Pride Cometh Before The Fall...

Pride and Disobedience.

The 2 greatest sins that will separate any relationship. Why are these things so hard to swallow? Because Satan will do anything that he can to make sure these 2 sins do not go down the pipe. Isn't that so rude of him?! But guess what, Christ overcame both, so that means I can as well.. Now, please do not think that I am being extremely disobedient or that my head is blowing up like a balloon. These are just my thoughts from the past week. I realize that every bad thing we do, or that someone else does, really boils down to these 2 things. Sometimes, it's frustrating because we don't even realize we are being prideful, or necessarily disobedient, especially as a missionary, but something I am learning is that it is more than possible to overcome these things.
So how do we overcome them? Sister Conrow says, "Suck it up, and just do it. You'll be way happier." Haha, I can't tell you how miserable I am if I don't swallow my pride, especially because I can be pretty stubborn sometimes (all of my family is probably nodding in agreement right now, haha). Sister Loo is a great example to me of humility, as well as other sisters. She is so happy all the time and I know it's because she is constantly serving others, and confident enough to swallow her own pride. It's a process. Resolve doesn't just happen over night, but I know that if i can constantly remind myself to just become as a child, and to love everyone else around me, these sins will start to diminish, and missionary work will get a little easier.

I know you're all probably thinking this is a super random topic for me to bring up, and to be honest, I don't really know why I brought it up, it's just something that seems to be a continuous topic for me as a missionary. Humbling myself before the Lord. I guess it's because that's the only way I can be happy and ok with the fact that I still won't see my family for another year, that there are nasty spiders in my apartment, and so on and so forth. Haha. Granted, these really aren't major issues, but sometimes Satan likes to make them out to be greater than they really are.

Sister Loo and I have really been focusing on having a positive attitude this week. So we came up with this- I.Y.A.P. (Is Your Attitude Positive?) So every time we're yapping away about something, we can stop and remind ourselves with the phrase- IYAP. It helps us to have a greater perspective, and to find joy in the journey instead of weeping and wailing over the little tragedies in our lives that don't really matter a whole lot. For example: a couple weeks ago I told the story about the mom, and his son that we street contacted that we're super interested in the church, and just golden investigators. We ended up having to give them to some other sisters because they didn't live in our area, and the other day I found out that both the mom and the son are getting baptized!! Now, I could have been disappointed that I didn't get to teach them, or be excited that the Lord led Sister Loo and I to them, and that they are now going to be able to enjoy the blessings of exaltation and eventually eternity with their family. I'm grateful to Sister Loo for reminding me to be positive and to look at the bright side of things. It makes things way more fun, and enjoyable.

Sorry this email isn't as exciting as others haha, but I want all of you to know how much I love the Lord and this work. There's just nothing greater. Everyday can be a challenge, but at least the Lord is still allowing me to grow, right? Right. I love you all so much and even though I haven't heard from anyone for a good 3 weeks, it's ok, just be sure to send me a new pillow case, since mine is soaked in tears every night. Haha jk jk, but seriously. I would love to hear from you! Mom told me that my blog is boring because I don't send any pictures, but hopefully within the next month I'll be able to spice up the blog here! Everyone, I love you. Don't allow Satan to drag you down! 

Love, Sister Conrow

Live, Learn, Love & Laugh!

Me and Sister Clarke

Time is going too quick, and I don't like it... The end of this month will be my 5 month mark. I feel like I'm still stuck in January sometimes...

I am growing to love my mission more and more and I don't know how I will ever be able to part from it come next November. I realize that's a ways away, but I know time will go by fast, and before I know it, the time will come for me to go home.. I guess I've been thinking about time a lot because my companion is getting ready to go back to St. George in 2 weeks! I seriously cannot believe it. She's been handling it really, really well, and has been a great example to me of how you should be when you go home..

I am spoiled in this mission! Friday all of the sisters were able to go on a history trip where we got to see Liberty Jail, Far west, and Adam-Ondi-Ahman. It was SOOOO COOOL. I feel so so so blessed to be serving in this mission where I get those opportunities to learn about what the Saints went through, and where Christ will come again. It was the neatest experience. The spirit was so powerful and I was just so grateful. I can't wait to go back again!  
     

Something I have really learned this past week is the importance of having fun and laughing. It's the greatest release. I cannot tell you how much fun I've had this past week just by laughing at the silly mistakes I make. Sister Loo is a big ball of fun and she has really taught me how to just enjoy the small moments and not be so serious (I have a tendency to be that way sometimes). I think that's one of the greatest reasons Heavenly Father put her as my companion, so she could teach me to just stop and smell the roses and love every moment of every day. Regardless of what happens.

For example: last week we got home and we were welcomed by a ginormous spider on Sister Loo's side of the room. Well in her attempt to kill the spider at the top of the ceiling, she dropped her shoe on her dresser which caused everything to fall off, and Mr spider never got killed. So she moved her entire bed and dresser away from the wall and threw all her pillows on my bed in her attempt to continue searching for the spider. She moved a big mirror we had, to the floor and ended up stepping on it and shattering the whole thing, while in the meantime still searching for that gosh darn spider. Haha meanwhile, I'm just laughing my head off in the background at how much damage had been caused all in an attempt to kill a lousy spider. Well the funny story doesn't stop there. She finally went and got the vacuum and started vacuuming all around her bed and the floor and all the spider webs on our wall.. well I decided I would do the same to my side of the wall just in case he tried to come snuggle with me.. Well I had to stand on my bed to vacuum the wall and so I had to lift up the vacuum. When I did that, the stupid vacuum starting sucking up Sister Loo's favorite pillow case she had for her whole mission and it burnt the whole bottom of it. Haha, I  felt soooooooo bad, because I knew how much that pillow case meant to her, but I just could not stop laughing at how ridiculous all of this was.. Long story short, we never found that blasted spider until yesterday morning, where he greeted me by my feet. I guess he knew not to bother sister Loo again. 

Haha another release sister Loo and I have found is Sudoku's. They are our bestest friends at night after we've gotten ready for bed and said our prayers. We race each other to see who can get their Sudoku done first, starting with the easiest ones to the hardest ones. I love it. After a long day of missionary work and rejection, Sudoku's are the perfect medicine for us.

Haha well.. enough with the fun and games, I promise we do actually work everyday.. even though this email may not seem like it. Last week I was on exchanges and my comp and I were able to teach this young man about the Book of Mormon and the purpose of life on his doorstep. It was really awesome. He had never grown up in any religion and didn't even really know about Jesus Christ. It amazed me! He was very receptive and open to learning more. We promised him that if he would just take the time to read from the Book of Mormon he would be blessed, that he would be so happy, and that he would know what his purpose was for this life. He said he would, but that he was moving to WA. So hopefully the missionaries will find him there!

I love the Gospel, I love this work, and I am sooooo thankful to be apart of it. Thank you all for your love and encouraging words. It means everything to me! The church is true! Don't give up on it!

Love, Sister Conrow :)

My Spiritual Feast!!

GENERAL CONFERENCE WAS AMAZING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I don't think I need to say anything else in this email, except for that. Hope you all have an awesome week!!!

Hahahaha, jk, jk... but seriously. General conference was the greatest spiritual feast I have ever had. I loved it, and I couldn't get enough of it. I just loved how bold all of the speakers were and how powerfully they testified of the Book of Mormon. I loved the comment with one of the general authorities that said, "If God had prophets in the Old Testament, and He is the same yesterday, today, and forever, why wouldn't He have a prophet here on the Earth today?" Haha, it makes sense. The Gospel of Jesus Christ makes perfect sense. All that we, as members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints believe in is what Christ established when he was here personally upon the Earth. God loves us, and He will never confuse us or lead us astray so he has placed a prophet on the Earth to lead and guide his children today. And that was manifested to me even more so as I listened to the prophet, Thomas S. Monson, this past weekend. I just love him! He is a man called of God.           
 https://lds.org/youth/video/prayer-and-inspiration?lang=eng

Man, I could just go on and on about how much I loved General Conference, but I simply don't have enough time for that. Anyways, miracles have been popping out of the seams left and right this past week. The Lord has placed his mercies upon my companion and I. We were able to contact this man who belongs to the Catholic faith, taught him about the Book of Mormon on his doorstep, and about the Restored Gospel and his eyes just lit up and he said, "All of this just makes sense..." It was then, when he said that, that I knew the Lord had been preparing him to hear about his true Gospel here on the Earth today. Anyone who has a relationship with Heavenly Father and studies his word, will know that this church has the fulness, and that the doctrines we teach make sense because they are the true doctrines of God. I am so grateful for all those who have helped prepare people to hear about the words of our Savior. 

Anywho- I've had a lot more exciting things go on, but I am running out of time. Something I've been thinking about this past week though is how important prayer is, and what a powerful role it can play in our lives if we allow it to. Heavenly Father is real, He is in Heaven above, and He wants to hear from us. If we have faith in Him, and earnestly pray to Him and tell him exactly how we're feeling, or what's going on in our lives, He will answer us according to our faith. J. Devn Cornish of the Seventy made this comment in his talk, that "we must pray, and then live our prayer." Ha I loved that. So simply put. He said, "prayer is the passport to peace." If we want peace, we pray, if we want answers, we pray, and then we go to work. Faith without works is dead. Anyway, I'm just rambling now.

But I want all of you to know this- A mission is hard, in fact, it's REALLY hard, but my life would be so much harder without it. I know that Christ lives, I know that Thomas S. Monson is His living prophet today, and I know that Heavenly Father hears and answers my prayers, and I know He can do the same for you. I love all of you so much. I truly am so grateful for the challenges and trials the Lord has given me. I'm grateful that He loves me enough to allow me to struggle and stretch so I can grow into who He needs me to be. I love this Gospel. The church is true! If you have doubts, all you have to do is ASK! 

Love, Sister Conrow :)    

I Believe In Miracles!

Happy Birthday to my dearest, sweetest, funnest sister Ashlee, today. She is turning into quite the old timer. Haha jk, jk Ash. I love your guts!!

So.. This week was awesome, a little slow, but awesome!

First off, I went on exchanges and had the best experience! We went out into an area called Blue Springs and it is absolutely beautiful! It reminds me of home, there's just all this country side and green trees, and beautiful homes. It's really nice. I loved it. But before we headed out there, my comp and I went to try to contact an investigator of hers that kind of dropped off the planet.. Well she's a deaf girl and so when she answered the door, I started signing to her and immediately she warmed up to us and we were able to go inside. I don't know how I did it, but from my 2 years of sign in high school I was able to understand pretty much everything she was signing and was able to translate it for my temp companion I signed to her (it was not so great) but we were able to understand where she was at, and what her concerns were, and set up another time to meet with her. She was the biggest sweet heart and just so patient with me and my sign. Ahhh, it was just the coolest experience for me. My heart is just so close to the deaf culture. I love it. I hope to be able to have more experiences like that. My comp told me that her and her other comp had such a hard time teaching her because they had to do it by writing back and forth to each other and so by me being there, I was able to get a lot more in, in a shorter amount of time. I know it was all thanks to my Heavenly Father. He was the one who brought all of those signs to my remembrance and helped me with my own signing. Ha, I love it! The church is true!

Second miracle that happened the other night. My Aussie sister and I were temp exchanges and it was the last hour before we had to be home, so we decided we were just going to walk the streets and find a miracle. Well we drove around and finally came to a street and pulled over. It was dark, and a little creepy, but we felt like it was where we needed to be. When we got out we just started walking, and knocking on the closest doors. We had a few rejections, but kept going.. Eventually we got down one street and all of the sudden I just had this really dark feeling, and felt like we needed to go back to the car, so we did. Well, at this point, I was feeling a little bummed because I couldn't understand why I had that feeling. Well, a few seconds later, as we were sitting in the car, I saw this younger guy walking down the street towards our car. So, Sister Kavea and I got out and approached the guy. Turns out he's in college and has been searching for a church. We were able to teach him all about the Restoration of the Gospel and the importance of the Book of Mormon and invited him to some activities and church on Sunday, which he said he'd love to come. IT WAS THE COOLEST EXPERIENCE EVER. I know that the Lord put him in our path, and that I had that feeling to go back to the car for a reason because if we hadn't of done so, we never would have met this kid. Ha, if that doesn't tell you that the church is true, then I don't know what will!

Another cool experience- the cutest couple from Hooper, UT came into the Visitors Center the other day. Turns out we had some mutual friends in common and spent a good amount of time on the tour. The spirit was so powerful and I just felt like I really connected to these people. By the end of the tour, I didn't want them to leave. I felt like I had known them for years. Poor Brother Roberts wanted to give me a hug at the end of the tour, haha but as missionaries we're not allowed to do so. Ha I felt so bad because I really wanted to hug him, I felt like he was my own dad, but I must obey haha, I know he understood. That's one thing I really love about serving at the Visitors Center- you just get so close to some of your tours and you really do build lifetime friendships in just a short one hour visit. It's amazing how the spirit can cultivate such strong feelings in such short amounts of time. Ah, I love this gospel. It's so great. 

Well everyone, I best be going. I love you all. I love this Gospel, and I'm so grateful to be apart of such a marvelous work and a wonder! The church is true.

Love, Sister Conrow :)

Don't worry, be happy! :)

Everyone! I love you!  

I love all the letters that I receive, and it's nice to know that people are reading the blog. I really don't have much time today, so I'm just going to keep it short, sweet, and to the point. 

 I LOVE BEING A MISSIONARY. It is the greatest thing in this entire world. I have seriously never been happier in my life and I would urge everyone to go on a mission if they are able to. I just can't even explain the happiness you feel from serving your Heavenly Father. This older gentleman came into the VC the other day and he was Jewish but he just LOVED the Mormons and everything about us. Haha, he went on and on about he he'd been to salt lake, and Palmyra, and how he loved all of the people. He said, "I don't think I've ever seen a Mormon who wasn't happy and smiling, are y'all taking drugs or something?!" Haha I just started laughing and thought it probably looks like, but then I said, "Nope, we're just really happy people because we know who our Heavenly Father is, that He loves us, and that we are apart of His true gospel. He has a plan for us!" It was so great. I love meeting people at the VC. You get your share of the coolest people around the world.  

Anywho- our area is doing well, just really trying to build up trust with our members in our ward and let them know we love them and want to serve them in anyway that we can. The other day we were out in our area just trying to contact people on our ward roster and we pulled up to this members house and outside was this man, and so we started talking to him. He isn' t a member, but he's friends with the member who we were going to see.. Long story short, his mom was inside and then came outside with the member and all his kids and we all got talking about the church. By the end of our hour long conversation, this guy, who was outside, and his mom, just loved us, and loved what we had to say, and just loved that we were so happy. This guy then told us that he would love to come to church, and we have an appointment with him today. And, he's super excited!!!! Ahhhh, I love it. I can't wait to get to know him and his mom a little better. They are just the most down to earth people and just so sweet and kind. I love meeting people like that, who are just so receptive to you and to the light of Christ.  

Something I'm really learning this week, as you can tell from my stories, is how important it is to just smile and be happy regardless of what's going on in your life. People are drawn to happiness, so if your are happy they will be drawn to you, which in turn, draws them to the Gospel, because it is the gospel of Jesus Christ that makes me happy. I love you all, be happy, delight in His glorious gospel!

Thank you for your letters, and your kind words of love and support. I cannot tell you how much it means to me! I wanna give a shout out to the the Carlyle's from Texas who are wonderful writers! Sharon, you are just the biggest sweetheart, and I loved the picture you sent me from the VC. I promise I will write you back as soon as possible. Everyone- you're the greatest! This is His work, and we are apart of it :)  

Love, Sister Conrow

Mosiah 2:17

Hey everyone!

This week is going to be a short one..

But I just want all of you to know that I would love to have some letters! Let me know how you are! If you do, I will do my best to write you back!

Haha, anyways- things here have been busy. Transfers were last week and I'm still here in Indy with Sista Loo who. I love it. Ha I'm glad I'm still here. I have the best ward mission leader in the world. He's great. This past week my comp and I have just really been focusing on service and visiting all of the ward members on the ward roster. It's amazing how many people we have in our ward that haven't been visited by members of the church. It's so so so important to do your visiting and home teaching. I can't express that enough. For reals.

So the other day as we were out in our area we were trying to find this one guy in our ward, well Sister Loo accidentally got the addresses mixed up haha so we knocked on this door looking for this guy and this lady came out and was super confused and told us no one lived there and so we just thought, "Oh he must have moved..." So we got talking to this lady and turns out she has been looking for a church for her and her kids and so we gave her our cards and invited her to come check out our church on Sunday. She was a total sweetheart and said she'd loved to, so we're hoping that we'll get to see her there. Well when we got back to our car Sister Loo realized that she mixed up the addresses.. ha so her mistake turned into a miracle. Funny how the Lord does that. Ha! Ahh I love this Gospel so so so much. I have never ever had anything in my life that has ever brought me greater joy and happiness, and I just want everyone to have that in their life. So does our Heavenly Father and that's why he calls missionaries!

Something I've been realizing as I've been out here is how important it is to serve others and to forget ourselves. Sometimes we can't even see how caught up and focused we are on our own lives and what WE have to do. I know I definitely need to work on forgetting myself more. I was reading in the Book of Mormon the other day about serving with a willing heart and also praying. When we don't pray or serve with a sincere heart or with real intent, it profits us nothing, did you hear that? Nothing! We might as well not serve if we don't do it gladly. Craziness.. 

Well.. that's about all this week- I wish I had more crazy exciting stories, I probably do, but once again my missionary amnesia has taken over. I love you all. Thanks for the support and kind words. Have a wonderful week, think of others and you'll be way happier. I promise! :)

Love, Sister Conrow :)

The Great M.I.M :)

Well it's that time again- transfers.

What the weird right? I am now into my 3rd transfer in the mission field. I'm turning into an oldie, ok not really but kind of. I'm staying here in my same area with my same comp Sista Loo. I'm super stoked.

I love the ward and all the members. We seriously have the BEST ward mission leader. He's so cool. We called him last night and I played a joke on him and told him Sister Loo was leaving and he was just so bummed out and wanted to cry, ha ha but then I told him the truth and he's all, "You little punk, but good, now we can throw Sister Loo a going away party." Ha so that should be fun when the time comes in October. Poly's know how to throw the best parties.. lots of food!

Anyways- things here have slow down a little with the work, but it can't all be fun and games. Yesterday my comp and I were tracting in an area, and we knocked on this lady's door and she looked out the window, and then walked away. Ha ha. So Sister Loo left her a note and we walked to our car. Then I looked back and she had opened the door and ripped off the note and was standing there, so I rolled down my window and yelled out a hello...and she was silent.. then all of the sudden- at the top of her lungs she yelled- "GET OUT OF HERE!!!" At that juncture we just told her to have a good day, and I rolled up my window. Ha ha. Now I can officially say I've been yelled at hardcore by a not so great fan of missionaries. Man, now I know how dogs feel. Ha poor things.

Last week I also had the opportunity to go on splits with a sister in our ward who's getting ready to go on her mission to Peru in Dec. We decided that we would try and go visit some people on our ward roster. Well we had been going all day and no one was home. Finally we got to this way cool house out in the middle of nowhere. When we approached the doorstep something just felt off.. This lady came out and told us that she was a member 15 years ago, but was no longer a member. She then went on to say how we followed false prophets and that the Book of Mormon was not true. She told us that we needed to check ourselves and pray to find the truth. She said a lot of other things, but we won't get too detailed. By the end of her ranting, I just felt evil spirits around me as bad as that sounds. I just bore testimony to her that I knew what I was doing was true, and that I did have to find out for myself, and that was why I was there on her porch. My poor little day companion felt very heated and didn't know what to do. After we left and got to the car, she was like, "oh my gosh, how do you deal with that?" I just told her that if anything, what that lady had to say only built my testimony that much more because as I listened to her the spirit only bore witness even more powerfully that what I was doing was right, that I AM in the work of our God. Even though it was hard to hear what that lady had to say, it made me so much stronger and I was so grateful to have that experience.. 

Anywho- sad note- our investigator Cathy, the one we found drunk on her doorstep, dropped us the other day, while she was drunk actually. We were super bummed because just a few days before that she had called us and told us how she wanted to come to church with us so bad and had even bought a new outfit, but then called us one night when she was drunk and told us not to bother her. I hate alcohol. It destroys you in so many ways. I can't even tell you how many people we have come across who have been destroyed because of alcohol and drugs. It's a miserable life to live. But thank goodness for the atonement. Christ can heal you and he does. He performs miracles like nobodies business, and that's what we are here to share with people. We don't force anyone to come unto Christ, we merely invite, and hope that people will accept.. Unfortunately Satan still likes to squirm his little way into the process of change when it comes to our investigators. 

On a much more positive note, we have been seeing miracles left and right, at the VC and out in our area. Many times it's just the simple things like people accepting to take our card or let us into their home, but despite all the hard times, the hot times, and just hard times in general it is SO WORTH it. I love love love this mission more than anything. I don't think I can say that enough. Everyone should have the opportunity to serve a mission. It's just.... the best. 

I love you all. The church is true. Do not stray away!

Love, Sista Conrow :)