The Grand Finale

Frozen Yogurt with Ola

Sister Ogletree, Conrow, and Jones- the infamous trio!

Cutie Sisters

Sister Conrow, Mendez, Payne, Sibbett, Kavea

Sister Liberty?

I never thought I would have to write a final email... It is a sad day in Liberty, Missouri for Sister Conrow.

Our Last District Meeting

This has become my home, the people around me have become my family, M.I.M is my place, and the Savior has become my core.The land of Missouri will forever be sacred ground to me. A piece of my heart has been so carefully removed and embedded here. And I will never reclaim it. You know, you think serving a mission is a sacrifice, but I will never be able to repay my Heavenly Father for all of the blessings, experiences, and miracles I have seen out here. Just today, I found out that a young man who wasn't planning on serving a mission, whom I talked to and shared my testimony to about serving, will now be serving in New Zealand shortly.

We're dying!

I also found out that the father of a less active family I worked so closely with in Independence 1st ward, is now getting baptized in December. Then I was told that Fausto- from Independence 3rd ward- has the priesthood and is working towards going to the temple. The miracles go on and on. It just doesn't get any better than this! To be honest, I don't know how I can even sum up how I am feeling at this very moment in a simple email.

SERVING A MISSION IS THE BEST DECISION I HAVE EVER MADE IN MY LIFE.

Sister Lisonbee, Kavea, and Conrow- all going home

I have been able to help others change in so many ways, but through that process of changing others, Christ has changed me.

I want to share my testimony with all of you- I want you to know that I know, without a shadow of a doubt, that Christ lives. He loves me, He knows me, and through his Redeeming love, I can do all things.

Sister Conrow with Madiha and Tariq

I know that through the Prophet Joseph Smith, the same exact church that Christ established when he was here personally upon the earth was Restored in these latter days. I know that Joseph Smith was chosen by the Lord to bring forth this great work. I know that the Book of Mormon is true. It is convincing evidence of the Prophet. "No man with a 3rd grade education could write that book, and no good man would."

Steak Dinner with the Freestone's

It is of God and the great prophet Isaiah himself prophesied of the coming forth of the Book of Mormon. Those who know the Bible will know that the Book of Mormon is true. It was saved for these latter days to testify with the Bible of our living Savior. Because of the Book of Mormon I have come to know who my Savior is to me, and I have learned of my purpose in this life. It is a sacred book. And I will never let a day go by that I do not read from its pages and commune with my Heavenly Father. I know that we have a living prophet here on the earth today. His name is Thomas S. Monson, and he is called of God just as all the other prophets before him were. God is the same yesterday, today, and forever. He does not change or vary from the things which He hath said. I know that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints is truly Christ's church here upon the earth. It contains the fullness of His gospel. And because of this sacred privilege of serving, I can tell all of you that this is true and you cannot dispute it because it is MY testimony.

Sister Conrow and Aussie Sista K

I have become converted to His gospel, and will spend the rest of my days serving the Master in whatever capacity that I can. This is "His work and His glory, to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man." 

Goodbye my beloved Missouri. Oh how I will miss you.
Love, for the last time, Hermana Conrow

Just waitin' around at the Mission Office

At the Mission Office- going home

Us sistas at Adam-Ondi-Ahman

Sittin at Adam-Ondi-Ahman

All of us going home at A.O.A.

Where Does All The Time Go

I feel like I have lots of thoughts today so sorry if this email is a mass mush of things....

 

Learning never ends! Not even at the end of your mission! I still feel like a new missionary. Often times I wonder if I've even changed at all because I still have SO MUCH to learn about the simplest truths that we teach every single day! It always amazes me how much the Lord continues to reveal to us. Learning really is an eternal thing. Just when we think we know something, the Lord humbles us and shows us that there is more to know.

 

On my mission I have found out that I love to learn, I love to seek knowledge. I love learning about what past Prophets and Apostles have said. They are so full of insight! I feel like I just can't get enough of the scriptures or Preach My Gospel. My companions tease me because I carry my PMG with me everywhere I go. But it's because just in case someone says something inspiring, or meaningful, I want to write it down so I don't forget it! The scriptures teach us the importance of keeping a record, so why not do it? I have to admit, I haven't been the best at keeping a journal my entire mission- but I have made it my goal to do all I can to at least write something down for the day to trigger memories.

 

Ok so last Thursday we had a pumpkin carving contest with all the sisters and senior couples. It was soooo much fun! Sister Jones and I teamed up and carved a baptism symbol into our pumpkin with M.I.M carved at the top. (Ya, that's when you know you've been a missionary too long.) The other sisters did some pretty funny stuff. It was a good time. I love serving at the Liberty Jail because you get so close to all the senior couples and the sisters you live with. Sister Ogletree and I are the "house party planners." And so every Saturday night, after planning, we've been gathering with all 8 sisters in the house and playing fun get to know you games and eating lots of junk food. It's been really cool to get to know the sisters on a different level and hear about their funny stories and experiences. Haha plus, Sister Ogletree is as fun as they come, and so she's always full of these creative, hilarious ideas to get to know the sisters. I love it. It doesn't get any better than this! I feel like I have made so many lifetime friends on the mish.

 

Yesterday we were able to teach our investigator Eric, that we found outside last week. He is just the nicest guy! We brought a member from our ward with us- and he was awesome! To be honest we were a little worried how it would go because when we studied for Eric, things did not go smoothly. Being in a trio has its difficulties. It can be hard to know how to balance a lesson with 3 people. But once again, the Lord worked through us and it was such a powerful lesson. As we taught him about prophets, I kept feeling like I really needed to ask him if he knew what the role of a prophet was, so I did. Turns out- he had no idea why they were so important and so we were able to explain to him that they are vital to Christ's true gospel. Maybe you're thinking that's really not that big of a deal- but I just had this "ah hah" moment because the spirit totally put that question into my mind. I hadn't even thought about asking that question as we prepared to teach Eric. It's just so evident to me that God loves Eric as an individual- so much so that he would inspire me to ask that question so we could teach him with more clarity. And another great thing that happened was the things our member shared about himself- we found out he was a convert to the church and he was able to share his own testimony of how he knew the Church was true. It was just.. the best! Members are so powerful. I don't think we, as members of the church, realize the great work that we have to proclaim the gospel. Missionaries are wonderful of course, but we can be so intimidating to people because of our name tag- but members bring a sense of reality to the lessons. They are meant to be there every single lesson so each investigator has an automatic friend and someone they can turn to outside of a missionary!

 

So I received great news in the mail the other day- thanks to my sweet Sister Graff and Sister Dodd's help- I will be flying back to Missouri on December 1 for Ola's baptism that night! I AM SOOOOO EXCITED! I was really worried I wasn't going to be able to attend his baptism but now I will be! It'll be weird to go back and not be a missionary, but I'm just happy that I'll still get to be there. We have worked so much with him and grown so close to him. He is just the greatest and has become such a good friend to all us sisters who have helped teach him and prepare him to be baptized. The fruits of being a missionary are splendid. Even though it takes many negative experiences to see the positive, it's always worth it, just like I said last week. I love this work! I know time is short, but I'm doing all I can to make every second count!

 

Love, Hermana Conrow :)       

 

Our Spirits

The tender mercies of the Lord are always over His work.

 

Seriously, just when I think things aren't going to look up, the Lord always has His way of showing me to keep the faith. Whether a member prepares a super good dessert, or someone is willing to listen to us- I take it as a precious miracle from above. With time dwindling far too quickly, I have felt myself being very reflective on the lessons that I have learned throughout my mission and the lessons I continue to learn. There is always something each and everyday that the spirit shows me I can improve on. It's wonderful- a little overwhelming sometimes, but I'm grateful. It just shows me how much the Savior loves me and desires for me to become even better.. After all- improvement and progression doesn't happen in one day, it's over a long period of learning and overcoming.

 

Something I have been thinking a lot about lately is the powerful spirit we have as missionaries. I think it's because many of the groups I have taken through the Liberty Jail this week have commented on my special spirit. I've really appreciated it because often times I wonder if I have a strong spirit about me as I share my testimony with each and every group. There truly is such a power and authority that is given to us as representatives of the Savior. I LOVE being able to wear his name on my shoulder. I know I say this often, but I have such a profound gratitude for His name to which I hold. A couple days ago I took this group of 3 business men through the jail- and at the end we were sharing our insights on the revelations that the prophet received- each one of the men had something interesting to offer to the conversation but something one of them said really stood out to me. He said, "Joseph Smith chose to give up his freedom.." And I've been thinking about that a lot because of course all of us have been given our agency, but ultimately the Lord gives us everything. Nothing we do is because of us. The only thing we have to give to the Lord is our will. So I believe that what that man was saying by that comment was that Joseph Smith chose to give his complete will over to the Lord. What a task that is. I have found on my mission that giving our will and trusting in the Lord isn't always an easy thing to do, BUT IT IS ALWAYS WORTH IT. Another man in that group said, "Isn't it interesting that one of the revelations the prophet received was about unrighteous dominion- and here he was, locked up in the most horrible prison man could imagine, under false charges by a man who had exercised unrighteous dominion." I bet that brought the Prophet a lot of peace and comfort knowing that whether in this life or the next, all will receive their just reward according to God. Needless to say, it was a really great presentation. In fact, all of the people I take through are wonderful, and they always seem to have such different perspectives on the situation. It's amazing. I know that the spirit works through them to teach me, even though they think they are there to learn from me. Ha it's funny though because one of the guys from that group asked me at the end how much time I had left, and when I mentioned a few weeks he said with his head down, "I am so sad for you... I will go home and continue to be sad for you." Haha.. I was like, "thank you?" No- I know it won't be easy leaving such a precious place with so many tender experiences, but I do know that I am called for the time allotted unto me and "we neither seek position nor resist release." So I will go and do the things which the Lord hath commanded me to do- which is continue to preach His gospel for 2 more weeks! :) I'll take it!

 

I love you all. Continue to read the Book of Mormon, pour out your heart to God, and go to church. I promise that as you do these things, you will have a greater measure of the spirit and find more happiness in your life than ever before because this work is TRUE AND EVERLASTING!

 

Love, Hermana Conrow :)       

It's Great To Be A Missionary In The M.I.M!

Sister Ogletree & me

Ahhh, I feel like I have so much that I want to talk about this week. So many exciting things have happened and just a lot of thoughts have been going through my head!

First off- GLADYS KNIGHT CAME TO OUR MISSION! 

It was so awesome! She came on Saturday night with her choir, they're called- Saints Unified Voices- and they are amazing. Basically this group travels all around to different areas and different missions to share the African-American music, but also to testify boldly of the Restoration and how they came to know that it's true. It seriously is so powerful! I loved every minute of it, and Ola did too. He was singing along and clapping and just going to town. Haha. I was so happy to see him that happy. The whole audience was filled with missionaries, and investigators, and just people who had come to see and hear Gladys. Man, I loved how bold they were with their testimonies. 

Gladys's husband, William McDowell got up and shared how they met and then his personal conversion story, and something that he said really stuck with me. He said, "I had no problem with the Book of Mormon and Joseph Smith, I knew it was true, but I asked the Lord, why did you have to give the gospel to a white boy?" And he said that the Lord gave him this answer, "I didn't give the gospel to a white boy, I gave it to your brother." Ha boom! How awesome is that?! It's so true. 

Then Gladys talked all about how much she loves the missionaries, and she had all of us missionaries stand up so she could pay tribute to us. How cool is that?

 I honestly feel so special to be a missionary, it's just.. such a wonderful time of life. I am so grateful Heavenly Father has given me this time to serve. I feel so honored. I truly am doing the greatest work, and the Lord makes sure to let me know just that. 

I am so thankful to Gladys for all of her efforts in doing missionary work. She probably has no idea how many people and how many lives she touches with her service. This whole event that she puts on all over, with her choir, is all for free. It's her way of doing missionary work and I love it! What better way to testify than through music and a devotional. I seriously lucked out being able to be apart of this! I will never forget all the "amens!" and "uh huh you go girl's" that I heard while I was there. Everyone was singing along and just lovin' on Gladys. It was so great!

Next super exciting thing- Elder David S. Baxter of the first quorum of 70 presided at our stake conference this Sunday. And boy did he have some awesome things to say. He first talked about our testimonies, and how the whole purpose of a testimony is to invite the spirit. He said, "Our testimonies should be short, brief, and powerful. They should be full of doctrine and nothing else. They are not meant to be stories. They do not need to be long and drawn out. They simply are to testify of what we know is true." I loved how he put it, because that's exactly how I feel they should be as well. He said when the Bishops turn the time over to the members of the ward in testimony meetings he said, "They shouldn't say I now turn the time over to you for the remainder of the hour, but that I now turn the time over to the spirit." Everything that he talked about was so simple, and so bold. He talked about all of the wonderful things that our church has done because we love the Savior. And how we ARE a christian church, and those who question can simply look at the fruits of our church and then ask themselves again if we are christian. Man, I'm not really doing it justice how he said it, but it was powerful. Something he also talked a lot about was how we are too hard on ourselves and that we are doing better than we think we are. Haha, I felt like that was just for me. How did he know I needed to hear that. He also talked about the role of a husband and how he needs to tell his wife that he loves her everyday. Because he's from Scotland, he made this joke about how as a Scotsman he is stubborn. He said that he told his wife he loved her the day he married her, and if he changed his mind, he would let her know. Haha, it was pretty funny. It just made me realize how important it is to show love in every way. Verbally is not enough, actions must be involved. I truly believe that the greatest way to show love is by serving. 

Oh yes I forgot, the opening song for the meeting was We'll Bring the World His Truth (which is the song we sang for the Prophet, and I could hardly keep the tears from coming). Also, President Keyes spoke in that conference and he had all of us missionaries in the audience stand up and say the first vision with him. It was the neatest thing. The spirit was so powerful. Anyway, I could go on and on about the stake conference, it was so amazing. I'm really grateful that I was able to be apart of that meeting.

So something I've been working on before I return home is reading the Book of Mormon all the way through again. This past week I have been reading in Helaman about Nephi and how earnestly he tried teaching the wicked people, and no matter what he said or did they kept rejecting him. I couldn't help but relate to that. I'm sure Nephi was so discouraged and frustrated, yet he continued to trust in the Lord.

In Helaman 10:4-5 he says, " 4) Blessed art thou, Nephi, for those things which thou hast done; for I have beheld how thou hast with unwearyingness declared the word, which I have given unto thee, unto this people. And thou hast not feared them, and hast not sought thine own life, but hast sought my will, and to keep my commandments. 5) And now, because thou hast done this with such unwearyingness, behold, I will bless thee forever; and I will make thee mighty in word and in deed, in faith and in works; yea, even that all things shall be done unto thee according to thy word, for thou shalt not ask that which is contrary to my will.

I know that what the Lord says here is true. I know that if I continue being faithful and doing all I can to share His gospel, that none of my efforst will be wasted. Even to people like this lady we met the other day who kept telling us what we believed even though it's not even in our doctrine. All she wanted to do was argue and tell us how we were wrong. And all we wanted to do was show her how there is more truth that she can treasure and more happiness that awaits her. The gospel is simple and it is true. Those who want things to be complicated will not see the goodness of the gospel, and those who desire simplicity- will see the truth. I love being a missionary, even when its hard, even when it's discouraging. At least I know I represent the Savior, and who better than He to walk beside you.

Love, Hermana Conrow :)   

My Heroes

GENERAL CONFERENCE WAS THE BEST!!!!! Truly the Prophet and his apostles are some of my greatest heroes.

I cannot believe that young men can now go at 18, and young women 19! That was just the craziest thing! I hope all of my little cousins getting close to that age are super excited, because I'm way excited for them! Part of me wishes I was 19 so I could go all over again! What a monumental change that will bless the entire world. I am so excited for all of the new missionaries that will now serve because of this.

I seriously loved every minute of General Conference. I felt like it was Christmas morning for me to hear from the Prophet and his Apostles. I felt like there were a lot of shout outs to my mission! President Monson talked about the jumbo tron that broke right before the cultural celebration, and then President Eyring spoke about the Liberty Jail as I was sitting in the very place listening to him bring it up, and then Elder Oaks told a story (from which he quoted from Elder Holland) about the cop who was in the home where the 5 kids were huddled on the floor. Well that man he was talking about is a guy in my ward! Brother Freestone- who is the man! Seriously. He and his wife are so amazing. I love them so much!

Here is a bit from Elder Hollands talk-

"Here is my third example: While participating in the dedication of the Kansas City Missouri Temple just a few months ago, Sister Holland and I were hosted by Brother Isaac Freestone, a police officer by profession and a wonderful high priest in the Liberty Missouri Stake. In our conversations he told us that late one evening he was called to investigate a complaint in a particularly rough part of the city. Over the roar of loud music and with the smell of marijuana in the air, he found one woman and several men drinking and profaning, all of them apparently totally oblivious of the five little children—aged about two through eight years of age—huddled together in one room, trying to sleep on a filthy floor with no bed, no mattress, no pillows, no anything. Brother Freestone looked in the kitchen cupboards and in the refrigerator to see if he could find a single can or carton or box of food of any kind—but he literally could find nothing. He said the dog barking in the backyard had more food than those children did.

In the mother’s bedroom he found a bare mattress, the only one in the house. He hunted until he found some sheets (if you could call them that), put them on the mattress, and tucked all five children into the makeshift bed. With tears in his eyes he then knelt down, offered a prayer to Heavenly Father for their protection, and said good night.

As he arose and walked toward the door, one of the children, about age six, jumped out of bed, ran to him, grabbed him by the hand, and pled, “Will you please adopt me?” With more tears in his eyes, he put the child back in bed, then found the stoned mother (the men had long since fled) and said to her: “I will be back tomorrow, and heaven help you if some changes are not evident by the time I walk in this door. And there will be more changes after that. You have my word on it.”

"If we don’t take gospel blessings to our communities and our countries, the simple fact of the matter is we will never have enough policemen—there will never be enough Isaac Freestones—to enforce moral behavior even if it were enforceable. And it isn’t."

That just tells you what kind of man Brother Freestone is. But yet, he is so humble and you would never know that Elder Holland had stayed in his home.

Anyway- back to conference! My particular favorites were from President Uchtdorf, Eyring, and Elder Bednar. And then I loved Elder Nelson's when he said, "Ask the missionaries.." Ola actually texted us after conference was over and said, "Ask the missionaries.." Haha, apparently he really liked that too! He's so great.

This week I have been thinking a lot about service, and how much I love to serve. It makes me sad when we go into some of our memeber's homes or investigators and they won't let us serve them.. It's like I have to beg them. Haha. In Independence many people were more than willing to accept service. I never realized how much I loved serving until I couldn't do it for someone almost everyday. I mean, of course there are the little things I try to do for those around me, and missionary service in general, but it's just not the same as being able to constantly serve the members. It makes me really grateful for the times when I do get to serve. Anyway.. random thoughts..

Well things are going spendidly in our little trio. I love Sis Ogletree- she is hilarious! It is a good thing we have Sis Jones to calm us down sometimes because we are always laughing. She is such a hard worker! And you'd never guess she is a new missionary. The 3 of us all get along so well. This time is slipping from my hands, and I cannot call it back. I want all of you to know how much I love this gospel. Not only do I have a testimony of its truthfulness, but I am converted to the Lord and His work, and I will continue to strive to be converted to it. I know that it is the little things that keep you on the straight and narrow path. How do people fall so easily? It is when they forget to do the small and simple things, as Alma has said. Church, Pray, Read. C.P.R. Those things are the breadth of life. I love the M.I.M. I am so thankful I still have a month to serve in this glorious place! I love you all!

Love, Hermana Conrow  

The Tremendous Trio

That's right, transfers came and went and I am now in a tremendous trio! Seriously.

My new companions are Sister Ogletree from Dallas, TX (yes, thee Ogletree- sister to Brandon Ogletree -who is famous on the BYU football team) and Sister Jones again! (yes, my sweet little Jonesie that I served with last winter!) Honestly, I love it to death. I was very worried about being in a trio with Sister Jones and a new missionary, Sister Ogletree, but things are working out splendidly! Our house is quite the full house! We have 3 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms with 8 sisters in total living there! But somehow, we have managed and the Lord has provided us a way to all live together in harmony. Haha. It's been so fun having a new missionary around- I forgot how exciting every little detail of missionary work is when you're fresh from the MTC. It has really helped me a lot to remember those feelings, but also to keep going with only 5 weeks left in the field. It's amazing how after we've been out for awhile we can get stuck into a little routine or slack off a little bit.. But with Sister Jones whippin' me into shape again, and Sister Ogletree having me help her memorize the lessons and history, I'm learning all over again, and it's great!

The Lord truly does work in mysterious ways... I feel like with the companions I have now, I am being reminded of what I need to be better at, and I feel as though he's refining me just a little bit more, so I can be that much more polished when I return home. Even though I still feel like I'm in the middle of my mission, I know that time is running short and the Lord expects me to finish strong- which I will. It's also amazing to me how much Satan works on you when you are getting close to the end. He makes you feel like, "You can't do this, you're tired, what's 6 weeks anyway? You don't need to do that, it doesn't matter...." and la-dee-daa... But I will NOT let him win! I want to show my Heavenly Father that I am committed to His work, and that I will not let up or give in, or slow down. I know that as we are obedient, even when it's hard, we are ALWAYS blessed and our testimony is strengthened in the Savior.

This week, before Sister Graff went home, Ola took us and some members out to dinner. It was so much fun! After we finished eating he said, "Everyone, I have something to tell you.." and then he looked at Sister Graff and said, "No Sister Graff, I am not going to say what you think I am going to say- I am NOT getting married.." hahaha. Then he said, "I have decided on December 1st of this year, that is when I will be baptized." Ahh it was like music to our ears.. We have been working with him all transfer to set a date with him, and not because he hasn't wanted to, his schedule of being a NICU Dr has not allowed him to. Anywho, needless to say it was a glorious evening! After he told us the date, I was a little sad that I wouldn't be there, but then he said, "Sisters I want you to be there, you have changed my life and have helped me so much..." and I said, "I will certainly try, but I do not know if my finances will allow it." Then he and our member both looked at me and said, "Sister, do not worry- we will do whatever we can to help you get out here." So now, Sister Graff, Sister Dodd, and I are all planning on somehow flying out to Missouri in December for his baptism. I wouldn't miss it for the world. This man is amazing and I feel so honored to be apart of his conversion story. It was a great ending to Sister Graff's mission, we agreed. Ola was sure to tell her that he did not want her to leave feeling like she did not accomplish something in this area. (Which I think was something we both needed to hear because we have been a little discouraged with the lack of receptive people.) Ola, is just the man! He is so genuine, humble and kind. Something that is common in our friends from Africa. They have such big hearts. I am so excited for him, and excited to continue to work with him.

Time to say goodbye

The rest of this past week was spent saying goodbye to my best friend Sister Graff, picking up my new companions, making things fit into our tiny home, and teaching our current investigators.. I might add that one perk of having Sister Ogletree as our companion is that all the men in our ward who love BYU football, and especially Brandon Ogletree, have made sure their wives have signed up to feed us! Sunday we had a full dinner calendar for the month! Haha, yay for having a somewhat famous companion- who is exceptionally great herself! I'm really excited for this new and last transfer ahead. I know the Lord has great things in store for us- Shoal Creek Valley better be ready!

I love you all very much!

Love, Hermana Conrow :)     

The Lord Will Provide

Holy Cow! TRANSFERS are this week :( I cannot believe I will be starting my very last transfer as a missionary this Thursday. I'm quite sad that my Sister Graff will be leaving me, but all is well- we will be eternal friends. Haha. I have loved every minute of serving with her. She has taught me more than I can say! I will most likely be serving in a trio companionship because of the number of sisters coming in this transfer.. Our little house of 6 sisters with 2 bathrooms will soon be a house of 8 sisters with 2 bathrooms.. Haha. Gotta love it!  

I'm trying to endure to the end with my emails because I'm really tired of typing so much so I will do my best to make this email detailed and eventful.

Regardless of my lazy attitude... many things have happened this week! Lots of miracles all around..

Sunday we received a referral of this man who took himself to church. Haha, apparently he has friends who are members of the church, and he actually went through the temple open house and his friends have been telling him for awhile now to check it out.. so Sunday he decided that he would look up a place and time and went all by himself.. The sisters in that ward found him and started talking to him and he said, "Ya, I would love to learn more my wife and I are looking for a stable church to attend.." So, we contacted him the next day and set up a time to meet with him later that week. Well Thursday was the day we had planned to meet with him and we decided that we would take him through the church that he would be attending (aka in his ward boundaries). I have to admit, I was pretty nervous to meet with him because we hadn't met him yet.. So I went into a room and prayed for a miracle. I prayed that we would be able to say the right thing at the right time, and that he would see the need to be baptized. Little did I know that the Lord would answer my prayer for a miracle so quickly. It was the most amazing appointment ever. He shows up, his name is Eric, and he is SUPER friendly! Apparently he knew one of the ladies in the church that was setting up for a wedding reception that day. Ha, what are the odds?! Then, right off the bat he talked about his experience on Sunday and said how awesome he felt the minute he walked through the doors. He told us over and over again how welcomed and loved he felt by all the brethren. It was a great start to our appointment! We taught him all about the Restoration of the Gospel and he was like, "Ya, that totally makes sense that the authority was gone from the earth.." We then talked about baptism and how important it is because that is the way we come closer to Christ, and when we invited him he said, "Yes. This is right," and set to be baptized on October 12. Ahh man he is just soo prepared for the gospel.. When we showed him the chapel and talked about the sacrament, I knew he felt the spirit. He told us that he has been researching the church and found out about the Word of Wisdom and said, "At first I didn't know how I felt about giving up coffee and alcohol, but now it's not a big deal to me and I'll start now to stay away from those things.." Ha how cool is that? He's already committed to living that law which is SO hard for so many people to do! Basically, this guy is legit.. and ready to make covenants. I love when people like this come into the gospel- they make such great members and do so much for the Lord because they want to! When we called him the next day to check up on his Book of Mormon reading he said he had already been reading and was planning on reading more that night. It was like music to my ears. Sadly, he had to go out of town this week so he wasn't able to come to church, but he's very excited to meet with us when he comes back. The Lord truly does answer our prayers... and he blesses those who strive to do what he asks.. even if it's not in the way that we thought it would be answered.

Ok also this week, Sister Graff and I had a pretty neat experience. We were able to go to a Catholic Bible study group. I guess a lady in our ward is friends with the head of the study group. Anyway, one day they were talking about "Mormons" and decided they would just invite the Mormons themselves to help them understand our religion and clear up some misconceptions they had.. So the lady in our ward asked if we could come and they said sure! To be honest, I had no idea what to expect- but I figured they had to be pretty nice if they were willing to allow us into their church to teach about our church. Sure enough, they were very sweet and very respectful.. They had a lot of good questions.. but as I was answering all of their questions I just kept thinking, "all of this information doesn't mean a whole lot if you don't take it to Heavenly Father and ask for yourself.. the spirit is the one who confirms truth, and that spirit comes as we seek for it.." But I know that this wasn't necessarily a teaching appointment, it was merely an opportunity for these people to gain a better understanding of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, and in the process I was able to learn A LOT about their religion too. It was a really cool experience. It made me appreciate the truths that I treasure and appreciate the freedom of religion that we enjoy in this country. I really loved talking with those people, and I was so grateful to them for letting us in to learn more about them.

So I realized that I haven't been writing a lot about the Liberty Jail, so I will do better at telling you about it. Basically, it's the best. And I am thrilled every day to be serving there. I have already had so many special and tender experiences. It just doesn't get any better than serving at a place where the Prophet Joseph Smith himself endured so much and received such sacred revelations. I love taking people through who have powerfully insightful comments. I learn so much more from them than I'm sure they do from me. Their testimonies of the gospel always amaze me and I feel like I gain such great relationships with them because of the spirit that is there as we talk with one another. Just recently I took a girl through who was actually in my college ward before the mission for like 2 months... And from the minute she walked in the door, to the very end, the spirit kept telling me to talk about her serving a mission.. And then before I could say anything, she said, "I started my mission papers last October but never put them in because of this and this..." and then I knew at that point that those feelings I was having were real.. It was sooooo cool! So we started talking about missions for the next 30 minutes and I felt very grateful that I was able to help her a little bit more on making such an important decision to serve. Its things like that, that make me just so thankful to be serving in a Visitor Center..

Oh ok, one more thing.. I found out last week that I took some guy through the Visitors Center in Independence that was a reporter from St. Louis and he quoted me and the other sister I was with in his newspaper article.. ha funny.. Never thought I would be quoted in a newspaper as a missionary.. Anyway, I hope this email was more sufficient and fulfilling compared to last weeks email.. haha.

I love all of you very much! Don't get too trunky for me ;) 

Love, Hermana Conrow   

So Short!

Well.........I am pretty much out of time!

This week we found a family from Kenya and so we're pretty excited to start teaching them. We also found out that Gladys Knight is coming to our mission to do some performances and bear her testimony of how she came to know the Church is true on October 13. We're pretty stoked to take our investigators.

I love being a missionary. I'm sad that the days are dwindling fast :( but esta bien! I WILL KEEP MOVING FORWARD!

Love Hermana Conrow

Thanks Be To God

I'm not feeling too good today, I finally caught the fever bug that's going around here so I'm sorry if this email is kind of lame, but I will try my best to tell you all about how great this past week has been for me!

My last zone conference

Sis Graff, me, Brother and Sister Adams

First off, a few weeks ago I had my last Zone Conference as a missionary, which is always a depressing time... No one wants to get up their and bear their testimony because then it makes a reality that you really are an old timer in the mission and have to go home soon... Anyway, zc was all about the Book of Mormon and how we really need to gain a deeper testimony of it and testify about it to all those that we meet. So Sister Graff and I have really taken the initiative to read the Book of Mormon all the way through by the end of the transfer. It's been quite the task, but I have loved every minute of it. I've noticed that since I've made this concentrated effort to really read from it, I feel the spirit so much more, I'm happier, and most of all I feel like I have so much more gratitude. So much so that words cannot even express to you how thankful I feel to be serving and to be in this area. There's a great scripture in Mosiah 4:19-20 that talk exactly about how I'm feeling. You should read it. Ah I just love it! The Book of Mormon has strengthened me through the challenges that have come from serving in a very affluent area.

This week we were able to meet with Ola, our sweet investigator from Africa who is a NICU Dr. We had the most amazing lesson with him and he is now getting baptized in November. Even though I secretly hope it's before I leave, I'm Ok with whenever, just as long as he is getting baptized. That's all that's important! Then, last night- after we had been out all day and hadn't had any success, we met with Missy (the lady we found last week) and we taught her about how the gospel has been restored to the earth and shared more with her about the Book of Mormon. Missy has just been so prepared for the gospel. She already has a solid testimony of the power of prayer and a love for Jesus Christ. The spirit was so powerful, especially as Sister Graff and I sang, "I Believe in Christ" before we left. We love singing for people. It's such a great way to bring the spirit quickly. We were also able to meet with another lady this week, Wesley... we just knocked on her door and she stepped outside and was more than happy to talk to us. She told us about how she belongs to the Catholic church but doesn't really agree with everything and doesn't know what to teach her daughter. It was so neat because we had a member from our ward with us, and she was able to help Wesley see how the church has strengthened her family and her children. I love the members! They really are so great, and we cannot do this work without them!  

Kansas City Temple

So even though all those things I just wrote about were amazing, the most amazing event of this entire week was Saturday-

Saturday, Sister Graff and I were able to go to the KANSAS CITY TEMPLE!!!!!! We actually got to go inside to do a session. It has been over a year since the last time I went inside a temple. Once again, words cannot express the joy, love, peace, happiness, and gratitude I felt as she and I sat in the celestial room. We stayed in there for probably a good hour just feeling the spirit, reading the scriptures, and pouring out our hearts to the Lord for allowing us to be there. Such a tender mercy after all the challenges we've been facing these past couple weeks. Well, it gets better. After we left the celestial room, a worker in the temple came up to us and asked if we would help with some sealings.. so of course we said yes. So we walk in the doors, and low and behold, the sealer was a man from Independence 3rd ward (where sis Graff and I have both served) so he knew our names and welcomed us into the room. Then, I looked around and the couple who were doing the sealings were the Cashins! A family I served around in Platte City. It was just too good to be true!!!!!! There is no coincidence though, I knew we were supposed to be there. Needless to say, that was a very, very special experience for me to be able to be apart of that. After we finished the sealings, we went to the baptistry where we met my sweet little recent convert, Beth. I felt like a proud mom again, as I watched her be baptized for those who have passed on. One of the workers that was helping us in the baptistry was from the Dominican Republic and so it reminded me of Fausto and all the cool experiences I had in Indy 3rd ward. I love that culture and those people so much! Then as we were walking back to change, we ran into one of the temple matron assistants and she allowed us to see the bride's room! It was so BEAUTIFUL! Sister Graff and I felt like little girls, we were so excited to see it haha. It was just such a sweet, tender experience all around. We got to spend a good 5 hours inside the temple and it couldn't have been any better. When we finished at the temple, we were able to go to lunch with Beth and just sit and talk. I just love her so much! I can't wait for all of you to meet her.

Beth and I in front of the Temple

Sister Graff, me and sweet Beth!

Life is good, life is great, and it's even better when you're a missionary! Love your guts!

Love, Hermana Conrow :)   

The 11th Hour!

So this week was definitely a continuation of the test of my faith. It was HARD. Ha I will be honest. We could not find anyone that wanted to listen to us, or had time to meet with us. It was just like, "come on, really? You don't have time for Jesus?" Sometimes, I just don't understand. But I know that the Lord has a plan for all things.

This weekend, was our miracle weekend. Saturday morning we received a referral of this lady who had come into the Visitor's Center in Indy and was interested in learning more. We haven't been able to contact her yet, but we're excited to meet her. Then a couple hours later, while I was serving at the Jail, this man called from Kansas and told me about how he met this lady on the plane the other night and he invited her to come to church. I won't lie, in my head I was thinking, "ya, I don't know if she'll actually show up, but sweet." I know, such little faith right. Well then, he went on to tell me how spiritual their conversation was and how sincere she was about wanting to come to church because she hadn't been to church in 7 years. He said that she was from Argentina and didn't seem to know a whole lot of English (which scared me because my Spanish has been dropping since we haven't been teaching in Spanish). Long story short, she texted him again Saturday and told him that she was planning on coming to church. So we're thrilled to death. Then we go out into our area that night, and all night we had no luck! So we're sitting in our car at 8:30, have to be home soon, and we see these 2 ladies sitting outside talking so I turned to Sister Graff and said, "Let's go talk to them.." With a little hesitation, she agreed. Boy was I so glad we talked to them! Turns out one of the ladies, Missy, had gone to the temple open house in April, and LOVED it! She said how good she felt and how symbolic everything was and how much she loved it. We started teaching her about the Book of Mormon and how it came to be and how it can change her life, and she said- "Oh my goodness, I would love a copy!" So now we have a return appointment with her and are so excited to start teaching her more!

 THEN- on Sunday morning we're waiting anxiously for this lady, Lorena (the one from Argentina) to show up, and 9:00 comes around and nothing.. So I checked our phone, and low and behold she was calling the minute I looked, so we got out into the foyer and she tells us she's on her way. I was so shocked, I couldn't believe she was actually coming. Well when she walked in the doors, she was with her boyfriend, and their 2 kids! So now we have a whole family at church, and they were just the nicest people! After sacrament was over, the boyfriend said, "I have a few questions for you girls.." So we start talking to him and he tells us how much he loved church and how he used to go to a baptist church but hasn't gone for a couple years.. He talked about how good he felt inside, and just how welcomed he felt. They both loved it so much and invited us to come over and teach them more, and they even said they'd feed us dinner! Haha, that's always a good sign! Man, it was just the best day ever at church. So many miracles had come our way.

Sister Graff and I were talking about how because this week has been so hard, we've felt a lot more gratitude for the little blessings Heavenly Father gives us. We also talked about how this has been one of the hardest weeks of our mission, but also one of the most miraculous because of those tender mercies at the very end of the week. I know the Lord truly does show forth His hand, AFTER the trial of our faith. He's just blessed us so much, I could hardly believe it, and I'm sure we didn't even deserve half of what He gave us. I couldn't help but think about the Prophet Joseph Smith in Liberty Jail and how the answers to his prayers did not come until after he had been imprisoned for 3 horrible months in that freezing cold jail. The Lord loves us, and that's why he allows us to go through certain trials. I definitely have felt a closer relationship to my Heavenly Father and Savior this last week, and have felt more gratitude as well. I just love being a missionary. When my sweet aunt and uncle came through the Jail the other day, I just realized how words cannot express or even come close to explaining how much I love being a missionary, and love serving out here in this incredible mission. My life has been changed. And I honestly will forever be indebted to Him for allowing me to serve a mission. This work is amazing, I love the Book of Mormon. That book is the word of God and it has also changed my life and carried me through some of my hardest trials. I promise if you read it everyday you will be filled with the spirit and grow closer to your Savior. I love you all! 

Love, Hermana Conrow