Charity Endureth All Things

Elder Fife and Funk with Sister Clark, Memmot, Ford and me

First of all. I deleted the first one I wrote. I was so upset. So sorry it was sent out so late. Second of all, sorry for the novel. I never write this much. But push through. Or just skip to the end :p because it gets better! :)

Tuesday I got my new Australian companion Sister Young! And yes. She does sound a lot like Rebel Wilson. :) she is so cool and I know we are going to love this transfer! We drove from Chico to Redding, unpacked her bags, talked to a bethel student, and scidaddled away from a dumpster diving homeless man outside our apartment. What a first couple hours in Redding! :)

Wednesday we had the worldwide mission broadcast. I learned that a good missionary is repenting daily and praying constantly. I have applied this this past week and oh my goodness. It's awesome! There a lot of changes in the schedule and other things. It's weird, but it will be great!

Redding Zone after conference

It's crazy, I still wonder if I even know how to missionary at times. Other missionaries have told me this feeling never goes away.

I have spent a lot of time studying about pride this week. I learned from a talk called "In Praise of Those Who Save" by Elder Uchtdorf near the end it says that pride is the opposite of love. In the addictions recovery manual, it says that pride is the opposite of honesty. I realized that pride is the opposite of any Christlike attribute. As I have worked on having more humility, it has made it so much easier to have a more Christlike character!

Filipino dessert called Halo-halo

I gave Gabe some scripture markers and pens. He was very grateful and taken back and wanted to study with them right away. He received the priesthood on Sunday! He was so excited! He has been so immersed in his studies in the scriptures lately and came to us with questions from the reading we assigned.
Ok. Sunday night text from Gabe.
"K. Today was a day to remember. I can't tell you how different my life is for me compare to before. Thanks again for helping me with the hymns too. I understand it better now."

We taught Tracy and her brother Davy and I just love them both so very much. Getting to hear their story. Their trials. And how they are handling it. I see how much faith that they have and how much they desire to follow Christ and I just love them. They are amazing. Tracy and Davy are both coming to church this Sunday. Davy commit to church this Sunday. This is huge and awesome! Tracy is coming to Book of Mormon class Tuesday. This is so huge!
Ok. Sunday night texts from Tracy.
"What time does the Book of Mormon class start so I can go to?"
"Ok I'm going to be there"
"I'm excited about the Book of Mormon, after reading it lately and the blessing I got yesterday I'm feeling very happy which is good because I haven't in a long time"

Sunday night our neighbor Yvonne was talking to me and telling me how I have so much light and she just really wants to know. She wants to know how we place Joseph Smith and Jesus Christ. She wants to know about how our faith in Jesus Christ gives us so much light. This is so exciting. Yvonne has been taught by missionaries before, but not too much. She wasn't actually ever really interested. This is a miracle!

The Predator out in Igo

Sister Ford, Elder Funk and Fife and me

This week was sooo hard but sooo good at the same time. I've cried a lot. I've cried so much. It's kind of like in Alma chapter 36, verses 17-20. He felt racked with torment, until he knew His savior and was changed and save by Him. Then he felt so much joy - A joy as exquisite as his pain. This week was hard. I was about ready to throw in the towel. But instead I turned to the scriptures and my Father in Heaven at this hard time. I received a blessing. I prayed so intently. I just poured my heart out. Sunday was the game changer. I have been so close to the spirit and so reliant on Heavenly Father this week. I saw yesterday the change that I have made and can make in these people's lives. It was the most amazing heart filling feeling. I wish I could just keep that feeling inside all the time. That's when I knew I had to fight for this area. I had to fight through whatever necessary to be able to help and love these people. Because holy cow I just saw the growth in the people I teach and it all came at the same time at a perfect time that I could just rejoice and be happy. It was amazing and overwhelming and I know that it all came at the same time because I needed it. I needed it so much. This sounds cheesy, but Heavenly Father wants me to have to fight for this area and for these people. He's set me up in a tough situation and dangled the reward in front of me. He knows that I can do this and it's exactly how he wants me to do it. It's just so very hard. But I can do it. I know I can. It's like Nephi building the ship. I'm sure he could have built the ship like Moses parted the Red Sea. With one sweep movement of the hand, but he probably grew a lot in character being instructed and enduring the mocking of his faithless, rude and prideful brothers. And that was the purpose of Him actually building the ship himself. God still worked just as much through Nephi as He did through Moses, but Nephi needed the faith building experience. And so do I. Again it's hard. So don't forget me. Know that I am not comfortable, but that Heavenly Father knows exactly where I am at and what I am doing. And he has control of that.

I love and miss my family and friends back home. I also love and miss my mission friends who are either home now or just so far south in the mission that I can't see or talk to you. I think about and pray for you often. I love hearing from you!

Love, Sister Crowther

20 years old now

#notinkansasanymore


Apologies.
Guys.... I'm the worst. I'm sorry. I looked at another sister's mass email and it was forever long. Like scrolling forever. Of course she had only been out 2 months. And I don't want to bore you either. It's hard for me to know what to write about my week. Because now it's not so different to me. I'm pretty used to it and I feel like I'm going to say the same things every week. And then there're things I probably shouldn't tell the world. And times where I grow on such a personal level that it's a little less appropriate to share in mass. But I do have things to share and I will try to do better!

                Newsflash!
Soooo.... Wow! I've now lived for an entire score :) 20 years. Such a scary age. And I'm on my 6th transfer. A transfer is 6 weeks. I'm on my second transfer in Redding and I successfully sent my companion Sister Ford home. She will see and get to hug her family tomorrow in the airport and then hopefully sleep a lot. :D This last 6 weeks have been very different than my first 4. As will they all have their many differences. I am sooo excited for this next transfer. I have so many areas where I can improve and I am excited to start the goals I have set to be a better more humble servant of the Lord. My new companion is Sister Young and she is so so so sweet. She has been out about the same time as me. She is from Australia and has a thick Australian accent. I am stoked to show her Redding and she called me on the phone telling me how excited she was for Redding. This is going to be a great transfer. Also I am the designated driver in this big city.... so prayers! :) It'll be great!

Normal mission stuff. :)
We had a lesson with Norman and it was really good. Previously, he told us he did not understand the spirit. He wanted to understand it better. We were able to direct him to a couple different sources. And we read some with him. I am so grateful for the gift of the spirit to be with me always as I strive to repent and do the best I can. I am also grateful for the power that the spirit has in all of our lives and I know that as we follow the promptings we receive to change and be better we will have its influence in our lives and we will be able to better allow the love that Heavenly Father has for us fill our lives.
We also had Book of Mormon class that night and Book of Mormon class is always fabulous and spirit-filled. We start our study with a question and then study and have faith that we will find that question through the spirit. It's real! It really is! I know that as we strive to change that God is helping us. I know that the Book of Mormon is an inspired and true book about Jesus Christ and when we read it we can receive revelation!

Say what?
Guess what?! Judith set a date to be baptized! It was a great miracle to get to set a date with her before Sister Ford left. Judith is going to work towards baptism on the 18th of March. She is so so sweet! And I love her willingness to follow Christ and learn of His Atonement. As we learn more about the Atonement we are filled with the desire to follow Him and His teachings and accept the plan that our Heavenly Father has for us. I know that the gospel of Jesus Christ truly changes us. I know this because it changes me every day and you don't have to give up all your time for it. You simply learn and follow His Commandments and apply His Atonement in your life. I am so grateful for Christ and The love that I feel embraced in. I want this for all that I teach!

I love you guys soooo soooo much! Miss you all!

Pics with the Jensens and President Martson

with President and Sister Ford on my birthday

with President and Sister Cozzens

with the Jensens who used to live in Sherwood Ward in Topeka

Everyone has those weeks...

Hey friends!

 This week was hectic! Hectic and crazy. Not a lot to talk about though. Just mostly stressful. But that's ok...everyone has those weeks.

A miracle and moment that I felt so much love and spirit though was in Ward council when we presented that a lady wanted to be baptized. She is very physically handicapped, and would need a lot of assistance to be able to renew her covenants after she is baptized. We were nervous of the ward's reaction, but they were bending over backward for this lady who they didn't even know. They were absolutely every one of them ready to pick up responsibility for this daughter of God desiring to obey a commandment. Desiring to be renewed by the proper priesthood authority. She wasn't even sure it was possible, but the Ward council was willing to make this work for her. It was so sweet and touching. So I'll keep you all updated!

A bad thing that happened. I put my bag on top of the car and it fell off somewhere on Saturday. I lost a lot. But that's ok! Love you guys!

Happy New Year

#notinkansasanymore

Hi friends! Happy happy New Year!

This week has been absolutely awesome! We've been thinking a lot about our New Years resolutions. My companion's and mine are very different due to the fact that I have a year on my mission and she goes home in 3 weeks. I was watching and showing this video about New Years resolutions in a lot of our lessons this week and there's a phrase that goes through my mind all the time.... every day is literally the first day of the rest of your life. I love that! New day resolutions are a thing! New moment resolutions are a thing. That's kind of my thing. Repent in the moment. When you see the change you want to make, make it.

A really awesome lesson I had with a recent convert this week was all about temples. It was such an amazing lesson that had some of my tears in the middle. I love these people and I love teaching them. I LOVE people soooo much.

 Funny moment:  we had a white elephant gift exchange with our district during district meeting. I had chocolate covered bugs and a scorpion inside a succor, just something I bought in Live Oak. Well, Sister Ford needed something funny like that! :) Finally found ourselves in a pet store buying a frozen mouse.... 🐭 haha 😂 We named him Pepper Jack.










Tender mercy: mission blessings!!! I can braid my own hair now! I braid it like every other day a different way. It just happened. Not kidding. It's like I just poof could do my own hair. It's great!

Love Sister Crowther