It's the Final Countdown!

So...... I guess this is it? That's what all y'all's emails said. Apparently I'm coming home this week. It doesn't even feel real! I don't feel like this will or should ever end! North Carolina has become my home! My heart will always be full of all the people I have met and who have influenced my life for the better.

Weeks with Holidays are always interesting as a missionary. Usually they are full of visits with members, but not so many investigators because they are either busy or out of town. 

​We built a fort! :) I love Sister Badger! <3

This week we spent our dark hours re-writing the words to "The 12 Days of Christmas" and making signs to go along with our song.... it is posted on Facebook if you want to see what I'm talking about. We had a lot of fun doing it and I am definitely going to miss Sister Badger a LOT! We have become good friends.

Thanksgiving was fun! We had lots of food and ate with a really big family, the Coombs. Brother and Sister Coombs are so sweet! I feel blessed to have been able to spend part of the day with them.



Sister Coombs and me on Thanksgiving

 

As I thought about my many blessings on this week, I realized that I could honestly go on forever with all the amazing things I have in my life!

- family (I honestly think we have the best family in the world)

- friends

- the gospel (scriptures, prayer, the spirit, the atonement, temples, priesthood, etc.)

- technology

- nature

We are so very blessed to live where and when we do. 

We did get to see Allean and talk with her, but she is still feeling pretty sick so she didn't get to come to church yesterday. No one came to church yesterday. But I got to speak about "standing as a witness of God." It was really interesting to think about what that means. As a missionary it is something you do every day because you are talking with lots of people and you have a name tag on that identifies you as a representative of Jesus Christ and His church. But everyone can be a witness of God as they do the little things every day. As we stand as an example and do what we know God wants us to do.

Today we are going to see Sister Thompson one more time and then we finally have an appointment to teach Jay tomorrow right before transfer meeting. 

Love y'all so much and I am very excited to see you in a few days (or weeks... whenever you can make it Erin!) 

Signing off..... Sister Shurtz

Missionary Work Means Helping Members, Too!

Where to begin! We were on bikes this week... and it has been COLD! Luckily we got the car back today and it is starting to warm up. It is also lucky because I need to ship my bike home this week.

This week we did a lot of visiting teaching with our Sisters in the ward. It is a great way to remind everyone to do their visits and to get to know people in the ward that we don't know. We met a lot of less actives this week and a lot of active members that we just never get to see!

We went out to lunch with Sister Nichols this week and were able to hear about her story of how she joined the church 30 years ago. She said that about a month before she met the missionaries coffee started tasting bad. She completely lost her desire to drink coffee and her husband went from smoking 5 packs a day to not smoking at all. Talk about prepared!!!!

We had a lesson with the Parrish's after that and also with Allean. They are finally understanding the message we are sharing with them and why we believe it is so important to be baptized by someone holding proper authority, but it doesn't mean that they like what we are telling them or that they are ready to accept it. 

Everyone has been getting sick! Luckily it has avoided me, but every time we call someone I feel like they are sick or their children are sick. Sister Badger has been sick this week as well. Luckily she has only had a bad cold and not the stomach bug that's going around. But because of everything going around, we had a lot of cancellations this week.

Our neighbor/investigator Ruth came and asked if she could move in with us this week. She lost her job about a month ago and has been applying to a lot of jobs, but hasn't had any offers. She is pretty desperate and doesn't know what to do. It is so hard to be put in a situation where you are teaching someone who doesn't take what you have seriously until they feel it can help them financially or in a worldly way. She isn't really interested in our spiritual message, only our resources. 

Saturday marked my 18 month mark since I entered the MTC. It doesn't feel like I'll really be coming home in a week and a half. We did a lot of biking and while we were riding next to a main road, a man stuck his head out of the window of his car and yelled, "Hey Mormons!" We laughed pretty hard.

Sunday was wonderful! We had Jay come to church and so did Sarah Hearn! She drove all the way over to Knightdale yesterday to come to church and see me. She also packed a picnic lunch for us, but because it was still a little cold and it was raining, we just used a classroom in the church and had lunch together. I love her so much! We were able to talk a lot about how she can answer questions when faced with opposition about her new faith. She is an amazing example of being "truly converted."

Me and Sarah Hearn.  Love her!

That's about it folks! I am looking forward to see you soon and spending the holiday season together. I love you!

Love,

Sister Shurtz

I Love Being a Missionary!

Sister Badger and I Biking Through a Cemetery

Well I forgot my planner... so we'll see how much of this week I can remember. 

Monday night we had dinner with the Jones family. They have a 2 month old who is so cute and smiley! There are a lot of babies in the ward and it is making me really grateful that I get to go home and hold children again soon!

Tuesday we had a lesson with Ify. She is a new investigator from Nigeria and she is very VERY Catholic. She listened to our message and gave great answers to every question we asked her. When we tried to introduce the Book of Mormon to her, she refused to take one. We have a lot of members from Nigeria or who have a Catholic background, so hopefully they will be able to come to our next lesson with her. After our lesson with her we had knocked on a lot of doors of less actives or potentials in the area, but no one was home! I love being a missionary! That night we had dinner with the Moreno family and then headed to the church for our Relief Society activity. We had a craft night where we made lots of different things. There was a Sister from our ward who taught us how to level and decorate a cake. We decorated mugs and made some cute other little things and we made frames with a picture of Christ and "The Living Christ" in it. It was fun and Jay was able to come and have a good time. No we have not been able to teach her at all yet because everyone here has been getting sick. I love being a missionary!

Wednesday we had district meeting and then went on exchanges. Sister Andersen came to Knightdale with me and we had a great day. We contacted a couple of referrals and then taught Allean. She still isn't quite getting it.... but she's getting there! I love being a missionary!

Thursday we switched back and we had a good day. We stopped by a lot of houses and met a lot of less active members. We also had a really good lesson with the MacDonald family. They are a young couple who is expecting their first baby. They are so sweet! I love being a missionary! That night we had supper with the Cottle family. They just moved into the ward and they used to live in Pittsboro a couple of years ago! It was fun to talk about that little town and the wonderful people there. I love being a missionary!

Friday we went to the Kirby's home and spent all day with Skyla. She is one of the girls who got in the really bad car accident a couple of months ago. She is now out of a wheel chair and is using crutches. We helped to move her room back upstairs, now that she can get up stairs. We cleaned, organized, and decorated her room. I love being a missionary! That night we had supper with Sister Smith. She is the BEST! We had a really long talk with her about how we can get the ward more involved and excited about missionary work. We were able to brainstorm so many good ideas and then we took them to PEC this week and they liked them! YAY! I love being a missionary!

Saturday we went to a service project that a member of our ward was in charge of... only to find that it had been canceled because it was "cold"! I love being a missionary! It was about 30 degrees, but the sun was out and we had dressed for cold weather, so we were able to still help plant some flowers and it was beautiful outside! We felt like we could stay outside all day! After that we stopped by a few more less active homes, but no one answered their doors. I love being a missionary!

Sunday we had Jay come to church and it was pretty good. She gets a little bored... and I'll admit that it was a little boring today in Relief Society. In sacrament meeting we got to hear from my friend Daniel Whitt again! He came and spoke about how members and missionaries need to work together. After church we had supper with the Foster family and tried to contact some people. We had a media referral for someone named Renee who wanted a Bible. She was very sweet and open and we ended up giving her a Bible, our card, a Book of Mormon (With Matt's testimony in it), and an invitation to the Stake Nativity activity. I love being a missionary!

It doesn't feel real that I will be starting to pack up my stuff next week... and I can't believe that it is Thanksgiving next week and then time for me to be getting on a plane. I just KNOW that it is going to snow in NC that week and that I'll be stuck here forever! Pray for no snow until after December 3rd! haha Have I mentioned that I love being a missionary!

Love y'all bunches!

Sister Shurtz

I bike! I'm a biker! I'm biking!

Yay! Bikes!

 

Last Monday night our appointment canceled on us so we got to go see Sister Thompson instead! She is the sweetest and funniest woman and I love getting to go see her. Especially because she feels neglected by her family while she is living in an assisted living home.

Tuesday we had a lesson with Allean... who still thinks we are Baptist. We have told her so many times that we are not Baptists and we have even started calling ourselves "Mormons" to help her see that there is a difference.

That night we went with Sister Bartholomew to visit a less active member and then we went with Sister Foster to visit Sister Rathavongsa. We had a really good lesson with her and her son, Dylan, about the Plan of Salvation. Every time I get to talk about God's plan for us it helps me to be even more thankful that I have this knowledge and that it has helped me to have an eternal perspective in life. Knowing that this life is not the end that we really can be with our loved ones again.

Wednesday morning was Zone Training meeting... and it was my last one. There is a bit of a tradition in the mission to ask all those missionaries who are going home go bear their testimony at the end of the meeting. It is so strange to be in that position all of a sudden. To look around the room and realize I have been out longer than all of the Sisters and most of the Elders. Still doesn't feel real!

That afternoon had a lesson with a great new investigator named Paris. She is 23 and super cute! We taught her about the restoration of Christ's church and she loved it. She is reading from the Book of Mormon this week and she said that she will get baptized in January!

After our lesson with her we knocked on a lot of doors and walked around the neighborhood until it was dark. Then we caught a ride with the Bartholomew family back to the church for our coordination meeting and we had dinner brought to us by a member so we could eat during our meeting. It was a good day and we were able to meet a lot of people, including some less active members.

Thursday was weekly planning and then we had a lesson with Risha. We haven't had a lesson with her since the day I came to Knightdale 2 months ago! It was a really good lesson about the Plan of Salvation and temple work. She really opened up and seemed to like everything we were sharing. She is feeling a little pushed or rushed, so we are going to take it slower with her and make sure we are going at her speed.

Friday we had a lesson with Sister Prevatte and then we knocked a lot of doors. There is one couple that we met a while ago and finally got to sit down and talk with them for a while. The first time we knocked on her door a couple of months ago she was just about to leave and didn't have time to talk but wanted us to come back. The second time we went by, only the husband was home. The third time we stopped by she was sick and didn't want us to catch her bug. The fourth time we tried to see them he had just fallen off of a ladder and broke BOTH of his ankles. Finally this time we went by they had a few minutes so we could talk and ended up leaving with cookies and brownies to snack on. They are so sweet and we hope that we can have a real lesson with them soon.

Saturday was a day of biking and not getting to talk to anyone! No one wanted to talk to us... all day. But we rode our bikes a lot! Sister Badger almost got hit by a car once.... but we did get our tires filled with air and it is amazing the difference that makes when you are trying to ride a bike! I decided that riding a bike is like life. When you forget to read your scriptures or choose not to go to church or are too tired to say your prayers you let a little bit of air out of your tires. At first you don't notice that much of a difference... but over time it gets harder and harder to ride. Then, as you repent, do the things you are supposed to do, come to church and partake of the sacrament it's like getting your tires pumped back up. Suddenly you realized how hard it was before and how much you didn't like riding your bike. Now with your tires full, you can ride longer and faster and it is much more enjoyable. 

 

Sister Badger on Her Bike :)

Jay was sick this week so we didn't get to see her. Ruth and Allean came to church and stayed for all 3 hours! It was really great! After church on Sunday we went to Bishop Marriott's home for dinner. She had a baby two weeks ago and their 4 children are all so adorable! It made me really excited to see Baby Glabe when I get home... and all the other kids too! 

After dinner we went to the Young Women's Evening of Excellence. It was really well done and the girls did a great job with everything. They are all so sweet and there are so many of them! There were probably 20 Young Women there and I know of some that were missing. 

This ward is really great and I love serving here! I have finally started telling everyone that I'm going home in 3 weeks and it is so touching to see how much they care even though I've only been here for a couple of months. 

It is exciting to hear about ways y'all are sharing the gospel and doing your best to be examples. Keep on keep'n on!

Love,

Sister Shurtz

30 Days and Counting...But, Who's Counting?

Sister Badger and I in front of our apartment

So today is November 3rd... that means in exactly one month I will be on an airplane. How crazy is that!?!?

This week has been a little more frustrating, but still very productive. 

Monday we had supper with the Rutter Family. They have the best Halloween decorations! They go all out! It was so much fun to get to know their family and see how "missionary minded" they are!

Tuesday we had interviews with President and Sister Bernhisel. As I was talking with Sister Bernhisel she said that she wants to move Sister Badger around to a different area every transfer so she can get everything and everyone organized! And then she said that she wants to move me around every transfer so I can help all the Sisters because as she said, "Who can hate Sister Shurtz?" Then I showed her the back of my name tag which has a sticker for each of my companions. I informed her that out of 13 transfers, I have had 10 different companions. I think I've been moved around enough! She laughed and took a picture of the back of my name tag. 

Wednesday we helped the Primary Presidency decorate for the Trunk or Treat activity that night. There were decorations EVERYWHERE! There were spiderwebs and a giant spider and lots of pumpkins! It was fun to help decorate :) 

 

 

All Decorated for Trunk or Treat

After decorating we had a lesson with Allean. We asked her if she likes the church she has been coming to with us and her response was, "Oh yes! I love that little Baptist church we've been going to! It reminds me of my ol' little church I used to go to." We looked at her and said, "Allean, do you think we are Baptists?" And she said "Yes! Good little Baptist girls." So there in lies the reason why she doesn't want to be baptized... She thinks we are Baptists too! 

Here is a picture of me with Mary (Allean's daughter) and Allean

After Allean's lesson we went to contact a referral by getting Sister Badger's hair cut. She is very nice and actually came to church a couple of weeks ago but only stayed for sacrament meeting. While we were there we met a man who is deaf! It made my day! He lost his hearing when he was 11, so he is really good at reading lips and I wouldn't have been able to tell unless he told me. It was fun to use some of my ASL with him and to get to hear his story. 

That night at the Trunk or Treat there were SO MANY PEOPLE! Allean came and so did our investigator Jay! I think I forgot to mention that I gave Jay the Book of Mormon with Jenny's testimony in it :) They all had a good time.

Sister Badger and I dressed up for the trunk or treat. She was a rain storm and I was a rainbow.

 

Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday were days full or trying to find people on the ward list. We want to try to meet everyone, so in the process we are finding a lot of people who have moved or are NOT interested. But we did find a woman, Dawn, who is interested in learning more. Her husband is a less active member and we have an appointment set up with them for later this week. 

Saturday we also went to a stake baptism day and Jay came! It was so good, but she has a LOT of questions. William doesn't want to talk with us anymore. Amanda hasn't been answering her phone. The Parrish's are still stubborn. But Sister Badger is amazing and we are working hard. 

Hope y'all have a great week!!! 

Love,

Sister Shurtz

Knightdale with Sister Badger

Sister Badger is my new companion and she is amazing! She loves organizing, so we have been organizing a lot of things to help us work better in the area. As soon as we finish that we will be able to use all of our energy out there working! We were born on the same day, April 6, 1993. She is from Provo, and also studied at BYU. I'm so excited and blessed to get to work with her!

Tuesday we had a lesson with Allean. She is wonderful, but still doesn't want to be baptized again. 

Wednesday we had district meeting and then we biked to the library to do facebook time and then we had a lesson at the church with William and Sister Downing. We talked a lot about the blessings that come from the church and how we can know that something is true. I was able to share my testimony with him of eternal families and how I know that we can be together forever because of the Priesthood and the temple. Still to no avail, he did not come to church this Sunday.

Thursday we started our organizing of the area. We got a new ward list because there were about 10 families who moved into the area in the last couple of months. We got to start from scratch. I put the whole ward into my GPS and we found which area they live in and we are making lists that will make it easier to work when we are out during the week. Sister Badger is amazing! She reminds me of Erin with how organized she is!

That night we had supper with Sister Iacabone and her children. They are so cute and we found out that she lives right across the street from our investigator Amanda!

Friday we found three new investigators! One is named Jay. She was a referral from the Spanish Sisters. She is looking for more peace in her life. We had Sister Cross come to a lesson with Allean and then she drove us the 15 minutes it takes to get to where Jay lives. When she opened the door she had a very confused look on her face. Come to find out she had just finished praying for guidance, peace, and direction! God answers prayers!!! 

Our other two investigators are Brother and Sister Parrish. They are an older couple who live up the street from us. I think I've mentioned them before... but they were first given a copy of the Book of Mormon 60 years ago. Now they are in their 90's. 

Saturday we biked to the library again and then went to visit Amanda and a former. Amanda hadn't been answering her phone all week and we found out that it is because she got her wisdom teeth pulled! Ouch! We tried a lot more people that day and found some great potentials. That night we had dinner with the Kirkpatrick family and then went to the adult session of Stake Conference.

One of the speakers was a friend from my freshman ward at BYU. Daniel is in the Raleigh 2nd ward and just returned from his mission in Brazil. After the meeting I walked up to him and said, "Hi Daniel!" He looked at me with a REALLY confused face and said, "Didn't your hair used to be brown? What are you doing here!?" I responded, "Doing the work! What are you doing in my area!?" haha it was fun to see an old friend.

Sunday we had Stake Conference and Jay came! She was a little surprised by how different it was, especially because we were watching a broadcast to our building and there were some changes in the Stake Presidency. She is willing to come next week and give it another chance before she decides if she likes it or not, but the music is the thing that threw her off the most. We are a lot more reverent than she is used to.

After church we walked around our neighborhood and met a woman named Betty. She is amazing and is our new investigator also! She took a trip earlier in the year to Jerusalem and we were able to talk a lot about Christ's life. As we were explaining the Book of Mormon to her we told her it was a record that was buried to keep it safe. Her reaction was, "Did they ever find it!?" We were able to tell her "YES!" We gave her a copy of the Book of Mormon with Avary's testimony in it and she loved it! Thank you so much Avary for sharing your testimony! It means a lot to Betty!

I love being a missionary! I love teaching people about Jesus Christ and being taught by other's and their amazing experiences. I love North Carolina! I feel so blessed to be here and be able to serve the Lord. 

Love y'all! 

Sister Shurtz

'Dying' in Knightdale!

Transfer News! Sister Zoolakis is leaving me... :( We kind of figured it would happen because she has been here for 4 transfers now. But that doesn't mean we are happy about it! This also means I will be ending my mission, or "dying" in Knightdale.

Monday was a half preparation day. We did a lot of walking and talked to a lot of people! We even had people come up to us and ask us questions! That's the best!!! After supper we went to visit a couple who live up the street from us, the Parrish's. John and his wife first talked with missionaries 60 years ago and still have their Book of Mormon's! They have never joined the church, but the only thing stopping them is that they are in their 90's and pretty set in their ways. 

Tuesday was Deep Clean Day! We had a couple of lessons in the morning with Allean and with Sister Prevatte. Then Sister Coombs took us out to lunch. After that we spend a few hours cleaning everything! The grossest thing was the seal around the refrigerator.... lets just say it was supposed to be white/cream and it was more of a green/brown/black color. We got out some bleach to try to kill the mold and it looks a LOT better!

This is the mold on our refrigerator...Ewww!

Wednesday we had district meeting and then had to go to a doctor's appointment for Sister Zoolakis. After that we contacted a referral. Apparently, he has been taught by missionaries before! He spent about a half of an hour trying to tell us what we believed and that we are a cult. Always fun to try to avoid a "Bible Bash" when everything the other person says is in a argumentative tone and every other sentence starts with "The Bible says...." 

After a few more doors, with much nicer people behind them, we had supper with the Bartholomew family. Brother Bartholomew is cousins with my old companion Sister Bartholomew! It is fun to get to spend time with their fun family! 

After supper we went to Sister Rathavongsa's home to help her clean. She had family coming into town this weekend and no one has ever taught her how to clean, so she was at a loss of where to even start. We spent a couple of hours on the kitchen while Sister Robinson, her visiting teacher, helped to organize and clean another room. 

Thursday we had a plumber come to replace a toilet that had a crack in it. Our landlady came as well because she knew we couldn't be in our apartment alone with a man. We sat and talked for about an hour while he was working on the plumbing. Our plumber is amazing! He is a musician and his home is like a museum! It is full of old instruments and all these amazing things! He is also the happiest man I'm pretty sure I've ever met.

After they left, we had time for lunch and to make some phone calls. After that Sister Chard came with us to visit Sister Thompson and give her a tape player so she can listen to the Book of Mormon now! On the way home we stopped on the side of the road to save a Box Turtle! 

The rest of the day was weekly planning and people canceling appointments. Then we spent a little bit of time ironing our dresses to go to the temple the next day!

Me and Sister Z

Sister Walser with me and Sister Zoolakis 

Friday we had Sister Walser take us to the temple. It is always so amazing to be in the House of the Lord and the Raleigh Temple is beautiful... even if it is a "baby temple" compared to the Seattle or Provo temples. 

This is our zone at the temple

 

After the temple we had preparation day. We went shopping and visited Allean. Then we went back to Sister Rathavongsa's home to help clean for a couple of more hours. 

Saturday we had an amazing lesson with our Investigator Amanda. We had a church tour with Sister Foster and was able to commit her to baptism! We don't have a date set yet because she is still a little unsure, but she is willing and open to learning as much as she can. It is amazing the difference a member can make in a lesson. They always seem to say the exact things that the person needs to hear!

That night we talked to William on the phone and told him that Sister Zoolakis is leaving. He committed to come to church! We were so excited to have him coming, a less active member, and Allean! That night I started feeling a little sick with a sore throat. 

The next morning I woke up and my head hurt, my voice was pretty deep, and my nose was running! William sent us a text that morning saying that he "wasn't feeling it" and wouldn't be able to make it to church. The end of his text was "Y'all don't be mad at me!" We were a little upset but we still had Allean come and two less active members that we weren't even expecting to be there! The Elders in the ward also had an investigator come to Sacrament Meeting! It was a great day at church!

After church ended all the missionaries met with Bishop Marriott and talked about how we can help the ward in their missionary work. It was a good meeting with a lot of good ideas. 

Right after the meeting we met William outside the Library for a lesson. We talked about Genesis and lots of different topics. He told us that he wasn't able to make it to church because he woke up with a terrible migraine and he was afraid if he told us that we wouldn't believe him! As we kept talking my voice got worse and worse and at one point he asked if he should call me Elder Shurtz today instead of Sister. We all laughed pretty hard! William is one of my favorite people and we have another lesson with him on Wednesday!

 

Sister Zoolakis and me with our investigator, William

He's one of my favorite people!

Right after William's lesson we had supper with the Benner's and Morris's. They are sisters in the ward who live next door to each other. They are a great family! After supper we went home and Sister Zoolakis spent some time packing while we watched "The District" and ate the last of the ice cream we bought for Sister Zoolakis's birthday two weeks ago. 

Being a missionary is the best! The leaves are starting to change colors and it is getting a little cooler outside. It's the best! I love being a missionary and I love talking to people about the Savior. Lately everyone has been going on and on about how everything going on in the world and I love being able to always tie it back to relying on the Savior, Jesus Christ, and that if we have faith in Him we will trust in Him and have no reason to fear.

Happy fall y'all! 

Love,

Sister Shurtz

 

Sister Zoolakis and me at church

This is Brother Thornton. Picture taken by an 11 year old girl named Asia. We love his family! But they all left before we could take pictures with them so we only got one with him. He's from Seattle!

 

Missionary Life

This last week we had exchanges with our Sister Leaders, Sister Oliver and Sister Andersen. I stayed in Knightdale with Sister Oliver while Sister Zoolakis went to Zebulon. It seems like nothing ever goes according to plan during exchanges. We spent a lot of time trying to find a ride to our only appointment that night with a less active and her 6 year old son because our member had to cancel on us that morning. After calling what felt like EVERYONE we finally texted the Elders and asked if they really needed the car that night or if we could borrow it for a couple of hours. Basically we have the best Elders EVER and they let us take the car because they knew that Sister Rathavongsa needed us, and because their appointment that night was with our neighbor. (Did I ever tell y'all that we live about 4 apartments away from the Elders?) Elders Perse (per-say) and Hampton were life savers that night! (And every other day when we need to borrow something like their DVD player, pan, a bike pump, or an iron) 

Wednesday we had Zone Conference and we were able to watch Meet the Mormons. It is an amazing movie that shows different types of people around the world and how a belief in Jesus Christ helps them. I love all of their stories! I can't pick a favorite one. About half way through the movie our Sister Bernhisel came and got Sister Zoo and I. She asked us to come into the hall and to bring our planners. We were both really confused! In the hall we met Amanda. She is 19 years old and just decided to walk into the church and try to learn more! How amazing is that! She said she didn't have time to say and watch the movie, but we met with her later in the week and we were able to talk about some of her questions and introduce her to the Book of Mormon. She even came to our lesson prepared with a notebook to write notes in! She is amazing and I can't wait to see her again this week.

Thursday and Friday were filled with Weekly Planning, meeting with Amanda, less actives, and... not William. He canceled on us. 

Saturday morning we got a call from him canceling again because he feels like he really wants to focus on getting to know the Bible right now and he doesn't believe in the Book of Mormon or Joseph Smith. So we're starting in Genesis this week :)

Allean is doing well, but didn't come to church this week. This week was our ward's Primary Program and I got to be in charge of the Balloon! I got to stand in the back of the chapel and hold a balloon filled with helium. If the kids were singing loud then the balloon was high, but if they were singing soft, the balloon was low. It was fun! As always, there was a "sunbeam descant" during the chorus of the song where the little children were screaming the words they knew!

After church we went to the Salgado's for dinner and then to the mission home for a fireside which we had a less active and her non member husband come to.

Transfers are next week and my fingers are crossed that Sister Zoo won't be leaving me... but we'll just have to wait to see what happens. We get to go to the temple this Friday. YAY!!!!

Love y'all!

Sister Shurtz

A Week of Faith

Dearest Family,

I LOVE GENERAL CONFERENCE!!!!!!!! I cannot begin to describe to you my feelings bout General Conference and the chance that we have to listen to the inspired leaders of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

Tuesday we had a stressful morning with William. He called us and informed us that he just didn't believe and didn't want to meet with us anymore. After a long conversation on the phone we were able to talk about some of his doubts and concerns and he agreed to meet with us on Wednesday. 

After talking with William we were able to go teach Allean and invite her to watch Conference this weekend at Sister Caine's home. Unfortunately she wasn't feeling well yesterday so she wasn't able to make it.

Wednesday morning we had a Zone meeting and it was a lot of fun because some of the Sisters and Elders I have served with in the past are now in the same zone! It's the best! Sister Crane is also in the same zone. 

At lunch we got a text from William saying that he had to cancel, so we ended up going to Wake Med Hospital to visit the two young women who were in a car accident last week. One was in ICU with a lot of injuries, and the other has broken bones but is doing pretty good. It was so nice to be able to see them and their families and to see how the girls were doing. Now one is home and the other has made it out of the ICU. There have been a lot of blessings pouring out on these families and it is amazing to see their testimonies being strengthened in this time of need. 

After visiting the girls we went to a less active member's home because she wanted us to teach her six year old son. We taught him about the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We asked him to jump from one end of the room to the other in one jump and he just looked at us and said "I can't!" Then we used each of the components as a stepping stone to be able to make it across the room to symbolize getting back to Heavenly Father. 

Thursday was weekly planning and coordination meeting with LOTS of phone calls... that about sums up the whole day.

Friday we got a text from William asking us to call him. Once again he told us that he didn't want to meet with us because he can't believe things that we believe. But after another very long conversation on the phone he said we were able to "persuade" him to meet with us that evening. When you find someone as amazing as William to teach, you don't just let them walk away!

That night we had a lesson with William and Sister Kirkpatrick. It was AMAZING! We talked about faith and read Alma 32:21 & 27-28

" 21 And now as I said concerning faith—faith is not to have a perfect knowledge of things; therefore if ye have faith ye hope for things which are not seen, which are true.

 27 But behold, if ye will awake and arouse your faculties, even to an experiment upon my words, and exercise a particle of faith, yea, even if ye can no more than desire to believe, let this desire work in you, even until ye believe in a manner that ye can give place for a portion of my words.

 28 Now, we will compare the word unto a seed. Now, if ye give place, that a seed may be planted in your heart, behold, if it be a true seed, or a good seed, if ye do not cast it out by your unbelief, that ye will resist the Spirit of the Lord, behold, it will begin to swell within your breasts; and when you feel these swelling motions, ye will begin to say within yourselves—It must needs be that this is a good seed, or that the word is good, for it beginneth to enlarge my soul; yea, it beginneth to enlighten my understanding, yea, it beginneth to be delicious to me."

With that in mind we talked about how we need to try living a principle of the gospel in order to know it is right. We invited him to go one week without drinking coffee and he was excited to do it! From today until next Monday he has told us he will not drink coffee, and if he needs something, he'll just drink hot chocolate instead. I know that as we follow the words of the prophets and keep the commandments we will be blessed in ways we never thought possible! I am so excited for William this week!

Right after our lesson with William we went to dinner at the de Camara's home. Their children are VERY musically talented! They have a 16 year old son who plays piano (even though he has never taken a single lesson), acoustic and electric guitar, and a lot of other instruments! He is amazing!

Saturday we watched General Conference at the church in the morning (or here it is at 12) and then went to the Robinson's home for the second session and dinner. Sunday sessions were watched at the church and then at Sister Caine's home. In every session we watched we wished that William was there watching it with us because it answered so many of his questions and was what he needed to hear! He had his son this weekend though so he wasn't able to watch any of the sessions.

Yesterday was also Sister Zoolakis's birthday! So we celebrated a little bit, but today we are buying her favorite ice cream to really celebrate it right! 

I love the gospel. I love being a missionary. I love the Savior, Jesus Christ and I know that He loves each and every one of us!

Love,

Sister Shurtz

The Lord Always Has a Plan!

I can't even begin to tell you about all the crazy, chaotic, and amazing things that have happened this week! 

Monday was preparation day.

Tuesday we had a lesson with Allean. We had a member, Sister Benner, come with us and it was so fun and I love her so much! Right after our lesson with Allean we went to the church to get the building ready for a church tour and to do some facebook. We had an amazing new investigator, named William, come on a church tour with us! He asks such good questions and comes with an open mind. We taught him about the Restoration and used the pictures in the church. As we ended in the primary room we read Moroni 10:3-5 and it helped him to make a lot of amazing connections. As we were walking out of the building we were all talking about how strong we felt the spirit and he said that he felt like he could float out to his car! The spirit is amazing and helps us to feel when something is true, just like Moroni promises us:

"3 Behold, I would exhort you that when ye shall read these things, if it be wisdom in God that ye should read them, that ye would remember how merciful the Lord hath been unto the children of men, from the creation of Adam even down until the time that ye shall receive these things, and ponder it in your hearts.

 4 And when ye shall receive these things, I would exhort you that ye would ask God, the Eternal Father, in the name of Christ, if these things are not true; and if ye shall ask with a sincere heart, with real intent, having faith in Christ, he will manifest the truth of it unto you, by the power of the Holy Ghost.

 5 And by the power of the Holy Ghost ye may know the truth of all things."

The next day, Wednesday, we had District Meeting and then a lesson with a less active member, Sister Prevatte. After that we walked around and talked with a lot of people. I love being a missionary!!! That night we went to dinner at Chick-Fil-A with the Kirkpatrick family and their children. I'm pretty sure that they are some of the cutest kids I've ever seen!

Thursday morning we got a text from William saying that he didn't want to meet with us anymore. We called him and had a very long talk on the phone about some of his questions and he agreed to keep meeting with us to be able to learn more. After that we did our weekly planning and everything we had planned for the rest of the day didn't work out! But it was all for a reason! There was a member who really needed us that night and that is why nothing else went as planned. It is amazing to see the Lord guide us in all things! If our morning and evening plans went the way we wanted them to, we would not have been able to be there for the member that night or talk with William that morning. Let the Lord guide you!

Friday we had a lesson with Allean and that night went with a member to do some visits. Again, nothing went as planned, but it was apparent that the member who was coming out with us was the one who needed our help that day. The Lord knows what He's doing!

Saturday we had another amazing lesson with William about the Plan of Salvation. He said he really liked the cut outs you sent me, Renae! Again the spirit was there so strongly as we talked about forever families and the plan our God has given us and the role of the Savior, Jesus Christ. I don't know what I would do without the knowledge that we will all be together again one day because of the sacrifice of our Lord, Jesus Christ.

That night we had a dinner before the Women's broadcast and I was so excited to hear all the talks focused on the temple and the blessings that come from the promises we make there! We get to go to the temple on the 17th of October and I am so excited!

Sunday we had Allean come to church! It was so exciting to see her there and have everyone welcome her. She is an amazing woman who I love SO very much. 

SO I don't know if you noticed a pattern... but I did! I learned this week that we need to let the Spirit of God lead us at all times and to trust in the Lord's plan. This morning there was a horrible car accident that involved 4 seminary students. Two girls from our ward are in the hospital and one young man from the neighboring ward was killed. It is another reminder to learn to trust in the Lord and his timing. 

I love y'all so much and I can't wait to see what the Lord has in store for Sister Zoolakis and I this week.

Love,

Sister Shurtz

"All I Have to Do Right Now is..."

This week has been amazing! I love being a missionary and I love all the people in the Knightdale area! 

Our motto this week... and every week is "All I have to do right now is....." (Which is a quote from the new booklet, "Adjusting to Missionary Life") If we ever get feeling overwhelmed we just stop and repeat that phrase.

First things first, my ankle is back to it's normal size :)

Monday night we had dinner with the Chard family. She is the primary president and her four daughters are adorable. After dinner we had our lesson about why we need prophets, scriptures, and General Conference. The best part was when their youngest, Stephanie, answered a question that Brother Chard asked her. He asked, "Why was it important for Nephi to go back and get the brass plates?" She responded, "So they could eat food!" It took us a minute to understand what she was saying, but then we all laughed pretty hard when we understood where the confusion came from. 

Tuesday we visited an amazing less active member, Sister Carwell and had a great conversation about Alma 7:11-13.

11 And he shall go forth, suffering pains and afflictions and temptations of every kind; and this that the word might be fulfilled which saith he will take upon him the pains and the sicknesses of his people.

 12 And he will take upon him death, that he may loose the bands of death which bind his people; and he will take upon him their infirmities, that his bowels may be filled with mercy, according to the flesh, that he may know according to the flesh how to succorhis people according to their infirmities.

 13 Now the Spirit knoweth all things; nevertheless the Son of God suffereth according to the flesh that he might take upon him the sins of his people, that he might blot out their transgressions according to the power of his deliverance; and now behold, this is the testimony which is in me.

I know that Jesus Christ is our Savior and that He came and died for us. But more than that, He took all of our pains, afflictions, temptations, sicknesses, and infirmities. He has felt it all so now He can say, "I know how you feel." It is an amazing blessing to know that we have a Savior we can rely on at all times!

The rest of our appointments that day ended up getting canceled by our investigators, but we have appointments with them tomorrow and we are hoping and praying that they will all work out. We did go out with a member though who is from Moses Lake! "It's a small world after all."

Wednesday we had district meeting and then went out to try and find some less active members. Because we had the car it was a lot easier and less time consuming! We were able to talk to a few of them, but none are very interested in meeting with us right now. 

Thursday we did weekly planning and met with Allean. She was out of town yesterday and didn't make it to church. 

Friday we had another miracle! After dinner we went to talk to someone the sisters had contacted months ago. We knocked on the door, but Mike wasn't home. His wife, Angie was home and quickly told us that she wasn't interested and that she was a Christian. She said, "I believe differently than you do." (We later found out that she thought we were Seventh Day Adventists). We assured her that we are Christians too and that we love to share messages about Jesus Christ and do service. Her attitude completely changed and the next thing we know we are inside her home having a sit down lesson with her reading from the Book of Mormon to answer her questions. We have another appointment with her for this Friday and we are so excited! It was one of those times when you are so excited, but you have to hold it in, until you get out the door and into the car... then you check to make sure they can't see you... and then you scream and jump up and down in your seat. The Spirit can make you hyper! I love being a missionary!

Saturday was a really busy day! We first went to the church and helped set up for the auction fund raiser that night. Then we had lunch with a member who removed her name removed but will be getting baptized again soon. After that we had about 5 people we wanted to try to find that the ward leaders had asked us to visit. They all either moved or weren't home. On the way home we stopped by a referral and knocked on some doors. The only people we had a real conversation with were gay or a pastor in their own church. We ended up having an appointment cancel on us so we had a little more free time but still ended up grabbing a bite to eat really fast before heading over to the church for the auction. It was a fund raiser for the youth programs and it was a lot of fun and we were able to meet some people too. Also, there was someone there who had made his own Iron Man costume... and that is the only picture that Sister Zoolakis and I have together....

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Sunday we had the Meads come to church!!! We were so excited to see Sister Mead with Freddie (13), and Samantha (8). None of our investigators were able to make it and Sister Reid didn't come either. We were able to attend Young Women's and it was so great to see one of the girls teaching the lesson! It was an amazing lesson about how we can be in the world and not of the world. In other words, how we can keep from being influenced by the world around us. 

Well, I think that about sums it up. Sister Zoolakis is amazing and I am so blessed to be working with her! Our only problem so far is that we enjoy talking to each other and telling stories that we have difficulty focusing when we are supposed to be planning! haha 

Hope y'all have a great week! 

Love,

Sister Shurtz

Hello Knightdale!

Well, I've officially left the country and the dirt roads. And after a year of serving in a branch and a small ward, the first thing I said when we walked into the chapel was, "there's pews!!!" That's right. I am so excited to be in an area with a church building that has pews AND a gym!!!! It's funny the things we come to appreciate. 

I am serving in Knightdale (which is right next to Raleigh.) My new companion is Sister Zoolakis. Her cousin, Elder Holle, served in the Raleigh mission and was my zone leader for a LONG time. Her other cousin, Jeremy, was in my freshman ward at BYU. She is 21, almost 22 and she is amazing! This is her 4th transfer and I am her 2nd companion. 

So backing up a little bit..... 

Monday was my last day in Shallotte. It was raining so our plans to go to the beach didn't really work out. Instead we spent the day packing and cleaning and saying goodbye. We stopped by the Cheney's the say goodbye one last time. I have pictures... but no way to get them on the computer. I'll send them one day :)

Tuesday we drove up to Raleigh with Brother and Sister Riggs. It was a fun adventure and when we got to the meeting I still had no idea where I was going or who with. I was so excited when they said I was going to the Raleigh Stake because I was ready for a little bit of a change and being close to Raleigh means being closer to the temple and the mission home for firesides. 

That night we had a lesson with our investigator Sister Little. She is amazing and asks really good questions! We talked more about the Restoration and Joseph Smith and she was asking all the right questions to lead into the next lesson which is about the Plan of Salvation. She didn't make it to church this week, but hopefully she will next week.

Wednesday we had district meeting and then Sister Zoolakis and I headed out on our bikes to visit a less active, Sister Reid. We went about 20 feet from our door when I made friends with a few dozen fire ants. Luckily I only got bit about 6 times and it was all on my left foot... but those bites itch and burn all at the same time! And then my whole ankle and foot started swelling! You know how well I react to mosquito bites... multiply that by about 3! It was painful and uncomfortable and my foot is still a little swollen. But I have been lucky enough that it hasn't stopped us from getting out and walking and biking. 

On our way to visit with Sister Reid, we also saw a huge snapping turtle trying to cross the road. There was a couple coming down the street in a truck and a golf cart and the man, his name is Chief and he is Native American with two LONG braids, tried to pick it up by the tail but it almost got his finger! Those are not things to mess around with! After a little bit he finally stepped on it's back and picked it up by his tail and carried it to a safe place off of the road. 

We finally made it to Sister Reid's and she was outside smoking. She said that the elders from the ward, Elder Perse and Elder Hampton, had come by the day before. After being there for a little bit she got a phone call that had to do with her job and it made her really mad. She proceeded to vent for about 45 minutes about her boss and how much she dislikes her. Somehow we managed to share a scripture and we were able to make a good impression on her and she told us to come back at the same time next week! 

Thursday morning we went to the Alligood's home and did some service with Sister Chard, the primary president. Sister Alligood just had a baby last week so we were helping to redo the nursery because it is all blue and she just had a girl. We also mopped and vacuumed and cleaned up a little bit. After doing weekly planning and elevating my foot, we visited Sister Thompson. She lives in an assisted living facility but is the sweetest lady you will ever meet!

Friday we had more adventures. We biked to the library to do some facebook time, only to realize that I had forgotten my bike lock, and Sister Zoo doesn't know the combination on hers. So we decided to bike to the church which is around the corner from the library. On the way there her skirt got caught in the chain on her bike so we had to stop and fix that because when we got her skirt out (with no holes in it) it took the chain off its track. She ended up getting oil and dirt all over her hands but we finally got it back on. Biking didn't help my foot out... in fact it made it even worse so the rest of the day was spent in the apartment finishing weekly planning and getting everything organized and appointments made.

Saturday we went to go see our investigator Allean. She is 76 years old and so sweet! She loves learning and we had a great lesson with her on the Word of Wisdom and invited her to church and to be baptized on Nov. 1st. She didn't say yes, and she didn't say no. But she also wasn't able to make it to church on Sunday.

After Allean's appointment we walked around our neighborhood to see some less actives and some potentials. We met with Sister Mead and her 8 year old daughter Samantha. Sister Mead is from Honduras, and her husband is as well and he is not a member. Samantha was asking us such great questions! It was sweet to see the mom bearing her testimony of prayer to her daughter. They also were not able to make it to church yesterday, but we're not giving up hope!

As we continued walking around we happened upon a member who is in the Spanish Branch in Raleigh. He joined the church when he was 17 and he returned from his mission two weeks ago. He was the only member in his family but he just baptized his younger brother and his cousin. And now he is teaching his parents and they are going to church together. He is an amazing missionary and told us about everyone who lived on his street and who we should try to talk to. 

That night we had dinner with the Kirkpatrick family. They recently moved here from Connecticut. They have three children who are so adorable and so energetic!

Sunday morning we went to ward counsel and had a great meeting! The leaders here are so dedicated and work together very well. Sister Reid showed up at church! We were all very surprised but were so happy that she came and she stayed for all three hours and the linger longer luncheon afterwards! The sisters who knew her welcomed her with open arms and it was so great to see her accepted and made a part of everything. 

A little update on Joe: Sister Behrmann sent me an email that said Joe has a baptismal date for October 11th! I am so excited for him!

To sum it all up, I love my area. I love my companion. I love the Savior and I know this is His restored church. I know the only way to make it back to our Heavenly Father and have eternal happiness is to follow the gospel of Jesus Christ: have faith, repent, be baptized, receive the Holy Ghost, and endure to the end. Never give up! The Lord loves you.

Love,

Sister Shurtz