50 Degrees and still no snow

Dear Family and Friends,

 Good Afternoon to ya'll! Its been a nice, very un-December like week here in Kansas! According to the car thermometer it was in the 70s yesterday, though with the cold north wind it felt more like 50. There is just something wrong with being in ,the middle of December and not having to wear a jacket or a coat outside. I really want snow, but most Kansans don't like the snow very much. It just goes to show that I really am a Utah born and raised kind of person. 

The cool miracle of the week was that we had 4 Sisters come to church yesterday who don't usually come! It made it completely worth the 30 miles we used driving to Wakefield to see one of them Saturday since that was the last thing she needed to get her to come to church the next day! 

The Branch has been doing a good job of trying to reach out and serve the Ortega family. The Ortega's friends have told us and other friends of their's, how impressed they have been with how the church has reached out to the family and done service for them (like the cleaning of the house, and repainting the bathroom). I am very grateful for what they did, especially with it being Christmas time and people are really busy. 

Here are some pictures of the tree as promised!

Love Sister Blood

Sister Blood & Sister Palmer, their little tree

Sister Palmer, Trimming the Tree

Gifts and Beautiful Little Tree

This was a pretty long week

Dear Family and Friends,

This was a pretty long week, and I don't remember what we did for most of it... typical.

We were able to go and see Adrian and Rachael in Manhattan. They looked pretty weighted down, which was hard to see since they are usually so happy and funny. Thank you for the prayers for their family, they help. We had some awesome members in the Branch who stepped up and volunteered to help with cleaning their house and repainting the bathroom. We, well mostly I, was really stressed about it, but they were amazing at being willing to help out this new family. 

On a positive note, after 5 weeks of coughing and mucous, three different doctors in 2 different towns... I was finally told what I have that is making me sick, and it's not Kansas Crud. I have a sinus infection! Yay! I am happy to finally be on medication that is clearing it up even though I am still not up to full strength I am happy that I am getting a little bit better every day! 

We have a new investigator that the Branch Elders handed over to us that is pretty nice. Her name is Emily/Emma. She is really nice and was really excited to come to church yesterday. There was a pretty intense moment when she decided to bare her testimony, I didn't need to worry, she did a great job. It is one of the more interesting parts of covering two different wards is seeing how different the two services can be in the same area.

Another fun part of this week was how our apartment is starting to look like Christmas! Sister Palmer's mother sent her an itty bitty 9 inch tree ( almost a foot including the base) with ornament. That plus the lights we found in the closet are helping to make our place look like Christmas! I actually forgot my camera today so I will have to send pictures next week. 

Love to all, Sister Blood

Sad news of our Resent Convert

Dear Family and Friends,

This is not the weekly letter I was expecting to write today, I feel kind of numb and am not sure what to say so it will probably be short.

Our Recent Convert Leigh committed suicide this morning. This is a really hard time for their family so please keep them in your prayers that they will find comfort in the Saviors love and that we as a Branch will be able to pull together and help them know they are loved and that there was a divine reason they were baptized as a family just weeks before this tragedy struck. 

On a positive note my new companion Sister Palmer is awesome and I am really excited for this upcoming transfer!

If you haven't yet seen the new video by the church YOU NEED TO! The website is Christmas.Mormon.org   . Watch the video, share it and then follow the council of the prophets to discover, embrace, and share the gift this Christmas season! It's going to be an amazing Christmas 2014! 

Love you all,

Sister Blood  

Week 45! Strangest week of my life

Dear Family and Friends,

This was without a doubt the weirdest week I think I have had on my mission. Tuesday through Friday was "packed" as sister Howell described it. A good chunk of Tuesday and Friday was spent packing and weighing Sister Howell's luggage to make sure it wasn't overweight and that we were able to get everything in it that needed to go home. Then on Friday we met the Sister Training Leaders in Abilene and carpooled with them to Wichita. We were late, so instead of dropping them off at the mission office we dropped them off at the mission home. It was kind of eerie driving to Wichita because there was some crazy fog from Junction all the way to Wichita (which is a 2.5 hour drive). 

Since I lost my companion and so did Sister Payton they stuck us together in Salina. It is really weird being in an area other than your own for more than a day. I am honestly homesick for JC, I can't wait to go back tomorrow after we pick up my new companion Sister Palmer. I don't know anything about her other then the fact she came out 3 transfers ago. I am sure it's going to be awesome and we are going to totally rock it in Junction this next transfer! 

Sister Howell and I got the sillies on the Way to Wichita and took some pretty entertaining pictures. I included a few of my favorites. I loved being companions with Sister Howell and feel pretty privileged to be her last companion. When I die I hope I can die as well as she did. I swear she didn't get trunky, even the day she went home she wasn't trunky. I don't know how she did it, but I want to be like her someday! :)

Have a wonderful week!

Love,

     Sister Blood :D  

Silly Pictures with Sister Howell, last day

“How great shall be our joy in the Celestial Kingdom, if we bring one soul unto Christ”

Dear Friends and Family,                                                           11-17-14

I don't know how life can get much better than this past weekend! I am so grateful we were able to have the miracle filled week that we did for Sister Howell's last full week in Kansas. I remember thinking that our three months together was going to be a long time, but now here I am at the end looking back wondering how it went so fast! I am incredibly grateful she was my companion, I was correct in feeling I would learn a lot from her our second transfer together. Sister Howell, RaCail, and Jenaya have become the greatest friends I have had in a long time. When we felt the need to have RaCail be Jenaya's fellowship, I don't think we had any idea how close the four of us would become. The scripture that states “how great shall be our joy in the Celestial Kingdom if we bring one soul unto Christ” and are able to be with them in the Celestial Kingdom, has become very real to me, especially with Jenaya. I can't imagine being there without her and her family as well. Seeing 4 people become members of Christ's true church yesterday was one of the most amazing things of my life. I really believe this past weekend was an experience that will have changed my entire life. There really is something to be said about being someone's "missionary" and being privileged to have a front row seat to how the Gospel of Jesus Christ changes lives. These changes are really and truly what our entire life is really all about. Without them we would never make it back to our Father in Heaven. I love this Gospel, and I love being a missionary of Jesus Christ!

This weekend was so packed; by last night I thought I was going to fall asleep during dessert at a Members house! Friday was a party at the church as Adrian, Leigh, and Rachel, plus Jenaya came to have their baptismal interviews and to fill out their baptismal forms. They all passed their interviews, which was good! Then on Saturday we had Jenaya's baptism and sadly her husband didn't come. She was irritated about that and was really missing her father who passed away a couple years back. It was about time to start and she was sad and nervous, Elder Wilson and the Zone Leaders came and talked with her and us and they offered to give her a blessing which she accepted. The blessing given in the peace of the chapel was beautiful. After she calmly and excitedly got changed and was ready for her life to change! She was irritated Elder McKeller didn't have to wear the "ugly jumpsuit" she did, but we thought she looked great in it!

After the baptism she was so happy, she couldn't stop smiling and laughing she was so happy! She seemed to just glow! RaCail, and Jenaya went with Sister Howell and I to lunch at IHop to celebrate and we got some delicious hot chocolate (which was our 3rd time this week getting hot chocolate... I feel a tradition beginning). After lunch Jenaya and RaCail came with us to visit some Less Active members. Yup, that's the way we do it in JC!

Sunday was just as amazing and crazy! Jenaya was so nervous to go in front of the entire congregation and be confirmed, but she hid her nervousness well! The blessing was beautiful, and she came back with the biggest smile! After Church was the baptism for Adrian, Leigh, and Rachael. It was so cool! Jenaya stayed for a picture of all of them together, all 4 of those who became members of Christ Church on November 16. The baptism went well, and it was so cool to see how much all three of them have changed and grown closer as a family as we taught them. We really just got to catch the end of the process since the Wells have been sharing with them for months. Families who bring their friends into the church are the best! It makes our job as missionaries so much easier and we get to share the joy with those families as well! I couldn't have asked for a better week! 

Love you all!

Thanks for all the prayers in my behalf and on behalf of those we have and will continue to teach! 

~Sister Blood 

                              Hot Chocolate at IHOP

Jenaya & Sister Howell

Sister Blood & RaCail

RaCail, Sister Blood, Jenaya, Sister Howell

Sister Blood, Sister Howell, Jenaya, Elder McKeller

Sister Blood, Sister Howell,  Leigh, Adrian, Rachael, and Bro Wells 

Adrian, Rachael, Leigh, Jenaya, Sister Blood, Sister Howell

Preparing for Baptisms like crazy!

Dear Family and Friends,

This week has been great with lots of wonderful weather! 

The bulk of the week has been teaching and preparing for Baptisms like crazy! Trusting no complications come up we should be having a family of three be baptized along with Jenaya! It has been so cool working with all of these people. All are working really hard to make sure they can be baptized before Sister Howell leaves for home. I can't believe I only have around 11 days left with my wonderful companion! I am going to miss her so much!

Funnest part of the week was playing tag football as a zone on last p-day. After playing and doing pretty well at catching and running I suddenly am beginning to understand why people like football! As long as the guys you are playing with will pass you the football it is actually a lot of fun to play! Who would have ever guessed! The downside is that Sister Howell and I were really sore for the first few days after, apparently we don't get enough exercise walking places.

love you all!

Sister Blood :)

Junction City Zone

Halloween this Year Was Pretty Cool

Dear Family and Friends,

This week was pretty good! It started out a little bit rough, but with some divine help we were able to pull though and end the week successfully! The weeks continue to fly by which is kind of a relief after they dragged by during September. It really is interesting how as you work harder time goes faster, so the harder you work because you want to make use of all the time you can because you see how fast it is flying by!

This weekend was Stake Conference up here, and it was by far the smallest Stake Conference I have ever been to in my entire life. Only a third of the Stake goes to the Stake  Center because they broadcast it to the other two buildings in Junction City and Manhattan. Our Stake is huge geographically. It takes 3.5 hours to drive from one side of it to the other side. 

Halloween this year was pretty cool, not as fun as being able to actually dress up, but still fun! I think the best costumes at the combined ward and branch Trunk or Treat was. 1. The family that dressed up as Candy Land Characters, 2 Anubis, Egyptian God of Funerals, 3. One of the Pregnant sisters of the Branch, who dressed up as a whale with a felt Jonas on her tummy. Oh how Halloween is fun! We helped RaCail decorate her trunk and hand out candy which was fun. We even were forced to take a bunch home with us that were left overs! So that combined with the fun packages I got the last few weeks makes for a very "sweet" Halloween on my mission!

A member told us about this video yesterday when we were at dinner with them and I decided that it would be cool to share. I really enjoyed the perspective they put on it, and how they explained it so clearly. I know sometimes I get weirded out when people asked us about garments and I have no idea how to respond. 

http://www.mormonnewsroom.org/article/temple-garments

Other fun things from the week, we heart/candy attacked Jenaya's door.

And enjoyed the many colors of Fall! 

Love you all so much! Have a wonderful week!

Sister Blood :)

We heart/candy attacked Jenaya's door

 The family that dressed up as Candy Land Characters