2/2/15 - Fasting to Find a Family

I have scatter-brain memories just flashing through my head, so I'm going to put the brakes on warp speed and just summarize the highlights of the week.

*We get to help with a wedding!! Our investigator Pauline is being baptized in Utah on April 5th, but she is getting married here in California on Valentine’s Day. I am such a girl because I am TRHILLED to help out with a wedding. Bishop is going to marry them in the church, and we'll help decorate & put bows on the chairs. Best. Missionary. Work. Ever. (next to baptism).

*Wayne is still set to being baptized May 1st. He is doing great, had 3 lessons with him this week, came to church for the 3rd time yesterday, and he is loving the scriptures. 

How do you know if this church is God's? Book of Mormon, period.

 My goal is to finish the ASL Book of Mormon before I go home, but I'm only in Mosiah, so I have to watch about 3 hours per week in order to finish it.... wish me luck! I'm telling you, the ONLY way to understand Jacob 5 is by watching it!

*Yesterday, the whole ward fasted with us Sisters. It has been so neat, I love Valencia. But I’m telling you, there is a FAMILY here, looking for the gospel. I felt it, and I desire sooo much to teach one familia on my mission. So we met with members everyday this past week and will follow up this week in order to find them. But it’s a humbling, faith-building experience to add the ward's faith in fasting with yours for one cause...So, day 1, here we go.

*Today is National Frozen Yogurt Day. Guess what we're doing after the hike=)

*Me & my comp were in the aisle for half an hour laughing hysterically last Monday. 

Note to self-

Never look in the card section for birthday/holidays in LA..... 

Love ya tons. The church is true. The Lord will lead us. It's 77 degrees outside, Life is good!

~Sister McNeill

1/19/15 Update - Missionary Moments

These are the moments you live for as a missionary:

My mission record, we taught 5 lessons this week WITH members! Seriously, with members, investigators are soon much more likely to 

1-turn to the RIGHT source if they have questions

2-feel comfortable opening up

3-more serious about coming to the waters of baptism

4-staying in the church.

So yes, y'all pat yourself on the back. We missionaries need you=)

If you've never had the missionaries teach someone in your home, do it.

Our main investigator was taught twice this week, PLUS went to ARP.

We taught him in the Nelsons home. They both are RM's and know how to teach. At first it was nuts because they have a 2 and 4yr old boys..... trouble.

Thank goodness for fruit snacks.

But the spirit was soooo crazy strong! He is literally the most prepared person I've taught, besides Peter.... only problem- keeping commitments.

The Nelsons- so great- offered to give him a ride to church. Sweet. No backing out this week. We get there, and turns out he told them that morning to go w/out him..... seriously? I am just fuming, seriously begging Heavenly Father to forgive me, because I am mad. He knows it’s true. So why not just TRY it? 

I'm sure God has had similar feeling for me more than once

But its more for my companion, I wanted him there so bad. We were teaching gospel principles in the next class and had catered the lesson exactly for him......

Well, 40 minutes into the first meeting, we see brother Nelson stand up, and walk down the aisle. Could it be...? No way. YES!!! He was late, but he came! He loved it, and walked out of gospel principles saying "man, this church is SO true!!"  Also, our less active was at church, along with her 3 boys. It was a great day.

Moral of the story, sometimes, it just feels great to have your prayers answered the way you'd like them to be. We will be committing him to a baptismal date (in the past he's refused, doesn't feel he's ready) so keep us in your prayers. =) 

Love you tons, the work is sweet, and God is good.

Sis McNeill

12/22/14 - Lunch with Kirby's Wife

So this week I’m in a brand new area, and apparently in a different mission (it feels like).

This past year I’ve served in the Valley (San Fernando) where there are no members, but a lot of work. I was in the deaf work in Canoga Park, and then moved to mini Mexico up in Sylmar...now, I am in Valencia, in the Santa Clarita Valley.... and it feels like I am in Utah=)

I am training Sister Hovermale- she just came from 6 weeks in the MTC learning ASL and I am training her, and prepping her for the deaf work. She is hard of hearing, and it’s cool to still feel connected with the deaf work.  However training in a brand new area on BIKE is nuts, and wow I have learned that it is hard being a mom=)  Seriously, a mission prepares you for the rest of your life. It’s a roller coaster here, but man we'll just trust the Lord and hang on=)

Love you all, have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. Try not to be toooo jealous you're not a missionary on Christmas Day. This is the only time I get to be an angel instead of a shepherd. Called of God to bring tidings of great joy. 

Happy CHRISTmas!

-Sis McNeill

p.s. oh ya, one last fun thought. Kirby Heyborne (RM, Best 2 Years, 3 Stooges) is one of our ward missionaries. Had lunch in his house on his table drinking from his cups with his wife... =) cool, ya?

(Michelle here – this last part made me laugh as I thought of Kirby’s character talking about the famous people he met on his mission in The Single’s Ward…I am telling Jess she needs to get a picture with him for her mission scrapbook!)

1/5/15 - Happy New Year/1 Year Milestone

But if You turn to the Lord with full purpose of heart, and 

put your trust in him, and 

serve him with all diligence of mind, 

if you do this,

He will, according to His will and pleasure, deliver you out of bondage.

That's been our theme this week. He's taken care of us, and although we've had some frustrations & dumb problems, I've really felt His hand touch my heart this week.

We now have 2 New investigators, finally, people to teach=) YES!

Alex- we met knocking. 29 and in the Aerospace business. Met back up at Starbucks & talked to Him about finding God through the Book of Mormon. He is very positive, but is thrilled to read it, and hopefully can recognize that it is not just a good read.

Also, we met another man through the ARP run by the church. Holy cow, I've never had such an upfront word of wisdom problem. Dealt with drinking, smoking, some marijuana (on my mission, mom, don't worry:). But this is a whole new ball game. It’s pretty intense BUT- he has been clean for 3 months and is really trying to get his life back together. 

He has some family/friends that are members, and he has the most sincere desire to see if this is right. I am REALLY excited for him and have SUCH a deep testimony of the addiction recovery program for the church. It is for everyone, and literally takes you step by step how to apply the Atonement. Sometimes people need more than just Primary answers.

We talked with 89 people about the gospel this week! 

Didn't quite hit our goal of 100- but hopefully with our health good now we can hit it! It’s still intimidating- all these rich people who "have it all" while I'm in a helmet/skirt on bike. Ohhh boy. BUT, working on it. (courage, man, courage). Oh I want to teach a family so bad!! But, whatever His will, I know I’m supposed to be here for a reason.

I am doing much better health-wise. Not full 100% but still better.

Luckily, we were only really sick from Saturday till Thursday, we still gotta have a blast for New Years. Your package was so much fun so thank you! Me and my comp celebrated at 9 (midnight for Indiana). We taped a plastic pumpkin to some ribbon, and did our own little "ball drop." Hahaha sometimes you just gotta make do as a missionary- so it was fun.

Love you tons! Happy New Year! We kicked it in gear, setting goals is nothing new to missionaries=) Really, I encourage everyone to do the same. Swallow your pride, it’s not bad to try and become a little bit better. That’s kinda the point of why we're here;) Set a goal.  So, that’s my little call to repentance, mission accomplished=)

Make every day great, because it’s one day less you get to glorify God.

~Sister McNeill

10/6/14 - Almost Use Pepper Spray Dad Sent Me

"This is the best 24 months, but it sure ain't the best 24 hours."  We had so many ups and downs this week. Crazy! But super duper awesome!

Our next baptism... We finally had a "break through the ice" lesson with Peter. He is a dry Mormon Basically, he just couldn't get over the thought of choosing his family instead of God. So, we told him to not look at it like a line, with God on one side and your family on the other. Look at it like a triangle, with you on one end, your family on the other, and God at the top. The closer you move to Him, the closer you get to your family.... It was like lightning hit him in the head! We discussed how we might be able to get him into the font (quite a challenge actually), and next time we go over, he'll have picked out a date! Sooo excited!

Our new investigator... Let me tell you about Valerie. She's 50, is an RA and lost her job because she forgot to renew her license. She took care of her dad in a home and then her mom died. Then her husband left her and then her father died. She became homeless for the past 8 yrs. Now, she is in an apartment with a friend. She still suffers from depression, and man, is she ready for the gospel!! Sis French and I- first time we met her- already can picture her in her temple clothes. Man, life has just dealt her some hand. But she is looking for God, and I am just thrilled to teach her. She's not even an investigator, she's my sister.

General Conference- ah man we missionaries become such nerds! We were all soooooo super exited, can't believe its already over!! Elder Bednar's talk was so perfect! Also, Elder Holland's talk really hit me. Being in the place with the people I'm with, your eyes are just opened to how many people need help. Here, giving rides to a person means the world, instead of walking your groceries 20 minutes in 100 degree weather back home. Its easy to feel overwhelmed as a missionary, that you just can't ever give enough.

Crazy people knocking- Funny how the adversary knows EXACTLY when you are having a spiritual high. I've gained such a testimony of opposition in all things. You've just gottta grit your teeth, clock it with your elbow, and keep walking. One lady talked with us at her doorstep. We tell her we are looking for service opportunities, and she starts going off about the service her church does and how we can help. We get all excited and she lets us in her house, offering us to sit down while she gets some water. Her friend in the kitchen turns and says " I got friends in need, but ain't no way I'm gonna give them to the latter-day saints. The woman turns around, says we need to leave, and gets us outta the house before we knew what happened.... seriously? One sentence from her friend turns off the last 5 min conversation we had with her. 

People. 

Also, I nearly used my pepper spray on this crazy guy looking for his pregnant girlfriend. With his crazy snake eyes (he must've been pretty high) he tells us to wait here (ya right) and goes and hops in his motor home, whistling for his girl.... oh boy!

Cool service for the day, helped a trucker clean graffiti off his Diesel. Boy, did we not blend in with our atmosphere!

My mission's so great. Sometimes it really feels like a dream.. not real. I look back and think, did that really just happen? I love serving the people here! Sylmar is just spiking up, and hopefully this last week was the last of the triple degree digits. Here comes "winter" :)

Love forever,

Sister McNeill