Precious Souls

Me, Derrick and Sister Sawyer

This cute little picture describes this last week in the mission field. PERFECT.  

I LOVE MY MISSION. I meet the absolute cutest people in the entire world. This special little soul is famous. His mom has a Mormon message on Mormon.org- here's the link. Check it out! http://mormon.org/rochelle/

Anyway- her son, Derrick, came into the Visitors Center and sat down next to me and Sister Sawyer, and put his arm right around me and kept winking at me. Oh my gosh, I loved it. Haha, the closest I'll come to hugging a guy on my mission. Don't be jealous. This happened at the lighting ceremony at the Visitors Center for Christmas time. There were tons of people there that night and all of us sisters had a blast! I am so lucky to be serving here. We just get to meet the coolest people and have the neatest experiences. We had a less active member show up with her non-member boyfriend and they stayed for the whole ceremony. Afterwards I got to take him through the Visitors Center and teach him about the Gospel of Jesus Christ. He hasn't been brought up in any religion his whole life, it was crazy. So I taught clear back to the biblical days.. Long story short, he was super interested and the spirit was so strong and we have an appointment with him now today. I'm super stoked.

I'm sorry I don't have a whole lot of time to write today, it's been crazy busy. I love this Gospel! I love being a missionary. I know I will think about my mission everyday for the rest of my life. I am so grateful to my Heavenly Father for letting me serve here. This is His work! 

Love, Sister Conrow  

Oh Jolly Day!

Ah man, I just got so much love this week I've spent pretty much all my time writing everyone back. I know, I know, I've been slacking on a richly filled, fun-to-read-for-everyone email.

No worries, it'll come..... One day. Hahaha-joking.

Well this is what I have to say about this past week.

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!" 

Ha Ha, it has been a rough one everyone. Guess we all gotta take the good with the bad ya know. Many a doors were slammed in our faces, tears were shed, weeping and wailing and gnashing of teeth in all the land really. Ha ha. 

I've learned something though from this past week's lack of successes. When the tough times come, I can appreciate my Savior that much more. I felt just a tiny bit of how He must of felt after all the times He was rejected and persecuted. 

And when I thought, "why?!!! oh why me Heavenly Father? I just don't get it? I'm doing everything I can, I'm being obedient?!! WHY?!" 

And then the spirit rebukes me and reminds me that it's when things are hard, that I really love and appreciate the good times. It's when things are hard that I can come closer to Jesus Christ. 

  It's when things are hard that I can learn to endure and smile even when a frown seems easiest to manage. 

    It's when things are hard that I learn to look up, I learn to smell the roses, I learn to look for a greater sense of peace, I learn to serve, and understand all those around me.

      It's when things are hard that I learn how much God really DOES LOVE ME, and has a bigger plan in store for me.

And that, my friends, isn't un-success, it's knowledge and experience gained. 

Now, could I say this just a few days ago when I wanted to lash out irrationally? No, definitely not, because when I was going through it, it was hard. But now I see how silly I was, now I see how the Lord was just doing a little gardening for little prideful Sister Conrow. Now, I get it. Ha ha. 

So if you're week has been like this, I'm sorry, truly I am, but guess what - we all have to go through it some time or another... so just smile, be happy, and fake it til ya make it. 

The Lord is there, 

       He knows how you're feeling. 

             Rely on Him, and all will be well in Zion. 

Pinkie promise. 

One experience I'd like to share with all of you really quick- 

Sister Lund and I were out knocking doors, just trying to find people who the Lord has prepared. We got to a house, knocked, and a younger guy opened the door half-hearted, not really wanting to talk. We said Hi and asked if so- and so was there. He said, ya- but she's sleeping and started to go inside. So- me being the missionary I am- asked for his name and extended my hand. 

"Hey, what was your name?" 

"John," he said. 

"Hey John, I'm Sister Conrow." 

Then, with a disgruntled look on his face he said, "Uh, ya I can see that." (meaning- Duh, you have a name tag, I can read) Ha ha. 

Well, by now in my day, I truly was at my breaking point, so instead of turning that extended hand into a punch in the gut, I just simply smiled and said, "Oh good." 

And as he began to close the door, I exclaimed, "Happy Christmas to all and to all a goodnight..." Hahaha Jk. 

I said, "Have a nice day, John." And walked to my car, where I then punched my seat. Ha ha.

Something I learned from this tiny experience was that we all need to keep our cool, but I also learned how sad it was that he didn't even give me a chance to say who we represented. 

Jesus Christ.

Hello, our one and only SAVIOR! 

Why wouldn't you want to listen to a message from him?! 

How often do we do that ? ? ? ?

Slam the door on the spirit, and go on our merry little way? 

I know for me, it's sometimes too often. I pray and hope that all of us can remember to always follow the promptings of the spirit, and smile even during the hard times when you just plain wanna pull your hair out. 

      (Mom, I may be bald when I get home, just sayin') Ha ha.

Well, I hope you all have a wonderful experience. Send me the leftovers. Ha ha jk, that'ld be gross. 

The church is true. This is HIS (sometimes very hard) work. Ha ha. 

Love ya!

Love, Sister Conrow :)     

The Golden Letter!

Do you want the good news or bad news first?

Ok- bad news, I like to end on a good note. Ha ha. So, bad news is this- remember that guy who was meeting with us and we read Alma the Younger with him and he was so excited and set a baptismal date? Ya, well he dropped us hardcore this past week... Man, sometimes I just want to give Satan a good 1-2, ya know? He told us that he didn't think church was important and that "Jesus would be ok if I didn't go to church..." And I thought, ya that may be true, but it is a commandment that we keep the sabbath day holy. He even told us prior to dropping us that he enjoyed going to church and that if that was all he did the entire week, it was worth it. That's why I know church isn't really what's keeping him from baptism. But, I can't force him to do anything, and I know he has felt the spirit as we've taught him. He knows the difference in his life that he has felt as he has met with us almost weekly. This man comes from a pretty rough background though and has made so many changes already, I'm just grateful that we were able to plant that seed in his heart and help him see how this Gospel can change him for the good forever. He will remember meeting with us, and he will never be able to deny the spirit he felt. One day he will be baptized. I'm not worried in the slightest, although I will miss teaching him.

Ok- AWESOME NEWS! Well at least to me it's pretty exciting.... So I don't know if I wrote about this experience, but about 2 weeks ago there was a non-member couple from Oklahoma that came through the Visitor's Center, and they were just super amazing. I spent at least 2 hours with them sharing stories, and teaching them about the Gospel. They were just the sweetest people in the world and agreed to read the Book of Mormon. Well, I don't know why, but as I wrote my testimony in that Book of Mormon I felt inspired to write my address in the book- so I did. Long story short, yesterday I got a letter from that very couple! You have no idea how excited I was. That letter was like gold in my hands. It's every sister missionary's dream to get a letter from a tour they take through, especially ones that are not familiar with the church. So in this letter he expressed his feelings about how much he and his wife enjoyed the tour and that they were so grateful that they were able to meet me. They told me that the minister of their church had just passed away at 50 yrs old and how hard this was for them. (They are very much into their church and close to the minister, which is awesome, so I can only imagine how hard this must be for them). He then went on to say that he had been reading from the Book of Mormon and told me about how he had learned to make wise choices in his life because of the experiences he had in his own family, and that he saw that I had chosen to do the same. By the end of the letter he had said many nice, wonderful things, but the greatest part was when he said, "P.S.- Because of our visit with you, it has helped me a lot with the passing of our minister." Man, I just wanted to cry I was so grateful for that letter! I can't wait to write them back! The church really is true, it does bless lives. It is a constant foundation in this time of peril and tribulation.

This week has just been full of stories and experiences, but that one was the cherry on top for me. I am learning so much, it's insane. Something I've been thinking a lot about this past week is how important it is to just give, and to give willingly. If we're not willing to give of ourselves, or our talents, or to serve those around us, we have nothing. Truly, we don't. We are so unhappy and miserable when we're always worried about "me" and what's in it for me. Some people can't see how if they just give, they will be sooooooooo much happier. And I can say this, because it's something I had to learn at the beginning of my mission, and am still learning. I do have my days where I'm in the "depths of despair.." and I just want to curl up in a ball and lay in bed. But then I remember this quote by Elder Holland, "Don't you dare ask for your mission to be easy. Don't you dare. Salvation is NOT a cheap experience." And so I'm rebuked and try to change my attitude. Ha ha. Anyways- I love you all. Thanks for your letters. It's helped me through some challenging times this past week. I love this work, even on it's hard days. 

This is God's work. Fight the good fight! 

Love, Sister Conrow :)   

Keep on keepin' on...

Sorry everyone, this week is unfortunately going to be a short one!

My companion and I have been pretty sick this week, so it hasn't been too much fun. Haha. As a missionary you really don't have time to be sick.

Things are going well though. I'm getting really excited for the Holidays. I know it's going to  be a blast as a missionary. Lots and lots of service opportunities!

Some of my thoughts this week are- how grateful I am to my dear, sweet mother who taught me how to love, serve, and work. There is no way I would be able to do what I do if I hadn't of been taught that. I'm grateful that the Lord has allowed me to be here and to be constantly learning and growing and becoming a better person.

Today my companion and I were able to teach this way cool guy at the laundromat. We taught him about the prophet Joseph Smith and the Book of Mormon. It was crazy because prior to him approaching us, I had just been reading a past conference talk that explained why the Book of Mormon is true and how it testifies of the things that are already written in the Bible. So because of that, I was able to explain to this man (who is very attached to the Bible) just all that the Book of Mormon had to offer him. It was really neat. He said that Elders had actually talked to him before and he went and grabbed his Book of Mormon. Ha it was so neat to see that the Lord has already been working on his heart. 

Ah, I know I say this every week, but I seriously love, love, love my mission. I just don't know how I will ever be able to go home come a year from yesterday. Time is just slipping through my hands and I don't like it. However, it's teaching me that I really need to make every minute count and love even the hardest of times. I love this gospel, and I know it is true. How grateful I am for a loving Heavenly Father who is so patient with me, despite my many weaknesses. I love all of you and am grateful for your letters (Jess and Whit- you're the greatest!) This is God's work!

Love, Sister Conrow :)  

Me and Sister Blackham

Missouri Independence Miracles! :)

BIG NEWS!!!

I finally got an adaptor so I can send pictures. CHYAAAA! Haha, hope you all enjoy their goodness!

Well- change finally came and went. My sweet Sister Loo went home to St. George and I now have a new companion.

Her name is Sister Lund, and she is from Manti, UT. We are already loving each other and seeing many, many miracles. I won't lie, change is hard, and sometimes I really miss Sister Loo, but I'm grateful I have the memories, and that I can remember all that she has taught me. She set such a good example for me, and I'm glad to say I am her daughter (in the mission) and can follow in her footsteps!  

Saying goodbye to Sister Loo!  :(

This past week has been busy, busy, but fun! Saturday night my comp and I were able to go to this cool little thing called Enchanted Forest. It's where the drama production puts on these little mini plays outside and you take kids through this trail with tons of trees (at the park) and they get to watch the actors. It's such a cool idea! It's very family oriented and as missionaries we get to go and volunteer to be guides for all the groups that come in. So we got to see it for free! It was just the neatest thing. Independence has done this for about 15 years and so there were probably thousands of families that came to take their kids through. I loved it!

Yesterday was just the greatest day ever! We were only able to proselyte until about 7 last night just for safety reasons (and because we wouldn't want people thinking we were trick "r" treating dressed up as missionaries, haha). So we picked an area to go visit and parked our car and just started walking down the street. It was a beautiful day yesterday so we were able to talk to soooo many people. It was an old joke with me and Sister Loo that the only people we contacted or taught always seemed to be older single men. Well that still holds strong today. Haha. Every person we contacted last night was an older single male. But it was still just super awesome. One guy in particular was the biggest sweetheart. He belonged to the RLDS faith but hadn't been in a long time since the split of the church. So we invited him to come to church with us on Sunday and he said he really wanted to. Sister Lund and I are pretty excited about that!

Later on that night Sister Lund and I were able to teach this guy who we've been teaching for a really long time. About 4 months. At one point he set a baptismal date, but then backed out, but still wanted to meet with us. Well, last night I told Sister Lund that enough was enough. He knows the church is true, he just doesn't want to give his ear to the Lord. He comes from a very troubled past and everytime we meet with him he expresses how many burdens he holds and how miserable he is. And no matter how many times we tell him all of that can be taken away from him if he'll just come unto Christ, he never seems to get it, or rather, accept it. So for our app we decided to read the story of Alma the younger from the Book of Mormon (ya know, the one where he rebels from his own father's church and teaches against it and then an angel of the Lord appears unto him and tells him to straighten up or else and then he is racked with all his sins but remembers the mercy of Christ's atonement and changes his heart forever? Ya, that one). After we read that story this man just lights up and tells how he can so relate to Alma the Younger. And I said, "See, that's why we kept telling you to read from the Book of Mormon. It was written for you!" Haha. Needless to say, for the rest of the app I did my best to follow the promptings of the spirit and told this man that he knows these things are true because he has told us that. We told him that he needs to stop fighting the truth, come unto Christ, and be baptized. Well, after much boldness and gifts of the spirit, he finally said, "Yes, this is what I want and need!" AHHHH. I was soooooooooooo happy and relieved. We were finally able to get through to him and to help him understand why baptism in Christ's true church is so so so important! It was just the coolest experience ever. I just about jumped for joy! 

Ah, I love this Gospel. I love missionary work. It's the greatest. I'm grateful for my companion and for all the growth that I know I will be able to have this transfer. This is Christ's true church! I love you all, thanks for you support and love! 

Love, Sister Conrow :) 

P.S. Some of the pics are of me and Sister Loo at transfer bus with other sisters, and then 2 are of me and my new comp at Enchanted Forest! Enjoy.  

Time To Say Goodbye... :(

Ok, so I have like 5 minutes to write an email today, so I will do my best to bring up the highlights of this past week. 

First off- I have never gained a greater desire and love for my mission than I did this past week. There's not necessarily a particular reason, I think I am just finally adjusting to the work. I have learned how important it is to let go of the past and focus on the present. I need to look at the path that my feet are on. Weights are lifted from my shoulders when I apply the atonement and forgive those who have offended me in the past. I feel more confident, happy, and successful. I've realized that all I can do is my best, and that's the best I can do.

Words cannot express how I feel about Sister Loo leaving me to go home to St. George this week. I have learned more than I know from her. She was the greatest mission mom Heavenly Father could have given me. I will never, ever forget her and the impression that she has forever left on my heart. There's just no trainer greater than Sister Loo. She was the perfect role model for me and I hope to be half as good as she is by the time I near the end of my mission. Ah, I just love her. 

This past week has been filled with so many wonderful tender mercies and miracles from the Lord. He just really loves me I guess. Haha. I was able to take a non-member couple through the Visitor's Center and had the most amazing spiritual experience. Their hearts were so open even though they are active in another faith. By the end of our 2 hour tour, I didn't want them to go. I was able to give them a copy of the Book of Mormon as well as my personal testimony of the Gospel inside the copy (which they asked for, which I thought was super cool!). We shared many personal experiences with each other and even shed a few tears together. Haha. I know that the Lord allowed me to be a tool in helping this couple come closer to the truthfulness of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We promised to write each other and I cannot wait to see where their path will go now. 

I love this Gospel, I love this work. For reals. There is just nothing that can even compare to a mission. I promise. Hold firm to what you know is true. I know Heavenly Father is aware of every single one of us. We are His children. I love all of you, and I am so grateful for your letters of support and love. Never give up! 

Love, Sister Conrow :)  

Me, Sister Loo & Sister Moe

Our Ward Mission Leader!!

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