I'm El Paso famous no big deal.

So funny story. 

It snowed like 3 feet here in El Paso. Yes, snow in El Paso. And because it's El Paso and no one knows how to drive in the snow the freeway and major highways were all shut down and because of that church ended up getting canceled as well. Which was a super weird thing because I don't think I have ever had church canceled before in my life. So we get a text from our Zone Leaders telling us to go out and shovel snow for people. And naturally we ask where they want us to get shovels. No one has any. It's El Paso it never snows here. So they told us to go buy some. Sister Wade being Sister Wade casually told them that obviously they didn't know the commandments well enough and needed to relearn the 4th one. (Keep the Sabbath day holy aka no shopping on Sunday) Within Seconds we get a text back saying "Matthew 12:10-12 then go and do." Haha I don't think I have ever been told to go shopping on Sunday. Let along on my mission but we were so we did. Then it took us a mop, a broom, 2 little hand brooms, and 45 minutes to get our car out of the parking lot haha. 

We drove to Walmart bought some shovels and decided to shovel a recent converts driveway because he has bad back problems. We finished his and then started doing others around him when all of a sudden a channel 9 news truck pulls up and asks if he can film us. So he gets out and starts filming us. Like two young-ish girls in skirts shoveling random people's snow isn't normal. haha Then he starts interviewing us haha SUPER funny! He didn't like it when we started talking about the church so he quickly changed the subject. But he told us we were going to be on the news later that night. SAY WHAT?!?! Haha So I am pretty sure if you were to Google "Sister Wade in El Paso Channel 9" It may just possibly pull up. haha Oh and then to top it off the Zone leaders told us we had to shovel in skirts so we did. Then later that night we got a call from our District leader and he told us that the zone leaders told them they could shovel in regular clothes. Jeans and such. HOW RUDE right?! Haha oh well we wouldn't have gotten on the news if we weren't in skirts. But too funny.

But on to a more spiritual note. THANK YOU SO SO MUCH EVERYONE THAT WROTE THEIR TESTIMONY FOR ME! It was the best Christmas present I could have ever gotten. It made my day and I loved being able to hear all of your testimonies! It may have filled up my letter binder but I can't thank y'all enough for those. They will forever be cherished(: 

Wow this week was amazing. I truly have gained a true and deep love for the Book of Mormon. Personal study time is one of my favorite times of the day! The Book of Mormon has become my favorite book in the entire world. I have always grown up with people telling me that "oh the Book of Mormon is my favorite" But I always secretly thought "okay you're just trying to sound like a goody two shoes, what REALLY is your favorite book?" But I get it now. That book has a power that in unreal. A power that is really from our Heavenly Father. It has the power to heal, to comfort, to testify, to bring to our remembrance the things that we once knew in the pre-mortal life. 

It's funny that I am just now getting a greater understanding of the book. I can't count on my fingers how many times I have read it. I always thought that there were awesome truths in the Book of Mormon and I always had a testimony of it, but now I truly love it with every fiber in my being. I don't want to put it down.

I was reading this week in Mormon 9 and studying about the Plan of Happiness and there is a verse in there that I love. (Okay, actually I love it all but it's the verse I want to talk about) The verse is 3-4 as I was reading it I realized something. I realized that so many people thing we are trying to "buy our way into the Celestial Kingdom" not necessarily with money but by our works, by doing those good things but we aren't. Yes, we still do those good things but we are trying to create Heaven here so that we will be comfortable in His presence. We are trying to do those good things but not so we can say we did them and then make it to the Celestial kingdom, but rather so that it becomes our way of life and so we want to do those good things and so we are comfortable in our Heavenly Father's presence. 

Sorry this email so eternity long but I just want y'all to know how much I love this gospel, my Savior, Heavenly Father and the Book of Mormon. I also want to challenge y'all to study the Book of Mormon daily and with more purpose as you do so. I promise that as you do so you will grow closer to our Heavenly Father and Savior and you will come to love the Book of Mormon as much as I do.

Love,

Sister Wade!(:

 Sister Wade on Wade Rd
(I now know why I was sent to El Paso haha jokes)

 The first picture is of the cute family
that took us in for Christmas Eve(:
Steven Sodeborg is the one in our ward and this is his family

MERRY CHRISTMAS ADAM, MERRY CHRISTMAS EVE AND MERRY CHRISTMAS DAY!!

Yes, Christmas Adam is the day before Christmas Eve because Adam came before Eve. Haha I crack myself up... BUT anyways!! This week has been CRAZY and I literally have zero time to email today so it's gonna be super short. 

DRIA, (dree-uh, short for Alexandria) GOT BAPTIZED!!!! Ahh! I am so so so excited for her! And her boyfriend, Andrew, got to baptize her! I seriously love this girl to the moon and back and I am super excited I got to meet her and have her apart of my life. She seriously has the strongest faith. She has done a complete 180 in less than 6 weeks. She truly was someone that was prepared for this gospel. She is awesome and such a role model for me too! Next up is hers and Andrew's sealing in the SALT LAKE TEMPLE at the end of March 2017 and guess what that means? I get to be there!! AHH! Well they have to get married first but they're getting engaged like this week so pretty much next is the sealing haha. I am too excited for her!(: 

I can't believe it is Christmas this week! Seriously where has this year gone?! But something that I love so much is the Christmas spirit. But what I love so much about it and especially being on a mission with it is that we can feel the Spirit of Christmas all year round. It truly is just the Spirit of Christ. We can feel of that Christ-like love for everyone all year round. When we are striving to do that which the Savior did we are feeling that love. When we are studying our scriptures and keeping the commandments we can feel of that spirit. What will you do this next year to keep the spirit of Christmas always with you? 

Sorry this is super short and probably makes zero sense, but hey that's what happens on the mission some times. Especially to Sister Wade haha. 

love you all to the moon and back and hope you have the BEST Christmas ever! I am so excited to spend my first Christmas out in the field doing what the Savior himself did. What better way to celebrate Him than to teach as He did? Well love you. Merry Christmas!!

-Sister Wade(:

oh P.S. if you emailed me this week and didn't get a response I am super sorry and will make sure you get an email back next week! We stayed a little long at the Zoo today with our recent convert so our email time got cut down to nothing. 

FUN FACTS:

1. This week I learned that I have fully been converted to Texas. I love it here and I have always said that Utah has the best sunsets in all of the world but that is officially false. El Paso trumps all so I am so grateful I get to be surrounded by such beauty that the Lord has blessed us with! Wow I seriously love it here!!(:

2. I learned that I officially talk in my sleep and have full conversations with my companion multiple times through out the night. Haha so that is fun. I am semi worried she will find out every detail of my life this way without me even knowing. haha  

Andrew, Dria, Me, and Sister Ingold

REMEMBER

So, yesterday I learned that one of the members in my YSA ward proposed to his girlfriend by having a bird swoop in and give her the ring. Yes, my proposal expectations have now been raised. haha Seriously though how do you train a bird to do that?!?!

This week has been crazy to say that least! But, I'm sure I say that every week. Typical mission life. haha. We have had countless hours in doctors offices this week though and Sister Ingold continued to get worse She is going in for surgery tomorrow morning because now her kidney is infected and the kidney stone is stuck so definitely keep her in your prayers. She is literally the strongest person that I know though. Rarely does she ever say she's in pain and she only does when I ask her and tell her to stop lying haha. But she is amazing I am so lucky to have her as a companion. 

Speaking of companions, transfer calls were Saturday. Sister Ingold and I will be staying in the area and Sister Rackley will be going up north. Not only will Sister Rackley be leaving but so will the Elders that we split the ward with. They have decided to recombine our area so now Sister Ingold and I cover all of El Paso, Caunitillo, Horizon City, and in to New Mexico. Yeah incase you didn't know El Paso alone is HUUUGE go look at it on a map haha. I am pretty sure it takes us at least 4 hours to drive our entire area but I am so excited!!(: We had a lesson on the east side a couple of days ago and we drove right by customs to go into Mexico. It was so so cool! I can't tell you how pumped I am to be able to work with everyone on the East Side as well as the West! (Which also means my address is the same. Email me if you need it again.)

This week we also got to participate in a Christmas concert our ward put on at the Ceilo Vista Mall and that was fun. Sure most of us sounded uh well..sounded haha but I got to sign Silent Night in front of everyone and I was so happy! It definitely made my day!

On a more spiritual note, this week I learned about the word remember. When the word remember is mentioned in the scriptures it is referring to what we learned in the Pre-earth life. We were all taught the truths of the gospel at the feet of our Heavenly Father before we came to earth. We have already been taught the things that the scriptures talk about. We were taught the things that we need to do in order to return back to our Father in Heaven. We just need to remember what we have been taught and apply them in our lives. 

When we meet investigators whose hearts have been softened all of them tell us "This feels so good, I can't explain it but I feel at home." or something to the extend and the reason they are feeling that is because we were taught the truths already. They are just now coming to their remembrance. It has a familiar ring to it because this gospel, The gospel of Jesus Christ, is what we spent all of our time learning about before we came to earth. 

 In Mosiah 4:30 it is talking about keeping the commandments of God and continuing in faith. At the end of the scripture it says "O man, remember, and perish not." Remember the things which you have already learned. Remember the truths and if we do so and do the things which the Lord has commanded we will not perish but have everlasting life. We will be able to live with our Heavenly Father once again as long as we remember what the Lord has already taught us and apply it in our lives today. 

I love love love this gospel with ever fiber in my being and I am so grateful for a loving Heavenly Father who wants me to return to Him and has provided a way to do so. I am so grateful that my Father in Heaven has also provided a way for me to remember the things He has previously taught me, through the scriptures, modern day prophets and personal revelation. He loves us all so much and desires for us to live with Him again. We just need to REMEMBER.

Love ya!

-Sister Wade

I love Christmas Lights
so obviously I had to take a picture (:

Elders who split the ward with us.
Elder Steele and Elder Bolinger
Ward mission leader Mitch
Sis. Rackly, Sis. Ingold, and Me (:

9 Hour ER visits are fun...NOT

So this week was a crazy week! We had hospital visits, birthdays, President Miller may have come down to EP from Albuquerque to visit with us, Elder Bennett of the 70 came, our Zone leaders may have stolen our popcorn machine and our "easy" button (meanie heads...haha), I may have met wiccan after wiccan after wiccan, I found out the principal of the institute was a seminary teacher at Riverton High School 12 years ago (small world right?!) , AND I have decided for this next transfers I want to be a zebra companionship with Hermana Deardon she is literally my favorite person ever. no big deal. (Zebra companionship means one English Sister and one Spanish Hermana, in case you didn't know haha)

So before everyone has a heart attack I am fine. My companion was having extreme pain for 2 days in her side and so we went to the ER and were there for 9 hours but the finally found out that it was just kidney stones. ): Poor thing I know! So this week has been kinda slow work wise because we have had to go a little slower than normal but she is so strong and is powering through! She had a blessing and it definitely has given her strength. Have a mentioned how much I love Priesthood Blessings? Yes, they are amazing. The power of God is real and we have full access to it once again on the earth! Isn't that the coolest thing in the entire world?!

Yesterday, we had a zone conference and Elder Bennett of the 70 came. I was so excited! His was the talk I told all of you to read a couple of weeks ago from the priesthood session. Wow he truly is amazing! He is so filled with the spirit. I think I may have filled up 4 pages front and back of notes. There were things I was struggling with personally that no one knew about but he talked about. It was such a testimony builder for me to know that my Heavenly Father knows me personally. He is looking out for me and is aware of little ole me. I testify that He does know each one of us personally. He knows our needs and He loves us so much! Look for His hand in your everyday life and you will start to see all the little things He does for each of you to show you how much He loves you.

One of the things Elder Bennett talked about was the word convert. The word convert can be broken up into 2 parts con and vert. The con means with or fully, and vert means to turn. So to be converted to Jesus Christ means to fully turn to Jesus Christ. It means to turn to him in everything and to know that He is the only way. How many of us are truly converted to this gospel and to Jesus Christ? There are so many of us that are members of the church, but are not converted to Jesus Christ and His teachings. Being a member of the church is not enough. We must be truly 100% converted to Christ.

 We cannot just go through the motions. We must be converted. I want to challenge you to look at your own conversion. Are you turned fully to Christ? Are you willing to give your all for whatever He may need of you? If you aren't start with the basics. Start praying both day and night and with real intent. Start feasting on the words of Christ and going to Church. It's the little things that make the difference. (Alma 37:6) 

I promise you that if you start doing the little things and converting yourself to Christ you will be happier. You will find joy in the little things. Your relationship with the Savior will deepen and you will find the strength to make it through the hard days. 

Love,

Sister Wade(: 

PONDERIZE SCRIPTURE: Words of Mormon 1:7

Oh and transfers are next week so if you are planning on sending a letter or a package and it will be here by Dec 14 (it takes 2-3 days from Utah to get here) then you can send it to my El Paso address but if not send it to the NM address cause I don't know if I will be in El Paso in a week. Hopefully I am but who knows so here is that address(: 

4400 Presidential Dr NE Ste E

Albuquerque NM 87109

Sister Ingold with kidney stones, Me and Sister Rackley