September 24, 2014- Because of Him

Hiiiiiiiii, how is it going??

Well this it. This will be my final email before flying home 1 week from today! I can not even believe where the time has gone!!!! 

I've been thinking back to the beginning and how much Gods hand is in our lives every single day if we allow it. I remember when I first felt strongly that I needed to serve a mission but had no desire and was too young at that point anyway. Then the age change, I was now qualified to serve a mission ASAP. That freaked me out. A few months went by and my heart was extremely softened and now more open to the spirit which testified to me that I needed to serve a mission. Next thing I knew my papers were in, got my call, entered the MTC, and now here I am. 

I am so extremely grateful for this time I have had to serve the Lord and people here in Southern Utah. More than anything I am grateful for all that I have learned and how much my testimony has been strengthened. I thought I was converted before coming on a mission but now I know without any doubts that I am. The mission is such an interesting thing because my testimony has never been so tried, tested, or denied but with that opposition it has pushed me so much more! 

My favorite thing about being a full-time missionary is the constant spirit and guidance we can have at all times to be instruments in the Lords hands if we allow it. Yes, I know we can do that as normal member missionaries but I believe its different. This is the one time where we can completely devote all our time and attention to serving the Lord. I have loved praying every single day for the Lord to be my companion and oh the miracles we see as we succumb to His and the Fathers will.

I have loved being able to see people change. The atonement and spirit works miracles!!!!!!! I remember teaching Pat who was so stubborn and for the longest time would not allow himself to listen to the spirit. But he eventually did and was baptized and in February can be sealed to his beautiful wife and sons! Or Jay who decided on his own to take out his earrings and stop drinking beer just because he no longer had the desire after reading the Book of Mormon. Ah the list could go on of ways I have seen people change. 

I am grateful for Jesus Christ and for all that He has done for me, you, and everyone! Because of His sacrifice we can all have peace and joy. We can all one day return to live with Him and with our families again. How great is this gospel!!!!!!!! Please watch Because of Him if you haven't before.

"The Gospel of Jesus Christ is the way of life. To the extent we follow it and incorporate it in our lives, to this extent will we be blessed and prospered." -Gordon B Hinckley

I love you all and thank you so much for supporting me during my mission!!!!!!

~Sister Allen
summerallen@cox.net
2432 E Minton St
Mesa, AZ  85213

September 17, 2014, Two weeks to go

Hiya, hows it going??

I am doing fantastic!!!!!!! This week is great, I just love life right now!!!!!!!! LOVE LOVE LOVE IT!

So after last Pday we headed out to Colorado City where we were meeting up with the Kaibab sisters, Sister Davis and Sister Luebbert. Then we exchanged and I got to be in the Kaibab area with Sister Luebbert. It was amazing! We stayed the night with Bishop and Sister Adair for the Mocassin ward and it was so good to see them. I just love them! Then the next morning we went out into Colorado City and visited with people, than off to Fredonia and Kanab. I saw so many people that I love!!!!!! Kaibab is the place where I felt like I really grew a ton. I was there my 3-5 transfers! So I was still a little greenie and that is also where I trained. Which pushed me a ton. Going out there again just has got me thinking of all that has happened in the last 17 months of my life! I will forever treasure this time and Kaibab will forever have my heart. The exchange was amazing. Sister Luebbert is just fantastic! Its amazing to see how much she has grown as well! We didn't have a dinner apt that night so guess where we ate? The Junction!!!!!!!! Mom you should be jealous! ;) But we can eat here when we come visit. It was crazy too because Sister Luebbert got her flight itinerary when we were together. Its becoming more real.. Ahhh anyways..

Monday night was amazing!!!!!!!!!!!! We actually found people home! Best.night.ever. We have had so many referrals lately to contact (blessed!) and its been hard to contact them but we were able to contact a few and get like 3 return apts!!!!!!! We visited with this girl named Savannah for a while. Her and her husband got sealed about 2-3 years ago but haven't been too active since. She opened up to us a ton and I am so excited to go back and work with them. You know when you just meet some people and you just connect? That's how it was. It was just so comfortable, like I know we were both sent here for them. I love it! That same night we got a call from a ward mission leader, bishop, and a member all with the same golden referral! We set an apt for the next day (now yesterday) and we were able to pick her up as a new investigator. We were on exchanges again so I wasn't there but Sister Calves says she is so amazing! Did I mention her name is Eve and she is 93 years old. She is living with her doctor and his wife. Haha I'm so excited to meet her.

Sarah is doing great! She is keeping all her commitments and loves everything. She just eats it up. Her mother is still not sure about it all but Sarah is continuing to push forward!

I just love this work. I love being able to see people change and being able to help people feel and understand the spirit.

Oh also something exciting- The Ogden temple is being dedicated this Sunday and we get to watch it! Sister Calves has never seen one so I'm excited for her. And it has been so long for me too.

Picture directory:

- Sister Calves knocking doors

- Sister Luebbert and I with Cocoa

- Good ol' polygamist doors that the sisters heart attacked

~Sister Allen

881 S River Rd.

St George, UT 84790

Friday September 12, 2014

Hello my loved ones! How is it going??

Sarah is doing great although no longer on date for baptism for September 27th. Her mom doesn't feel that she is mature enough to make the decision yet. But Sarah has such great faith and isn't letting this get her down. She is continuing to meet with us, read the Book of Mormon and pray every day, and go to her ward every Sunday. And she loves it!!! She was used to going to other wards with her friends but we invited her to go to her own ward and she loved it. She said she loved no longer being a "visitor" and that she felt comfortable there in her ward although she doesn't really know any of the Young Women. I am just so excited for her and this journey that she is on. She will do great things in this life! Pray that her moms heart will continue to be softened and that she will see Sarah's dedication and testimony!

We had Zone Conference and MLC this week with Elder Don R. Clarke from the first quorum of the seventy and ah they were both so great! He is an amazing teacher. Extremely bold but loving. Where to even begin?? So Tuesday at the Zone Conference we talked alot about preparation, true conversion, and what "the work of salvation" is. It was amazing but after the conference I kinda felt chastised. I just realized I still have a lot to work on! People say that you start to get everything down at the end of your mission.. Well I am pretty close to the end and I don't think I got everything down. But I realize that is okay. That is how it should be. We should be learning new things every day and applying them every day. Once we feel we get something down then something else comes up to work on. Its a process but a great process because it causes us to change and repent and try harder to become more like Christ each day. I don't understand people that think we just need to accept Christ as our Savior and then we're saved. I would feel sad honestly. Elder Clarke kept saying "Happy always: Content never." I have felt content at some points in my life but I felt like things were lacking too. We either are increasing or decreasing in something. So I realized that its okay that some of the things he talked about I need to work on still. But I can say that each day I have done the best that I knew to be the best that day. At the beginning of my mission I tried my best every single day but today my best is more and so each day I need to give more. Does the make sense? The next day we had MLC, which is apx 20 missionaries including the STLs and ZLs, President and Sister Center, and Elder and Sister Clarke. Talk about scary and intense. But it was great! Elder Clarke talked alot about how we need to apply everything from the mission to our lives when we return home. We need to continue to set goals and make plans every week. We need to think everyday of "Who am I helping?" If we apply the things we learn from our mission and continue to seek out for those that we can help than our missions never end, which they shouldn't. Ah it was so great and it was just what I needed. I no longer have fears or feel like I'm going to throw up when I think about going home haha! I have allowed my mission to truly change me and that's not going to stop when I walk off the plane. My mission has changed my life and will continue to as I let it everyday.

I am so grateful for this opportunity that I have each and every day to testify of our Savior. We have ran into a few people this week that don't believe God loves them or knows them. It makes me so sad!!!! Because I know God is sooo aware of us, our situations, desires, struggles, everything! If you dont know this than I invite you to pray. Ask Him if hes there and if He cares. I know that we can all know for ourselves. Dont take my word for it.

Thank you all for supporting me through this journey! Love you! Hope you have a great week! My Pday next week will be Wednesday again!

Picture Directory:

- Sister Calves getting attacked by a dinosaur

- Last Pday at the Dinosaur Museum

- Hot Air Balloon early last Sunday morning :)

- We have fun at the Visitors Center (Sister Martin)

- More fun at the VC when its slow- Our new "angry baby" face

~Sister Allen

881 S River Rd

St George, UT 84790

 

 

 

September 3, 2014- "Let your hearts be full, drawn out in prayer unto Him continually." -Alma 34:27

Hiya, Hows it going??

Heads up this may be shorter than normal.

Our area has been pretty slow lately.. After we sent in numbers Sunday night we just felt so down. There is so much potential in our area but it's a matter of finding them and meeting with them! It seems like all our investigators have been out of town the past 2 weeks or just busy. So as we knelt down to plan Sunday night we pleaded with Heavenly Father that we could find a new investigator the next day. As soon as we say 'Amen' the phone goes off and we have a text from Sarah! I think I talked about Sarah maybe 1-2 months ago. Catch up: She had come into the Visitors Center with a member friend back in July watched the Restoration DVD and Gods Plan for his Family. She said she wanted to be baptized but wanted to wait til she was 18. Well we have been texting on and off since then trying to meet up. She has been super busy with vacations and now school and volleyball. (She is 16, senior in high school) Okay so in the text Sunday night she said she wanted to come talk to us while we are on shift at the Visitors Center. So she came in and right away she said that she knows she wants to be baptized but still wait til she is 18 because she is not sure of what her parents would say. We talked for a while with her and showed her the Mormon Message "Courage" and then she got a blessing from one of the senior elders. By the end she was in tears and just knew she wanted to be baptized now! Ah miracle! She is just so sweet and ready. She told us she was going to pray a lot and read the Book of Mormon and get back to us. Well she texted us the next day (now yesterday) and said she is going to talk to her mom so we set up a first official appointment. She isn't worried about her mom not allowing her to meet with us but she wants the support as well. And of course we would love to teach them as a family. So we will see :)

Random things from the week:

I went on 3 exchanges since last Pday. Its been crazy but I love it. I love learning from other sisters and being able to love them even more! 

The Visitors Center has been so slow but we have gotten 3 Asian buses the past week which is super rare! They are so nice and fun!

Last week for Pday we went geocaching. (Google it) It was so fun to do something different! And today we are going to Taco Bell and to the Dinosaur Museum. It's Sister Biery's bday tomorrow and she loves Dinos and Taco Bell so its perfect! I am really trying to live up my last Pdays on the mission. Time is flying!!!!!! Ahhh!

Next week we have Zone Conference and MLC (With Don R. Clarke, from the Seventy) so my Pday will be Friday next week and then will move back to Wednesday the following week.

Picture Directory:

- Sister Calves and I

- Fun at the VC with former comp, Sister Phagwah

- Saw Charlotte (one of my old investigators form Colorado City)

- Exchanging with the Kanab Sisters :)

LOVE YOU ALL!

PS: I know I don't have much time left but yall can still write me! :)