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

Farewell Shallotte!

So my entire email just got deleted.... BLAH!!! But here is Sister Kat. She took us out to lunch today. She will be 90 years old next month!

I'm leaving tomorrow and I'm SO sad! Sister Behrmann is staying here with Sister Ray. They will be great Sister Leaders! I don't know where I'm going. 

Sorry y'all, this was going to be a really great email... until it all deleted itself and I only have 5 minutes left of emailing time. So frustrated!!!

Know that I love you and that I love this gospel. ​Being a missionary is the best thing I have ever done! I love it!!!

Couple of things I learned this week. Prayers work. The Spirit guides when we let Him. Piano is an amazing instrument to play when you go on a mission and serve in small areas. 

This is the Fish Family.  I love them!

Love y'all!

Sister Shurtz

Shallotte Adventures

This week we have had a lot of adventures!

Tuesday we did service at the library and then went to Autumn Care, the nursing home, and visited Brother Coffey and Brother King. I love those two men so much! I can't wait for the day that they will be able to have their perfected bodies and not have to be fed or pushed around in wheelchairs. They, and their wives, are amazing examples to me of their faith in the Lord even when trials come.

That night we had dinner with the Ruth family and then went to visit Sister Pollock (a less active member) We took her some cookies because she had twisted her ankle pretty good last week so we just stopped by to let her know we were thinking about her. As we were standing outside talking to her I got 10 mosquito bites on just one arm from my elbow to my shoulder. And you know how huge my bites get.... 

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Wednesday we had district meeting and then ate lunch before going to visit Sister Evans. She needed some help with moving stuff around on their screened in porch. It has been SO HOT this week! And it doesn't look like it's going to cool off any time soon. From Sister Evans, we went to the dentist because Sister Behrmann's mom wanted her to get her teeth cleaned and because I found a hole in my tooth on Monday morning! The office was super nice and sent the x-ray to Dad and called him and everything. But when we were there on Wednesday they looked at it and said I needed to come back and get it filled. So we needed to call President and ask him if I needed to make my appointment before the 9th because of transfers...... I got it filled yesterday so I'll be ready to go on the 9th :) 

Thursday we went to the thrift store to do service and then we drove up to Joe's house and had a lesson with him that went really well. He is still "waiting for his answer." Brother and Sister Mintz came and at the end of the lesson they invited Joe over to their home for dinner on Saturday when they were feeding us! It was perfect!

After Joe's lesson we had dinner with the Riggs and then got to drive for 2 hours up to Fayetteville to spend the night and then the next morning we drove up to Knightdale (just North of Raleigh) for our Mission Leadership Council meeting. The meeting was great, but the 7 hours of driving was really tiring! 

Saturday morning we went to the church to help out with a funeral for Sister Leggett (another member who lived in Autumn Care Nursing Home). She was close to 90 years old and has 7 kids, the 4 brothers all live in our ward. There was a talk about the Plan of Salvation and I loved an analogy they shared. I lead the music and then after we helped the Relief Society set up lunch for the family. After the funeral we did a little bit of weekly planning and then went to dinner at the Mintz's with Joe. We had a good lesson on Prophets and watched a couple of good videos. (Here's the links for the videos)

http://www.mormonchannel.org/prophets-and-apostles-speak-today?v=1101417705001

https://www.lds.org/prophets-and-apostles/unto-all-the-world/we-need-living-prophets?la&lang=eng

On our way home from dinner we stopped by a less active's home, Brother Hewett. We stood outside and talked with him for about an hour! He is really busy and hard to meet with. We got to know him a lot better and hopefully will be able to meet with him again this week.

On Sunday Joe came to church! We were so excited to see him pull into the parking lot. And he stayed for all 3 hours! And everyone in the ward talked to him! Even people who don't talk to us went up and introduced himself to him. I love this ward! 

Yesterday we started on our "Shallotte Bucket List" of things to do together. We went to the dentist (not on the list but needed to be done), went to The Purple Onion Cafe for lunch, went to Belk to see what it was like (It's like Macy's), and we went to the frozen yogurt place, Fuzzy Peach. 

It's an amazing time to be not only a full time missionary, but also to be a member missionary. Stand up for what you believe in and be a Christlike example at all times, in all things, and in all places.

Love y'all!

Sister Shurtz