"they use machete's here lol" - week 49

(written March 7, 2016)

MOM this week was so good and we got our transfer calls saturday im staying here with soeur winter they said its probably my last transfer here :( that made me real sad i love it here!! so were just gonna kill this transfer lol before i forget can you send me some of that facewash again?? the panolyx stuff lol i dont think i spelled that right and some makeup from bare minerals light 2 concealer its in a small round thing its like a cream? kinda lol and then eyeshadow i left some at home just the brow pallet annd then mascara you wouldnt believe how expensive makeup is here. i never wore it before but i have to know cuz we go to meetings and i gotta look nic lol also!!! we made a game plan with a member to do an easter activity with her family and like all their friends!! they dont do easter egg hunts here so if you could send some easter eggs that would be SO COOL like maybe 100 of them they dont know what it is here and we want to do something fun with all the kids. sorry i know thats kinda a lot if no not a problem we can figure something else out :)

anyway this week was so good!! we have seen so many miracles every week so we saw colette yesterday and had a lunch with her and her son started reading in the BOOK OF MORMON!! he sat down with us said how his mom is so much more happy since she began meeting with us and going to church and that he would like that!!! so cool weve started teaching him. And then there is this less active here he served with his wife in the temple in germany for a few years and now he is less active but his wife is very active lol and the missionaries havent been able to teach him but we saw him the other day cuz we finally made those cookies with the cookie mix you sent us for christmas and he was like cookies? lol so we ate with him and are going to start helping him in the garden SO EXCITED gardening here is not like gardening back at home they use machete's here lol and lots of other cool lookin things lol its so fun!! and he started re reading in the scriptures oh my goodness it was amazing. anyway this week was good!! LOVE YOU:)

have a good week!! 

soeur driggs

oh and here is a fun poem

There is a poem that says:
“Sow a thought, reap an act;
Sow an act, reap a habit;
Sow a habit, reap a character;
Sow a character, reap an eternal destiny.”

dynamic duo!

"How she found the church : she read twilight" - WEEK 48

(written Feb. 29, 2016)

THANK YOU:):) it just had been in my thoughts a lot and to tell you so last week i told you and i havent thought about it since!! which is cool cuz I've been trying to figure out how to get it off my mind. and that did it lol but it still feels right today so thats real cool lol (this is about mom checking into nursing programs)

so cool. yeah UVU would be great!! yeah sorry it was on my mind so much i can't even explain it i even prayed to stop thinking about it cuz my mind like wasn't on missionary work.. i didn't like it. felt like i was sinning lol and i had a thought to tell you but i pushed that off for a while cuz i wasn't sure but then i didn't stop thinking about it so i told you and it was incredible i could think about missionary work again. havent giving nursing a second thought. so that to me was something i really needed to tell you lol :) and i feel happy about it. MOM how are you?? 

oh my goodness that looks like so much fun!!! tell freddie and alex i say hi!! and to met with the missionaries and that i want to give them a book of mormon. What about leah?? she's getting with the missionaries??? :) so cool. you are such a good example of just how to always share the gospel with everyone you have just no fear! 

I HAVE THE COOLEST STORY you gotta tell stephenie!! So this week we started seeing this less active her name is Joanie she is 16. How she found the church : she read twilight and LOVED it. like all 14 year olds do . she was baptized at 14 lol anyway she read ALL the books then wanted to know about the author so naturally she researched lol and she found that she's mormon so then she went to the lds website and like researched the church. She found a place to contact missionaries from the lds website and signed up for missionaries to teach her and her mom. she got baptized a few months later and was supper active for a moment. it got hard on her cuz her moms not a member but were working with her now. she LOVES the church though so thats supper cool. I just love how someone so far away by just being them who they are can effect people even people you havent met yet!! stephanie had to write twilight because joanie had to be a member. the lord works by small and simple ways. he loves all his children. anyway i was just so overly excited when i herd about how she met the missionaries.

other cool things so we went to Barbados this week for an MLC meeting so cool. We had a hotel right on the beach we could hear and see the beach from the balcony.. crazy... anyway now to the good stuff we talked a lot about the atonement and the enabling power of the atonement it not only allows us to repent but to help us through the hard times. if you look at nephi when his brothers tied him up and he prayed not to be taken out of the situation or pray saying why me help me but he prayed that the lord would give him strength to break through the bands. and he did. thats the enabling power. or I've thought a lot about the pioneers and just how they went through just crazy things that truly sound impossible to me. to think of what they ate how long they walked and just thinking i walk all day just me and my sac and im really tired by the end of the night!! how in the world did they do it? and its that enabling power the strength that heavenly father gives us to go through hard times. its beautiful. anyway it was an amazing week!! so many miracles :)

LOVE YOU ALL!!

i love moo moos?

sister husson

MLC at the mission home!!!

elder martinez and his wife!!!

"I now know how to sing happy birthday in 5 languages" - week 47

(written Feb. 22, 2016)

They are doing so good!!! We taught them again and invited them to baptized he said he needed to pray about it and he will tell us later. It was so cool! hahaha oh my goodness thats awesome im so stoked for goob!!! and real excited he knows how to make bread!! hahaha and yeah we helped them....(Collette). IT IS A WORK OUT making bread in massive packs seriously soeur winter and i were sweating lol but it was so fun we learned how to make massive pain which means massive bread lol its pretty nice. 

so we did another exchange this week!! it was SO FUN this week i was with soeur hoover and soeur snow!! they are so fun soeur snow is from tahiti so she taught us some Tahitian thats what im sayin i now know how to sing happy birthday in like 5 languages things im excited about! It was really fun soeur winter and i just split up for the day and just got so much work done :) i love missionary work!! 

something really exciting is that kettia our ami that we have been teaching for a while CAME TO CHURCH with her 3 kids lol and she LOVED it at the end she just wanted to take pictures with everyone. it was really cute she said she wants to come next week and heard about all the activities at the church and wants to go to those now :) i love her!! She is like 23 and from haiti, im gonna tell you something haitians are so cool!!! they are my favorite people!! they are just so nice and humble. 

anyway i love you!! ill send photos in another email :) 

love soeur driggs

oh!!! also i wanted to tell you so for some reason i have been thinking about being a nurse for kids with cancer for the past 3 months specifically right after the christmas devotional. I dunno why but i can't shake it from my head I've been praying for the past few months on and off to know weather or not that was something i needed to do. and i feel really strongly that i need to do that. its kind of the same feeling i had right before i decided to put in my papers i thought about going on a mission for a good moment and then i decided to go and that was the best thing I've ever done. and now i feel the same way about being a nurse for kids with cancer. dunno why but its just real specific and i feel like i need to do that....

so i have a favor to ask of you... could you look into school or something so when i get home i can start right in october? anyway i love you!!! 

yeah that felt real good to send im pretty sure thats what i gotta do in my life lol

HOW ARE YOU DOING??

or maybe ill go home get a job and then start in janurary so I can pay for school. better idea :) lol love you!!

Kettia

sister wilta

church!

"so there is this thing called the jugglier" - week 46

(written Feb. 15, 2016)

mom i just want to let you know how much your emails mean to soeur winter and all that you do for her we were talking the other day and she just goes I LOVE YOUR MOM i dont even know her but i love her i love that she emails me and she began to cry and your emails all the little things you do mean so much!! i dont even think you realize it but they do. so thanks so much :) i love you!! hope to be like you one day your such a good example to be of being truly good without guile! I LOVE YOU:):) xoxo

hahahaha thats awesome im sure that was so fun :):) wow third place!!!! thats insane. shes so smart i love you boo!!(brinley got 3rd place in a BYU high school student writing contest) oh man im gonna have to have tate teach me one day (snow boarding) lol is it still snowing up there??? its still real toasty down here lol

so this week was so good!! we had the soeurs from Guyana come up this week so soeur jacobsen and soeur gomez!! they are so cute!! so soeur gomez is from guatemala so if boo want to pratice little spanish i know she would love a letter from her lol but we saw so many miracles!!! 

so there is this thing called the jugglier. I LOVE IT. its the best way to teach the restoration im gonna explain me first experience using it. so we found this single mom with 5 kids and soeur jacobsen and i were like... lets try the jugglier. so you lay out pictures in a certain fashion and it just makes the restoration make sense! so we did it. 

ok at the end of this lesson her kids who are about 20 18 17 somewhere around there were like ..."mom am i baptized? will i be able to live with god again??" another kid... "hold up! so your tellin me that no other church has the proper authority of god on earth..." another "i am concerned and confused how do i know if this is true??" IT WAS SO COOL never have i taught the restoration in my entire mission where the people i was teaching just understood exactly what i was trying to tell them. Im gonna teach goob this before he peaces out cuz ITS AMAZING seriously. they want to learn more about the church asked if your church had a website and all that we invited them to come to church so this sunday exciting things will happen lol 

anyway LOVE YOU!!! have a good week :)

Soeur Winter's email:

 this sunday there was a group of 6 americans at church hahah they were on a cruise these super cute old people and they said well we had one day here and we needed to come to church so they did!!! Me and soeur driggs translated all of church for them IT WAS THE COOLEST EXPERIANCE EVER!!!! I LOVE TRANSLATING!!!!!! hahahhahahaha yaya it was super fun and it really made me reflect on the progress that i have made in french!!! its wicked awesome!!!!

   we also have a couple other families that we are teaching please keep them in your prayers!!! its luke and ariel, erick and sandrine, donald and his wife, virgina and her sons!!!!!!!!!!!! I LOVE FAMILIES!!!! this gospel is perfect for indivuals and for families!! also i couldnt be more happy to be spending this transfer with soeur driggs shes amazing and its like I HAVE ALYSA HERE WITH ME!!! she is my constant support with the lord and she is just a stellar missionary i love her so much and we both just want to work really hard and follow the spirit for everything we have prayed so much this transfer its been such a blessing I LOVE HER!!!!

BIRTHDAYSSSSS!!!! happy birthday to me and elder ikiaha  Soeur Winter

"Ready to take over the World" - week 45

(written Feb. 8, 2016)

This week was so good!! we did have a training meeting this week... Walked out of that just feeling ready to take over the world lol it was so good though. We talked a lot about the meaning and importance of repentance. And being able to use the atonement. They invited us all to repent and to study the atonement. I have been really studying the importance of repentance this past week and how important it is to continually repent and as i focused on it this week i found things i needed to change that arent awful things but just the little stuff and ive already seen a huge difference. Its been something as simple as changing my thoughts. well trying to anyway. Prayer plays a huge role in that lol

We did an exchange this week too!! we did an exchange with sœur hyde and sœur cruz i hung out with sœur cruz for a day and wow we saw so many miracles. Sœur cruz just got out a transfer ago and she has such a powerful testimony. We had the opportunity to teach a less active member that has refused to see the missionaries for at least a year. It was incrediable!! He was so kind and we talked about faith in christ and repentance lol just loving repentance right now but it was so good!! he invited us to come back and help him garden.

IM SO EXCITED YOU ALL GOT TO GO TO THE TEMPLE!!! Is it just beautiful?? looks like you photo shopped it lol we actuyally met just this past week a man who did the same thing leah is doing he stayed with a lds family from park city. He said he never read in the book of mormon and doesnt really believe in god but he said he was interested to read it! So he said he started and were so excited for him!!! i hope that made sense? lol anyway love you!!!

have a good week :)

sœur driggs

MOM  everyone now wants you to write them because you email winter and saw banks and met coveys mom lol its just supper funny

Souer Winter's email:

this week on tuesday it was crepes day so everyone eats crepes hahaha so me and soeur driggs got them and contacted EVERYONE waiting in line it was very successful actually hahahah and pretty funny!! then we ate these amazing crepes!!

  well besides that carnival started this week so pretty just dress up and parade around and party just for a striaght 5 days hahah everyone is very friendly hahah its rather funny!

  We had an exchange with the bellevue sisters and saw a huge miracle because of it!!!! there is this family here the plutons and the wife is super active she comes out and teaches with us and everything its wonderful!!! the husband brother pluton is not active and hasnt been for a very long time and i have never even seen him because he wont come down and talk to anyone. He during the exchange we made hime cookies and soeur driggs and soeur cruz were able to visit him!!! it was a huge miracle!!!!! also we met someone who had been fasting to find an answer to what she must do to help her son!!! we were able to contact her and get a return appointment! 

  we had a bunch of opportunities to give service to the members of the branch and then talk to them about us teaching their friends and we have a few members who are working diligently to find people for us to teach its so AWESOME!!! never underestimate the power of service and fasting and praying often!!!! i love this work so much we just had so many opportunities to reach out and uplift and teach people this week it was wonderful also we had ariel and luc and church sunday this is her first time they are a married couple with a mentally handicap daughter of 22 years old! please keep them in your prayers!!!! 

  in the lesson with them we had a few days before i had this overwhelming impression to tell her that the answer to her question would be found at church if she will come this sunday, as i told her this with tear in her eyes and mine i expressed how much the lord loves her she agreed to come to church it was hard she said because she had to really reflect on her life and all that she had done and all she had to change she only stayed for one hour but finally after months of teaching her husband shes taking the lessons and came to church it was HUGE!! next week she said shes coming agian!!! 

i love you all and hope you have a great week!! please keep all the sister in this mission in your prayers there is soeur driggs, hyde, cruz, gomez, jacobsen, hoover, snow, covey, hannigan, needs and myself! please pray for their well being and the success in their areas!! i love you all!!! have a great week!

Exchanges - WE'RE SO EXCITED!! - week 44

(written Feb. 1, 2016)

NO WAYYY hahaha thats the best thing ive ever heard im totally going to tell her that (I told Casey i finished Souer Winter's bday present and mailed it off) :) thats so exciting!! and all the sisters will come to our area to do the exchanges WERE SO EXCITED!! this week has been so good!!! annnnd a little crazy transfers last like a week well just until wendesday with all the flights and everything. Its been really good.

ohhh i would love to go with colette to the temple but she says shes going in july to do baptisms i wont be home by then but next year when she goes through that would be awesome!! and frere drapin is going to work to go to the temple again as well!! its been so cool working with the two of them :) and then this week we taught a little family but they're married!! that never happens lol it was really cool we taught them plan of happiness and they just loved it loved the idea to be together for forever. Were going to work more with them this week. :)

anyway mom this transfer soeur winter and i decided to work of faith!! so you get to as well :) im so excited already learning so much about it!! what the cool thing is is when we ask heavenly father to help us grow our faith he doesnt just give us mightier faith but he gives us experiences that grow our faith or hope or whatever we want to work on. therefore i am stoked for this transfer lol anyway love you!! have a good week:)

soeur driggs

oh!! could you send more energy packets soeur winter and i are going to need a few more were planning some monster weeks.. its gonna be good:)

 im so excited you got to see soeur banks annd everyone else! thats awesome :) anyway love you!! have a good week bisous

MTC Companions Reunited!! - week 43

(written January 25, 2016)

MOM!!! so i am staying in Ducos Soeur Winter will be my new companion!!! and we are called to be sister training leaders. I am going to be honest i never thought of myself to be a leader. I have a feeling i will learn a lot this transfer. :)

OH MY GOODNESS I'm so excited for soeur hannigan and soeur covey thats so awesome i herd a little about the family they began teaching but didn't know they got baptized already :) thats so rad!! 

i am excited for Goob and dad it'll be such a fun trip!! can't wait to hear the stories too lol 

transfers!! soeur jacobsen is going to french Guyana and im staying here with soeur winter :) 

this week was so good!! we have been trying to teach this Haitian family this past week and using all the Haitian creole i know which is no very much and then members who basically just teach the lessons lol but they are so cute!! its been fun getting to know them kettia loves cooking and says we need to learn how to cook like her lol in our first contact with her she actually taught us how to make rice and half way through talking to us she threw her hands up and said "i love you" in english it was so cute. We've been teaching her and her brother and her kids her mom lives in Dominica! so she learned a little english. 

colette this week is doing so well!! she gave the lesson in relief society this past sunday about how faith is a choice and doesn't happen by coincidence. It was so good!! i was so excited for her and she's coming teaching with us this week. She is so amazing i love her so much!! and then frere drapin came to church again he met with the president of the branch and is going to work on going to the temple next year. It was a really good week :) 

it has been the best thing to be here. I truly admire the people here and their desire to follow Christ i have found a love for them i didn't know existed. I hope you have a good week!! 

love you!! :) 

soeur driggs 

....ill send pictures next week! 

Email from Casey's new comp:

wow so this week was so amazing!! we have been struggling with getting people to church aka no one has come for the first 5 week of the transfer, wow that was rough hahha but then after much prayer fasting many lessons we had 5 people at church!!!!!!!!! yes 5 in one sunday after 5 weeks of no one!! can you say miracle!!! it brought tears to my eyes to see that after a transfer of really hard work lots of walking and contacting non stop and finally we have investagtors we have people coming to church we have people who want to know if this is true we have people who are willing to act to find out the truth for them selves!!! We also finally had a member lesson!! This is something to important to this work honestly nothing happens in this work if the members arent a part of it especially here because we are just americans so we dont understand all their culture but when members from here come out and work with us they see that it isnt just an american church but it is the church of our heavenly father! There is a member here who told me this sunday i have made a new years resolution to work with the missionaries at least once a week! I thought this was such a beautiful goal and i love it so much i would encourage each one of you to do the same find the missionaires in your ward or branch and work with them!! This work can not move forward with out the help of the members! The lords way is through members and missionaries together lets do this work the LORDS WAY! I saw in the member lesson that we had it was alot easier for judes to come to church because he now had people there he knew! Please work with the missionaries help the lords work move forward how it should!!!!! we had at church judes, matthew, marie helen, robert and thier granddaughter! Miracles happen when members are involved! Are you doing all you can help the lords work move forward? Are we as members being missionaries as well? Are we as members all trying to be the light around our friends, neighbors, our coworkers, or anyone? Are we as members also prepared to give them an anwser of why we are so happy? if the answer is yes then keep working keep being this example of the belivers! if no talk to the missionaries in your ward and ask how you can do this! I would encourage each one of you to work with your missionaries atleast once a week and you will see a difference in yourself and in your wards!!

  So transfer news hahah I thought i would be staying here with soeur cruz to finish her training but then i got transfer calls and soeur hyde is coming here from gyane to finish the trainign of soeur cruz and me :) well after being in trainign or training someone for my whole mission and having 4 hours of studys i am being transfer, im staying on martinique im GOING TO BE WITH SOEUR DRIGGS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! yay im so happy i cant even explain how i feel ahhhhhhhh yayayyayayay finally i get to be with her!!! She is a steller missionary and just so filled with the spirit and love of missionary work yayay we are going to be togteher and be the two sister training leaders for the french side sisters!!! im so excited i feel a little inadequate to be a sister training leader but the lord has put his trust in me so im going to put my trust in his and do all i can to help these sister progress and become the daughters of god that we are:) Im excited to go do work in docus but i will miss being on foot walking everywhere all day everyday! hahah i will miss that dearly i think we are just gonna do walking days me and soeur driggs hahha just cause im gonna miss it hahah im excited for this week and for what will happen i love you all and thank you for all your prayers and your kind words that help me every week i love you all!!

avec amour

soeur winter