There is hope here in Clanton!

Hello family and friends!!! I love y'all so much and hope everyone is doing well!!!

So, I'm here in Clanton for another 6 weeks with Sister Gustafson!! woot woot!!!! We were honestly a little discouraged with being here for another 6 weeks because this area is so hard, BUT yesterday, we had a lot of answered prayers and comfort that was much needed for serving here in this area. I have come to understand my reason for being here.

One reason I am here is to help Sister Lutz, a recent convert. She was having a really hard time this past week with family issues so we invited her to watch a Christmas movie with us at the church and to have hot chocolate. We said a kneeling prayer at the end and I offered the prayer. I truly was guided by the spirit to know what to say because I honestly don't even remember what I said. She looked at me with tears in her eyes and said, "Thank you. I feel so calm right now. This is the calmest I have felt throughout the whole week. I feel like I will be able to sleep well tonight." I'm so grateful for the spirit and for the sweet and calming effect that it can have on us in our time of need.

We were able to see Kameron yesterday which was grand because we haven't been able to contact her for the longest time because she told us she was going through "family drama". We were scared that it was because of us so we decided to just show up at her house because she would NOT text or call us back. I feel the spirit in almost every lesson that I teach, but for some reason, I REALLY feel it when we talk and teach with Kameron. I feel like I ask more inspired questions with her which is interesting. Maybe it is because Heavenly Father KNOWS that she is prepared. She totally is. She told us that she wants to be baptized before she moves away. (she wants to do acting, modeling, and singing in NY or LA). We told her that wherever she goes, she will be able to find an LDS church that believes the same things as she does. She found a lot of comfort in that. She told us that she felt like there was something missing in her life that she needed to do before she moved.. I was just thinking in my head, "UH YOU NEED THE GIFT OF THE HOLY GHOST!!!!" I just assured her that once she gets baptized, she will understand what she thinks is missing. hehe. Funny story while we were over there... We asked her if she was reading the Book of Mormon still and she goes: "GIRL!! I read it every day! It's the only thing that gets me through!!!" She loves reading in Alma! She told us that the only reason she wouldn't want to move is because she would miss us and she told us that we have helped her draw closer to the Savior on her "journey".

We tracted into this really cute 18 year old girl named Kimberly who is currently living with her boyfriend. She let us right in and we gave her the first lesson about the restoration and she loved it! She told us, "You know, I was having a really bad day until y'all showed up." She really soaked everything that we had to say in. We set another appointment with her, but she didn't answer the door :( We are praying that she is still interested!!!! If not, at least we planted a seed!!!

We taught this lady named Linda yesterday about the Plan of Salvation because we felt that is what she needed. At the end, she told us that she met with Elders before who tried to explain the P.O.S. to her, but she didn't understand it when they taught it. She asked a lot of "questions of the soul" which we answered through the spirit. A thought came to me to explain Adam and Eve to her and how we each have our agency on this earth. Her eyes lit up and she said, "ohhh okay that makes sense then." I asked her if she had ever been baptized and she said she has twice!! I then said, "Oh. that is so neat! I'm sure it was a beautiful day for you!!! Would you recommit yourself and follow that example of Jesus Christ and be baptized by someone holding the priesthood authority of God?" She said YES!!! She then asked, "wait. So my other baptisms didn't mean anything?" We then assured her that we would explain everything better in our next visit. She is SO excited for us to come back. We gave her a restoration pamphlet to read so that she would be prepared! God is good :) She also asked me how I really knew that this church was the only true one. I began to bare my testimony and with tears in my eyes, I said, "You know. I'm so grateful you asked me that. I know that this church is true through the gift of the Holy Ghost. I am able to know that it is true through prayer and I know that you can do the same. You really can." She just gave both of us the biggest hugs and said, "you know. I'm grateful for young people like you who talk about Jesus. There are some really mean people here who probably don't even give you the chance to teach, huh?" YUUUPP. She was right about that one, but it wouldn't be really a mission if everyone was nice!!! We are trying to find those who are ready and willing.

We also met with this lady named Jeanette. It was kind of a really funny lesson because I swear she was glazing right over us. We taught about the restoration and then invited her to be baptized. When we did, her response was, "mmmhmmm." Afterward, when sister Gustafson and I were in the car, we just started to laugh and said, "DID SHE EVEN HEAR WHAT WE INVITED HER TO DO???" Oh goodness. I don't know, but we have another appointment with her this week to hopefully get to know her better and see what she is really thinking.

Yesterday was an absolute answer to all of my prayers!!!!!! AHHH. First off, one of the Young Women in our branch (Ashlynn, the only one who ever comes) brought her cute friend, Summer, to church!!!!! Sister G. and I decided to go into the Young Women room and sit for the lesson. We met with Summer afterward and she kept telling us that she was interested and wanted to be taught more. We are going to teach her this Wednesday at the church with Ashylnn and teach the restoration to her and have an icecream party as well!!! We gave her a Book of Mormon and oh my, I wish y'all could've seen her face!! She just grinned from ear to ear and said, "I can keep this??" Ah. I really do feel like my purpose here in Clanton is just to build up this branch with Youth and also bring the Less Actives back to church. There are 180 members in our branch... Only 30 come!!! We have so much work to do here!!!!! Also, the branch presidency got changed around and wowee, our new branch president got up and bore his testimony and said, "I don't know if y'all even realize how great it is to have 4 missionaries here in our branch. Let us introduce them to our friends and really reach out to them! They need our help!!!!" Ah it was just a really good sunday full of much needed hope and faith.

This is why I am on this mission. I have come to realize that I truly am guiding people closer to Christ. I KNOW that He is real and wants all of His children to come unto Him and be perfected through Him. We are the modern day shepherds bringing others back into the fold. I have really come to understand how REAL this gospel is. The gift of the Holy Ghost is crucial for everyone to have. Being here in the south makes me realize how important the Book of Mormon is in our lives. I was reading in Alma 36 and 37 when Helaman was explaining to his son that God made them write on the plates for a wise purpose in Him. How true is that? How true is this gospel? Not only is it true, (Satan knows it's true), but it is REAL.

Love you and hope all is going well wherever you may be. Heavenly Father knows us each individually and KNOWS what we need to go through in order to become more like Him. He really does.

MYKY,

Sister Platt

P.S. Shout out to the BLUTH FAMILY FOR THE AMAZING HUGE PACKAGE OF FOOD!!!!! It put a huge smile on my face!!!!

Wendy's (girls night!) with Sister Lutz!!!!!

Miss Daisy <3

THE HUGE PACKAGE OF FOOD FROM THE BLUTHS

Jenny and ryan!! Less active members that we are working on to come back to church!!! She will this sunday :)

Ryan trying so hard not to smile with us. He secretly loves us.

THE TREES ARE SO PRETTY HERE. OBSESSED.

11/18/2013

Hello everyone!!!

What a BEAUTIFUL memorial service for dad!!! It was so nice to be a part of and to virtually see everyone! Goodness, I love my family :) Sister Gustafson's dad sent me TONS of flowers which was really nice and thoughtful. I have been getting a lot of support which has been much needed. I'm so grateful for this gospel and it's ability to bring people close together!!!

This week was kind of a slow one. We visited a lot of less-active members which was grand!! We NEED To find new people to teach here because so many of the people we are currently teaching are not making commitments and it can be terribly frustrating. Our only progressing investigator at the moment is Kameron. We are still working with her and trying to make her feel confident with coming to church. She has received all of the discussions and knows that the Book of Mormon is true. In our last appointment with her, we asked her to read the Book of Mormon and pray to know if it's true and she just replied saying, "GIRL. I already know it's true!!!" hahaha so golden. She is just struggling with the idea of switching churches because she doesn't like to meet people. I just pray that she has a good experience when she does come to our tiny branch with no one her age.

 

We have been working with the Lutz and getting them to attend the temple for the first time! Sister Lutz is a little cautious about it and feels as though her deceased mother would be mad at her for doing the work for her. We assured her that her mom is just PLEADING for her to do the work! Brother Lutz has no desire to go to the temple because I just think he doesn't understand the importance of it. We are going over tonight to have dinner with them and show them a video about the temple.

We went over to a less active members home and oh my. It was really uncomfortable and the spirit QUICKLY left that home. We started to read a conference talk with her from the ensign and she just interrupts us mid-sentence and says, "excuse me" then she proceeded to walk to her daughters room and scream at her. They fought for a good 15 minutes straight, using colorful language that I haven't heard in a REALLY LONG TIME. Sister Gustafson and I said a prayer to know what to do and we decided to just leave a note and get out of that house. It's amazing how the spirit can work and how you can really feel it's presence for one second and then have it be completely gone.

 

We were out tracting near our apartments and came across this preacher. He was super nice and asked us about our missions. He wasn't too interested in what we had to say, but he did give us a referral to go see!!!!! He said his neighbor across the street could use some help with "finding Jesus". We went over to contact the referral and the lady just started to break down in tears when she saw us. She explained that her faith has been shaken and that she just wants to be happy. She has been struggling with money and her husband fights with her all the time. I just gave her a hug and offered to say a prayer with her. She was taken back and wanted us to come back another time to say one with her whole family and teach them. We agreed (obviously) and have been trying to go back, but she no longer answers the door!! uggghhh.

There are 2 less active members who we have been working with to come back to church. They have both expressed their desires to come back to church which was grand!! BUT, then, on sunday, they texted us saying that we needed to come over to their house right after church to explain why they weren't there. They explained to us that they got offended by what one of the church members said and that they will not come back to our church. SO SAD. The gospel is perfect, but the people aren't.

One day, at the library, while sister G. was using the restroom, I was just waiting in the hallway and this other guy was waiting for a ride home. I felt a strong need to talk to him, so I did. I just casually asked him about the weather and then soon after, we just started to talk about how good Jesus is. Everyone loves Jesus in the south. He is unfortunately living in Atlanta right now, but he told me that he has met with the missionaries before and has even gone to church several times. He started to basically preach to me about the Bible and would not stop talking. Finally,  I just interrupted him and said, "wow. You really know A LOT about the Bible!! that's amazing!!! Have you ever heard of the Book of Mormon?" he replied "no" and then I just had a shocked look on my face as I said, "REALLY??? YOu would LOVE IT!!!! You should totally study it!!" I then gave him one and shared a verse with him and he just loved it and held it in his hand the whole time. I gave him our number just in case and that was it!!!

I have learned to just open my mouth and talk about the gospel with everyone cause you never know who might be interested.

 

We were at an icecream place called "Dari Delite" visiting a Less active member who worked there. After we were done talking with her, we noticed a young girl, standing in line who just kept staring at us. We waved to her and asked how she was doing. Her and her mom came over to us and just started to talk. They were super precious! Anna, the young girl, is 13 years old. She told me that her father passed away two weeks ago. I felt a deep empathy for her as I could easily relate to her. I started to talk with her and her mom about the Plan of Salvation. They just soaked it all in and loved knowing that they would see their dad again. So many people here in the South, think that once they die, no one will know anyone and that we will all be singing and praising God. I'm so grateful for the knowledge that we have that there is MORE to life than just "playing on a harp as an angel". God is good.

 

One thing that I have learned this past week is that sometimes, God wants US to make decisions for ourselves and use our gift of agency. I got frustrated one day when our plans fell through. I especially got frustrated when we said a prayer of what we needed to do and I didn't get an immediate answer. It was then that I realized that God wants us to choose for ourselves sometimes in order to grow.

That is about it for this week!!!! Sorry, nothing too exciting. "Big Money Bill" got baptized!! He had to be dunked 3 times, but he was SO happy when he got out of the water. He kept saying, "I've been waiting for this day for the longest time!" so precious.

This gospel is true. I love y'all so much!!!! THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR EVERYTHING!!!!!!

Flowers from Brother Gustafson

Southern Rain Storm

Precious puppies in the middle of no where

Good ol' Southern cookin'

Miranda for life

Be Still My Soul

Everyday I am amazed at how grand Heavenly Father is. I really do have the best family in the world. My sweet father is in a better place now and I am so grateful for the example that he set and the life that he righteously and humbly led. I have felt an unusual amount of peace and comfort these past few days. I have been blessed with a great mission president who came by the night of (November 7) and gave me a priesthood blessing. I love the Priesthood. As he and the Clanton Elders put their hands on my head, a rush of peace went through me and I just KNEW that God loved me and cared about me and that my dad was happy. Seriously, what would we do without this gospel? The Clanton Elders came by and gave me homemade cookies. They were SO GOOD. The sister training leaders came by that night as well and slept over. We were able to read some comforting conference talks as well. We woke up and got breakfast the next day with other sisters in our zone at waffle house. On Friday night, my Zone leaders came by and dropped off some pizza and root beer! They started to sing, "Lead Kindly Light". I then just lost it and started to form a river of tears on my face. It is one of my favorite songs. The spirit was so strong! Ah. I am just so grateful. I KNOW that I am in the right place right now. It's amazing the type of spirit that is with you being on a mission. It has really brought me so much assurance. I have become so much stronger and I have really learned how to lean on the Lord for support. It's amazing to see how Heavenly Father is able to lead us out of despair and sadness. We just have to be humble enough to ask him to help us out. We need to cast our burdens on his shoulders and let him carry the weight. He went through the atonement so that he could do that for us!!!

 

Alma 7: 11-13 "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. 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. 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." Christ suffered in the flesh so that he would know how to comfort His children in time of need. We are given the Holy Ghost to comfort us as well. It's amazing how He is able to do that. It's just the grandest thing ever!!!

 

I KNOW that I will see my sweet dad again. It's not a "what if" type of thing. It's a for sure knowledge that I will see him again. How beautiful is this gospel? It's just perfect!! It honestly still hasn't really hit me that he's gone. It's just a really weird feeling to think that he isn't here, but wait. He is still here for us. He's watching over us every day. I know that he is so happy and is now a missionary just like me :) I know that he will be able to help me out while I'm here in Alabama. I have already felt his love. He is our guardian angel who will continue to look out for his family and protect us!

 

My dad was the type of guy who just sincerely LOVED people. He was that guy in the restaurant who would randomly start to dance when a song began to play. He was that guy who would have the biggest smile on his face when he watched his kids play a sport. He was the type of dad who would stay up late at night with his crying child, offering comfort and advice. He always told me "goodnight Gracie" even if I was just going in my room to do homework. He was that guy in the movie theater who was snoring because he was watching a Disney movie with his grandkids. He was that guy in the nail salon who got his feet massaged as his daughters got pedicures. He was that guy who would rarely set foot in a grocery store, but when he did, he would bring a variety of sugary cereals home. He was that guy who would sing at the top of his lungs during sacrament meeting. He was that guy who would make up random games to make the time go by faster when waiting in traffic or in a line. He was that guy who could make anything into a life lesson. He was that guy who would be the first in line to any European art exhibit. He was that guy at the beach who would be in the water with his kids rather than on land. He was that guy who went around Scotland in a kilt and had Asians ask for pictures with him. He was that guy who preferred to lie on the floor rather than the couch. He was that guy who didn't believe in quitting. He was that guy who ALWAYS provided for his wife and children. He was that guy who would watch chick flicks and cry through every single one of them. Oh, how I LOVE MY DAD.

 

There are so many things about my dad that bring back so many good memories. I will never forget the late night talks with him in Venice about my future. He offered so much wisdom and hope. He always believed in me and my abilities. I'm so grateful for him. I'm grateful for the opportunity that I had to enjoy so many trips with him to Europe. He taught me how to truly love people. He taught me how to share the gospel. He showed me that there is truly good in everyone. He taught me to never give up. He taught me to shoot a basketball. He taught me how to be a good missionary. I remember the last thing that he said to me before I set foot on the MTC was, "This is a happy day for me. I'm proud of you." I will never forget those words. I know that this is where I'm supposed to be right now. I have grown so much closer to my dad through being on this mission. I have loved all of the emails he has sent me. They were always full of so much love and encouragement.

 

I love my savior so much. How could anyone go through the loss of a loved one without the savior? I sure couldn't! He has helped me every step of the way. It's crazy how Heavenly Father works. He works so strategically. Every little thing that we go through is part of the big plan that He has for us. I bet dad is up there just thinking, "ohhhh. That's why I went through this. It was so worth it!" I have no doubt in my mind that dad is super happy right now. He is with his parents and Dev and all those Scottish ancestors that he always talked about :) He is probably even wearing a Scottish kilt right now and playing on the bagpipes with his fellow ancestors.

 

Richard G. Scott has said:

"Trust in the Lord. Just when all seems to be going right, challenges often come in multiple doses applied simultaneously. When those trials are not consequences of your disobedience, they are evidence that the Lord feels you are prepared to grow more. He therefore gives you experiences that stimulate growth, understanding and compassion, which polish you for your everlasting benefit. To get you from where you are to where He wants you to be requires a lot of stretching , and that generally entails discomfort and pain."

 

God has it all figured out. He knew that we each needed to grow more spiritually. I hope that y'all are feeling at peace right now. How great is our Father in Heaven?

I am so proud to have had such an amazing earthly father who loved and nurtured our family and provided for us as well. He will never be forgotten. I am amazed every day as I think of the life that he led. He was steadfast in Christ. He was a perfect missionary. He was one who you could trust (except when we played poker with him in turkey. hehe annie...)

 

My heart is so full of love for my family and friends right now. Goodness. I really really really do have the greatest family ever. Mom-you are the strongest lady I know! You are so full of compassion and so full of service. I love how happy you are and how you are able to just laugh through the hard times that come. You have a ton of blessings coming your way!!! HAPPY BIRTHDAY TOMORROW :))) I LOVE YOU SO MUCH!!!

Thank you so much for everything. I can't really explain to y'all how grand our family is. I just want to brag about y'all to everyone I meet!! Wowee and oh my I have the CUTEST NIECES AND NEPHEWS EVER. Goodness gracious. It was so good to talk to y'all yesterday on the phone. It brought much needed comfort and happiness. I am going to continue on in this mission and be better than ever before. I want to make my dad proud and I want to develop more Christ like attributes. I know that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints is the ONLY true church on the earth. It really is. It's the FULLNESS of Christ's gospel here on this earth. It heals the broken wounds. It lifts the burdens. It can do so much for everyone and it is for everyone!!!! Now, let's use this experience and help lift others up! Everyone needs help. Everyone is struggling. Everyone needs a smile or hug. May we all strive to do as Jesus would do if he were on this earth.

MYKY

D&C 121:7-8

:)

Random fire that was just happening in "west end" hah no one seemed to care that there was a random fire burning down a house?

Picking pecans with Sister Lutz

I love how the Spirit works

Hello everyone!!! WOWEE ANOTHER WEEK HAS GONE BY!!!! Goodness. I'm seriously obsessed with missionary work. This week was full of ups and downs, but God's hand is in it all. I have learned more about God's will and how the only gift we can truly give back to God is to align our will with His. I tried doing that this week.

Cynthia has not been keeping her commitments and always cancels on us which can be really frustrating!!! It has made me realize that we need to just find those people who are hungering for this gospel; those who truly want to learn more and are willing to have us over. Betty has fallen off the face of this earth. We haven't been able to contact her at all and I really am worried about her. She was so prepared and even wanted to be baptized. Ah. Oh well. Faith in God includes faith in His timing, right?

The Elders brought this man named Bill to church yesterday. He is hilarious and wants to be baptized. We are going over to his house this week to talk with his wife who is paralyzed and give her the discussions as well. During fast and testimony meeting, Bill sat in his chair and raised his hand and said, "I have something to say! I have something to say!!! My preacher in the other church should just move to Birmingham because I don't like him and I don't feel anything when he preaches. These missionaries showed up at my doorstep and now I wanna get baptized! Hallelujah!!!" SOOOOOOOOOOOO FUNNY OH MY GOODNESS THE ELDERS WERE DYING AND SO WERE WE. He is our favorite. Oh Bill.

We were able to meet with this sweet lady, Misty Mims who is inactive and gave her a spiritual message. As we were about to leave, the spirit was really strong in the room and she said, "I want my fiancé to have this. I want him to learn from y'all. Could you get him a Book of Mormon?" UHHH YEAAAA OF COURSE WE WILL. best. thing. ever. We went over the next day and taught her fiancé, Dwayne. He can't read too well. He hasn't really read from the Bible and wants to know God better. We taught him the restoration and OH MY. SO SPIRITUAL. He just had the biggest smile on his face and he told us that he felt "tingly" and "warm". So precious. It made me realize that it doesn't matter if someone can't fully understand the scriptures or understand what certain things mean, he still was able to feel the spirit and he even told us that he wanted to get baptized!! He beat us to the question of baptism!! Misty was so excited and said that they would start reading the scriptures together. Wanna know something else great about him?? He doesn't drink and believes in the law  of chastity. So that makes things easier. Although we have to work with both of them to stop smoking!!! They said that they would love to come to church this next Sunday!! Misty also invited us over to her house on Sunday to talk with her whole family (full of preachers) about the restoration... ha we will see how that goes!!! :)

We are also working with this new investigator named Kameron!!! We have taught her the first 3 lessons and she LOVES having us over. We asked her if she was reading the Book of Mormon and she said, "Yes!!! I've been reading 14 chapters so far!!!" We started to freak out as missionaries and asked her which part she read. She replied saying, "The one part where John the Baptist's head gets chopped off." Uhhh... yeah she was reading in the Bible. We then explained that it was great she was reading from the Bible, but invited her to read the Book of Mormon. She is still praying about baptism, but she says she will get baptized once she gets the answer. I asked her if she has ever prayed on her knees and then listened after praying. She looked at me in amazement and said, "NO! I've never tried that!!! I'll do it!!!!!" So, the next time we saw her which was on Saturday, the first thing she told to us was, "I prayed on my knees!!!!" haha The only major problem with her is that she is transgender and has told us how she has lived with it her whole life and that she didn't even find out until she reached puberty, but she is technically a boy. We had a really good discussion with her about how God loves her and how Christ knows what she is going through. I really did look at her with a deep love for her and I could feel Heavenly Fathers love for her. She has gone through so much and just wants to follow Christ. Her parents don't support her in any way and she is scared to come to our church because she feels comfortable at her church because everyone knows of her situation, but she agreed to trying it out this coming Sunday. I hope all goes well with that!! :)

We met a cute girl named Courtney yesterday while tracting!! She let us right in! She is in her 20's and said she was looking for a church to go to that she knew was right. We gave her the first lesson and she loved it!!! She said she would read the Book of Mormon and pray about it! WAHOO!!! She has a very busy work schedule, so it was definitely God preparing her for us to see her because she said she just got off work. Heavenly Father works in mysterious ways. Her whole trailer was DECKED OUT in Alabama Roll Tide décor. Even her cars were red!! Shower curtain, bed spread, walls, carpet, etc. you name it. All ROLL TIDE.

Wanna know some awkward things that happened this week? We gave the car to the Elders one day and Sister Gustafson started to ride our bikes. Sister G's bike started to not work so we just began to walk everywhere. We decided to go to walmart and experiment with finding new investigators. We bought some REALLY GOOD COOKIES and tried to hand them out with Mormon.org cards with our number on the back. NO ONE TOOK OUR COOKIES. Everyone just gave us a dirty look. I swear we weren't even creepily doing it either. Ugh. FAIL. but that's alright, we ended up laughing about it later and just handed some out to the Elders. Wanna know something else awkward that happened? We were at a dinner appointment with the Lutz family. Love them. Brother Lutz asked me to hand him the Ranch and so I did. He then said, "You know. If I was 30 years younger, I'd marry you." What am I supposed to say to something like that? I don't even know. I just laughed. I love the Lutz though. Brother Lutz is hilarious and has dementia and often calls us to check up on us every day. hahaha

Oh my. So last night, we went to Rena and Nick's home and had ice cream with them. When we first got there, Nick brought out the sprite and gave them to us. He is so funny. He just loves having us over and always gives us sprite because he knows we like it. Rena invited us to have Thanksgiving dinner with them!!! do you know how big of a miracle that is??? It's big!!! The first day I met Rena (she's inactive) She DID NOT want to talk with us!! But now, they love us!!!!!! We text Nick a scripture every day to look up!!!

I am so grateful for this opportunity to serve people here. I love just helping people. It feels good just to put a shopping cart away or smiling at someone or giving someone a hug or praying for someone. I can at least help people out and so can y'all. I encourage you to try to look for little ways to serve. It could be as simple as calling someone and telling them that you have been thinking about them and that you love them or complimenting someone on their shirt or smile. I have learned to just not judge anyone and to love everyone no matter what. Being on this mission has made me become a better listener.

May we all strive to trust in God's will and align our will with his. Sometimes, life can seriously be the worst and sometimes we really are stuck in a huge hole, but if you truly align your life to God's will, all will be well. I love y'all so much!!! So grateful for my amazing family. I seriously pray every night for y'all and thank God for the amazing family I have.

God is so good!!!! :)

Our lovely zone!! we did a car waxing partay!!!

Chalking up the streets of Clanton with "Mormon.org!!!! 

Cute Sister Madsen and I!! both got letters from Sarah Bullen :)

Courtney's trailer home!! ROLL TIDDEEEE

I made some homemade pizza for Halloween!!! SO YUMMY. Went a little crazy with the flour...

Yummy pizza, weird shape. Don't know what happened.