Adios Placerville! - Week 9

So turns out, I'M BEING TRANSFERRED!  I'm going to... literally the area right next to Placerville.  In fact, I'm still in the same zone, with all the same people.  I will be serving in the Camino and Pleasant Valley wards and my new companion is going to be Sister Durfee! She is super awesome and I'm excited to get to work with her! Hermana Lewis will still be here in Placerville but I'll get to see her at least once a week since she'll be my Sister Training Leader, so all is well.

Funny Story Time: We had yet another scorpion enter our humble abode this week so it was Hermana Lewis's turn to use the shoe. It was right above my bed which was not at all appreciated. Immediately after the scorpion fiasco, we found a dead baby mouse in the apartment. Gotta love El Dorado.

Highlights:

- So about two weeks ago, Hermana Lewis and I were prompted to go tracting around a certain set of apartments. We knocked on a door, and a young Spanish-speaking mother answered. We talked for a little bit about her belief in God and we gave her a copy of the Book of Mormon in Spanish. We went back yesterday evening and while we were talking, she said, "I've been reading your book everyday for at least 5 minutes and it has helped a lot!" Not only that, but she's okay with missionaries coming by again! It was such a tender mercy! 

- We visited with Dorothy a few times this week and had a really great lesson about the temple. We invited her to come with us for a tour of the outside of the Sacramento Temple this Saturday. However, when Saturday rolled around, Dorothy wasn't feeling well at all so we had to reschedule the temple tour. Instead, we asked if she would be interested in a priesthood blessing (after explaining what they are) and she said yes! So that night some men from our ward came over and gave her a blessing. It was such a spiritual experience and we may have shed a tear or two. After the blessing, Dorothy was all smiles after the blessing and she kept saying, "Good good good!" Dorothy also is really excited to watch this upcoming General Conference which is amazing! 

- I had to say goodbye to Coco and our other friends on Sunday which broke my heart! I'm going to miss being with them very much but I will forever be grateful for the time I did get to spend with them. The Lord has blessed me so much while being here in Placerville and I am excited to see what lies in store in Camino! 

- We had a lesson fall through with one of our new friends on Friday which was kind of disappointing.  Instead, we were able to knock on the door of an older lady named Lori and talk with her about how the gospel and the Book of Mormon blesses individuals and families. I asked her if she would like to have a copy of the Book of Mormon and she said, "Absolutely!" She even started skimming through the introduction right there at the door! She is also okay with having missionaries come by again soon! 

- We had our last district council for the transfer and it was really awesome! We talked about working with members and helping them be comfortable with missionary work. We also talked about being able to teach when you find and find when you teach. It was very uplifting and I left feeling really good! 

I'm so grateful and humbled by everything that the Lord has blessed with this transfer! I have seen so many miracles and tender mercies these past few weeks and I am excited to see the Lord's hand even more in my new area! I'm seriously going to miss all of our friends but I am grateful that the Lord put them into my life! Keep praying for Dorothy, Coco, Max, Martha, and now Lori! Your prayers have made all the difference and it's been an incredible experience seeing our friends draw closer to the Savior and the covenant path! As a missionary, I just want to invite all of you to try hard this week to recognize the Lord's hand in your life and to thank him personally through prayer. It will make all the difference and you will be happier and more at peace throughout the week! I love you all so much and I hope you all are doing well!

Lots of love,

Sister Ferrin

Scripture of the week: Alma 5:45-48

Funny Quote of the Week: "I have never given birth before, physically or mentally."

Mailing Info: (Mission Home)

8267 Deseret Ave

Fair Oaks CA 95628

United States

P.S. If you haven't blessed your lives by watching the new Book of Mormon videos, you best be putting down this phone and watching them. They are so COOL!!! And bonus celestial missionary points to you if you share them on social media or with your friends!

 

Pictures:

1. My very "hydrated" companion

2. The El Dorado Zone

3. The El Dorado Zone (pt 2)

4. We love Brother Coco!

5. Smiles are very common with Dorothy and her daughter!

6. Sunday mornings are a mood

Sacramento and Scottish War Paint - Week 8

Emmaline Ferrin	Mon, Sep 16, 7:24 PM (20 hours ago)
to me, bcc: me

Hello Everyone!!!

This is going to be a quick email since we had Zone P-day pretty much all day today.  Speaking of Zone P-day, we've spent the entire day up in Georgetown throwing rocks and wearing kilts. There is a member up here who does Scottish Highland games professionally and he taught us how to throw cabers and hammers (safely). It was a blast and I feel all the more connected to my Scottish ancestors! The best part was that, beforehand; the sister in the zone all got together and bought matching T-shirts and put on "war paint". We were quite the sight as we pulled up to Zone P-day! 

Highlights:

- Hermana Lewis and I got to drive down to Sacramento for a special Four Week New Missionary Meeting on Friday. It was fun getting to see all the missionaries that I came out with, especially the sisters from my MTC district! We also got to hear President and Sister Hymas talk about becoming more effective missionaries. 

- We got to drive down to Sacramento AGAIN on Sunday for a special Come and See Devotional. It was all in Spanish and we had two brothers from our Spanish Group share their conversation story.  I also got to join a bunch of the Spanish-speaking missionaries in singing Soy Un Hijo De Dios in a special musical number. That was terrifying but also super cool! The Spirit was so strong throughout the entire meeting!

- Hermana Lewis and I got to do some service for Dorothy this week in her yard. We also had a lesson with her about the Word of Wisdom. She had some concerns about not being able to drink coffee but when we invited her to live the Word of Wisdom, she said, "I can give up anything!" It was such an amazing miracle and I seriously almost cried!

Sorry for the shorter email. This Saturday is actually transfer calls so I'm sure I'll have some more exciting news (or not) next week. I love you all and thank you for all of your prayers and kind words! 

Scripture of the Week: 3 Nephi 9:13-14

Funny quote from the week: "Do you by chance have a Book of Mormon or other material translated into the language of Oshiwambo?"

Hope you all have an amazing week!

Lots of love,

Sister Ferrin

First Zone Conference and Exchange! - Week 7

If I had a dollar for every time I said it was a crazy week, I may be able to afford a small island of my own.  Nevertheless, it was a crazy week!  Hermana Lewis and I had a lot of work to do but we also had a lot of fun!  We also had many tender mercies this week where we saw the hand of the Lord in the lives of those we are teaching.  Being a missionary is so amazing!  

Funny (and adorable) Story Time:  We got to do some service at the Federated Church here in Placerville.  We helped set up chairs and tables for an activity they were having.  While we were there, we got to talk to some of the sweetest special needs adults!  One of them was SO excited to find out that Hermana Lewis and I believed in God.  He proceeded to go and introduce us to others by excitedly saying, "They believe in God!"  It's quite possibly the greatest introduction someone could have and we loved it!

Highlights of the Week:

- ZONE CONFERENCE!!!  Hermana Lewis and I got to wake up extra early and drive over to Sacramento on Wednesday for my first Zone Conference!  I really enjoyed Zone Conference and the Spirit that was present throughout the entire meeting.  We got to hear President and Sister Hymas speak, as well as the testimonies of several departing missionaries.  Sister Hymas talked about the importance of having hope in Jesus Christ.  One thing she said that I really like was, "Hope is the vision and faith is the execution of that vision."  President Hymas discussed with us how we can be successful missionaries.  He really emphasized that our success is measured by our commitment, not by our numbers.  One of the departing elders shared a quote with us that really hit home for me.  He said, "The greatest sacrifice I've ever made was to give up something I love for a God that I love more."  I really love that quote because it gives me a deeper perspective of my own personal missionary purpose.  Not only did Zone Conference uplift us spiritually, but it was fun to get to meet all the other missionaries in the area and talk with them!

- I got to go on exchanges for the first time! I went with Sister Straatman to Camino and got to help with the work over there.  We had a great time and I got to meet a lot of wonderful members of the church who live there.  Camino is a really beautiful area that is full of trees, lakes, wildlife, and occasionally people.

-  We had a "Seeking Saturday" this weekend where we focused on talking to new people.  What we ended up doing for that was taking a big whiteboard with the words "What Makes You Happy?" written on it and walking through the local farmers market.  We (Hermana Lewis, Sister Straatman, and me) went around with our whiteboard and asked as many people as we could to write on the board what makes them happy.  It was a great and simple way to start talking to people and it really brightened up their days!  Plus then they would ask questions about who we were and our church, so it was a win win!            

- DOROTHY CAME TO CHURCH!!!  Ahhh! It was so exciting!  She was super smiley the whole time and all the members were so amazing with her!  She was so cute, she even took notes during sacrament meeting!  Afterwards, she was talking to us about how she loved the family we have here and how her favorite part was "all of it".  She is such an amazing lady and everyone who meets her immediately loves her!     

Thank you for all of your prayers for me and those we are teaching!  It means so much to know that people are praying for us.  If I had to ask for one thing this week, it would be to pray for our friends, especially Dorothy, Max, Martha, Margarita, and Coco.  Praying in faith has such amazing power and Heavenly Father is mindful of every prayer.  Thank you for all of the support and love!  I hope you all have an amazing week!

Scripture of the Week: D&C 84:88

Funny quote(s) of the week: 

        "Aw, look, they're having an activity" (Hermana Lewis)

        "It's a funeral"  (Me)

        "What? How do you know?"  (Hermana Lewis)

        ".... There's a hearse."   (Me)

Lots of Love,

Sister Ferrin

Mailing Info:

8267 Deseret Ave

Fair Oaks CA 95628

United States

This road is for her brother.

Potted Plants and Promptings - Week 6

Due to Labor Day, our P-day was moved to Tuesday, so that's why I'm writing a day later than normal.  This week was super crazy busy but also super spiritual!  I'm so grateful for all the little miracles and tender mercies we've had this week.  God is truly a God of Miracles!  

Funny Story Time:  We got the strangest gift while contacting this week.  We ran into this super friendly young lady who was watering her plants.  We had a great conversation about faith and God.  We also asked her what she was growing and she was like, "Well, currently I'm growing a bunch of beets in their own separate pots.  But... I'm not sure I even like beets and I have a ton.  So would you like some?!"  And that is how me and Hermana Lewis ended up each with our own little potted beet plant.  Neither of us like beets either but... that's okay!    

Highlights of the Week:

- We had to drive to Folsom this past Wednesday in order to take our car in to be serviced.  It took a total of three hours to get fixed, so we ended up going to the mission office to have our studies, driving up to the Sacramento Temple to take pictures, and having lunch (blessed Chick-fil-a) with Elder and Sister Mair, a senior missionary couple who work in the office.      

- We had an AMAZING lesson with a cute Spanish couple who we've been teaching for the past few weeks.  We went over the Restoration of the Gospel and the Plan of Salvation with them.  The Spirit was really strong and it was really powerful to see the husband help clarify the Plan of Salvation to his wife.  Following the Spirit, I even invited them to be baptized!  They want to keep learning more about the gospel and about baptism before they give us a solid yes and we are so excited to get to teach them more!  They are an amazing couple and have such a strong testimony of God and Jesus Christ!  

- On Thursday, we had zone interviews!  President and Sister Hymas came down to Placerville to meet with my zone and give us a little bit of personalized training.  They addressed a lot of our questions and different topics such as improving contacts, setting expectations, teaching simply, and involving members in the work.  After the interviews, Hermana Lewis and I were discussing ways we could apply the training with our own area.  We came up with a really awesome plan for this September called "Fall-ing into Missionary Work".  It's purpose is to invite all the members, no matter their age, to begin inviting people they know to different church activities throughout the month.  We really want to focus on giving personalized training to the members in the ward, especially the youth, so that they can feel comfortable with inviting people to "come and see"!  It's going to be awesome!  

- The crazy thing that happened this week occurred just last night!  We were doing some contacting (without much luck) and we decided that we would try just one more house across town.  As Hermana Lewis was driving, I happened to look out her window and see this woman sitting alone on the grass.  As we drove by, the Spirit very strongly prompted me to tell Hermana Lewis about the woman.  She asked if we needed to turn around and talk with her and I said YES!  So we got ourselves turned around.  When we walked over to her and asked her how she was doing, she started crying.  Turns out, she (I'll call her Betty) is new to the area and the friend she was living with kicked her out a few days ago.  Betty had been living next to her car and hadn't eaten in three days.  She admitted that she needed some help.  Hermana Lewis and I ran to McDonalds and bought her some food and water.  We were able to calm her down, listen to her, and pray with her.  There isn't much that we can personally do for Betty right now but she told us that she really wants to get back on her feet and that when she does, she would love to hear our message.  What this experience taught me is that God truly does put people in places to help others and to answer prayers.  Also, NEVER IGNORE A PROMPTING FROM THE SPIRIT.  EVER.      

As I mentioned before, if I had to leave you all with one take-away this week it would be to always follow the promptings of the Spirit.  If you aren't even sure it's from the Spirit, follow it anyways.  If you are being lead to do something good, act on it!  It's most likely because God has already put you in the right place at the right time, you just need to be doing the right thing.  I know that God plays an active role in our lives and the lives of others.  He is able to bless others through us and bless us through others, as long as we are following the Spirit.  This week, I invite you all to earnestly pray to be able to follow the promptings of the Holy Ghost AND THEN DO IT!  I promise that as you strive to follow the impressions of the Spirit, you will be able to see the Lord's hand in your life and you will be able to know that he is there.  You will be able to bless someone else's life and in turn, your own life will be blessed!  Also, if you have an experience this week, please email me about it!  I'd love to hear all your stories and experiences about following the promptings of the Spirit! 

Scripture of the Week: Alma 17:2-3

Funny quote of the week: "I just accidentally bought Ice Tea with the Lord's money!" 

Lots of Love,

Sister Ferrin

Mailing Info:

8267 Deseret Ave

Fair Oaks CA 95628

United States

These must be the famous beet plants.