Another Chapter Has Begun!

Yes it is true- I have been transferred...

Platte City 1st ward, and 2nd Branch- I will never, ever forget you. I love you with all my heart.

Brother and Sister Edwards- you are sunshine to my soul and I promise I will write! You have become family and will always be family to me :)

I will never be the same because of that area.

Well...I am now serving in the Independence 3rd ward with Sister Sibbett from Hawaii!

It really is so weird to be back in the Visitor's Center. I feel like I just left.. There are all new sisters and a different feel, but it's still the gospel and I know it's true so I can be happy :)

Haha, change is always hard though. Originally when we got transfer calls I was supposed to be going to the Raytown ward in Independence to be in a trio companionship with Sister Minall and Sister Coplan, but then a new sister that was coming from the MTC ended up getting sick the night before she left, and went home, so they moved me to 3rd ward and moved Sis Sibbett's companion, Sis Touli, out to Wichita the next day after we already had transfer calls. So, it was kind of a shock for all of us.

BUT- I love Sis Sibbett, she's been out about 5 months and is on fire- so we are going to work, work, and work some more! 3rd ward is great so far! There is a lot of diversity in this ward. Many of the members are from the Dominican, so I will definitely be needing my Spanish now. Haha. We have a lot of former investigators that only speak Spanish so I really have to step it up and practice, practice, practice. I'm scared to death, but now I think I understand why Heavenly Father switched me over to Spanish. Juntos podemos, con Padre Celestial que es. Haha.

Well, I don't have too many exciting stories at that moment. I've just been adjusting to the area again and being around all the sisters. I feel like I'm a new missionary all over again. It really is overwhelming coming from a full proselyting area back to an area where there are lots of missionaries around you! But, as I got here, I realized that within those 3 short transfers out in Platte City, I changed, I changed a lot. And it was so relieving to know that all of my efforts to change and become better were working! Granted, I still have lots more to change and do, but I was grateful to Heavenly Father for allowing me to have this new area so I could see just how much I was changing.

Yesterday we had our zone conference, and it was amazing. President Keyes honestly is so inspired and is such a loving and caring leader. I know that he truly is called of God to be my mission president at this time. He talked to us about the things that we needed to do to maintain that spirituality that we felt during the temple open house. He called this the:

4 Cornerstones to Spirituality-

1) Obedience- he said that when we are being disobedient, no matter how hard we try to do the other 3 things, it won't make a difference. When we are disobedient as missionaries, we are breaking covenants. 

2) Prayer- how true that is. Prayer is the passport to peace and a refuge for safety. It is the way that we communicate with our Heavenly Father. He also promised us that every single time we pray and ask for strength, Heavenly Father will ALWAYS answer that prayer. No questions asked.

3) Scripture study- President said that if we want answers to our prayers, than we need to study! It's how Heavenly Father talks back. He said, "I promise that as you prayerfully study, you will have more meaningful prayers, and you will gain a deeper testimony of the gospel."

4) Partaking of the Sacrament worthily- he talked about how truly important this is for us, and how when we go to church and partake of the bread and water, our minds need to be centered on the atonement, and we should be thinking about how we can be strengthened through Christ.

I know these are things that we all know we should do, but the way that he put everything just made sense. Ah, I just love this mission. I love how Heavenly Father always knows what we need, where we need to be, and who we need to be with. Time flies too fast, and I really want to be better. I want to leave this mission a million times better than how I was before I came. I'm thankful for the opportunity that I have now to be serving in Indy 3rd ward, and I'm excited to get to use what little Spanish I do know, more fully. The Gospel is true. I promise, if any of you are struggling, that if you just apply the 4 cornerstones to spirituality in your life, you will be happy, and you will know what you need to do with the decisions you have to make in your life. Doubt not, fear not, in every way acknowledge Him!

Love, Hermana Conrow

"The way we do anything, is how we'll do everything."

Give It All You Got!

You all must forgive me for not writing a mass email last week.. I didn't have a ton of things to say and time was short- but I have repented of my ways and here I am. Haha ;)

Well this week has been great, just as all the other past weeks of my mission. I feel like I have had so many different thoughts lately that I don't even know where to start. So I'll just start with Friday, May 18.. 

As my mom would say, "It was the best day of her life when I came into the world.." Haha jk mom, I really don't know what you would say. Yes Friday was my birthday and boy was it a good one. I woke up thinking, "Ok, what are we doing today, who do we have to see? What do I need to study?" And then suddenly I remembered I was born on this day, but I'm a missionary and missionaries don't celebrate their birthdays. Haha so I just went upstairs for some breakfast and Sis Edwards had made cinnamon rolls for me and got me a turqoise watch (which I'm wearing right now, I love it) Sis Stoker even sneakily had Sis Edwards get me some earrings. It was pretty sweet. I thought my day was made at that point.. I was wrong. Before lunch we helped Sister Edwards clean up because she was having a scrapbooking party. She's all, "I don't know why I do this to myself, make myself so busy when I have to make your birthday dinner tonight too.. " and I was thinking, "Ya, I don't know why you do either?" Haha. Well, before her scrapbooking party people came over, I went downstairs to take a little nap during lunch time. 10 min later, Sis Edwards comes downstairs and says, "Can you please come upstairs and meet my friends?" And so I was like, "ok I'll be up in a minute," and she said, "well.. can you come up now and say the prayer?" 



So I said Ok and started coming up the stairs when I turned around and saw that many people from our ward were there standing by the staircase. They all yelled, "SURPRISE!" Haha, I was totally tricked. I had NO idea that Sis Edwards was planning a surpirse birthday party lunch thing for me. S Edwards kept laughing and saying how I helped clean and bake for my own surprise party. Haha, it ended up being really fun and I felt extremely loved that so many sisters in the ward would show up and support me on my little ole' birthday. I honestly couldn't have asked for a better day! When we went out for the day we even found a new investigator who is pretty awesome! He has a 10 year old daughter and he really wants to get back into church. That was the best birthday present, finding someone that the Lord had prepared to hear the gospel. That night, when we got home for dinner, Sis Edwards made a scrumdidliumptious dinner and cheesecake for dessert :) my fav. I had letters and a package from my mom awaiting me. It was a joyous day to behad. I never thought having a birthday in the mission field could be so fun, and rewarding! 

Saturday, we went over to one of our investigators house to help her do some yard work. (Service is the best excuse to wear some regular clothing. I love it!) Haha. So I was mowing the lawn and I had put the car keys over the top of my tshirt.. Well somehow while I was mowing the lawn, I dropped the keys and when we were ready to go, I had no idea where I could have dropped them. It was a pretty big yard. So the search was on, and I felt like we were looking forever. Finally, I stepped into her garage and said a little pleading prayer to Heavenly Father. I knew He had to help us find the keys because we had an appointment we had to get to, and it was the mission's car and so the spare keys were all the way in Independence. I kept looking and still no sign of the keys... I told myself not to freak out, but to just stay calm and the spirit would tell me where I had dropped them.. Well, right after that thought, sure enough, there they were by the edge of the lawn by some trees. I was so relieved and so grateful to Heavenly Father for helping me to stay calm enough that the spirit could guide me. I know that's such a simple story, but it was a really big lesson/testimony for me on the power of prayer through our trials, even the tiniest ones. Heavenly Father is so aware of us as his children and He knows our stresses. I know that whenever we need an answer to something, if we just wait patiently and stay calm, all will be well, and He will answer us- but we have to be sure that we don't just sit around waiting for the answer! We must go and do! This is the only way we will qualify for those answers. I know that is true. Faith without works is dead. 

Yesterday was a very special day for me. Not only did our cute little family of 4 that we started teaching last week all come to church dressed and ready to go, but we were able to go to the Liberty Jail where they hold a President's Devotional every 3rd Sunday for all the recent converts in the area. Sister Stoker and I went with Beth and her boyfriend BJ, and met Benedict and his girls there too. When Benedict got up to share his testimony he talked about how dark his days were when he was a child in Africa and how by meeting with us and learning about the Gospel he felt light again, and that he knew without a doubt that Joseph Smith was a prophet and did Restore Christ's gospel. He said, "When I heard about all the persecution that the prophet went through, and that he died because of what he taught and testified to be true, I knew there had to be something more to this religion. I knew that it was more than just another church. I knew that it was something that I needed to hear about and be apart of." It was a very tender experience for me. Then Beth went up and shared her sweet testimony too and I couldn't help but get choked up. I sat there listening to our recent converts and felt so grateful, so honored, and so humbled that the Lord had allowed me to be involved in His great work. I know I have said this before, but I felt like a proud parent listening to my children share their testimonies of the Restoration of the Gospel, knowing that I had helped them to build their foundation on the Savior. It makes everything worth it, everything- How did I get to be so blessed?

After the devotional, we came home with Beth and she stepped inside for a moment and we started talking about her plans for the future. She started to tell us how grateful she was for the gospel but also how hard it was for her sometimes to get over past mistakes she had made, feeling like maybe she wasn't completely worthy of all the blessings she's been receiving. Sister Stoker looked to me as if to say, "Go ahead, tell her.." So I began to share with Beth that there have been many times I have felt that way, especially on my mission, and how there have been many times when I have remembered past mistakes and felt like I wasn't good enough. I told her that a good friend told me, "Whenever a bad thought of a past sin comes into your head, you say 'thank you Satan for helping me to remember that I am not that person anymore and that I am better than that..." We read her some scriptures about how the not only forgives us of our sins, but he remembers them no more. Truly, what a blessing that is and a testament of the power of the Atonement in our lives. I love Beth so much and if all I did was come out here to meet her and help her along her path, than my mission would be complete. She is a far greater example to me than I ever could be to her.    

Something that I have been thinking about a lot is, where are my priorities and my focus? I want to be sure that I am focusing all that I can on this work and making sure that I make every moment count. I would hate to stand before the Lord one day and have to tell him that I wasted this precious year and a half that He has given me. Granted, I am not perfect, but I just want to be and do the best I can. I know that there are many other missionaries who are far beyond me and where I'm at, but I've come to realize that we all learn and grown at different rates and levels, and Heavenly Father knows that. He just wants us to do the best WE can, and we will be judged accordingly. I read a talk this morning by Elder Oaks that talked all about focus and priorities. He gave a quote that went something like this, "“Three things never come back—the spent arrow, the spoken word, and the lost opportunity. We cannot recycle or save the time allotted to us each day. With time, we have only one opportunity for choice, and then it is gone forever." How true that is. Never take time for granted. Use it up all you can.

Well, tis true, transfers are this week. :( I love this area so much. I really do not want to leave, nor do I want to leave my beloved companion Sister Stoker. We have been such a good team and have had so much fun and made so many memories. I feel as though she has really helped me to define myself and become a better daughter of God. She is, in my eyes, the missionary we all aspire to be. I love her guts, and will be sad to say goodbye. However, I know that with change comes new memories and more blessings so I am excited to see where the Lord would have me go next. Who knows- maybe I will actually go to an area where my little spanish I do know will be challenged. The Lord has a way of keeping us humble right? Haha, well I love you all so much and thank you for all the letters and packages. They mean the world to me. Shout out to my awesome mom for hers! And to the Sevier's too. Thank you soooooooooooooooo much! Love you all!

Love, Hermana Conrow

(p.s. if you're writing me, send it to the mission office, I don't know where I'll be come thursday!)

No Tongue Can Tell

What a silly girl I was this time last year. I had NO IDEA what my mission held in store for me when I opened my call. I am sad to admit that I was disappointed in my call, not realizing that it's not about where you go, it's about the people you go to. Don't ever be disappointed in a mission call! I promise you, wherever the Lord calls you, is where you are meant to be, regardless of that place! I wish so badly I could go back to last February and start over, knowing what I know now- the choices I made then would be completely different if I were able to make them again today. But I guess that's how life goes right? You live and you learn and you move on. How grateful I am to my Heavenly Father. He knows me better than anyone on this Earth, including myself. I love my mission with all my heart, and if all I did was come here to experience this temple open house and that's it, I would be satisfied for the eternities.. Words cannot even express the feelings that I have had this past week. I honestly don't even know what to say that will bring justice to my experiences that I have been so blessed to be apart of.

Sweet Beth was baptized on Tuesday. I love her so much. The baptism was so amazing, and so spiritual. I just don't know what else to say to that. You just had to be there. 

Benedict was baptized on Friday- we had a tender experience with him a couple days before he was baptized.. As we were teaching his last lesson, we got to the end and asked him if he had anymore questions... he then looked at us with tears in his eyes and said, "I'm ready. I'm ready to do this." Needless to say, his baptism was a very spiritual experience, and I know without a doubt that both him and Beth were prepared and ready to make the covenants that they made this past week. 

Saturday was the cultural celebration. Ahh, I just keep getting frustrated because I don't know how to express to all of you how special this experience was to me.. It's hard to even type about it without crying.. All 240 of us missionaries got to the Marriott Hotel across the street from the event center. We gathered in a large room and sang "We'll Bring the World His Truth" in preparation for the event. The power and the spirit that existed among all of us was almost palpable.. I don't think there was a dry eye in the room. God was with us. There is no other way to describe the feeling I had as we sang those words. President Keyes bore a sweet testimony to us, and when he spoke, I felt as though angels from Heaven were gathered in that room echoing his words into my heart that what he was saying truly was from Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. In was in that moment that I KNEW I had made a choice that will forever change the outcome of my future and will forever bless my life. When we all walked over to the event center, it was a beautiful sight to see... there is power in number. Ha ha. Elder Deschler, who is the area seventy here, told President Keyes that he wanted to make sure all of the missionaries had a seat in the center, that he didn't want us to have to stand.. And so when we got there they had seating just for us. As we sat there patiently, the crowd arose, and in walked President Monson- our beloved Prophet. Oh, how I love him, and will always strive to follow him. I know he represents our Savior here on this Earth. 

The Cultural Celebration was amazing.. there were 3100 youth from all over that participated. It was so exciting to watch as a missionary! Our time to come on wasn't until the end- and so on Que, we booked it down to the bottom of the stage, and waited for our turn to enter on. Like rushing water, all 240 missionaries marched onto the middle of the stage. I wanted to cry when I looked around me to see the entire audience standing and applauding us as we walked on, not to mention the youth kneeling to us and clapping, like we were royalty....but then, when we turned to where the Prophet was sitting, he was standing and applauding us and smiling. I couldn't help but feel an outpouring of the spirit then, and wanted to cry, but President Keyes told us to resist because we had to sing ha ha. It was a very special experience for me that I will never, ever forget. Temples truly are meant to bring us together. 

Yesterday was the KC Temple Dedication. Sister Stoker and I were able to attend all 3 sessions of it, and boy was it worth it! All 4 of our recent converts were able to go to the dedication. We made all of them white handkerchiefs with their names embroidered onto them. I felt like a proud parent that was watching my children with great admiration, as I knew that what our recent converts were being apart of would change their lives. My life has been changed just since this past week. I have a renewed dedication to the Lord. I honestly don't know how else to express how I felt yesterday. 

OK- so one more neat story- last night as we were driving home from Kansas City, we received a voicemail from President Keyes. He expressed his love for us and then told us about a story he heard after the celebration. He said that the men who were in the satellite truck, broadcasting the celebration, were watching as all of us missionaries came on stage. He said that the men in that truck began to cry and were weeping so badly that they had a hard time doing what they were supposed to be doing to keep the broadcast going. Sister Stoker and I were both in tears and couldn't help but feel overwhelming gratitude and love for the Savior and for His work. I had no idea the impact that we had as walked onto that stage. No idea. President also told us that he is meeting with the temple president today to work out a policy for all of us missionaries to be able to go to the temple. We have a temple here now! A DEDICATED TEMPLE! Ahhh I just love it! President also told us that next month we will all be getting a copy of the celebration to have. Isn't that so awesome?!!!! I cannot think of anything better right now. I honestly don't know how to tell all of you how I feel. I have such a fire within me right now that I want to shout from the rooftops! Ha ha as cheesy as that sounds.... Boy, do I love this gospel, with all my heart. I am so, so, so, so, thankful for all the blessings and opportunities my God has given me. I love Him. I love my Savior, I know He lives. Joseph Smith truly did restore His gospel to earth in these last days. Thomas S. Monson is Christ's living prophet here on the earth today. I love you all! WE HAVE A TEMPLE NOW! 

Love, Hermana Conrow :) :) :) 

Honoring His Name

The other day I was speaking with our ward mission leader and he was telling Sister Stoker and I how on his mission he could not wear a name tag until the last 4 months of his mission because of the area where he served. He told us how because of that experience he really appreciated so much more being able to wear his name tag- which holds the name of Jesus Christ. His experience reminded me of a conversation I had with a young return missionary at the temple open house. This Return Missionary told me how the night he came home and was being released, he could literally feel that mantle of authority as a full-time missionary be removed from him. He said, "It was the hardest thing I've ever had to do- to hand over my name tag that I was so privileged to wear for 2 years." Man, that was so awful to hear, it kind of made me have anxiety to be honest. It made me want to run away and hide when the time comes for me to go home, but at the same time, it made me realize how blessed I am to represent Him, our Savior for these 18 months. How precious this time is that He has given me, but also how quickly it can go. We as missionaries must strive to always be anxiously engaged so that when the time comes for release, we can feel peace about the efforts and the work we have done for Him. I hope that I can strive to be more diligent and steadfast in all that I do. I know I'm not perfect, but I really want to do all I can to make every moment worth it.

So it's a sad, yet joyful day.. The Kansas City Temple Open House is now finished. It was the craziest 3 weeks of my life, but I loved every minute of it. I have met so many wonderful, and loving people that I will never forget. I cannot thank Heavenly Father enough for allowing me to be apart of this amazing experience. Last week, I ran into that same couple that introduced me to Warren. They hugged me and told me how thankful they were for the things that I had said to him. They said, "You'll never believe it, but Warren and the lady he brought with him are both taking the discussions again, only this time, more intently!" They were so excited, I was so excited, and hope that I'll be able to go to his baptism! They went on to say, "You have just been so perfect for all of the friends that we have brought with us to the temple open house.." That made me feel really good, because often as a missionary, it's really hard to see that I am making a difference in what I do out here in the big world. I heard a really neat story also from this same couple the other day. They told me about a lady (not of our faith) who had a prompting to drive to work a little earlier one morning for no reason. As she did so, there was a man who's car had broken down on the side of the road. She decided to pick him up, and as a result, this man was on his way to help out at the temple open house. He told her all about the temple and invited her to come and take a tour. Well, she did just that, and loved every minute of it. I was introduced to this lady by the very same couple who introduced me to Warren. Her name is Barb, and she was the sweetest thing. With almost tears in her eyes she said, "I just know that it was Heavenly Father who sent me here, I just know it. I loved the temple." She lives fairly close to the area that I serve in so I hope that maybe Sister Stoker and I will have the opportunity to possibly teach her! Ahh don't you just love it?! I do :) 

Ok another way cool, exciting story- Benedict, our investigator from Africa- is getting baptized this Friday!!!!! You have no idea how excited we are. Let me tell you how it all went down: So we met with Benedict early last week, and were feeling a little confused on where he was at and if he even wanted to be baptized because he hadn't been to church and we hadn't been able to get hold of him.. We had a member from our ward with us, and as we taught Benedict he started telling us how all last week he had been praying on his knees morning and night and kept getting the feeling that he just needed to dive into the church, and be baptized. He said, "I just want to know what I need to do to be baptized." Sister Stoker and I sat there with our eyes and mouths wide open. Haha. We said, "We'd love to help you with that!" So we continued to teach him and as we were trying to set a date, he said, "I would be baptized tonight if I could." Ha, it was so sweet! Later on in the week, we met with Benedict again to finish teaching him, and after many attempts at trying to set a good date, we finally picked one out that would work for him and the ward.. Well, after doing so, we realized we hadn't taught him about the Word of Wisdom and weren't sure if he was struggling with anything. As we started teaching it, we got to coffee and he told us that he was a pretty avid coffee drinker.. Sister Stoker and I looked at each other and didn't really know what to say.. we were so worried that we were going to have to tell him to change his date, but before we could say anything, he says this, "Well, for some reason these last 5 days I haven't drank any coffee at all, I don't know why, I just haven't needed it." Once again, our eyes and mouths were on the floor. Isn't that such a miracle?! The spirit had already been preparing him for our lesson. He committed to live the Word of Wisdom and realized that he had received a prompting from Heavenly Father. It just doesn't get any better than that! In addition to Benedict's baptism this Friday, our sweet Beth in the Branch will be getting baptized as well tomorrow! We are pleased as punch and couldn't be more thankful to a loving Heavenly Father who has given us this opportunity to be apart of so many amazing miracles! It's so great!

      

Well, I'm almost done with this novel- This Saturday all 240 of us missionaries will be traveling to Kansas City to sing We'll Bring The World His Truth for our beloved Prophet, Thomas S. Monson, Elder Holland, Elder Scott, and Elder Hallstrom!!!!!!!!!!! If that isn't exciting, then I don't know what is. It seriously gives me the chills just to think that I get to be apart of this, and that we will be able to be in the presence of the Prophet for Jesus Christ's church! And then on Sunday, we will be able to go to the KC Temple Dedication with 2 new recent converts! Ahh, I just love this mission, I love this Gospel, I love it! I know it is true! It is so worth the small sacrifice to serve Him. I promise! 

Love you all!

Love, Hermana Conrow :)

The Sunshine Patriot

Yesterday in church, one of the counselors in our Branch Presidency read a really neat poem about the summer soldier, and the sunshine patriot. He described the difference between the two, and what it basically came down to was this:

 A summer soldier does not endure well, talks the talk but won't walk the walk. A sunshine patriot is committed to the end and willing to sacrifice all he has for the betterment of others. He then said, "Ok turn the word patriot to christian.." and related it to the kind of saints that we need to become in this battle we call life. 

So this is the kind of missionary I want to become- The Sunshine Patriot, or Christian. Another thing he spoke about in his talk was where are we pitching our tents? Meaning, are our doors towards the Lord or towards the cares of this world? He went on to say, are you serving the Lord with gladness or with reluctance- such way of serving will determine the blessings we receive. Man, isn't that so cool?! I thought so. I love church. I learn so much- granted I'm going twice every Sunday, but hey, to each their own. Haha. 

 

Ok- the Temple Open House is going amazingly!

Kansas City Temple Open House

 Ah, I love it so much, I don't want it to end. This is our last week serving there. Last week I had some of the neatest experiences and talked to so many awesome people. One older guy in particular- Warren. Good ole' Warren came with some members to the open house and when he got to the cultural hall, the member he was with came and grabbed me and said, "I have a friend here that has never met a sister missionary, will you come and meet him?" Of course I said yes, and followed him over to his friend. Warren is from the Kansas City area and had been taught by missionaries many times, he's probably in his 60's or 70's and is just full of life and energy. He reminded me of a Montanan cowboy. Haha. I felt like I was back home. Anywho- so Warren and I got talking and became pretty good bud's. His friend, who belongs to the church, whispered to me that Warren had never been invited to be baptized (after I asked Warren what the hold up was if he loved the church so much). So after talking a bunch, I finally said, "Warren, I have a question for you...Will you follow the example of Jesus Christ and be baptized by someone holding the Priesthood Authority of God?" He was kind of quiet for a minute and then tried to go around the question. After talking some more and getting ready to say goodbye, I said, "Warren you never answered my question!" And he said, "Well.. ya see.... I'll have to think about it." Haha, and then the member that was with him looked at me and said, "Are you sure you can't come teach Warren?" I said, "I wish I could, but he's not in my area." Then the member said, "Oh alright, well when Warren gets baptized, I'll be sure to call your mission president for special permission for you to come to it." Haha, it was a pretty cool experience. Warren and I will be great friends for life, I'm sure. :)

 There were lots of other neat experiences that happened at the open house. I met an older couple, Al and Jane, who came right up to me and basically asked what they needed to do to be a Mormon so they could be sealed to each other. I talked with them for quite some time. They were pretty sad when I told them Branson, MO wasn't even in our mission (which is where they are from) but I pray and hope that they will get missionaries who teach them, who will love them and show them the way!  I was also able to introduce a film in Spanish for the first time, it was super nerve wracking, but fun! When I was in the cultural hall I got to talk to a lot of members from a Spanish branch in Nebraska too, that was way neat. They were very patient with my chopped up Spanish and were even trying to teach me too. Ahh I loved every minute of it!

 

So this last week in our area, we were finally able to meet a less active lady in our ward who has never been to church since she moved here. She has a 31 year old daughter who was in a horrible car accident when she was 17, and because of that accident is in a wheel chair, has stroke symptoms, and has not been able to speak or really communicate since. It was so sad, not only because of the daughter, but to see her mother and how hard it has been for her since the accident. Her daughter had a scholarship to Julliard, which she had received a week before the accident. Anywho, we talked to this lady for awhile, she told us the changes that have come into her life because of the accident and how her daughter would be able to speak today had her doctor done the usual tests to find the blood clot that caused her stroke. She said that the doctor thought she was going to die, and so he didn't see the necessity to run the normal tests. He didn't think it was going to do any good. But then, when she started to progress, the doctor got scared and tried correcting it with medication, but it was too late- she had already had the stroke that caused the permanent damage. Sister Stoker came up with a really good analogy from this experience that has put a little perspective on the importance of missionary work in my life. She said, "It's so important that we don't assume someone has gone too far from the gospel, because if we do, we might just lose them forever." There's a lot of spiritual rebuilding that needs to take place with this member, but we're grateful for the opportunity that we have to learn from this. We're going to try to go over there every week from now on and take her daughter on strolls in her chair and just spend some time with her and her mom. We're pretty excited!

 

Oh yes, one last neat thing- lately Sister Stoker and I have been fasting and praying that the ward members will be led to those people who are prepared, and then this morning we got a random text from a ward member saying that they had neighbors who are recently married, and are interested in our church. She said that she was going to take them to the temple open house this week and really wanted us to come by and meet them. If that isn't an answer to fasting and prayer, then I don't know what is. Man, I really love Heavenly Father. He is so awesome. There's just no one better. I know that the more we obey Him, the more desire that we will have to help and love others. I know that is true. This is great time to be serving Him. I love it! "Shall we not go on in so great a cause?" 

Love you all!

 

Love, Hermana Conrow      

The Power Of The Spirit

Kansas City Temple

Hello everyone!

Sorry, my time is short. The temple open house is going swell. It's keeping us on our feet and super busy!

 

Our sweet Beth is getting baptized May 1st! We are so so so excited for her. She'll be able to go to the temple dedication!

 

Saturday I had a man ask me why we would spend millions of dollars on building a temple instead of giving that money to the poor and saving them from poverty...

My reply was this:

 "That money comes from members of the church and that building is completely paid for. We have many programs to help those all over the world with such poverty. And besides, we need more than to save temporally, we must save spiritually as well and it is inside those sacred walls of the temple that those saving ordinances of salvation take place." He was pretty speechless after that. And I was too. I had never thought of it that way before and I knew it was the spirit of the Lord speaking through me. It was a very neat, and special experience and I will never forget that. I love the temple. I know without a doubt that it is the House of the Lord. I am so grateful to my Heavenly Father who knows me and loves me and answers the pleading prayers of a simple sister in the big Missouri Independence Mission. 

I love you all. 

La iglesia de jesucristo es verdadero.

 

Love, Hermana Conrow :)  

The Holy Temple

Wow- this has been the most amazing, busy, stressful, wonderful, week of my mission! So many awesome things have happened I don't even know where to start!

 

Ok, first off- Ace's baptism on Tuesday was just.... so perfect! Most of the branch came and supported him and he loved it. Ace truly was just so prepared by the Lord and he was so happy to be making this commitment to Christ. We're really, really happy and proud of him for his diligence and grateful for the strength he will be to the branch now. He plans to serve a mission next year and is going to save up this summer to be able to go. What a testimony!

 

Wednesday was...just...so great! After our district meeting that day, we booked it over to the temple in Kansas City and met at the stake center across the temple! All the sisters from the mission were there (it's the first time we've all been together in a year). Ahh I loved seeing all my sisters. I've grown so close to so many of them through this past year. After our hello's (and girly squeals) President Keyes spoke to us about our role in the Temple Open House and then prepared us for Elder Walker of the Seventy to come and speak to us. Shortly after President Keyes spoke, Elder Walker came in (after just getting off the airplane) and he was so awesome! He didn't talk to us for too long, but when he did, he promised us that because of this temple open house, more people will be baptized, less active members will return, part member families will be sealed, and there will be a greater abundance of the spirit in this area. How awesome is that?!!! He shared a few neat stories of people that came back into the church after being part of a temple open house. Once he finished, he opened it up for us to ask any question we wanted and then directed President Keyes to give all of us sisters our own personal tour through the temple. Words cannot describe the joy that I have had this week. As we walked into the doors of the temple an overwhelming spirit flooded me and I couldn't help but feel such an extreme amount of love from Heavenly Father. We went from room to room in silence and in awe at the beauty of all the paintings and the artwork. The final room we walked to was the Celestial room. The minute I set foot into that glorious room, I couldn't keep the tears back. Honestly, I cannot even begin to describe how magnificent it was. The chandeliers were so incredibly beautiful, and I just felt like I was in Heaven. It was in that moment that I was reassured that this is where I'm supposed to be, that all the hard times were worth it. I was called here for a purpose, and I felt so honored and blessed Heavenly Father allowed me, out of so many, to be there in that very moment. I love this temple. It will forever be apart of me now. When we walked into the sealing room, my heart was full, and I thought about my first convert, Tina, that is going to be sealed in this very temple in August with her sweet husband. If that isn't worth all the trials and tears of a mission, then I don't know what is! I really don't. After leaving the temple, all the sisters gathered and we got to take a picture together. 

 

My next miracle of the week is Beth. Dear, sweet Beth. We taught her Wednesday night for the first time, and when I saw her, I looked at her and thought, "I know you from somewhere." I don't know why she looked so familiar to me, but I just felt like I knew her. Beth works with a guy in the branch and has always been seeking for a church she could go to. So when we got there we chatted for a little bit and then started to teach her. I don't know if it was just from my experience in the temple or what, but I could not stop crying as we taught her...well Beth couldn't either. The spirit was so powerful and it was probably one of my most spiritual lessons I have ever taught in the mission. Seriously, I loved every minute of it and Beth happily accepted the invitation to be baptized and is going to be baptized in a few weeks! How exciting is that?! I love this Branch, they are so great! 

 

Thursday was our very first day working at the temple open house. Unfortunately, we didn't get to do a whole lot because it was the press day, so we kind of just sat there. Saturday was the insane day. It was so busy. From 12-5 I didn't sit down once! As Sisters, we get to introduce the short film everyone watches when they come into the chapel, and then when they return from their temple tour, we greet them in the cultural hall and ask them about their experience going through. It was pretty awesome. While I manned the film station, Elder Walker stood close to me and was directing all the volunteers on what to do... while he was standing there, he looked at me and said, "I'm going to watch some of these missionaries to make sure their introductions are brief so we can get these people moving along." 2 minutes later, I stepped into the room to introduce the film to a group of people, and there was Elder Walker standing outside my door. Yes, that wasn't nerve wracking. Haha. Luckily, he gave me a thumbs up when I finished. Before he left he came right up to me, shook my hand, and said, "Thank you so much for all you do, we really appreciate it." I know it was really simple, but it made me feel good that he would take the time to do that. 

 

This weekend the Edwards had a lot of family in town and so that was a party. We got to go to dinner with them on Friday night. Sunday was such an awesome Easter Sunday. Church was so spiritual and Beth came, which made it even better. The Easter Bunny even paid Sister Stoker and I a visit. Haha, I laughed and told Sister Edwards that "the Easter bunny didn't even visit me when I was a kid, how did he find me here." It was pretty fun. I love the Edwards, I honestly do not know what I will do with myself when the time comes for me to be transferred. I'm hoping I'll be here til the end of summer, but of course I'll go wherever the Lord needs me. 

 

I am so grateful for the opportunity I have to be here in this mission and to be part of this great work. I love the temple. I cannot wait for the dedication the first weekend in May. President Monson will be coming to dedicate it, along with Elder Holland and Elder Hallstrom. How cool huh?! This next transfer is going to be so, so, so busy, so if I'm slow to write any of you back, I'm sorry, but the Lord must come first! I know this is Christ's true church. It truly is. I promise you that making it to the temple is worth it! Do not ever settle for anything less than a temple marriage. The covenants made there are sacred and everlasting. The temple is the House of the Lord and will always be. I love you all! 

 

Love, Hermana Conrow :)

(no, my Spanish is not good enough to do Spanish tours, but I'm working on it!)