The House Of The Lord

Psalm 122: 1 "I was glad when they said unto me, Let us go into the house of the Lord."

This week was spiritually, emotionally, and physically exhausting. But boy, was it good. All the sisters in the PPM spent the week preparing for the temple open house!

Wednesday and Thursday were our training's/dress rehearsals. Basically we practiced what we will be doing for the next month and a half. We woke up at 4:30 and drove to the temple, role played introducing videos, and role played answering question after question. We were a little disappointed when we were told we would have to wait until Sunday to go through the temple. Or so we thought!

Saturday, all the people who had helped to build the temple had the opportunity to go through and so did we! Having the opportunity to walk through the temple with the men and women that spent so much time and put so much care into building this beautiful place was very special. I couldn't hold back the tears as we walked through. This temple is the most unique and incredible temple that I've ever seen. It was built to replicate the Colonial style between the Revolutionary War and the Restoration of the Gospel. There are a number of paintings inside that aren't found anywhere else because they were specifically done for this temple. There's one in particular of the founding fathers signing the Declaration of Independence. As I looked at it I remembered what Sister Anderson had said at our last Zone Conference. "Founding Fathers have been waiting such a long time for this temple." I felt the spirit testify to me that those words were true. In the baptistery there is a mural on the wall of Oliver Cowdery and Joseph Smith being baptized. I couldn't help but think how wonderful it is that there is finally a temple near the place where the Priesthood was restored to the earth!

Our tour ended in the Sealing Room where a couple stood and bore their testimonies of eternal families. They expressed their gratitude for those that had helped build the temple. The spirit was so strong as the construction workers that we were experiencing the tour with started crying without really knowing why. You could see that their hearts were being touched as the spirit testified to them of the sacred work that goes on in temples. I am so thankful to the effort and care that was put into this holy building. Ah! I love it!

On Sunday Lois and Francess were confirmed as members of the church and given the Gift of the Holy Ghost! They received the coolest blessings! They have such strong testimonies and I am so excited for them. We also had the opportunity to take our investigator Chris to the temple! He is working toward baptism and has a lot to do but I know that the spirit he felt in the temple will help him to get there!

I feel so privileged to be a missionary here in Philadelphia at this time! There is finally a temple in the city where the nation was founded and the state where the Priesthood was restored! I am so blessed! The church is true! The book is blue!

I love you all! God bless!

Sister B

I love to see the Temple...

Me and my companions at training for the open house. 

Here we are, the Sisters that
do the morning shift for the open house.

We catch the train every morning at 5 AM.

Sister Fuelling and I starting tours off!

Philly life! The skyline. 

Widener ward missionaries and our investigators!

This temple is so beautiful...

I can't stop taking pictures of it!

Two Stories Later

Hello friends and family! This week was an adventure!

It started with an intense lesson for our investigator Chris. He's been on the fence for a while now about baptism and we asked for a final decision. Good news, he wants to be baptized! We set a date for August 14th. We then proceeded to teach him the Word of Wisdom AND the Law of Chastity in one lesson. As one would expect, it was a little overwhelming for him. In the lesson I felt the strongest prompting to promise him that if he read from the Book of Mormon every day, he would be able to quit smoking. So, I did. It was one of the most spiritually powerful moments on my mission so far. We get to take him to the Philadelphia temple for a special tour on the 24th and I'm so excited! I know that experience is going to give him the strength he needs to follow his savior.

Friday was just the craziest. In a rush to get baptismal suits before the mission office closed, we locked our keys in our apartment. Well, we couldn't call the mission office to bring us a key because then we wouldn't be able to get the suits. So, we went to the obvious course of action. We broke in through the window. Sister Fuelling and Sister Kraft hoisted me up onto their shoulders and I popped the screen off the second story window with my name tag. Because I have no upper body strength we then pushed up Sister Kraft, who shimmied through the window and let us in. The most impressive part is that we did it all in skirts! Life of a sister missionary.

The highlight of the week was Lois and Francess' baptism! Everything went smoothly and they were so happy! The young women went up and sang I Am A Child Of God for Francess and by the end of it everyone there was singing along. The spirit was so powerful! I feel so blessed to have been able to teach them and help them to enter in to Gods kingdom.

I love you all! The gospel is true, the book is blue.

God bless!

Sister B

Preppin the font for baptisms! 

Cow Appreciation Day at Chik-Fil-A!

Previously, on The District...

"Holy Moly!!" We have some stinkin good comp unity!

Happy Day! :)

Sweat and Service

This week was a hot one! I have decided I'm not a big fan of humidity, or mosquito, or sunburns. This week I experienced a lot of all three.

We started the week off by finding 4 new investigators! A woman named Vita and her 3 adorable kids! We taught them the restoration and invited them to be baptized! Vita wasn't sure but her kids want to!

We got to see Lois and Francess twice this week! They are so ready for baptism! We went over the baptismal interview questions and they had their interviews! They rocked them! They have such strong testimonies. Lois has been through so much, coming from Africa to escape Ebola, family behind, going to law school, being a single mom, trying to find a job. And she does it all with so much faith that everything will work out if she relies on the Lord. She is my hero!

We had the opportunity to do a training at Zone Training this week. We talked about how the Book of Mormon is a springboard to personal revelation. Something that really stuck out to me was the realization that if we aren't reading the Book of Mormon and allowing our Heavenly Father to communicate with us, we are dying spiritually because we are separated from God. I know the Book of Mormon is true and brings us closer to our Heavenly Father.

We got to do a lot of service this week! We cleaned for a recent convert who just got in a car accident. And a few days later we got to volunteer for a local food bank! I love doing service! (And getting to wear pants!)

We had interviews with our new mission president and he is so great! He had me share a scripture that helped me understand the savior better and I shared 2 Nephi 26:24. Everything the Savior did, he did because he loves us! President Randall invited me to write down every day how I served people and how it helped me feel Christ's love. Will do!

Sunday we sang Count Your Blessings with the young women in sacrament meeting. It was Francess's favorite song when she went up to girls camp. The young women's leader had her tell the congregation why she liked it. She said because she felt the spirit when she sang it and the lord had given her so many blessings that she liked to sing about it. Ah! I love her!

All in all, it was a good, hot week! Lois and Francess get baptized on Sunday and I'm so excited!

Love you all! God bless!

Sister B

Lois and Francess!!

102 degrees with 75% humidity and still smiling!

Valley Forge West Zone

Philly Mural

Widener is MAGIC!

First off, HAPPY 4TH!!

Secondly, Heavenly Father loves me! He has sent me to the most incredible area! This week was crazy full of miracles.

On Tuesday we went to contact a potential who turned out to be completely not interested. As we were walking back to our car we saw a lady getting groceries out of her car. We asked if we could help and when she said she was okay, we asked if we could share a message about Jesus Christ. That's when she dropped the bomb on us that she was already a member! Turns out that her family was baptized in Florida years ago, and when they moved here, they didn't know where a church was! Her husband recently passed away and she said they had never been sealed. We told her that we could help her get there and she said she would love to try. Hooray for temples! :) Speaking of temples, our investigator Francess got to go to the DC temple with the Young Women's group. She couldn't do baptisms but she got to go to the visitors center and learn more about it. She said it was such a cool experience. Her and her mom are so excited to be baptized! I might be more excited. The Lord has so many blessings in store for them! Francess said that she thinks she wants to be a missionary someday! :D

Wednesday we had an awesome experience with our new investigator Jay. We've had three appointments with him fall through because we couldn't find a woman to come with us. Well, we finally scheduled it on a day that a recent convert named Sherreese could come with. It turned out to be a miracle because Sherreese used to be baptist, just like Jay! She was able to testify to him that the Book of Mormon had all the answers to his questions, because they were the same questions she had had! It was such an inspired lesson.

We got a media referral on Thursday from a woman named Quitta, requesting a bible. We called her as soon as we got it and she told us we could bring it to her right then. When we got to her apartment she was so excited to see us and met us at the door! She invited us in and we were able to give her a bible and introduce her to the Book of Mormon. She was so excited to read it. We asked if we could come share more with her and she agreed, saying that she would invite her husband to listen too! The Lord is so good!

On Friday we had a Zone Conference and met our new Mission President and his family! President Randall, Sister Randall, and their three kids! They are great and I am so excited to work with them! Especially for the temple open house that is getting closer and closer!

This week has really strengthened my testimony of being accountable to the Lord and being where you tell him you're going to be. The times we followed our schedule with exactness were the days that we found the most prepared people that are so ready for the gospel. Alma 36:36 "Counsel with the Lord in ALL thy doings, and he shall direct thee for good..." I know that is true.

I love you all and hope you have a safe and happy Independence Day. :) God bless America!

Sister B

Francess and Lois and Sister Kanu! 

Zwahlens trip! :) Best caramel apples ever.

Sister Kraft love me and made me breakfast hash!

The racoon we spotted in the dumpster...

Playing Frisbee at a 4th of July picnic! :) 

Happy Birthday, America!

Bed Bugs and Baptisms

What a week! It's been kind of crazy but so good!

I was transferred to Widener East! I am in a trio with Sister Fuelling and Sister Kraft, they are a blast! Sister Fuelling is fresh in the field and Sister Kraft is going home this transfer! They make me laugh so much! I am blessed! My first day here in Widener was spent debugging our apartment. Luckily all my clothes and bedding were in suitcases, otherwise we would have dragged a lot more trash bags to the laundromat. Even more blessed!

We have an investigator named Lois and her daughter Francess. Oh my gosh! I love them! Lois is so classy and we got her daughter to girls camp! She had so much fun! They both love learning about the gospel and have a baptismal date for July 17th!

Speaking of baptisms, we had one this Sunday! Our investigator Bernadette and her son Liam got baptized! Bernadette has been investigating the church for about 2 years so it's been a long time coming! It was so fun to see how happy the gospel makes people!

It's a quick letter this week because I don't have much time! I love you all! God bless. :)

Sister B

Debugging everything!

Sister Fuelling and Sister Kraft

Goodbye to Sister Maiden :(

Yes, we unpacked all of it.

PA is so green!

Fancy baptismal gowns

Liam let me borrow is tie!

Bernadette and Liam! :) Got baptized! 

Fireflies and Transfers

Hi people! Happy Fathers Day! (No offense but I have the best dad out there. Shout out to him!) It is summer here in Philly and the fireflies have lit up at night. They are so magic! This week was kind of magical as well!

To start, we had Zone Conference last week! It was special because it was President and Sister Anderson's last one. We learned a lot about the new temple. It is the strongest building in Philadelphia. When they began digging for the foundation they discovered a giant granite slab. Granite isn't found anywhere else in the city except right under the temple. Heavenly Father prepared for this temple to be right where it is. So, at Zone Conference I got a "temple rock". A piece of the granite that they chipped away to make room for the temple. It reminds me of *Helaman 5:12* and to build my foundation on the Savior. I was sad to say goodbye to President Anderson, he has been amazing and has made this mission a wonderful place to serve! President Randall gets here next week and I am excited to meet him!

The Farole family is doing AMAZING! Anthony told us this week that he loves the feeling of praying and reading the scriptures. We challenged him to read the Book of Mormon in 6 months as he prepares to be baptized. He accepted the challenge! I love seeing all of them get happier and happier as the gospel of Jesus Christ works its magic in their lives.

We had an incredible miracle at the assisted living where we work! As we were helping people get down to the music night we were stopped by the custodian. He recognized us as missionaries! He had moved here from Haiti and had met with missionaries there! We were so excited and asked him if he wanted to meet with us again. He said not at the moment but he did say that he had left his Book of Mormon in Haiti. Well, we ran out to our car real fast and brought him one. I know that soon he'll be ready to meet with missionaries again. :)

We had the P1 Central sisters sleep over again while their apartment got fumigated. (Bed bugs. Yikes!) They were a blast! I love those sisters!

We had some crazy miracles throughout the week as we hunted down inactive members that nobody knew about! One named Sister Guy, who we have been trying to meet for the two transfers that I've been here, we finally had a lesson with! We told her about the temple open house and that she could volunteer and she got SO excited! This temple is already working miracles! We also met Sister Ludwig. We had been walking around in the heat for a long time and I was so thirsty! When she answered her door and we talked to her on the porch I had the thought to ask her for a drink of water. So, I did. She invited us in and gave us a tall glass of ice water and then showed us all the pictures of her family. She opened up to us about how her husband had recently passed away. We testified of eternal families and that she could be sealed to her husband. She started crying as she felt the spirit testify of that truth and invited us back! It was one of those experiences that I'll never forget.

Transfer calls came as a surprise on Friday. I am getting transferred!! I was NOT expecting that. I'm not sure where I'll go but I know it will be where the Lord needs me. New area, new companion, new mission president. Kind of a crazy fresh start! Who would have thought! I will miss the people here so much! Especially the Farole's! BUT Sister Maiden will be training a golden!! That's exactly what this area needs! Some golden fire! It will be great! :)

I love you all! Have a great week! God bless! :)

Sister B

My mission Mom and sister! :)

I am going to miss her so stinking much!

David and Dulce!

Autumn!

The Goodman's! Seriously the best.

Me and Korple! She is so dear to my heart! 

Happy Father's Day

The Farole's! They are GREAT!

Central Sisters! Sister Boehm,
Sister Neuffer, Sister Sagastume.

Uh-oh! White handbook says no facial hair. 

I have so many car selfies...
I guess I'll share one more. :) 

*Helaman 5:12*

Fireflies!

Busy, Busy

 Things were extra busy in Philly this week so just posting lots of pictures.

Sidewalk art after having dinner with members!

Our sink is disgusting and majorly busted.

Morning runs!

Havertown Mural!

Afternoon walks with Sister Gardner!

Tired and slightly nauseous...

Sister Scouten!

My Faves! Sister Abbott and Sister Maiden.

Oh! But look at this dress I got from Old Navy!

Also, my companion loves me! She made me food.

After church lunch break...

Zone training!

Sister Boehm's dying picture...
Her her mission is done, she is headed home.

President and Sister Anderson's last Zone Conference. :(

Boo!