Week 36

Hello, all!

I have got to say, the mission is totally helping me set goals on what
I want my future family to be like. I don't know how my life would be
without coming out here and meeting the people I have met. Heavenly
Father knew what I would need and He knew a mission would help me do
that!
It's been kindof a cool week. So in district meeting, we were doing
role plays about trying to resolve people's concerns using the spirit
and How to Begin Teaching points (and not straight up asking the
person what their concerns are) and I was nervous because the gift of
discernment has been something I'm struggling with and asking Heavenly
Father to help me have. So we got up in front of the district to role
play a first lesson with an investigator, who was one of our zone
leaders, and right off the bat I decided to state that we are
representatives of Christ and that our whole purpose and desire is to
bring all of Gods children to Him and our Savior. And then we asked
him (hopefully) inspired questions to help him and get to know him
after that. After the role play, he said his concern was that he
wasn't sure Mormons believed in Christ and that he didn't believe that
2 19 year old girls could teach him anything. And he said that we
resolved both of them within a couple minutes! How neat! I definitely
felt touched that Heavenly Father gave me and Sister Shupe the power
to discern his needs and put words into our mouths because there's no
way that would have been possible on our own.
And we also had the privilege of teaching institute this weeks to the
YSAs. One girl that came was less active and the lesson this week was
on Esther, so I think that was perfect for her because it's all about
courage and that's what a lot of these struggling college students
need. Courage to stand up for their beliefs and not fall into the
evils around them.
And we had another open house and we had a slightly better turn out
than last time. We had one more nonmember come- which is progress,
even if it was small. Her dad and sister converted a year or so ago.
So maybe she was impacted in some way to be in the church again!
AND we had an investigator come to church! This was the first time in
a long time that we were able to get someone to come who wasn't
already halfway baptized (our other recent converts have just been
super ready and they had no issues). So this lady that came is still
hesitant but we were able to bring a member couple to meet her on
Saturday and offer to bring her to church on Sunday and she was
actually waiting on the curb to be picked up before church!! She
stayed for sacrament but the deal was that she wanted to be dropped
off at her church, the Cowboy church, afterwards. That was a weird
deal to make but atleast she came!! And she enjoyed it and knew some
people there.

Sister Lauren Ney
Montana Billings Mission

Pictures: Sister Shupe and I found earth worms today because it was rainy!

Week 35

Hello, family and friends!

Well, this week wasn't too crazy.
We had an awesome lesson with a less active who moved back into town
with his family because of some rough things he's going through. His
mom referred us to him and we had a member of the bishopric come and
it was one of the best lessons we have ever had in that home. The
bishopric member was able to teach and testify about the Restoration
and the spirit was there. Usually, when we teach at that house, it's a
disaster and we are not sure if anyone learned anything. So I
definitely have a testimony that when the right member comes to a
lesson, it makes a world of a difference!!
We had a little earth day celebration here in Dillon and in the
morning, the community helped pick up trash around town and then we
had a bbq and vendors at the park. I love small towns. :)
This stuff doesn't happen in the city.
We were able to talk to a couple people and one of our former
investigators there.
We also had a service project for the youth to clean the church
building this past Saturday! This building is always soooo dirty for
some reason, so as part of the missionary challenge for the month,
they could come and earn points by cleaning the church. And it will be
nice and clean for our open house this week. :)
My testimony in talking to everyone also has grown this week. So,
during the winter time, my street contacting skills weakened because
it's cold and no one is outside, so you don't keep up on it. So I'm a
bit rusty and I'm trying to get used to street contacting again/
talking to everyone. I
just have to force myself to do it and when I did, we were able to get
a new investigator! We were walking out of an apartment building and
she was sitting on a bench while she was smoking so we talking to her
about the Restoration. She wanted us to come back again to teach her!
Woo!
And we were also contacting a potential investigator and her friends
were on the porch with her and we talked to all of them (one of the
guys' names was Goob. No joke.) and he referred us to his friend a few
doors down who also became a new investigator! Miracles happen when
you obey the principle of talking to everyone. :)
Sister Shupe and I also spoke in sacrament this week about the
blessings of obedience and I mentioned that in there.
Hope everyone is having a great week!

Sister Lauren Ney
Montana Billings Mission

Pictures- tender mercies: rays of sunshine in the laundromat

Week 34

Hello, family!

So this week we did a lot of biking because it has been warming up. It hit the 70s is week! I thought I would never see the day! I don't know how many miles we have gone but it was a lot. Sister Shupe and I might buy some FitBits soon so we can start tracking. I have some sunburns and a tan line from my watch. 

We have been contacting a lot. And trying to get more people to teach. I came across another guy who thought my name was Ranea when I said that my name is Sister Ney. It happens alllllll the time. So apparently I am Ranae and Sister Shupe is Sister Shupe. So she's just some weird person that goes by "Sister". Haha. I also realized how funny it would be if my name was Ranae Ney. Haha. It sounds funny.

Well, 3 recent converts we are teaching are going to all be ordained to the Aaronic priesthood within the next week. One already was yesterday and we have 2 more next week! So it has been awesome seeing them get excited to receive the priesthood. 

We had a missionary mutual on Wednesday for the youth. There were stations of handy skills you might need as a missionary like naming a scripture story from seeing a picture, sewing a button, tying a tie, pumping a bike tire, and ironing clothes. It was fun and they made it a race between Young Mens and Young Womens. Then they did a tug of war afterward for some reason. And then we kicked off our "Missionary Madness" challenge for the month of April. We are having the Young Womens and Young Mens from both wards complete different missionary things all month long and whichever group gets the most points by the end of the month gets a pizza party! Different tasks have different points attached to them, like "Bring a friend to church- 10 points", "post something spiritual on Facebook and tag the missionaries-5 points", etc. We really hope this will get the youth more involved in missionary work.

Oh! And we might be teaching some Youth Challenge kids from the academy here soon. They come to church and mutual a lot if they have been on good behavior, so some have been interested in learning about the church. We talked to their sergeant, and we have to talk to a few more of their leaders to make sure it's okay.

Well, I know the church is true and I have gained a greater testimony of the Sabbath day. I used to be all stressed out on Sunday's because there were so many different things to take care of and people to talk to while we were there that I would just feel so spread thin. But this time a

I let it all go and focused on what we should do on the sabbath- rest, worship and learn about the Savior. And boy, it made a world of a difference!! I just enjoyed the company of the ward family and soaked up the spirit. And that's how it should be! 

Have a good week everyone! 

Week 33

This has been a crazy awesome week!!

Transfer news: Sister Shupe and I are both staying here in Dillon! So this will be my 4th transfer here. When I first came on the mission I thought I would never want to be in an area for that long, but I have come to love this town. I was SO happy.  I could stay here forever and just live here for the rest of my life. The people are the best. 

We had a miracle baptism this week after the Saturday afternoon session of conference! The father of the girl who's baptism we sang at last week was baptized! His wife's whole side of the family is lds and they came and so did a ton of ward members. We ran out of seating for everyone that came! The whole process of teaching him and him being baptized happened all within around 10 days. He was just ready. His 12 year old son spoke at his baptism and started crying because he was so happy that his dad was being baptized and that they can be sealed as a family a year from now. The closing song was "Families Can Be Together Forever" and almost everyone started crying. It was awesome. He spirit was there and he was so grateful.

Moments like that make it all worth it.

Conference was also this week! We watched one session with a member, one at the chapel with the elders because no one else had us over and no one else showed up at the church, and two sessions in Polaris with a recent convert. I loved it. I was also super glad that President Monson was able to speak for a little bit. I liked Mervyn B. Arnold's talk and how we mentioned that we are ALL called to the rescue. I know that's true! Missionary, member, or non-member. We are all God's children with the same potential and worth. Heaven won't be heaven unless we are all there.

Besides those highlights of the week, some other stuff that happened was that Sister Shupe and I biked and walked a lot because we ran out of miles on our car and we also took turns being sick, which made biking and walking even more fun. 

But it's been great here in paradise. Hope all is well in the outside world!

Week 32

Hola, everyone!

So last preparation day, we went to Bannack- a ghost town and the first territorial capital of Montana. We went with the elders and some YSAs in our area. It was way fun! 

We have had quite the miracle happening this week. So a father of a part member family started investigating the church and we taught him all of the lessons within 3 days so that he could have the option of getting baptized with his 8 year old daughter on Easter. (He kind of raised his hand and volunteered to be taught when we asked for referrals at dinner at his in-laws house). He ended up deciding to get baptized next Saturday after conference, but it was impressive that we were able to teach EVERYTHING within a matter of a few hours. He believes everything and understands everything really well because he's been to church lots of times before. He even referred us to his grandparents and sister. Sister Shupe and I sang at his daughters baptism yesterday and it went well. We sang "Baptism" from the children's songbook. 

We watched part of the Motab broadcast with some elderly members and we watched the women's general session the next day. I loved Sister Neill Marriott! She was so funny! I don't think I've ever heard a female general authority have that kind of humor before. I noticed how they talked a lot about motherhood (which was awkward because I'm on a mission and can't have kids for a while....) and I thought it was cool how they talked about taking in refugees. If I was an adult and had my own home, I would seriously consider it!

Easter was way fun. We had fast and testimony meeting at church and then we had the 8 year old baptism and then we had dinner at one of my favorite family's houses. They gave us little Easter baskets and everything! And Sister Shupe's family sent us these funny chicken things with Easter eggs, food, and other fun stuff inside. And it was a day the whole world could dedicate to our Savior! How awesome is that?! Everyday could be like Christmas and Easter if we wanted them to be. :) 

Here is something I found this week in my studies that I thought would be good to share. I found this in the Ensign. It's titled "Seeking Spiritual Gifts" by Pres. George Q. Cannon 

"… I know that God is willing to heal the sick, that He is willing to bestow the gift of discerning of spirits, the gift of wisdom, of knowledge and of prophecy, and other gifts that may be needed. If any of us are imperfect, it is our duty to pray for the gift that will make us perfect. Have I imperfections? I am full of them. What is my duty? To pray to God to give me the gifts that will correct these imperfections. If I am an angry man, it is my duty to pray for charity, which suffereth long and is kind. Am I an envious man? It is my duty to seek for charity, which envieth not. So with all the gifts of the gospel. They are intended for this purpose. No man ought to say, “Oh, I cannot help this; it is my nature.” He is not justified in it, for the reason that God has promised to give strength to correct these things, and to give gifts that will eradicate them. If a man lack wisdom, it is his duty to ask God for wisdom. The same with everything else. That is the design of God concerning His Church. He wants His Saints to be perfected in the truth. For this purpose He gives these gifts and bestows them upon those who seek after them, in order that they may be a perfect people upon the face of the earth, notwithstanding their many weaknesses, because God has promised to give the gifts that are necessary for their perfection."

Hope all is well!

Jail in Bannack

 Easter baskets

Week 31

Hello, world! 

So last preparation day all of the sisters in my district met up in Twin Bridges for a sisters day. A member owns a salon and we got our hair cut and then we ate at a restaurant called the Wagon Wheel that a member in the stake presidency owns. It was fun!

We had zone conference in Helena this past week and EVERY time we travel long distances, the weather knows and gets bad. And I was the driver so we all prayed hard and survived. Haha. We learned a lot. One of the biggest changes was that we are not counting other lessons taught to people who are not interested now. So we only count lessons if they become a potential investigator or is a current investigator without a member present. So I was super scared because our numbers would tank but I guess it pushes us harder and keeps our area book filled with those who are "the elect" (prepared for the gospel). My favorite part of zone conferences are the testimonies of the departing missionaries. The spirit is SO STRONG. Usually, I hardly know the missionaries that are leaving but it doesn't matter. I dread the day when I am the one having to do that. I will bawl.

We also went on exchanges and it was Sister Shupe's first exchange. She went to Helena with one of our Sister Training Leaders and the other came here to Dillon with me. It was fun, but it was just a few days after we already drove to Helena, so needless to say- I am so sick of driving. Everything is just so spread out in Montana! Haha. We met in Butte on the 17th (St. Patrick's day) to switch and apparently the missionaries in Butte have to stay inside all day because there are lots of Irish there and the streets are blocked off and lined with booths of alcohol. Insane.

We have been showing the Easter video a lot, #Hallelujah, and it's cool to see how the Saviors atonement has a special place in lots of people's hearts. The Easter season (and maybe the increase of sunlight) really has made people more softened towards our message. Some people have teared up when we show them the video because they are given that glimmer of hope that they will see their deceased loved ones again! Through the savior, we can have new life. :)

We also went "cookie contacting" on Saturday. We just bought some cheap cookies dough, baked them up, put them in bowls with a few more treats and went to visit those we teach and want to teach. People are a lot more receptive with food! :) haha. 

We have TWO progressing investigators now. It has been a loooong time here in Dillon since people have progressed. It feels good. We committed a college student to baptism but she didn't want to set a date. So we are working in her. And we are rolling with lots of other YSAs again. 

We also had a lesson with the Ballards. Brother Ballard is cousins with Elder Ballard, the apostle. They kind of look alike too. It's awesome. 

On Sunday we went to another talent show at a members house and we sang the EFY medley with the elders ("As Sisters in Zion" and "Army of Helaman") and we made some people cry. It was awesome and the Spirit was strong. 

And we went to the Big Hole branch for church because some members from Dillon were speaking out there and we hitched a ride and they asked us to give a 5 minute testimony (I was expecting that because we haven't been there in a while). I bore mine on the atonement (I mean- it's Easter season. I have to.) and I definitely know that the spirit will fill our mouths. I just chose a topic and didn't plan a single word of what I was going to say, so I definitely had divine help. :)

Well, hope all is well in Zion!

Sister Ney 

Week 30

Hello, all! 

This week was alright. Both Sister Shupe and I got sick to our stomachs on different days so that made work a bit slow on those days. We had to stay in and we don't have wifi or any dvd players on our apartment, so the healthy companion had to find stuff to do to keep busy.

One of the mornings this week, it snowed! It covered the ground and I was SO sad but then it melted by the end of the day and we weren't wearing jackets anymore. Montana weather is weird. But I'm pretty used to the cold. I can bear the 30s in short sleeves now. The members think I'm crazy. Sister Shupe is still cold though. Haha.

Work has been a little slow because the YSAs were on spring break but school is starting back today which is nice. Woo! The only time in my life where I am actually glad spring break is over! 

We had dinner with an investigator family- which was my first dinner with nonmembers. We just met the mom when tracting and she invited us over for dinner the next week, which was awesome. She said she wanted us to meet her husband and kids. So we had dinner with them and she was going through a big trial in her life the week before, so we told her about how the Book of Mormon gives us comfort and we ended up giving her the family proclamation to read too. So we are planning on meeting with them again in a few weeks when she gets back into town.

We also went out to Polaris to teach our recent convert and her family. She is doing well and she has a calling in the branch. 

There's not much else that's too exciting to write about. It's been a pretty normal week. We did have dinner with a family last night and they made "magic cake" where they put chocolate cake mix on the bottom and pumpkin filling on the top and then when it bakes, the pumpkin ends up on the bottom and the chocolate is on the top. And they also gave us a huge box of Frito Lay products because the dad works for the company and it included chocolate covered potato chips (which were actually pretty good). We chose a few things that we wanted and gave the rest of it to the elders. Hahaha.

We also tried to help another recent convert with his family history. But we didn't end up getting much done because he didn't have wifi and he didn't have his lds account set up... So yah. And we are not pros. So we are having some members give us a crash course in family history this next week.

Oh! Here's a funny story: So we are always on this one road a lot where the end of it leads to a field full of llamas. So we often drive by it and they are always stooped down eating grass and will never look up for a picture. So the first thing that came to my head was Napolean Dynamite and I yelled in a deep man voice out the window, "TINA!" And they ALL looked up at once. It was the funniest thing of my life. (Evidence is on the pictures below) 

And we had daylight savings time yesterday and it totally messed up our lives. Us Arizona girls aren't familiar with it. But it's lighter later, which makes the work in the evening way easier! 

We also have been showing the #Hallelujah video. So if you haven't seen it, watch it! It's like the Christmas video but more centered on Easter. :)

Something I learned this week- when you are wanting to correct someone on something or help them learn, think of how you would respond to someone saying that to you before you say it. I've been trying really hard to apply that because when we teach others, it should be taught with love rather than an attitude of judgement. 

Sister Ney

Picture 2&3- before and after I yelled, "TINA" to the llamas

Picture 1- death in a box

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