accepting of the gospel right now & super ready to do everything that brings her closer to God!!!  I have no idea how we haven't met her til now, but it is sure evidence of the scripture Alma 13:24.

 24 For behold, angels are declaring it unto many at this time in our land; and this is for the purpose of preparing the hearts of the children of men to receive his word at the time of his coming in his glory.

One of our investigators who is doing awesome came to church yesterday & brought a friend with him!  She is a really nice lady who had gone to church before in Salt Lake & wanted to try it out here--can't wait to see her again!

The weather was so "warm" on Thursday & Friday--I loved it!  (It was a high of about 40 degrees, haha).  All in all, the work is pretty good, Zone Conference on Friday was awesome (we talked about the Book of Mormon & how it can help everyone in different areas of their life, especially their faith in Jesus Christ), and I love being out here!

Hope all is well with each of you & that you don't let life get you down!

Be strong & faithful because Christ was!

Love y'all!
~Sister San Diego

Role Playing

The Elko Zone

Time to EAT!!

Elko and Spring Creek Zones

January 25, 2013

Time to sing our thanks for lunch!