Good times in Santa Barbara!

HEY GUYS!

 Well, I'm staying in SB!! Sister X. is leaving :( She will be white-wash training and will do great, but I have loved serving with her!! It was too short, but we saw so many miracles this transfer. This week was so great.. We had a mission conference since President and Sister Castro will be finishing their service this week. It was bitter-sweet and they expressed that they are happy to be done, because they have fulfilled their calling .. and more. They have truly done so much for this mission and are the perfect examples of putting the Lord first. President focused on the authority of our calling as full time missionaries and how we gain Heavenly Father's trust. Heavenly father has already showed his love.. we never have to worry about his love for us, because the greatest manifestation of his love was by sending his son. Being a powerful missionary comes in the choices we make and it's important to gain the lord's trust. He explained that change and transition is healthy! and said something that really stuck with me.. "Every day is a symbol of the atonement." We can always be better with each coming day.. the atonement sustains us and it's power is real!

 We met with Ben and Natalie! Oh my goodness.. it was amazing. The spirit was filling our mouths and they felt it.. we felt it. Natalie has had such a change of heart. We taught obedience, prayer, and scripture study and focused on the importance of how these things will help them overcome their concerns.. we really focused on how the gospel will bless their marriage and Elizabeth (Their baby) We invited them to be baptized and they said they have the desire.. they want to be and they know it's all true. We have not committed them to a date because Ben is a little worried about his Turkish background... being from the middle east and his Muslim background, there are some risks involved, especially with his family back in turkey. They are going to be praying and fasting about it.. but the lesson was extremely powerful and It definitely wasn't us. It was all the spirit! It's sooo important to be worthy vessels and have that spirit with us because I we cannot teach without it.

 Well, I'm running out of time, but I love you all!! I know that this gospel is true and that this work is real. It's not about me, but I'm starting to see the change in myself.. I know that we can always become more converted and we can learn something new each day. I've been called to teach the gospel, but I am taught every day and I've never felt such greater joy! Thank you for your prayers and support and s!!! :) I love you all!!!

 6-23-2014

Sister James and Lisa
 

Saying goodbye to Pres and Sis Castro

Beautiful Sister Missionaries!

 

 

 

 

 

The power of prayer is REAL

FAMILY!!

 We had a great week full of miracles and tender mercies! Sister Xayadeth and I have been praying fervently as to how we can continue to hasten the work in this area. We both agreed that we would find more success if we used our car less and walked more. We live out of our area, so we've been driving and then walking the rest of the day. We had the opportunity to talk to so many people and we were much more effective. I know that seeds were planted and we also had met a few new investigators and set up a lot of return appointments, so I'm excited for this week!!  This transfer has FLOWN. (is that a word?) I'm so stupid haha any way, it's gone by reaaally fast and I really want to stay with Sis X. Every one says we talk the same and we have the same mannerisms.. it's kind of freaky.

 We are still setting goals as to how we can help our ward become more excited about missionary work. We've been getting to know them more each week and focusing on gaining their trust. 85% of the members in our area are less-active, so we've been doing A LOT of less active work. We met with Lisa this week and did some service for her!  Ah, she is so precious. I love her. She is disabled, but truly one of the most Christ-like people I have ever met. We've been talking to her a lot about how the Lord knows her strength and knows that she can handle the trials she is facing. She has such a strong spirit and I feel it every time we visit with her.. she came to church yesterday, which was a huge blessing! She calls us every day to make sure we are okay haha. She asks us to share scriptures and messages over the phone if we don't have time to go over that day.

 MIRACLE: We invited Natalie to our relief society dinner activity pretty last minute, but she came! It was such a blessing because she has been having the same concern about our church being different from other protestant churches. She has some great fellowship and she had a conversation with Sister Lind. Sister Lind had the same exact concerns as Natalie just a few years ago before she joined the church.  She told Natalie that the Lord knew her family was ready to receive the fullness of the gospel and that is why he placed her on this path at this particular time. She bore powerful testimony on how this will only enhance her faith and relationship with Christ, not tear it down. Natalie is pretty serious, but she got very emotional and when we spoke with her at church yesterday, she had a different glow about her.. she was friendly and we set up a return appt.!!

 Again, there are so many crazy people here.. hahaha. If I could just record some moments and send them home.. I've never seen weirder things.

 The power of prayer is REAL. As we turn to the Lord, and then act, we witness miracles. I know there are some of God's choice children in this area, who are ready to receive the gospel and are prepared. I know that once we lose ourselves in the service of God, we develop a better understanding of HIS love. I love this work!!

LOVE,

Sister James
 

The ensign was sooo good this month.. every one, go read it!

" Don't worry about your clumisly expressed feelings.  Just talk to your father. He hears EVERY prayer and answers it in his way. For us to grow, we need to trust our ability to make correct decisions. We need to do what we feel is right. In time, he will answer. He will not fail us."

- Richard G. Scott

June 16, 2014

Sister X and Sister James representing SB!

 

Obey with exactness

Hello family!!

 

We've had a good week here in Santa Barbara! A lot of our appointments fell through this week, BUT that's okay :) We are going to be meeting some awesome people this week, so that will be good! Something so special that I've come to develop here on my mission.. is the ability to recognize the spirit and the Lord's hand in this work. We couldn't do it without him. I've never had to rely on the spirit more. "If ye have not the spirit, ye shall not teach." I walk up to someone and I don't know what I want to say.. but I have the courage to open my mouth and It all falls into place because the spirit is prompting me what I need to say to that specific person!

 

We met with Ben and Natalie this week. They've been going to church since December, but it's very difficult to set up appointments with them. I've never met with them except for when we dropped of Natalie's Russian Book Of Mormon (She's Russian) and Ben is from Turkey! Well, we have been praying for the opportunity to meet with Ben and Natalie in each of our prayers, as it has been difficult to set up an appointment with them. They came to sacrament meeting and we were able to catch them and set up an appointment for a couple hours later. We didn't have as much time to prepare because it was sort of last minute, but I felt the spirit filling my mouth as to what I needed to say to best help Ben and Natalie draw closer to Christ. Ben is so ready.. he has that burning desire and he knows all of it's true. Natalie has a hard time understanding the need for authority and the restoration.. We focused on baptism and the authority to baptize. We tried to emphasize that through the Book of Mormon and prayer she can come to know if these things are true for herself.. We committed them to pray about baptism and pray as a family. We also focused on how this is how we follow Jesus Christ.. is through making covenants and promises with God. We talked about how it has blessed our life and especially our family, because we know that is so important to them! They want to raise their daughter in the church and they want her to have that foundation

We have been having a hard time getting a hold of Barbara, but we will be going by again this week. We really want to focus on how her example will influence her daughters and that will prepare Eve for baptism. It's been hard for her to attend church with her work schedule, So we want to just help her feel loved and welcomed, so that she can make it a priority. We want her to know that she is missed at church

 

We also met with Grace (a less active member). Well, the first time we went over.. she kept saying we were stupid and had some colorful language.. The next time we were over, she kept hugging us and telling us how great we were. We were soo confused because her name was on the church records, but she says she was never baptized. We found out from a member that she IS a member and she  is mentally ill, (she has schizophrenia).. so it all made sense after that haha. We will be going back over this week to do some service for her, so that will be fun!!

 

We are really trying to focus on finding new investigators.. I've been learning how important it is to place my faith in Christ, rather than in myself. And what it means to Trust in him and trust that he will place those who are prepared in our path. It's so important to take a step back and humble ourselves and especially try to see what The Lord is teaching you through your circumstances. I know that as Sister Xayadeth and I continue to obey with exactness and place all of our faith in him, we will begin to see those miracles.. We already have and I always look forward to what the next week will bring!! :)

 

Love you all!!

 

Sister James

June 9, 2014

Another good week in Santa Barbara!

FAMILY!

Another good week in  SB :) We're doing a lot, a lot of finding!! We talked to a lot of people this week.. a lot of interesting people! Haha. We met this guy named Levi. It's pretty sad.. He just returned from spending six months in the hospital because he got hit by a drunk driver.. he lost both his legs and he doesn't have any family. We bore testimony about the power of the plan of salvation and that his body will some day be restored to it's perfect frame.. We asked if we could give him service and he said we could make him dinner. Well, we can't go in since he lives alone, so we bought him KFC! Ha! He was so, so appreciative and said we could come back next week and pray with him and share more!

We also met a new investigator, Christina. She's a young mom with a little autistic girl. She's been battling depression and some other serious trials in her life and was very open and receptive. We talked about how he has felt everything we've felt and he knows her perfectly. We explained that the gospel WILL bless her family.. it won't take those trials away, but it will bring her so much peace.. especially  the book of mormon. I know that it can help us overcome and it applies to our daily struggles and weaknesses.

We're really focusing on getting our ward more involved in missionary work! We're trying to get a focus on started and visiting members throughout the week, gaining their trust and getting to know them. We don't have as many dinner appts. with them as the other sisters, so we've been dropping by and it's already starting to make a huge difference!!

We also had interviews this week!! They were great! President Castro is soo inspired. He's changed the whole vision of this mission and is an incredible leader. President Felix will be coming in soon, so that's why this transfer will be shorter!!

I've been thinking a lot about how thankful I am for a modern day prophet, President Monson and that he is able to receive revelation. Out of all the generations all throughout time, and I have the opportunity to be serving a mission at 19 years old and as of this week, each of my best friends will be serving as well! I look to their examples every day. I've also been thinking about how the power of the atonement enables us to do things that we don't think are possible.. It's power is REAL and it changes lives. I know that if we put all of our trust in him, he will bless us. I know that even when people do not choose to accept the gospel, your effort is not wasted!! Keep sharing what is most dear to you with others. You never know who you are influencing with your example.

 

I love you alll!!!

I found out Oprah lives in our area. We're defintely planning on proselyting in her neighborhood ;)

 

SISTER JAMES

June 2, 2014

Loving Santa Barbara

Hey guys!!

I Love Santa Barbara already!!! It's a dream here.. the houses, the beach.. it's great. I will send photos soon! It's seriously another world. Very different from any where I have been! The work is a little different, because we do a lot more street contacting! I love it. We have the opportunity to talk to so many people! There's a lot of crazy people, but that's okay haha. There's a of tourists here too, especially because it's a holiday! My new companion is the cutest! Her name is Sis. Xayadeth  (sigh. a. debt.) Haha it's Laotian. We both have LISPS! and we both look like we're 15!! We're twins :) I love her already. I've been blessed with the greatest companions!! They each teach you something by example and you learn soo much from them.

So We met this lady named Ginger this week.. She opened her door and she goes, "I ALREADY HAVE JESUS!" haha After some small talk, she decided that she wanted to let us in because she thought we were sweet. Haha she said she never does that.. She's a very faithful person who LOVES Jesus Christ. She told us about her life experiences in which she really had to rely on him. She told us that she thinks God sent us to her because she needs us at this time! We went back on Saturday.. and well, she was a little tipsy.. haha she kept apologizing!! It was definitely interesting. and we invited her to be baptized and read the Book Of Mormon! She told us she was already baptized, so we want to focus on the priesthood authority regarding baptism and also, go back when she had a clearer mind.. hahaha

We met with Barbara (a less active member) and her daughter, Eve! We invited Eve to be baptized on June 14th! She's 8 years old, but will be turning 9 in a couple days. She's a very smart little girl and loves primary, but they haven't been to church in a year or so. Barbara really wants her girls to be more involved and grow up in the gospel, so she knows it's important to make it a priority.

We met several new investigators this week and did a lot of finding activites! A lot of them were passed to YSA but, I'm really excited to see what this next week will bring and excited to get to know the area and ward members better!! It was so much fun to find out that Kev's aunt is in the ward!! We're going to take a picture and send it soon :)

 

This week I read the talk, "The 4th missionary" (a famous missionary talk) You should all read it! It really changed my perspective of missionary work.. it helped me reflect upon how I can be better as a missionary and how I can be a better servant of my heavenly Father. Lawerence E. Corbridge said, " You may permit the Lord to change your nature if you give yourself to him and to his work. He cannot work on what he does not have and he cannot have you, unless you give yourself to him." It's about submitting ourselves 100% and serving him with every thing that we are. I love this work and I love that I am able to recognize his hand and his love. It's such a blessing to share my testimony with others, and in return.. grow and learn myself!! I LOVE YOU ALL! Have an amazing week!!

 

Sister James

May 26, 2014

Loving Santa Barbara!

FAMILY!

Another good week in SB :) We're doing a lot, a lot of finding!! We talked to a lot of people this week.. a lot of interesting people! Haha. We met this guy named Levi. It's pretty sad.. He just returned from spending six months in the hospital because he got hit by a drunk driver.. he lost both his legs and he doesn't have any family. We bore testimony about the power of the plan of salvation and that his body will some day be restored to it's perfect frame.. We asked if we could give him service and he said we could make him dinner. Well, we can't go in since he lives alone, so we bought him KFC! Ha! He was so, so appreciative and said we could come back next week and pray with him and share more!

We also met a new investigator, Christina. She's a young mom with a little autistic girl. She's been battling depression and some other serious trials in her life and was very open and receptive. We talked about how he has felt every thing we've felt and he knows her perfectly. We explained that the gospel WILL bless her family.. it won't take those trials away, but it will bring her so much peace.. especially  the book of Mormon. I know that it can help us overcome and it applies to our daily struggles and weaknesses. 

We're really focusing on getting our ward more involved in missionary work! We're trying to get a focus on started and visiting members throughout the week, gaining their trust and getting to know them. We don't have as many dinner appts. with them as the other sisters, so we've been dropping by and it's already starting to make a huge difference!!

We also had interviews this week!! They were great! President Castro is soo inspired. He's changed the whole vision of this mission and is an incredible leader. President Felix will be coming in soon, so that's why this transfer will be shorter!! 

I've been thinking a lot about how thankful I am for a modern day prophet, President Monson and that he is able to receive revelation. Out of all the generations all through out time, and I have the opportunity to be serving a mission at 19 years old and as of this week, each of my best friends will be serving as well! I look to their examples every day. I've also been thinking about how the power of the atonement enables us to do things that we don't think are possible.. It's power is REAL and it changes lives. I know that if we put all of our trust in him, he will bless us. I know that even when people do not choose to accept the gospel, your effort is not wasted!! Keep sharing what is most dear to you with others. You never know who you are influencing with your example. 

I love you alll!!! 

I found out Oprah lives in our area. We're definitely planning on proselyting in her neighborhood ;)

SISTER JAMES

 

Sister James and Sister Xayadeth

What a view!

Saying goodbye to Danni

 

Sister James killin' it in California!

"Give yourself to him!"

Hey guys!!

I love Santa Barbara already!!! It's a dream here.. the houses, the beach.. it's great. I will send photos soon! It's seriously another world. Very different from any where I have been! The work is a little different, because we do a lot more street contacting! I love it. We have the opportunity to talk to so many people! There's a lot of crazy people, but that's okay haha. There's a of tourists here too, especially because it's a holiday! My new companion is the cutest! Her name is Sis. Xayadeth (sigh. a. debt.) Haha it's Laotian. We both have LISPS! and we both look like we're 15!! We're twins :) I love her already. I've been blessed with the greatest companions!! They each teach you something by example and you learn soo much from them.

So We met this lady named Ginger this week.. She opened her door and she goes, "I ALREADY HAVE JESUS!" haha After some small talk, she decided that she wanted to let us in because she thought we were sweet. Haha she said she never does that.. She's a very faithful person who LOVES Jesus Christ. She told us about her life experiences in which she really had to rely on him. She told us that she thinks God sent us to her because she needs us at this time! We went back on Saturday.. and well, she was a little tipsy.. haha she kept apologizing!! It was definitely interesting. and we invited her to be baptized and read the Book Of Mormon! She told us she was already baptized, so we want to focus on the priesthood authority regarding baptism and also, go back when she had a clearer mind.. hahaha

We met with Barbara (a less active member) and her daughter, Eve! We invited Eve to be baptized on June 14th! She's 8 years old, but will be turning 9 in a couple days. She's a very smart little girl and loves primary, but they haven't been to church in a year or so. Barbara really wants her girls to be more involved and grow up in the gospel, so she knows it's important to make it a priority.

We met several new investigators this week and did a lot of finding activites! A lot of them were passed to YSA but, I'm really excited to see what this next week will bring and excited to get to know the area and ward members better!! It was so fun to find out that Kev's aunt is in the ward!! We're going to take a picture and send it soon :) 

This week I read the talk, "The 4th missionary" (a famous missionary talk) You should all read it! It really changed my perspective of missionary work.. it helped me reflect upon how I can be better as a missionary and how I can be a better servant of my heavenly Father. Lawerence E. Corbridge said, " You may permit the Lord to change your nature if you give yourself to him and to his work. He cannot work on what he does not have and he cannot have you, unless you give yourself to him." It's about submitting ourselves 100% and serving him with every thing that we are. I love this work and I love that I am able to recognize his hand and his love. It's such a blessing to share my testimony with others, and in return.. grow and learn myself!! I LOVE YOU ALL! Have an amazing week!!

Sister James