Wednesday, January 11, 2017

Week 50

1/9

If it's been windy & snowy & rainy & sunny & -30 with a wind chill all within 3 days clap your hands <clap, clap> 

WOAH!! SO this weekend Idaho was in a "State of Emergency" because of all the crazy weather, but it's all good because I read and studied A TON! I'm sorry to say we haven't had any lessons since I last emailed because of the snow and wind and ice and all that fun stuff. Its snowed almost 2 feet within 2 days. Church was cancelled for at least 20 stakes in southern Idaho. 

Something exciting that happened this week was my birthday!! Thanks so much everyone for the birthday wishes. It made me feel so special. We have only been able to spend time with members and stay home so we've gotten rides from everyone and just hung out. We took down lots of christmas decorations and wrote thank you notes. haha 

During our free time I read, "Our search for happiness" SO good! My testimony was strengthened so much. I know that the priesthood power that we have here on earth today is the correct and true authority to act in Gods name. I know we have a living prophet on the earth today to lead us and guide us. I know the gospel is true without a shadow of a doubt. Let's go and share the blessing we receive with everyone.

Keep the Faith y'all!!

LOVE YOU ALL!!
Sister Summer Stone

pics
1. getting rides with members #littlekidsfreezing&squished 
2. Still cold... haha


Week 49

1/3

Woah! It is 2017? Still feel like its 2015 sometimes but whatever haha. 

This morning we got to go to the Twin Falls temple as a zone. BEST early birthday present ever! It has been a super slow week to be completely honest so nothing too exciting happened this week. We had to be in our apartments by 6:30 on New Years Eve so we went to dinner before at our stake presidents house with our district and that was fun then we came home and gave ourselves facials, drank our last pop (yes mom, I'm not gonna drink any Dr. Pepper at least until July), and cleaned! It was really fun haha but yeah, we had a few lessons but mostly been trying to stay warm and dry! 

Im gonna send y'all off with a few pics and just a few thoughts. Hope you all have a Happy New year! Remember all your blessings you've received this year and who they come from. God is always willing to bless each of us if we act in faith adn keep His commandments

Love you all!! Keep the Faith,

Sister Summer Stone

Pics
1.) Temple trip this AM
2.) New Years Eve
3.) Twin trip today #basicwhitegirl


Week 48

12/27

Hello and Merry late Christmas to my loved ones. 1st off it was so great seeing all of your faces on sunday <3 love you all!! ok, 2nd off. WOW what a week. How cool for all my missionary friends was it to be a representative of Christ while we are celebrating His birth and His life? I also can't beleive #LighttheWorld is over. But don't worry I'll talk about that later haha

Earlier this week we had the Christmas Devortional/get together thing for the Twin hald of the mission. That was so fun seeing old comps, mission friends and homies from BYU! There used to 6 of us in the Idaho Boise Mission but now there are 5. Anyways, there was a talent show and that was so fun. Another Sister and I did the chopsticks duet and that was awesome haha people loved it! Then during the spiritual part of the meeting Sister Cluff and I sang. It was an awesome meeting. We really felt the importance of celebrating our Savior this Christmas and what an honor it is to be a representative of Him during this season. 

Mike is continuing to progress really well. We had a few lessons this week but a miracle we saw with him was when we read a chapter in the Book fo Mormon with him and his family. We read Alma 34 and towards the end of the chapter it talks about having patience and doing the will of the Father and following His commandments during the process of our trials. That was EXACTLY what Mike needed to hear. The spirit works in mysterious ways. Isn't the spirit amazing? And Christ is just amazing! He is just the light to everyone's life!!!

Speaking of light... ;) see what I did there haha What is everyone supposed to do now that #Lighttheworld is over? 1st of all, go watch day 25 right now on Mormon.org. Ok now that everyone has done that..Here are a few suggestions on how we can carry this light on for the rest of the year. Take some of the attributes of Christ we recognized this month and apply it and make it a New Years resolution!! Some members have said that they are going to redo all the 25 days each month because there are a least 5 ideas of everyday. Some have 10 ideas. thats almost a whole year of lighting the world. Christ is the light and life og the world and he told the Nephites in 3rd Nephi, "Therefore, hold up your light that it may shine unto the world. Behold I am the light which ye shall hold up--that which ye have seen me do..." (3rd Nephi 18:24). We all have the light of christ within us and we need to help others see that light and be reminded. I know that this years Christmas Initiative was inspired by a prophet of God and I know that this light can last all year long! :) 

Love you all!!

Keep the faith!

Sister Summer Stone

Pics
1: BYU Friends
2: Christmas Morning #THANKSFAM
3: Christmas Eve, carroling with our District
4: Twinning in Twin for the Christmas devotional


Week 47

12/19

Well hello! How is it where the sun shines and its warm? Alright, the sun shines here but it has been REALLY cold! Like single digits cold, plus insanely windy. Who knew wind could blow like 65 mph?? Haha although its been cold and a little breezy I am still loving this place more and more every single day! 

I got to brand a cow! Yes I did it. We branded beef cows last Monday for pday with Sydney (our investigator), David (her boyfriend), some members that own the feed lot, and our district. That was quite the muddy, loud, heart breaking, cold experience haha. Sister Cluff almost cried multiple times but i thought it was an opportunity of a life time and i could not pass that up haha.

We went to a few ward parties this week and saw Santa at all of them!! Aside from that part of Christmas, I absolutely love this small town community of Oakley/ Burley! Everyone here is just so down to earth and Christian. In fact the whole town put on this multi-denominational Christmas program thing in town. It was kind of like a progressive dinner but with singing instead. We went to one of the LDS chapels for their program and the spirit was so strong! We are hoping and praying everyone who was there felt the spirit. After the LDS we went to the Little Flower Catholic Church and there were so many people there!! We all sang some Christmas hymns and then we clapped for baby jesus and sang Feliz Navidad!! 
Christmas is such an incredible time to focus on our Savior Jesus Christ. Remember christmas wouldnt be christmas without Easter

Love you all! Keep the faith!! 

Sister Summer Stone

Pictures
Christmas Cookies!!
Santa at some of the ward parties
#LIGHTTHEWOARLD
Branding cows!!!



Week 46

12/12

Wow, I swear, every week is just getting better and better as we get closer to Christmas. Everyone has been so welcoming this week and the #LighttheWorld initiative is just blowing up here! There were so many amazing things that happened this week so lets just get right to it!

#1 Wednesday, December 7th was "Jesus fed the hungry and so can you" for #LighttheWorld. Our district went to a members house in one of our wards and we packaged up hot soup and rolls. we gave it to members, less actives, investigators, everyone!! It was an awesome way to get to know some people better with out the scary "hi we're missionaries. let us and in and we'll baptize you" sign on our forehead haha. There were a lot of people we haven't been able to see in a while that welcomed us because of this initiative. LOVE it! Come on everybody, you better be lighting the world!!

#2 One of our investigators Mike is seriously progressing so much. So here's a little back story on Mike. His wife and 3 daughters are all super active he just has never committed to actually be baptized and come to church he's had the lessons 5 times through though. So this week we decided to teach him the restoration even though hes heard the lesson plenty of times, but we are so so glad that we did! The spirit was so strong! We invited him to be baptized on December 31st and thought about it then he goes, "yeah, lets do it this time. That'll be a good start to a new year." YES MIKE!! That'll be a great start to your new year!! We invited him to church and he came and literally everyone was shocked because he's been through the lessons so many times but its fo' real this tiem! Its fo real!

#3 We have another investigator Sydney who we've been meeting with off and on for a while. Her parents are members but haven't been active in like forever. So a few weeks ago she came to church with her boyfriend and we started to see her more consistently. This weekend we had a lesson at a members house and we taught her the restoration. Oh man. that was so cool to see how well the spirit guided us in that lesson. Sister Cluff and I have been together for 3 months and we used to share the Restoration for every dinner message but we had never taught it like that! The Spirit was so strong and we were led and guided for everything we said and shared. It was also incredible being able to have members add their testimonies to ours. We hadn't planned on setting a baptismal date with Sydney this week but the spirit led us and we set the date of January 7th. Wow seriously so many miracles!!!

Well, in honor of being snowed in this week for 2 days heres a scripture for ya. "Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord: though your sins be as scarlet they shall be as white as SNOW..." I know that the atonement is so real and I know that no matter what we do in our lives we can always repent and change. The atonement is there for our benefit! We need to USE it! I love you all so so much!!

Keep the faith

Sister Summer Stone

Pics
1: real lyf tears because it was so cold outside
2: #LighttheWorld feeding the world with hot soup
3: snow storm in Burley



Week 45

12/5

HELLLOOO everyone! 

So I'm staying here in the Oakley stake with Sister Cluff this next transfer again! We are so excited to stay here for Christmas. We have been working really hard so we can't wait to continue to see miracles. 

We saw Parke this week and he has been really struggling because his sister passed away and because of his health he couldn't go to the funeral. So 2 of the members came over and gave him a blessing. The spirit was really strong. Please keep him in your prayers, that he will be comforted and be able to be healthy enough to come to chruch. Also!!! He's really struggling with the whole coffee thing because after 75 years of drinking it hes "not gonna stop cold turkey now" haha so please keep him in your prayers. He's come so far now, he knows its true!!! 

So there is this Semi active single lady we've been working with and during companionship study the other day Sister Cluff and I had the prompting to read the talk by Elder Nelson about JOY from this last conference. I just want to add my testimony to his that Heavenly Father has sent us here to earth to have Joy and I know that is true. I know that although times are tough he is always mindful of us and with the atonement we can always feel joy in our lives. 

We have been sharing the #lighttheworld initiative with literally EVERYONE and you should be too. LETS LIGHT THE WORLD!!! love you all, keep the faith!

Sister Summer Stone

sorry not too many pics this week