Christmas!! December 28, 2015

So this week has been truly amazing! There are so many things that I want to talk about but the one that really sticks out in my mind was Christmas!! We had the opportunity to Skype at the Baxter's home. Sister Baxter's husband left her and the kids just a little under a year ago now, and needless to say things have not been easy for her or her family. I was so grateful for her letting us come over and Skype, have breakfast, (after Sister Lyu Skyped with her family at 7:00 because of the time difference) lunch, and dinner with their family and the whole time they were just so giving!! They truly showed me what Christmas was all about, it wasn't just about the physical gifts... but it was about giving the gifts of love to each other throughout the whole day! Even though their family has struggles, in all honesty who's family doesn't, they didn't let that get in the way of helping us feel the pure love of Christ in their home! Words honestly can not express how much I have learned this Christmas! I am so grateful for our Savior, for His Birth, His example, and His mercy. Just like President Monson says, "As we seek Christ, as we find Him, as we follow Him, we shall have the Christmas Spirit, not for one fleeting day each year, but as a companion always." I'm grateful for the example of my Savior and the Baxter's! I hope that each of us will take the time to look outward and find ways to help those that are around us feel the love of our Savior! (: 

Sister Ince,Kiara Orr, Sister Lyu and Sabrina celebrating

Sister Lyu's 2 year anniversary of being a member of the church.

Celebrating Christmas Eve with the Jessen family

Some of the Orr kids putting on the Christmas Nativity

on Christmas Eve.

NcKinley, Sabrina, Sister Lyu and Sister Ince

getting ready to go on a wagon ride caroling

around Orton!

All of us in our new Christmas PJ's

 Goofy Picture in our New PJ's

Peace Out!!

Skyping with My Dad and Tyler and Derrick

Christmas with the Baxter family where we skyped our families.

This is how cold it is getting in Canada!

Holy Cow! An Amazing Week! December 20, 2015

Holy Cow this week has been so amazing!! We have seen so many miracles! To start me and Sister Lyu have an addition to our companionship!! Sister Ince has now joined us here in Fort Macleod!! And She is so great! She is waiting for her visa here and something so cool about that is her brother is actually serving here too!! So they got to see each other at our mission Christmas party!! Now to talk about some of the amazing miracles: Derek is now on date to get baptized and he is loving church!! Oh it has been so amazing to see him continue to progress!! And at church last week our Stake President challenged everyone to read The Book of Mormon from cover to cover by April for General Conference. And when we met with Derek one of the first things that he said is that he wanted to accept the Stake President's challenge and read the Whole Book of Mormon by April!! Needless to say were were so so excited!! I just love seeing the Spirit touch peoples hearts!! (: Also we were able to pick up two new investigators this week!! Oh we have just seen so many blessing this week and the kicker of all of it is that it is Christmas time!! (:  It has been such an amazing experience to be able to be a missionary during the Christmas season! (: We have been able to go caroling (with some really cute antlers haha (; ) and I have just loving being able to see the Spirit touch the hearts or so many as we sing about our Savior! It is so amazing to see the smile that comes to their faces and to feel them come closer to the Savior! To be honest it is so hard to express the feelings that I have felt from being able to sing to complete strangers... but by the end feel like we have a connection!! (: Oh it is just amazing!! (: So the last thing that I want to leave you guys with is a scripture Luke 2:11 "For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord." It is so amazing how because of one little baby born in a manger we all have the amazing opportunity to feel loved, joy, hope, and have the knowledge that because of our Brother, Savior, Jesus Christ and his birth, his example and His death, we can have the opportunity to live with our Father in Heaven again!  This is the real reason that we celebrate Christmas!! (: Oh this Christmas has truly been so special! I'm so grateful for my Savior! And I am honored to have the opportunity to share this amazing and joyful message with all of my brothers and sisters!! I hope that all of us can have a Merry Christ centered Christmas this year!! (:  

Sarah Foote, Sabrina,Keyli and Sister Lyu. They had to move

their beds into the living room to make room for Sister Ince to join them.

Sister Lyu, Sister Ince and Sabrina 

Beautiful Sabrina!

Cute Christmas Reindeer!! 

Feeling The Spirit December 14, 2015

As for this week it has been so amazing!! To start we had such a great lesson with one of the less actives that we are meeting with!! He has been going through some really tough things with his family lately and he wasn't sure if he was really up to meeting with us because he was just so sad... but he still made the decision to come and it was so amazing to see the Spirit change his countenance throughout the lesson!! We invited two members to come with us to his lesson and the experiences that they shared were exactly what was needed to have the Spirit testify to him that even though life isn't easy that Heavenly Father is here for him!! (:  Oh the Spirit was so strong in the room!!! Every time that we meet with this man we always invite him to activities and he always says that he doesn't feel good or that something came up. But this week we invited him to a Nativity display that the wards had put together and he came!!! And he even invited his sister and her daughter to come with him!!! Oh it is just so neat to see that once people feel the Spirit so strong and they KNOW for themselves that God knows and loves them they just want to share it with everyone around them!!! I am so grateful to be able to see how the Gospel of Jesus Christ is changing my life and the lives of all those that are around Sister Lyu and I!! (: 

Some kids from the ward dressed up for the Nativity

Sister Lyu and Sister Hushes at Nativity Activity for ward

Sister Lyu, Keyli Kurtz and Sabrina

Great Week But Tough Week!! December 8, 2015

So this week has been great!! I'm not going to lie.. it has been a little tough, there have been a few bummer things that have happened this week. We got dropped my Naomi, because her mom doesn't want her to learn more about the gospel... and one of our other progressing investigators didn't show up to our lesson and he has never just stood us up before... and then one of the less actives we are working with canceled our appointment and told us some pretty sad news... but even though there were a few sad things that have happened this week we have still been so blessed! (:  I don't want to share all of these things to bum everyone out... but to share that everyone struggles at different times in our lives but that the Savior knows and loves each of us individually and continues to bless us even though things aren't always going the way that we would like. Through some of the sad times this week we still saw miracles from our Father in Heaven, we were able to set up an appointment with one of our new investigators and we were able to participate in the community carol festival!! So that was great!!

Even though things don't always go as planned or the way we would like. Everyone has their own free agency and we can not take that away. The only thing that I can control is me! And I know that as Sister Lyu and I continue to try our best and rely on the Lord He will put people in our path that He has prepared to receive the gospel. There is a quote from Elder Neal A. Maxwell that says, "As you submit your wills to God, you are giving Him the ONLY thing you can actually give Him that is really yours to give. Don't wait too long to find the altar or to begin to place the gift of your wills upon it. No need to wait for a receipt; the Lord has His own special ways of acknowledging." Because it is Christmas time I have been thinking a lot about the Savior and His birth. He has given us the ultimate gift, because of His birth, His life, and His death we now have the opportunity to live with our Father in Heaven again. As we give our will to Heavenly Father and follow the example of our Savior we are giving them the only gift that is truly ours to give. I am so grateful for the Savior. I know that God knows each of us, He loves us, I know that He is preparing people to hear the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and I know that as I a line my will with Heavenly Fathers I will show my love for Him and give him the only gift I can truly give Him. I am so grateful to be a missionary and a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints! (: We all have rough days but because of the Savior there will ALWAYS be hope! Because of our Brother, our Redeemer, our Savior and His birth, we can feel peace, joy, and know that that we are never alone! (: What a blessing!! (:

 Cardston Temple

 Decorating for Christmas

 Our District

 Christmas Tree supplied by Sister Bullock and our

Nativity made by Sister Orr