Week 43 - Overland Park Blizzard

Hello,  sorry this might be short because I have frostbite on my fingers from my adventures yesterday!  Just kidding:) but seriously wasn't I just here. I'm with my friend, Sister Dehart when I say "TIME, you say FLIES"! 

This week was really crazy and fun and full of miracles. 

I'll start with Thanksgiving. We had two dinners and it was an enjoyable day. To be honest it didn't really feel like Thanksgiving but it was a fun day full of members.  I love this ward so much and they were all so willing to invite us over to be part of the family. 

MIRACLE #1 

We were teaching a recent convert (pedro) we have the past few times have had short conversations with this man that lives in Pedro's apartment building.  Every interactions with him were just friendly and just offering him service.  After a while he asked us if he could learn more of what we were teaching Pedro. Go about doing good like the Savior and miracles will happen. 

MIRACLE #2 

We were out sharing the light the world video! (if you haven't seen it yet go and watch and join!)(lighttheworld.org)  We knocked and knocked but no one was interested. As we were walking we saw this man outside working on something on his house. We felt that we needed to go talk to him but had a couple more houses before him. By the time we got to go talk with him he was inside..... so what do we do... we go to the door:) we knocked and an hour and a half later we had a great conversation and had a return appointment. 

FUNNY MOMENT: 

We were out tracking yesterday in a blizzard and a man opened his door and said in a sincere voice "what are you doing out in this crazy cold weather?" and me being me and sometimes just being some what sarcastic said "teaching the good word".... door slam"s:) haha I love people

Well I have to go and just love you all so much! 

- Sister Bitters

Happy Thanksgiving

They are tired been out working in the blizzard all day and calling it good at 9 pm....

Week 42 - Overland Park

GOBBLE GOBBLE 
 Hello everyone I hope you had an amazing week and I hope this week is even better! Because.... It's Thanksgiving!!!!! I love Thanksgiving so much. I'm a bit bummed because I won't be able to play in a "Turkey Bowl", this year (dang elders lol) but I do get to spend it serving in the best mission ever so... until next year:) 

 This year my eyes have been opened to so many things I'm grateful for.

1. My Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. I'm grateful for the love that I feel that they have for me. I'm so grateful for my Savior and his atoning sacrifice to make it possible for me to return home to him, making it possible that I will never have to be alone, making it possible that my family can be together forever, and the list goes on and on. 
 2. My biggest cheerleaders and best friends ❤(mom&dad - Melanie&Troy Boy).
 I"m so beyond grateful for all they do for me and their example in my life. For teaching me all I know and loving me more then I can comprehend. 
3. My other best friends!❤ (my siblings) I am so grateful for their support and love. 
4. Baby Ollie & Baby Holland I'm so grateful to Heavenly Father for them ever day! 
     #miraclebaby❤
 5. My Mission and Mission President (aka Mission Parents) 
Words can not describe how grateful I am for my mission! For the good and the bad. I'm so grateful for the person I am becoming. I'm so grateful for my mission president! I have never met such a Christ like person in my life. I'm so grateful to have him leading me in one of my greatest adventures.
 6. Mission Family from families that have taken me in and made me one of them, to individual that let the gospel change there lives, to my companions that have become my sisters. Each one of you has blessed my life forever and will always be considered family.

Well that list can go on and on but I don't have all day or all week. 

 Funnies of this week! 
 1. Everyone in Kansas / Missouri has a glass screen door (worst enemy at times). But in this instance it was a really funny moment. we were out tracking trying to find the elect and I think others are thinking we are trying to also get frostbite. We went one house where the sweetest 11 year old boy Jonathan answered. We asked if we could share "The light of the world" video with him. He said yes :) so as I was pulling it up on my tablet Sister Galloway looks at Jonathan and sees a girl standing behind him and said "Your more then welcome to watch too" (I was so proud, because she reached out !) Jonathan turns around and is wondering who in the world she was talking too. I look up and am confused as well, as to who she was taking too. She started to bust up laughing and said "oh haha thats my reflection!". Me and Jonathan joined in with he laughter and then showed him the video. He told us that we could come back! 

 2. We were at Sister Wagnons House and she had guest over and one came up to Sister Galloway and me and introduced himself, I said hello and told him my name and then looked at Sister Galloway to introduce herself and she turned with full confidence and said "Hi I'm Sister Bitters"
 (haha). 

 We have also had an amazing miracles this week. On Saturday we knocked all day long (90 doors we counted !! ) and we found 3 potentails. One is named Austin. He was super interested and we will be contacted him to start teaching this week ! so excited to see where it goes. 

 Another AMAZING MIRACLE, yesterday we were having dinner with an amazing family in our ward and they referred us to go check in on a member that is struggling, we have been told to see this member a couple times and haven't been able to get a hold of her, when we do it just never a good time. So Sister Galloway and me felt that we just needed to go and show up. So... we did :) We showed up and she was home with 3 of her grand kids. Long story short we got talking about one of her grand kids named Uriah. It turns out that he has been wanting to be baptized and take the lessons for 2 years. We had our first lesson right then and there and commited him to be baptized December 15th. We have another lesson with him tonight. He is the cutest 10 year old and has such an amazing desire. 

I have learned this week that in the end when you are trying to find, teach and change peoples lives that it is having faith in Jesus Christ that brings the rewards.  We just need to leave everything in the his hands and he will fight our fights, give us strength and make things happen, if we just have faith. . 

We had zone conference this week as well. It was the most incredible zone conference that i have attend yet. 

LORD WILL PREFORM HIS GREATEST MIRACLES FROM NOW AND UNTIL HE COMES!!!!!!!!!!!! AND I GET TO BE APART OF THAT WORK! just thought that was the coolest thing of my life but no biggie:)

Love you all  - Sister Bitters ❤ 

Sister Bitters is getting a little Holland....💗

Week 41 - Overland Park

Hello friends and family! Can I just say how much I love and appreciate you! Your prayers are felt and always needed.:)

Well it is cold here in Kansas and in this area we are walking every other week. So please pray that I don't get frost bite:) BUT so excited that it is snowing! I love it so much and I just pray that it keeps snowing. 

This week was full of closed doors but pressing forward with faith that the lord will provide. I have come to truly learn this week that the lord gives you trials to see if you keep going, he is forming you into the person he knows you can be.  The first couple days this week were rough not going to lie.  I was discouraged, I was seeing everyone in my district having success but my comp and me.  After feeling this way and just not knowing what to do, I spent a lot of time on my knees.  During personal study one day I felt prompted to read Alma 26. I have no idea why, I went there and as I was reading verse 27 it hit me so strong.  I knew that Heavenly Father is aware of me and my efforts.  I know that this hardship that is happening right now is to strengthen me. That night we were able to find one person that wanted to learn more and a solid return appointment. We got a text from a potential that wants to meet and learn more!  And Aarti a women we are working with promised to come to church!

Another thing I learned this week is bring everything you can to the lord and he will provide the rest. 

I have also learned that divine discontent truly teaches you to act in faith.  I love my mission and the person I am becoming.  THE LORD KNOWS YOU AND YOUR STRUGGLES. TRUST IN HIM. GIVE HIM EVERYTHING YOU HAVE. 

LOVE YOU ALL 

-Sister Bitters

Week 40 - Overland Park (HAPPY HUMP WEEK)

HELLO FAM AND FRIENDS!

I hope you all had an amazing Halloween and ate a lot of candy for me :) For Halloween, we did a "Trunk or Treating" for our apartment complex. We handed out pictures of Jesus and candy with Book of Mormons on the side.  It was so much fun, my comp and me dressed as Dorothy and the Lion !! (with our name tags of course).  We handed out a lot of pictures and had solid conversations with the individuals parked next to us. 

The rest of the night since we couldn't be out working, we jumped from members to members letting Sister Erickson say good bye :( 

I'm Training one of the cutest missionaries ever! Sister Galloway, she is from American Fork and we have a lot in common. This transfer is going to be amazing! 

We went to visit this less active family and GUESS WHAT! They are from Samoa and they knew about RITA'S LODGE! The place where I stayed, it is such a small world.  The mom of the house served her mission in Apia, Samoa where I did my humanitarian trip,  seriously that family instantly became my favorite!

We have done service at a place called Mission Hope,  I have served there for the past 6 weeks with Sister Erickson and not once did the people that volunteer there ever talk with us about the gospel. BUT the first time I walk in with Sister Galloway, they start talking to us about the gospel! it was incredible, I told one about the primary program and invited her to come this week. 

Church this Sunday was great ! We had a Regional Conference with Elder Holland, it was incredible, he talked a lot about missionary work, especially the work here in Kansas. He reminded me that it truly is a privilege to serve a mission. 

Well, I love you all so much and I'm so grateful for your support and love.

-Sister Bitters 

Week - 39 Overland Park

Hello everyone sorry for the lack of emailing.... I have no excuses. 

But I will try to make up for my lack fulness in this email. 

This week I hit 9 months half way, no way!  Time has gone by so fast and I hear it goes down hill from here. These past 9 months have been the most amazing, stressful, emotional, joyful, hard and rewarding months of my life. Serving a mission was the best decision I have ever made. 

I hope you all have a Happy Halloween!  I love Halloween and bummed I couldn't be apart of the amazing Disney costume theme party with my family ;(   but the mission is making it pretty fun!  I think my companion thinks I'm crazy but I've already picked out my costume..... missionary appropriate of course :) you'll see pictures next week.  We did have fun finding ideas/opportunity... My apartment complex is having a trunk or treat so Sister Erickson and me signed up and are going to hand out candy with pictures of Jesus. SO EXCITED!

We had a lesson last night with a women named Aarti, she is so sweet and has such an amazing desire to learn more. She is from India and a really neat experience that we had with her is we were teaching her about the restoration and she got emotional, I could tell she was feeling the spirit. She, I feel got a little frazzled at that point and started to state everything that she believed.  The coolest thing is after she got done, she was expecting us to fight her or discuss the differences in our beliefs, but I just look at her and said "Aarti that is exactly what our church believes".. The spirit was so strong, I just love her and her adorable daughter so much. 

We are also working with a guy named Tom. He came to church two weeks in a row! Last week we had a lesson with him and invited him to come.  He was hesitate and said he would see if he wakes up in time.  So me being blunt at times. I said " Tom we will come and bang on your door if thats what it takes?"  Well Sunday came and Tom wasn't answering his phone... so what do we do, we go and bang on his door ( haha ) He didn't answer but his 17 year old son did haha I felt so bad!  He answered rubbing his eyes haha so funny but we told him to go and deliver a message to his dad.  COME TO CHURCH was our message and TJ (the son) delivered it.  You should of seen Sister Erickson's and my faces we were so pumped and excited and shocked all at the same time. This week Tom learned his lesson and set his alarm and made it to church on time! 

Well Family and Friends I have the worst memory and can't remember the rest of the week. BUT I do have some exciting news..... IM PREGNANT!  Yes, 9 months and I'm getting a baby straight from the MTC... I'm so excited to train another baby eager to come and serve.

A cool eye opening experience I had this week  while I was reading about Christ and him healing the sick and making the blind see.  Well as a missionary I am following the Saviors example,  I'm in a way helping heal the sick and helping those that are blind to see. 

I love you all so much and I love this gospel. Thanks for all your prayers and support❤

-Sister Bitters