6th Transfer and everything is finally staying the same!

That's right... for once in my mission life, I get to stay with a companion for more than 6 weeks. This is big news! And I am so happy that it is in Pittsboro with Sister Hunt because she is amazing and I love working with her in this amazing area.
 

This week has been a little crazy because of the holidays, but it's been good. Sister Hunt and I have been very well taken care of by the members of the branch and we have so much food and sweets we don't need to go shopping for at least 2 weeks.
 

This week we met with Michelle and were able to talk about tithing and fast offerings. She is so willing and ready to learn and is still working towards getting baptized, but it will probably be moved back a week or two, but will still be in January.
 

The Lassiters canceled on us, but we are hoping to be able to see them sometime this week. Same goes for Christina. Things are all a little crazy because everyone is still on Christmas break.

We are meeting with Sarah tonight! We called her on Saturday to see if she is still good to meet tonight and she said yes and sounded excited about it. I am very excited to teach her about the Restoration of the Gospel of Jesus Christ's and tell her that the same church He had is on the Earth again and that we have Apostles and a Prophet to help us.
 

I should be able to go back to Fuquay sometime in the next couple of weeks for Sharron's baptism, a woman who Sister Draper and I taught 3 times before I came to Pittsboro.

On Christmas Eve we went over to the Zrubek's home and helped to make some holiday goodies. They have 3 children and were watching a friends 2 kids as well so the house was full of kids playing with toys and helping us make treats. We made about 3 different kinds of cookies and cake balls. It was so much fun!!! That night we had dinner at the Spencer's home with some other members of the Branch and ate good food and sang lots of Christmas songs and read from Luke Chapter 2 about the Lord's birth. I was asked to play the piano while we all sang and it was some rough sight reading at times, but it worked out all right.

Never Ending Jenga!

 

On Christmas day we went over to the Ballash's for dinner and to skype family. They are a super cute family with two adorable little boys! They are moving tomorrow to Thailand for a year or so and they will be missed. While there we played a very intense game of Jenga, than went on forever!  I don't think I've ever played a round that lasted that long! We ate delicious food, made fudge, and got to skype with family while they were skyping their family. It was SO good to see all you who were at Dad's house and to be able to talk for a little while. An hour definitely flies by too quickly! The Weeds, Sears, and Joel and Heather were all definitely missed though.

Christmas with the Ballash Family

 

I love you all so much and I loved hearing how you celebrated Christmas and that you all had a good time, even though some were sick. Hope you get some snow so the kids can go sledding! Here it is still light jacket weather with pouring rain every other day. :)
 

Love you all, Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
 

Sister Shurtz

Merry Christmas, Y'all!

First things first, Merry Christmas in just 2 days! It doesn't feel like Christmas because it is rainy and in the 60's or 70's today. But it really is crazy to me how much time has passed! As of yesterday I have been a missionary for 7 months. 7 MONTHS! It still feels like I just got here. But at the same time it feels like forever since I have seen your faces or heard your voices. I'll get to talk to some of you in just a couple of days though! I wish it could be all of you, but just wait a year and then we can talk in person! :)


On Tuesday we had lessons with Sarah and with Michelle. They both went very well! We taught Sarah about the Plan of Salvation and she is excited for our lesson on the Restoration of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Unfortunately we can't meet with her until the 30th because of the holidays and everything, but we gave her a pamphlet and a Book of Mormon, with Renae's testimony in the front of it, and she said she would read. Before we left she gave us some fruitcake from a place in Bear Creek (AKA: the middle of nowhere) that is really famous for it's fruitcake. It was pretty good, basically a sweet bread with a lot of nuts and next to no fruit. Still not a huge fan though, I'd much rather eat some chocolate! haha

Michelle is doing really well. She has stopped drinking coffee and tea and will continuing to work on the Word of Wisdom this week. She is still planning on getting baptized on the 11th of January. She is so sweet and is definitely strengthening her testimony in Jesus Christ and the restored gospel.

Wednesday we had a Christmas Zone Conference in Raleigh and it was with 3 zones. (Raleigh, Durham, and Apex) It was fun to see my old companions, especially because Sister Brown is leaving in a week to go back to Kiribati!
Thursday Sister Hunt and I got sick again! We ended up doing a lot of studies and some facebook time that day but still managed to have some lessons and things.
 
Friday we still weren't feeling very well, but we pushed through it. We had another lesson with Michelle and dinner with the Zrubek family. I love the members on this branch!

Saturday we spent some time with Dawn, a less active member of our branch. We helped her do some cleaning and sorting. But most of all, I think the biggest help we gave her was just talking to her. Listening to stories and getting to know her better.
 
Yesterday at church we sang a special musical number in Sacrament Meeting and also in Relief Society. Relief Society was focused on the women from the story of Jesus' birth. I'm not sure where the script came from, but I bet you could find something similar online. It had a part about Elizabeth, Joseph's mother, Mary's mother, a Shepherd's wife, the Innkeeper's Wife, and Mary. As the different women read the parts it really brought the story to life and helped you to understand the story in a more personal way.

This week will be filled with food and the Christmas spirit. The Branch here is taking good care of us!
 
I love you all so much and pray you will have a great and safe Christmas.

~Sister Shurtz

Christmas is just around the corner!

Last Monday we spent the day up in Chapel Hill shopping for Christmas presents. It was fun to get out of little Pittsboro for a bit and just have some fun with Sister Hunt. :) On our way home from shopping we went to dinner at the Parrish's (the same family we spent Thanksgiving with) and they told us they are going to be spending Christmas in Wenatchee!!! It is a small world... and a little unfair haha.

 

Tuesday was a meeting for Trainers and new missionaries in their first transfer. We spent all day over in Knightdale, an hour's drive away, with President and Sister Bernhisel and other trainers. We did lots of role plays and talked about how to be better missionaries. I love having all these meetings! I always learn something new and find a way to improve... remembering to apply it is the hard part.

 

Wednesday and Thursday we had district meeting and weekly planning. We also had dinners with more members. :)

 

Friday both Sister Hunt and I were sick all day. Luckily we were feeling better by the next day so on Saturday we were able to go, in the pouring cold rain, and visit with Sarah, the Lassiters, and Sister Butler. Sarah is a new investigator and we will be meeting with her tomorrow and teaching her about the Plan of Salvation. The Lassiters will also be taught this week about the Plan of Salvation and I have such high hopes for them! We called Sister Butler, an older woman who was baptized this summer, to see if we could come over for a visit. She said she would love our help to decorate her Christmas tree! We were able to help her find and unpack all her decorations and put them on the tree. It was fun listening to the different stories and things behind the different ornaments and things.

Sunday was the Christmas program at church and we were asked to sing in the choir. Michelle came to church again and she loved it. She is doing well with not drinking coffee and tea and we will be talking to her again tomorrow about other aspects of the Word of Wisdom. She is a shining star that is always smiling and laughing we love her so much!

As a missionary you always hit bumps in the road, but I am so happy and blessed to have Sister Hunt as my companion and we can always work through things and help each other so much!

Still haven't seen Christina, but we're not giving up! haha

 

I hope you all have an amazing week and enjoy the time together with family and friends celebrating and not going to school. Thank you so much for all of the love and support! We truly have an amazing family!

Love,
Sister Shurtz

"What Can I Give Him?"



Sister Hunt and I outside the temple after Sister's Conference

So I am emailing you now because yesterday the library's computers weren't running and we had a meeting all day today for trainers and new missionaries, so this is the first chance that we've had.
 

This week was great :) We have met with Michelle 3 times since last I wrote to you and she also came to church this week! We have taught her about the Word of Wisdom and she is "going to try her best." She really is one of the sweetest people I have ever met and we just love her so much! Today we set a baptismal date for the 12th of January and she is going to buy some hot chocolate tomorrow to replace her coffee with in the mornings. I want her to have the happiness that comes from living these commandments and also from reading the scriptures and doing everything that she is trying her best to do. I want that for her SO BAD!
 

We finally caught up with Christina for a few minutes last week and will be meeting with her this week. :)

Last Thursday we had a Sister's Conference! It was so much fun to be there with ALL the sisters in the mission. It was especially fun to see Sister Brown one more time before she goes back to Kiribati in a month. I am going to miss her so much! It is weird to have my "mom" going home already and now I'm a "mom" to my own companion.

At the Temple after Sister's Conference

Right after the Sister's Conference we had lunch/dinner with the Watt's. They are an adorable older couple in their 80's who have been married for 3 years after both losing a spouse. We heard lots of fun stories and they spoiled us just like we were their grandkids. :)
 

Friday night was the Branch's Christmas Open House. We had lots of treats and music and a small nativity display with about 30 nativities. We sang Christmas Carols and everyone had a great time.

Sister Hunt and I at the Branch Open House and the display of nativities :)

On Saturday we spent lots of time out in the cold. We walked around for about 2 hours but not many people were out... or at home... where is everyone when that happens?!?! haha
 

I loved the Christmas Devotional on Sunday night! President Monson quoted lyrics from a song that I sang in Choir last year at BYU. I love these words! "What can I give him, poor as I am. If I were a shepherd I would bring a lamb. If I were a Wise Man I would do my part. What can I give him, give him my heart." I think that is all anyone wants from us even and especially during the holiday season. Do people really want our money and our hastily bought presents? Or would they rather a small simple act or gift that took some time, thought, and a little piece of our heart? Don't get me wrong, everyone (and that includes me) loves presents and it is fun and exciting! But the presents that matter most are the little pictures the kids draw, or the 20th tie rack your children built for you in your shop out of a scrap piece of wood and some nails (sound familiar Dad? haha). It's the heartfelt cards or notes or all the time we know they must have spent looking for or making this special thing they knew we would love. I guess what I'm getting at is what I wrote about last week too... don't let the spirit of the season slip past you. Do a good deed. Give some change to the bell ringers. Feed the missionaries. ;) Send a special note with a Christmas card to someone who is having a hard time. SMILE at people! Do whatever you want or can in order to help others feel the love of the Savior we all have felt in our lives.
 

Ok, I'm stepping off my missionary soap box now. I hope you have a great week and that you are able to enjoy the season and the cold weather everyone's been having this week. I love you all so much and are so grateful for our family! <3
 

All my love,
Sister Shurtz

We needed a little Christmas decoration... so we made some paper snowflakes and hung them in our apartment from the ceiling!

Thanksgiving as a Missionary in North Carolina

Happy December Family!

Can you believe it is already December? That just blows my mind!

On Tuesday we had a couple of lessons, one with Sister Lassiter and one with Michelle. Michelle is still thinking about baptism and hopefully we will be able to set a date with her tomorrow. She is an amazing woman who truly trusts in God with all her heart. I love her so much!

That night we spent some time with the Snows, who don't come to church because of matters beyond their control. She taught us to make pie crust and we had an enjoyable evening and were able to get to know them better.

The rest of the week it was very hard for us to talk with people because of the holidays. Everyone was out of town or had family visiting. We managed to see a few more less-actives in the ward though.

Yesterday in Relief Society we talked about keeping Christ in the center of our Christmas celebrations. There was one idea that I really liked and thought I would pass along to y'all. I remember making a paper chain every year counting down the days to Christmas. I don't know if those of you who have small children do this, but the idea is to put a scripture about Christ on each of the chains and read that scripture every night or morning when you rip off the paper. Here is a list of 24 scriptures: (haven't looked at all of them, these are the ones we got on a handout)

Dec. 1: Isaiah 7:14

Dec. 2: 2 Nephi 26:3

Dec. 3: Matt. 15:30

Dec. 4: 2 Nephi 2:9

Dec. 5: 3 Nephi 11:1-11

Dec. 6: Mark 16:5

Dec. 7: Moroni 7:28

Dec. 8: Luke 23:33-34

Dec. 9: 1 Nephi 19:9

Dec. 10: 2 Nephi 9:21

Dec. 11: Matt. 14:17-21

Dec. 12: 3 Nephi 11:15

Dec. 13: John 13:34

Dec. 14: Matt 20:30-34

Dec. 15: 2 Nephi 2:26

Dec. 16: Matt 4:23

Dec. 17: Luke 2:46-47

Dec. 18: Matt 3:16

Dec. 19: 2 Nephi 2:6

Dec. 20: Luke 2:8-11

Dec. 21: Matt 1:21-23

Dec. 22: Helaman 14:2-4

Dec. 23: Helaman 14:5-8

Dec. 24: Luke 2:12-16

I hope and pray that we can all find ways to keep our Savior, Jesus Christ in the center of our celebrations this season. I know that He came to this earth and lived and died for us. I know that He is our eldest brother and He loves us so much and is always there for us if we just turn to Him.

I love you all and hope you have a great week.

Sister Shurtz