Fred the Bird is...Dead? Orem, Utah Mission, Eagle Mountain, May 29th, 2017

Hello everyone! Happy Memorial Day! 

I can't believe there is only one week left of the transfer! Holy Cow! My companion and I are pretty sure one of us will be leaving but who? It is up to God I suppose! I sure do like Eagle Mountain though, it's gorgeous! 

This week has been very... Slow. The Giles were baptized last Saturday which was awesome... But they also moved away a week later. We helped them pack everything up which was sad, but there are great missionaries in American Fork so I know they'll be okay! It's all about keeping up with the good habits we've been trying to help them make! 

One thing adorable did happen before they left though. We stopped by to see the Giles and talk to them about reading the Book of Mormon and praying before they left, and we decided to do a "magic" trick where my companion could "read minds". Basically We had them put random sentences on a slip of paper, and I just put in a blank one. The first paper she put to her forehead she said a random thing, and I claimed it to be mine, and then she read it, and of course it was one of there's so the next one she just  "knew". It was pretty fun. Anyway, Jordan (10), the first time we did this, he stood up and shouted "They're cheating! The Holy Ghost is helping them!!"and he kept saying that! It was so hilarious, he is such a cute kid and is going to go far in life! 

We spent a majority of this week trying to find and visit people, since almost all of our lessons canceled. We ran into someone this week who said his religion was love.. We're guessing he meant Charity, the pure love of Christ! Yesterday we had a zone wide "day of finding" and my companion and I fasted to be able to find more people. We talked to and met many people, but none of them were interested. We did, however, go over and talk to a nonmember family who we've been serving and helping with things lately. We are thoroughly convinced that the whole family would be baptized if it wasn't for the dad. He's a great guy, but doesn't necessarily like change. But, when we went over to say hi to them and their kids, she said her husband had agreed to have us over for a family home evening! Baby steps!

Two maybe not quite as spiritual things that happened this week.. 

1. We found a bird on the side of the road who was just squirming and couldn't move because he was hurt. We had pity on him and put him in a box and called around to see if anyone knew how to take care of a hurt bird... No one did, but someone did know where an animal rescue place nearby was! So we had to call our district leader, and ask for permission to go 5 minutes out of our area to deliver the bird to a safe place. It was quite the adventure. The lady we left Fred (That was his name) with seemed very capable of helping him, but we aren't sure whether or not Fred the Bird is dead. But, we know that if he didn't make it, he's up in bird heaven with all the worms he could imagine. 

2. I got the world's most Giant splinter! (Okay maybe I'm exaggerating a little, but it hurt!) It was a good conversations starter though. We went up to one door and they were about to turn us away when I asked for a safety pin to dig out the sliver! It at least bought us a couple of extra minutes! Then my companion basically gave me finger surgery in our car. She kept saying "just one more layer of skin!" so I've lost some trust in her. (Just kidding ;) 

Overall it was a pretty good week. One person that we have had success with recently is Faliesha. I'm not completely sure if I've mentioned her yet.. probably have but oh well! Shes a single mom of three crazy (they're nuts) Boys but we love em. We told her if she wanted to find out for herself if the things we were sharing were true she had to come to church! Their ward starts at 3 (SO LATE) so we waited for her there, but she didn't show. She texted us 30 minutes later and said she couldn't find one of her kids, so we were going to come over and help when she texted us that she found him, and was already in the chapel! I was very impressed with her dedication to make it to church. They only made it to about 20 minutes, but it worked! She also told us that the things we've been teaching her lately have been making so much sense, and that when she prays, or reads the Book of Mormon she feels peace. 

I know that what she's feeling is the Holy Ghost! He is here to guide us and comfort us. I know that the Book of Mormon is another testament of Jesus Christ, and an instruction guide for us all! If you're not reading it every day, or at all, I encourage you to read it! You won't know unless you try! 

I love you all! Have a fabulous week!

Love, 

Sister Crofts 

Life imitating art?

Beautiful Eagle Mountain sunset

Baptism, Yoga, and Seminary! Orem, Utah Mission, Eagle Mountain, May 22, 2017

Hello again, it's me! The long lost Sister Crofts! 

This week was AWESOME! Well, every week is awesome, but this one was especially awesome!

This week we had a Sisters Training Meeting, where all 30 something sisters in our mission came together and got to hear some awesome talks and get some great training. And...

Do Yoga!

We came in our workout clothes and got to do some really fun yoga that I may or may not still be sore from! Then we got to listen to lots of talks about how we can better balance our life as missionaries, and also heard from a lady, Sister Allen, who talked to us about how we can better study our scriptures, and continue to study them for the rest of our life! Then, of course, we got to hear from President Killpack. He is amazing, one of the sweetest people I've ever met. And he's funny! Him and Sister Killpack are all of our mission parents out here, they truly care for each and every one of us. 

Something even more exciting... Saturday we had a baptism for Ayla and Jordan Giles! It was amazing! Right before we got there we got a call from President and Sister Killpack saying that they would be coming to the baptism, which they don't do very often! I was able to play piano for the baptism, and after the two of them were baptized, while they were changing, Sister Hutchinson and I shared the message of the Restoration of the gospel. The spirit filled the room and everyone, including myself, was crying. It was an incredible experience to share of our Savior, Jesus Christ, and how His gospel is on the earth today! Joseph Smith truly did see our Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ, and through him Jesus Christ's Church was restored. I am so happy for Ayla and Jordan and their decision to be baptized and to follow Jesus Christ. The next day at Sacrament meeting, they were confirmed members of the church and given the gift of the Holy Ghost, which will help and aid them throughout the rest of their life. How amazing! 

Speaking of Sacrament meeting.. We went to four yesterday! I felt like a very spiritual person haha! Each ward had someone who wanted us to go, or who we wanted to see. Its very fulfilling to see people who you didn't think would make it to church come, and have an amazing, spiritual experience. Church is such a great place to feel closer to our Savior. 

This week I also got to go back to Seminary! For those of you who don't know what that is, in everywhere except Utah, it's a place where we go before school to learn about things from the Bible, Book of Mormon, etc. In Utah, it's an actual class you can take! How crazy is that? A couple of sets of missionaries got invited to come help teach a couple of classes this week, so we got to do that two mornings in a row. It was awesome to go and talk to people and tell all of the kids there how important and wonderful missions are! It definitely didn't feel like I was only a year or so older than most of them. 

One last thing before I head out, We have recently started teaching someone named Faliesha. She's a single mom with three very very energetic boys. For her entire life basically, she was very closed off to the church. But recently, she asked if we could come teach her more about it, and shes really progressing and learning a lot. She's had a really hard life, and I know with all my heart that the Gospel of Jesus Christ can help her. I think she knows it too, it might just take her a little bit longer to figure that out. 

I love you all so much, have a wonderful week! 

Love,

Sister Crofts 

3 Months down!  Time is flying by!

Ayla and Jordan's Baptism!

 

Rachel was helping someone move and found these HUGE set of scriptures!

All cats love Rachel!

Safety first!!

Moving Day! Utah, Orem Mission, Eagle Mountain, May 15th, 2017

Today's been a little crazy, but very fun! We are moving into a new apartment so that the Elders in our district have a place to live, so we did that all morning. Then, at 10:00 we had a zone activity! We played Quidditch! It was hilarious, very fun, and took a lot of energy. I was exhausted by the end of it! You may be asking yourself, "how does one play Quidditch without a flying broom?" I'll tell ya! We each had a broomstick and had to stay on top of it while trying to get balls through hoops on either side of the field. We also had people who threw bludgers at people who had the ball! (If you haven't seen Harry Potter, then you probably don't understand what I am saying, but it was very fun.) Overall I think it was a success. I was on team Slytherin, but we did pretty dang good for being the bad guys!

We also held a free car wash on Saturday as a district (8 missionaries). It was a great service opportunity and we were able to meet and talk to so many people! It was absolutely freezing but such a great time. I love the people of Eagle Mountain!

The weeks have been going by so fast! Yesterday I got to talk with my family which was wonderful, It was so good to see their faces and hear from them! It gave me the boost I needed to get back to work! 

A cool miracle we were able to see this week involved our beloved Giles family. As you know, we've been teaching them for some time now, and Ayla and Jordan are getting baptized this Saturday! We are so excited for them, and for their dad as well, who has recently been coming back to church. Unfortunately, they have to move out of their home about a week after the kids get baptized, and right now it looks like they will be heading to Orem. We've been praying and praying that they can find something around here so they can continue to progress, but of course it is Heavenly Father's will, not ours! Anyway, after a lesson with the Giles, we had another appointment to go to, so we drove over there and said another prayer that they would be able to find a house. We walked up to their door and knocked for a while, but they weren't home. Just as we were about to leave, a group of teenagers ran by and handed us a paper. Turns out it was a house for sale nearby! It was crazy, Heavenly Father had shown us that He was listening to our prayers, and He really did care! We don't know for sure whether or not it will work out for them, but it really strengthened my testimony in prayer, and how important it is to pray to our Heavenly Father! 

Another thing I've learned this week is how to keep a positive attitude at all times. (Or as often as possible). Sometimes I've noticed that I can get annoyed easily, or frustrated when things don't go the way I want them to. Each transfer (about 6 weeks) Each missionary chooses a different Christlike Attribute to work on. This transfer I am working on Humility. (And boy do I need it!) I've come to realize that the things I get annoyed with or frustrated with are because I haven't humbled myself to appreciate and understand God's will and plan for me. I pray every day that I'll be able to have a positive attitude, and be humble no matter what and it has definitely helped me to keep a positive outlook on things. I would like to encourage all of you to try to look for the positives in your life, and the blessings God gives you every day!

I love you all, and appreciate all of the letters, emails, and support. 

Love, 

Sister Crofts 

Zone Conference

Best Mother's Day gift!  We got to talk to Rachel for an hour!

Quidditch for Pday!  SO fun!

Wait...wasn't it supposed to be a CAR wash? :)

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Attack of the Dandelions! Orem, Utah Mission, Eagle Mountain, May 8th 2017

As a missionary we offer to help people out a lot, and end up doing a lot of service... which we love to do! Recently we have been doing two things: Painting rooms and pulling dandelions. Apparently in Utah since it's so windy Dandelion seeds just fly everywhere and end up littering everyone's lawns. So I can now say that I am officially an expert Dandelion puller. I'll probably put that on my resume when I get home. 

This week has been amazing. Last Monday when I was feeling sick, I was able to get a blessing from our district leader that said I would recover quickly and be able to go to work the rest of the week, and Tuesday morning I was basically completely healed! The power of the Priesthood is absolutely amazing. 

The rest of the week came with many more miracles. But first... a story. 

There once was a stake President who missionaries were afraid of. Every Elder that came into the area knew he didn't like missionaries and steered clear of him. Then one day, after many many years, Sister Missionaries were transferred in. They had heard tales of the cranky Stake President but refused to believe them. After many attempts they were finally able to meet with him, and told them they were there to help him, and suddenly the cranky Stake President was no more! It was a miracle!

It truly was a miracle, we came into the area and everyone told us that one of our Stake Presidents wouldn't want to work with us, but once we told him we were here to serve him, and started sending him email reports of our lessons, he has turned a new leaf! We even got invited to a bishop training meeting by the Stake President so we could tell them our missionary vision and how they could help! This experience has truly strengthened my testimony of service, and just being kind and understanding with people. 

Another miracle happened this week..

As you know, we have been teaching the Giles family; Ayla and Jordan and 9 and 10 years old, and their dad Brother Giles is inactive and hasn't been to church in a while, except for two weeks ago when we spoke in church! The other day, we went over to their house so we could sit down and talk to him about his two kids getting baptized. We told them that we didn't want to just baptize his kids, because without support from home they probably wouldn't end up going to church and would eventually fall away. He agreed, and we got him to open up and he told us he knows the church is true and that he needs to start changing things in his life and going back to church. It was amazing! He has changed so much since we first starting seeing them. I know that the gospel of Jesus Christ does bless families, and that he recognized that and was willing to do his best to change. 

I love being a missionary. It's truly incredible to see people get from point A to point B and see how much this gospel can change and affect their life. I promise all of you that Jesus Christ's church has been restored today. It is the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. I promise that this gospel will and can change your life. I know that Jesus Christ is our Savior and Redeemer. He loves us, He knows us personally because He suffered for us. 

I love all of you so much and hope you have a wonderful week!

Love, 

Sister Crofts 

Missionaries go a little crazy after visiting four wards and attending many meetings on Sunday! (I may be in trouble for posting this picture!:)

Sister Crofts felt 100 percent better the day after having a nasty flu.  Priesthood blessings work!

To Transfer or Not to Transfer--Orem, Utah Mission, Eagle Mountain May 1st, 2017

Today, along with being Pday, was also the day we get transfer calls! 

Drum roll please...

I'm staying! And so is my companion! Woohoo! Eagle Mountain has been so amazing and we've seen so many miracles here so I'm excited to get to work! 

One of the many miracles we saw this week was that we met a new family. We had originally set up an appointment with someone else who lived in the building, but when we knocked, a completely different family answered. They immediately invited us in and asked us what time they could go to church! The man is an inactive member who hasn't been to church since he was a kid, and his wife isn't a member but has thought about being baptized! We gave them a Chapel tour so they could know where to go when they came to church. On Sunday we waited anxiously in the foyer for them, and after 30 minutes we started to doubt. But never fear, they showed up! It may have been 30 minutes late but it meant a lot to us!

We have officially set up a baptism date and time for Dylan. He's going to be baptized May 20th. Woohoo, we are so excited for him! 

I just wanted to bear my testimony to you all today that I know this is the true Gospel of Jesus Christ. This gospel unites families for time and all eternity, and has personally brought me so much peace and comfort. It's amazing how much you come to realize how Heavenly Father listens to every single prayer we say, and answers in his own way. I'd like to invite everyone this week to pray to Heavenly Father, and notice the blessings and the things he helps you with throughout the week. 

I love you all so much, and pray for you daily!

Have a fantastic week!

Love, 

Sister Crofts 

The weather has been crazy in Utah this spring...but the sisters take time to enjoy the rainbows!

Sister Crofts makes friends wherever she goes--out on splits with some other sister missionaries!

Using her piano skills at a meeting.

Elders in her district

Crazy missionaries!

Beautiful Eagle Mountain!

I got a kick out of Rachel sending me this pic of her apartment cleaning check...she said I would be proud of her--she is actually starting to enjoy cleaning!  A miracle!:)

The sisters are teaching a young man who grew up in a polygamous family.  He asked them for their full names and surprised them with a brand new set of quads each!  I joked that I hope he's not expecting them to marry him, now!

Today (Pday) Rachel has an awful flu.  It is also her companion, Sister Hutchinson's, birthday.  They had had a lot of fun things and appointments planned for the day, but instead Rachel spent it in bed.  Her companion cheerfully took care of Rachel.  What a sweetheart!  Rachel kept with tradition and decorated their kitchen the night before with signs celebrating wonderful Sister Hutchinson.