You Get Your Own Shoes

So Sunday was Ward Conference for the Las Colinas Ward and so the Stake Relief Society came and spoke to us and i absolutely loved what one of the sweet sister's said. She was talking about becoming the Relief Society President a couple of years ago and everyone loved the president before her. The way she did things just worked and she was talking to a little old lady about it and she and told her that she was nervous to fill such big shoes. The little lady leaned in real close and said "Sister, you get your own shoes." 

I loved that. Especially as a missionary. You tend to get compared to the missionaries that were in the area before and how well they were doing and how many baptisms they had and how many lessons they were teaching and so forth. But as this lady said each of us get our own shoes. It isn't our job to fill someone else's shoes. We don't have to be that person or do the things they did. We each get our own shoes but we get to decide how we fill them. The best part of this is that Heavenly Father has given us our shoes and tells us how to fill them. He tells us what we need to do to stand tall where we are placed and do His work, His way and in His timing. All in all trust in Him and fill your shoes His way with the gifts and talents he has given you to bless the people around you. You are where you are because someone needs YOU there. Lift where you stand. 

Love you all.

-Sister Wade

FUN FACTS:

1. A member bought us water bottles that are water bottles AND spray bottle in ONE and they are a life savor. We pack our cooler full of ice and water bottles then carry our wicked sweet water bottles and when their empty we refill them with ice cold water from the cooler. Yup, were taking on this 110+ degree weather in stride 

2. President Guffey is officially here! And I'm super sad President Miller is gone but excited to see what the Lord has in store for NMAM

3. I swear Cruces has the best named streets in the country. No big deal.

3. On our walking day this week (Sunday) we were walking about 3 miles up hill to our next appointment and all of a sudden this less active member in another ward stopped to pick us up. Which turned out to be the biggest blessing ever because not only were we hot, sweaty and getting blisters but as we pulled up to our appointment my GPS (oh yeah, I finally caved and bought one... i don't remember if I told you or not....) said it was dead. So there would have been no way of knowing how to get there. The Lord is aware of us and is watching out for us. I LOVE IT! 

So many "Mormon's"
(At the corner of Mormon Dr
and Mormon Pl
with 2 Book of Mormons
and 2 "Mormon" Missionaries)

Hey, I remember the Nephites

The "Jesus Car"

Doorbell or Fire Alarm

Sister Peterson and me (:

This week I can't tell you how grateful I was that our doorbell doesn't work. So super funny some how when they were building our apartment they crossed the wrong wires or something and when you ring the doorbell the fire alarm goes off. Yup, lights flashing and everything. But this week it was such a tender mercy that it wasn't an actual doorbell.

At about 11:30, Tuesday night, I hear this loud alarm going off, but it would sound and then it would stop and then it would sound and then it would stop and I am asleep so I have no clue what is going on, but all of a sudden the fire alarm light starts flashing and instantly I realize something is wrong. I jumped out of bed and walked quickly and quietly to the door. All of a sudden I can hear the Zone Leaders outside of our apartment saying, "Sisters, it's an emergency open up!" and Sister Wade being Sister Wade and still half asleep frankly asks them why we would do that. (haha of course. I would say that...) Then they tell us that the Hermanas had had their apartment broke into (WHILE THEY WERE INSIDE!!) and that they are spending the night with us and we need to tell them where to park.

So, we finally opened the door and ran outside to figure out what was going on. We told the Hermanas where to park as the Zone Leaders brought 2 beds into our apartment. After all was said and done we got the Hermanas all situated and we read scriptures for about and hour and finally fell asleep with 4 beds in this 12 by 12 size bedroom. Which pretty much made it wall to wall beds, which also stayed like that for 3 days until they could find somewhere else to live. 

I can't tell you how grateful I was that the doorbell was wired wrong. Something weird to be grateful for but it wasn't until the fire alarm light went off that it clicked that something was wrong. Honestly I don't think if it was a regular doorbell either Sister Peterson or I would have woken up.They had tried to call us 15 times and because our phone was on silent there was no way to get a hold of us, except for the fire alarm doorbell.

 I know that it wasn't an accident that it had happened the way that it did. It wasn't an accident we were living in the apartment with the weird doorbell. It was such a tender mercy for us and for the Hermanas especially. I love knowing that even in the small things Heavenly Father has a purpose for them and a hand in all things. It's so amazing to know that He loves us that much that He is everywhere in our lives. He gives us little ways of showing us daily that He loves us and is there for us. 

But on another note. FOLLOW.ALL.PROMPTINGS.IMMEDIATELY. 

We were driving to a dinner appointment and we passed this lady getting her mail and I had the thought to tell Sister Peterson to stop and to go and talk to her. But I thought it was too weird to immediately stop in front of this lady's house hope out and talk about the gospel with her, so I didn't ): Later, I was talking to Sister Peterson about it and turned out she had the same feeling and neither one of us said anything. So the next day we decided to go back and talk to her. But we didn't know exactly where she lived so we prayed to know where to go. As we were praying we felt prompted to go this specific way. And guess what?! We found the house but there was a huge no trespassing sign so we couldn't knock ): yes follow promptings immediately. I hope someday she gets to meet with the missionaries. 

FUN FACTS:

1. Trying to teach a Canadian how American's say "flag" is the hardest thing ever. Haha 

2. having to fast from our car 2 days every week gets a little sweaty when its 110+ degrees outside. 

Sent to do His Will

So, it's that time again. Transfers are upon us! I get to say in the best part of the mission aka LAS CRUCES, and my new companion is Sister Peterson, from Alberta, Canada(: And she is amazing and I can't wait to learn lots and lots from her, she's the cutest(:

Something I love so much is that Christ came to do the will of the Father. He came to fulfill the things that were in store for Him. He came to accomplish His part of the plan.

"...I came into the world to do the will of my Father, because my Father sent me" (3 Nephi 27:13) 

I was thinking about that and I realized that we too came to do His will, and we came because we would. How cool is that? We definitely don't have as big of a role in Heavenly Father's plan as Christ did but each one of us has a job to do here on this earth. We each have individual role's in the plan and He needs us to do our part.

He needs us to be valiant soldiers in His army. He needs us to stand up for what we know to be true. He needs us to share the gospel with everyone. He needs us at our best. That is why He sent us here. That is why we are where we are that this very moment in time because He needs us there and He needs us to act. He didn't send us to earth to gallivant and do whatever we wanted or to do things our way. No He sent us here to do His will to help bring about salvation to every soul. 

Think about how great our calling is as member's of the church to do His will every moment of everyday. Isn't that just amazing that He trusts us enough to give us that responsibility? As I was thinking of this I started to feel a little bit overwhelmed and realized that I haven't been doing everything perfect and then I remembered something my MTC branch president told me. "He didn't call you to fail but to succeed gloriously." 

He called us here to do hard things and to do His will. He knew it would be a struggle He knew we would slip and fall sometimes but the best part of all is He didn't set us up to fail. He didn't call us to fail, but rather to succeed gloriously. He has given us all of the tools and help we need to succeed in this life. To be able to fulfill our purpose in doing His will and ultimately return to live with our Heavenly Father, Jesus Christ, and our families for all eternity, but we've got to use them. We have to do His will in order to receive the blessings and become who He needs us to become. 

Think about that. How are you doing in fulfilling His will and your part of the plan? Then do something about it. 

Well lots of love from Cruces!

-Sister Wade

FUN FACTS:

1. So most people in Cruces don't like to stop and help push cars up a hill to the gas station especially when it's dark, unless 2 19 year old girls, in skirts start doing it, then people are hopping out of their cars left and right to help push random stranger's (who doesn't speak very well English) cars up a hill to the gas station. Try it some some time and see what happens.

2. We may or may not have run as fast as we could down this long road trying to stop some random man's tire that had flown off of his car and we may or may not have run fast enough to actually catch it. But hey it's a good thing we get credit for trying right!(; (bonus points if you can name who said "we get credit for trying" in this last conference.)

Non-existing picture of Sister Peterson and I forgot to take...(Sorry!) But she is great!!

 Okeyyy so read this sign and laugh. Yup it was on a member's door and we aren't allowed to visit them because she has these attack cats that are trained to kill us pretty much. What do you need attack cats for?! They're supposed to be cuddly and fluffy but I guess not in Cruces ahah

Last day with Sister Ferrin ):
goodbyes are no fun.
 Good thing I'll see her in T-2 weeks
in Albuquerque! yahoo!

Elder and Sister Taylor, Sister Ferrin and I when we WON THE CLEANEST APARTMENT, IN ALL OF LAS CRUCES, COMPETITION! (It may have been rigged cause we are Sister Taylor's favorites buuut we wont tell anyone that...)

Last Day before Transfers

Park Family on the last day before
 Sister Ferrin gets transferred to El Paso

Me, Megan Park, and Sister Ferrin

Special Delivery

Breagan Webb and his family
visited Kelsey in New Mexico
They are always looking out for Kelsey.
They feed her and take packages!
We are lucky to have great friends! 

Check Your Faith

Last time with President and Sister Miller )':

So Sometimes I like to walk around with my scriptures
 on my head cause that's what normal missionaries do

Wait, I'm a missionary?
Yeah, In 9 days it will be 9 months
and I still can't believe I'm a missionary

I have officially decided that Ether chapter 12 is my favorite chapter in the entire Book of Mormon. (give it 24 hours and it will probably be something else but as for now it's my favorite. (: ) I was reading it this morning and had a mind blowing experience. The verse that really it me was verse 7.

It reads "For it was by faith that Christ showed himself unto our fathers, after he had risen from the dead; and he showed not himself unto them until after they had faith in him; wherefore it must needs be that some had faith in him, for he showed himself not unto the world." 

I thought about that verse and as I was pondering this verse it reminded me of a picture that is hanging in one of the member's homes. It was the picture of Christ on the road to Emmaus. I thought about how after Christ was resurrected he was among his disciples. He talked with them and walked with them and they knew Him not. They didn't realize that it was Him. I thought about this verse and how after the disciples had faith abundantly did they realize that it was Christ. Only after their faith did they see the miracle of the resurrected Jesus Christ. 

How true is that for us. Sometimes we go through life thinking "wow, life is really rough right now. Everything is falling apart, and I need help. I need a miracle. Yet nothing is happening." But we, like the disciples have Christ there by us every step of the way. He is carrying us and yet it is by our unbelief that we can't see it. There are miracles happening. Christ is in our lives but do we have the faith enough to see it? Do we have eyes to see the Lord's hand in our everyday lives not just in the big things? 

I want to challenge all of you to look at your life and look for the everyday miracles that are all around us, and if you feel that in your personal life miracles have ceased, if you feel that there are miracles in other people's lives but not your own, check your faith. (Moroni 7:37) Check your faith, and do everything possible to strengthen it. Christ is there. He is in our personal lives. Miracles are happening everyday, and just like the disciples of old, it's by our faith we get to choose if we see them or not.

Love you all lots. Have the best day ever and look for Him in the fabrics of your everyday lives. I promise it will change your life and change the way you look at things. I know it has for me. 

LOVE YOU!

-Sister Wade 

FUN FACTS:

1. So we met a guy that builds monster trucks and Im pretty sure that is the coolest profession in the history of the world. Like who can say they build monster trucks?! That guy!

2. I went up to ABQ and got to see President and Sister Miller for the last time on my mission. But don't worry they live in Logan so they aren't going to get rid of me that fast. 

3. So sister Ferrin and I had to role play in front of ALL of the the leaders in the church including President and Sister Miller and the assistants and President Sego and all of the zone leaders and sister training leaders in the entire mission and it was the most terrifying thing of my life. But hey we lived so all is well(: