Well HEEEELLLLLOOO 11 months!!! What a wild time this has been! I cannot believe that I have been on my mission for 11 months!! (: How exciting is that! So we had a really good week! Here's how it went!
Tuesday was the year mark for receiving my mission call to the Pennsylvania Pittsburgh Mission!
Wild right?! We looked for service opportunities in the community. Turns out there aren't a whole lot! d: Which is a bummer but we will make it work somehow! Then we tried Rae Ann but she was taking a nap so she said it wasn't a good time. Wendy was out of town so we ended up at Carol's. We read Mosiah 5 with her and talked about her granddaughter Lacey who wants to be baptized! So hopefully we can start teaching her soon! We headed to Ruthe's for dinner and Sister L. Neeley was there. We talked to them about modesty and who the world's standard is so different from the Lord's. We can find a lot of hope through following the Lord's standard; even when it doesn't seem like that big of a deal. We tried to visit Lacey after that but she wasn't home so we set an appointment for Sunday afternoon.
Wednesday was district meeting and it was pretty good. Before that, we had gone to the Genealogical Society that is across the street from our apt to look for service and they were really happy to see us; so maybe that is something. After District meeting we were laughing and joking at lunch and took some really funny pictures. It was a good time with some friends! (: Sister L. Neeley picked us up and we went to Renea's house for a lesson. We talked a lot about the Atonement and the Restoration. It was pretty good. Renea is really serious about the gospel now and I love seeing her make changes that help her feel the Spirit more!
As we were walking out of the lesson, we got a text from our district leader, Elder Vassallo saying that we needed to pray for the Cranberry sisters because they had gotten in a head on collision and were in the hospital. We quickly got the details that nothing was broken and they were ok. They were on a hill and at a stop sign. When they started going up the hill, it turned and the car going the opposite direction of them didn't turn and hit Sister Gate's side. They are doing ok right now.
So we did exchanges and Sister Walborn and I were going to Butler and we told her about the accident. So we went to the hospital to see them. They were sore and bruised but they were ok. After that we went to Butler's correlation and then took the Elders home
Thursday was a really good day!! Sister Walborn and I had an awesome personal and comp study then we tried to visit people who weren't home. We did get in one door with a less active named Stephen. He served a mission in Las Vegas and hasn't been active in a really long time. Those are always so heart breaking!! But we had a really good conversation and they have a lot of potential to grow in the gospel again. Sister Walborn and I went to lunch and just talked and it was so good for me. We got a lot of things cleared up and I felt the best I have in a long time!! We tried an investigator after that but she wasn't available to meet with us at that time so we came home, tried more people then came back to Beaver. Sister Hanseen and I went to dinner at the Antel's. She made salmon...be proud of me! I ate it! Gagged? Almost, but I got it down! haha! Fish is not my thing d: On the way home, Sister Antel said she lived really close to the West Virginia border and we should go see it. SOOO we did hahaha! Didn't leave the mission, but stood on the border hahah! It was pretty sweet! We tried to visit Barb afterwards but no one was home ):
Friday we did Weekly Planning then some Mormon.org time. We went to Barb's house and had a lesson on love that God shows us on a daily basis. She really enjoyed it and we had a pretty good discussion.
Saturday was pretty random! Rasheda cancelled our appointment so we went over to the Weeks' house and helped put together the lobby decorations for the musical at the high school. They are doing The Wiz and so we cut out Z's and attached them to O's to make OZ. We'll probably end up helping again. haha! Plus we learned that Bishop likes to scrapbook 0.o never would have guessed that one hahahahaha! It was so funny! His wife showed us and they were really good actually haha! Clearly he made them, but they were really cool haha! We got invited to a wedding but we weren't able to go because we didn't have the address...and we didn't really know the people haha! Paige's sister was getting married and Paige wanted us there. Her mom said we could ride in the limo...ummm no thanks haha! Could you imagine? "Hi! How's your day going? Oh you are getting married! That is so exciting! What was your name again?" Yeah, maybe not haha! We did try some Beaver Falls names, but no one was home (shocker) haha! We went to the Stapleton's for dinner and made up a game by combining 2 games. We played The Game of Things and Apples to Apples. We played the Red cards in Apples to Apples and used the Thing cards to describe it. I dunno it was really fun though. We shared a spiritual thought then tried Wendy who was still out of town and then headed up to our apartment in Beaver.
Sunday was pretty average. We went to church and had 6 less actives at church!! Little victories! (: After church, this little boy Ozzy who is 6-7 said "Mom! I accidentally bit Rusty's knee!" hahahahaha! Little kids are so funny. (: We tried Lacey again but she still wasn't home so we went to dinner at the Neeley's house...the OTHER Neeley's d: haha! We celebrated Linda's birthday and then headed over to Stake Choir. I love being able to praise God through music. Truly it is amazing. I don't have a great voice, but the words and the music bring the Spirit and that is what truly matters.
Well, I hope you know how much I love you and how much you mean to me! You are such examples to me and your prayers help me. I know that God is helping me every second of every day but sometimes I am blind to it. He never leaves me alone because this is His work and His glory. I am just a little instrument by which He can bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of my fellow man. I hope you have an amazing week! Love you!! Keep it up!!
Love,
Sister Kaitlyn Crockett
Monday, March 24, 2014
Tuesday, March 18, 2014
20 Years
Well this is weird. I am like old now....20?!? oh man. What a trip! This week has really been up and down. We didn't teach a SINGLE lesson. Strange right? I've never had that happen. We did get a lot of good work done though! It was a pretty great week!
Tuesday we went to correlation...and well, after that meeting...things may be changing soon with our ward mission leader...not good. But we just keep moving on. We tried Rae Ann and basically watched her son throw temper tantrums. Greeeat. haha! What can you do? It was impossible to ask her if we could start with a prayer, let alone read the scriptures with her! d: Ya live and you learn. The rest of our day was taken up by visiting Sister Swingholm (I will explain this later). During dinner, I started flipping through my study journal and reading through my old entries and it seemed that Heavenly Father had compiled everything I needed to hear right then and there. It was amazing. I am so grateful for the Spirit and the inspiration that Heavenly Father gives us. After dinner, we went to Lorraine's and just when things didn't seem to be going anywhere...she opened up to us and explained that she hasn't felt connected with God and wants that again. This is a huge step for her!! We were so excited that this development took place!
Wednesday was POURING all day long! It was so awesome!! Until it turned to ice...that was less awesome. We went back to Lorraine's after doing some Mormon.org time and helped her get her computer set up. I got my birthday package from Mom and Dad. I was SO stoked haha! (: It was sweet! Sister L. Neeley came with us on team-ups but everyone we wanted to try cancelled! Or just didn't answer the door ): We did see Vicki and have started sneaking in spiritual thoughts by talking to her grand kids about Jesus. When we first got there they didn't even know who He is. Now, we can some them any picture representing the Savior and they get it. They know who Jesus is. Baby steps all the way. Vicki is becoming more open and happy to see us. It's ever so slightly but it's going somewhere. We then started "Pruning the Vineyard" and cleaning up the area book. We didn't get in touch with a lot of people, but the ones we did, weren't interested. This guy, Albert, said that he was "strapped" and had tried for 2 years to get his family to come around, but they wouldn't. We offered to try and he declined. You can only do so much. We went to Sister DeBaker's for dinner and it was a blast! We had pizza from this trending shop called Marco's and it was so good!
Thursday we started weekly planning because we had zone conference on Friday. After that it was time to prune again. The one person we got in touch with had moved 6 years ago...mmm. that's rough. Then we went to the Relief Society activity and it was a "Favorite things" party. We had dinner then everyone brought a "favorite thing" and Sister La Fond started explaining what she brought, then drew a name and that sister got what she was describing. Then that sister would describe what she brought would draw a name. Etc. It was so much fun! I got a bracelet made from an old Utah Transit token and some silver spoons. Oh and chips and salsa. SWEET. The bracelet sounds weird...but it's actually cute so I'm happy haha! Then we went to Cranberry to stay over for Zone Conference. Apparently our mansion wasn't cool enough to house people for it so we had to travel d: Just kidding haha!
Friday we had Zone Conference and it was a blast! I got to see so many people that I love! Sisters Moore and Holmstead and Elders Rasmussen and Moylan!! It was so awesome!!! I love these missionaries!! They are so great! The whole zone conference was about how we are outting tracting and that we need to be doing more service if at all possible! Great right?! I was stoked! I talked with President Topham afterwards and we had a really good talk. (again, I'll explain at the end.) We went straight to the Green's afterwards and their friends Susann and her daughter Emily and son Matthew were there. We have been working on building a friendship with them for a while. We started talking about what we had learned at zone conference and Susann asked what we did as missionaries. That got into transfers and stuff and she said she didn't want me to get transferred...What?! Even non-members don't want me to leave! Haha! That is a supreme feeling! I love this area so much!
Saturday we finished weekly planning then worked on the area book for a little bit. WE did some cleaning of the records to make them up to date which is helpful. We did some service for the Greens (I am sure they are sick of us by now haha!) Then we went to the Tame's for dinner. Hamburgers and Hot Dogs. I LOVE SUMMER!!!! (: haha! We tried to visit Lorraine to address her concerns but her grand kids were over so that wasn't going to happen anytime soon. We were talking to Jaz her 4 year old granddaughter and she said that a boy kissed her in preschool and we asked what she did. Her answer? "Kissed him 1st!!" hahahaha! What the heck?! So weird haha! It was hilarious!
Sunday....well. It was my birthday. And Sister Hanseen took it upon herself to tell EVERYONE. It was so awkward because I tried to not make a big deal of it d: We were asked to participate in Primary and read a little script pretending to be different people from the scriptures. Sister Hanseen was Mary Magdalene, Elder Adamson was Thomas, Elder Waddoups was Cleopas, and me? I was a Nephite woman. I didn't get a name hahaha! what is worst is the script said "Man or woman"! So I am not really sure what I was haha! d: We went to the Goettman's for dinner and they were already having a party for a family friend, named Ramon so they figured it was perfect for me too! haha! So I got a birthday party d: We had fajitas and ya know, cow stomach. Cuz that is a normal thing haha! Ramon is from Mexico ( i think) and he loves it. I wouldn't touch it but everyone else ate some. haha! One of the granddaughters, Kate, is 6 and loves to dance. She always stands by me and shows me her iphone 0.o what? haha! She is so funny. She was doing a chin stand last night and put her heels against her shoulders. I'm still trying to figure that one out haha! She is hilarious. After that we went to Bishop Weeks' house and hung out with their family for a little bit and talked about the situation with our ward mission leader. The thing is getting resolved luckily and the work will move forward I am sure! They got me this sweet present with all sorts of candy in it and some good smelling stuff (: And they had less than 12 hours notice d: hahah! I love them!
So, this week was a little hectic. The reason that I was talking to Sister Swingholm and President Topham is that I have been struggling with depression for almost 5 months now. It's been a beast and because of some of the things that have happened, I was contemplating going home (it wasn't originally my idea). I am so glad to say that at this moment in time, I will be home in November. I have had to rely so heavily on my Savior's arm. I know that He has been with me every step of the way. Although many times I have struggled without feeling a break, the sun always rises and a new day comes. I can always rely on my Heavenly Father and Savior for Their love. I know now more than ever that the Atonement is real. I haven't had large sins that I have had to repent of, but I have needed to repent and use that part. But there is also the healing part of the Atonement. He carries our burdens willingly. Every Sunday when I partake of the sacrament, I read Hymn 193, "I Stand All Amazed", because truly I do.
1. I stand all amazed at the love Jesus offers me, Confused at the grace that so fully he proffers me. I tremble to know that for me he was crucified, That for me, a sinner, he suffered, he bled and died.
2. I marvel that he would descend from his throne divine To rescue a soul so rebellious and proud as mine, That he should extend his great love unto such as I, Sufficient to own, to redeem, and to justify.
3. I think of his hands pierced and bleeding to pay MY debt! Such mercy, such love and devotion can I forget? No, no, I will praise and adore at the mercy seat, Until at the glorified throne I kneel at his feet.
4.
5. Oh, it is wonderful that he should care for me
6. Enough to die for me! Oh, it is wonderful, wonderful to me!
I love you all!! Stay strong, no matter the trials you face. God is good.
Love, Sister Kaitlyn Crockett
Tuesday we went to correlation...and well, after that meeting...things may be changing soon with our ward mission leader...not good. But we just keep moving on. We tried Rae Ann and basically watched her son throw temper tantrums. Greeeat. haha! What can you do? It was impossible to ask her if we could start with a prayer, let alone read the scriptures with her! d: Ya live and you learn. The rest of our day was taken up by visiting Sister Swingholm (I will explain this later). During dinner, I started flipping through my study journal and reading through my old entries and it seemed that Heavenly Father had compiled everything I needed to hear right then and there. It was amazing. I am so grateful for the Spirit and the inspiration that Heavenly Father gives us. After dinner, we went to Lorraine's and just when things didn't seem to be going anywhere...she opened up to us and explained that she hasn't felt connected with God and wants that again. This is a huge step for her!! We were so excited that this development took place!
Wednesday was POURING all day long! It was so awesome!! Until it turned to ice...that was less awesome. We went back to Lorraine's after doing some Mormon.org time and helped her get her computer set up. I got my birthday package from Mom and Dad. I was SO stoked haha! (: It was sweet! Sister L. Neeley came with us on team-ups but everyone we wanted to try cancelled! Or just didn't answer the door ): We did see Vicki and have started sneaking in spiritual thoughts by talking to her grand kids about Jesus. When we first got there they didn't even know who He is. Now, we can some them any picture representing the Savior and they get it. They know who Jesus is. Baby steps all the way. Vicki is becoming more open and happy to see us. It's ever so slightly but it's going somewhere. We then started "Pruning the Vineyard" and cleaning up the area book. We didn't get in touch with a lot of people, but the ones we did, weren't interested. This guy, Albert, said that he was "strapped" and had tried for 2 years to get his family to come around, but they wouldn't. We offered to try and he declined. You can only do so much. We went to Sister DeBaker's for dinner and it was a blast! We had pizza from this trending shop called Marco's and it was so good!
Thursday we started weekly planning because we had zone conference on Friday. After that it was time to prune again. The one person we got in touch with had moved 6 years ago...mmm. that's rough. Then we went to the Relief Society activity and it was a "Favorite things" party. We had dinner then everyone brought a "favorite thing" and Sister La Fond started explaining what she brought, then drew a name and that sister got what she was describing. Then that sister would describe what she brought would draw a name. Etc. It was so much fun! I got a bracelet made from an old Utah Transit token and some silver spoons. Oh and chips and salsa. SWEET. The bracelet sounds weird...but it's actually cute so I'm happy haha! Then we went to Cranberry to stay over for Zone Conference. Apparently our mansion wasn't cool enough to house people for it so we had to travel d: Just kidding haha!
Friday we had Zone Conference and it was a blast! I got to see so many people that I love! Sisters Moore and Holmstead and Elders Rasmussen and Moylan!! It was so awesome!!! I love these missionaries!! They are so great! The whole zone conference was about how we are outting tracting and that we need to be doing more service if at all possible! Great right?! I was stoked! I talked with President Topham afterwards and we had a really good talk. (again, I'll explain at the end.) We went straight to the Green's afterwards and their friends Susann and her daughter Emily and son Matthew were there. We have been working on building a friendship with them for a while. We started talking about what we had learned at zone conference and Susann asked what we did as missionaries. That got into transfers and stuff and she said she didn't want me to get transferred...What?! Even non-members don't want me to leave! Haha! That is a supreme feeling! I love this area so much!
Saturday we finished weekly planning then worked on the area book for a little bit. WE did some cleaning of the records to make them up to date which is helpful. We did some service for the Greens (I am sure they are sick of us by now haha!) Then we went to the Tame's for dinner. Hamburgers and Hot Dogs. I LOVE SUMMER!!!! (: haha! We tried to visit Lorraine to address her concerns but her grand kids were over so that wasn't going to happen anytime soon. We were talking to Jaz her 4 year old granddaughter and she said that a boy kissed her in preschool and we asked what she did. Her answer? "Kissed him 1st!!" hahahaha! What the heck?! So weird haha! It was hilarious!
Sunday....well. It was my birthday. And Sister Hanseen took it upon herself to tell EVERYONE. It was so awkward because I tried to not make a big deal of it d: We were asked to participate in Primary and read a little script pretending to be different people from the scriptures. Sister Hanseen was Mary Magdalene, Elder Adamson was Thomas, Elder Waddoups was Cleopas, and me? I was a Nephite woman. I didn't get a name hahaha! what is worst is the script said "Man or woman"! So I am not really sure what I was haha! d: We went to the Goettman's for dinner and they were already having a party for a family friend, named Ramon so they figured it was perfect for me too! haha! So I got a birthday party d: We had fajitas and ya know, cow stomach. Cuz that is a normal thing haha! Ramon is from Mexico ( i think) and he loves it. I wouldn't touch it but everyone else ate some. haha! One of the granddaughters, Kate, is 6 and loves to dance. She always stands by me and shows me her iphone 0.o what? haha! She is so funny. She was doing a chin stand last night and put her heels against her shoulders. I'm still trying to figure that one out haha! She is hilarious. After that we went to Bishop Weeks' house and hung out with their family for a little bit and talked about the situation with our ward mission leader. The thing is getting resolved luckily and the work will move forward I am sure! They got me this sweet present with all sorts of candy in it and some good smelling stuff (: And they had less than 12 hours notice d: hahah! I love them!
So, this week was a little hectic. The reason that I was talking to Sister Swingholm and President Topham is that I have been struggling with depression for almost 5 months now. It's been a beast and because of some of the things that have happened, I was contemplating going home (it wasn't originally my idea). I am so glad to say that at this moment in time, I will be home in November. I have had to rely so heavily on my Savior's arm. I know that He has been with me every step of the way. Although many times I have struggled without feeling a break, the sun always rises and a new day comes. I can always rely on my Heavenly Father and Savior for Their love. I know now more than ever that the Atonement is real. I haven't had large sins that I have had to repent of, but I have needed to repent and use that part. But there is also the healing part of the Atonement. He carries our burdens willingly. Every Sunday when I partake of the sacrament, I read Hymn 193, "I Stand All Amazed", because truly I do.
1. I stand all amazed at the love Jesus offers me, Confused at the grace that so fully he proffers me. I tremble to know that for me he was crucified, That for me, a sinner, he suffered, he bled and died.
2. I marvel that he would descend from his throne divine To rescue a soul so rebellious and proud as mine, That he should extend his great love unto such as I, Sufficient to own, to redeem, and to justify.
3. I think of his hands pierced and bleeding to pay MY debt! Such mercy, such love and devotion can I forget? No, no, I will praise and adore at the mercy seat, Until at the glorified throne I kneel at his feet.
4.
5. Oh, it is wonderful that he should care for me
6. Enough to die for me! Oh, it is wonderful, wonderful to me!
I love you all!! Stay strong, no matter the trials you face. God is good.
Love, Sister Kaitlyn Crockett
Tuesday, March 4, 2014
A Rough Week
How on earth is it MARCH already?!? I swear, New Years was just the other day! Time is flying by so fast, I can hardly believe it. I mean, I'll be 20 in no time d: weird...
Well, I am sure you are DYING to know how our week went. Lemme tell you, if I never have another week like this one, I'll be ok. yikes.
Tuesday...mmm where do I even start?! We cleaned our apartment and Brother Yovich came to inspect it...with the Elders...awkward to have 3 guys in your apartment after spending all your time with one other girl in it? Yup. Definitely. So they were all acting super weird about how the smoke smell wasn't "that bad", the ceiling could be fixed, and the rodents removed....umm yes. Yes they could. So we got in a little "discussion" about how the new apartment in Beaver will just be better for us and they finally saw our point. Men. hahahaha! I guess the Elders were afraid we would start working in their area?? Umm we have our area and there are plenty of things we need to get done there! No worries. Mission drama is the worst. After that fiasco we saw Vicki and I talked with the 3 year old twins, Gia and Lucas. They are so sweet and just want to be loved. Vicki has a hard time with that with her cancer and treatments and all. It's crazy how I feel like I am going to some adults' houses just to make sure the kids feel loved and appreciated. I just hope that I am making a difference in their lives. I told the kiddos to say "I love Jesus Christ" every time they felt bad or sad or even just happy and they were excited. I hope they remember. We went to dinner at the Green's and it was good as usual. We then went with Sister Goettman to visit some people but only were able to see the Lion's. Despite the fact that I didn't feel like we were doing much good there, it made an impact on them which is the whole point.
Wednesday was District Meeting and our district is the same...much to our dismay. We now have 3 different wards in our district. It's an interesting dynamic now that they have split Cranberry and Pitt 4th to make the Wexford ward. The Cranberry Elders, Elder Vassallo and Elder Ashton, are now in the Wexford ward and the Cranberry Sisters, Sister Gates and Sister Aston, are working their ward by themselves. Crazy when a ward splits from a missionary perspective. It's crazy that Sister Aston is from Gilbert and went on a date with Spencer...0.o ummm ok. haha! small world. But we had a super awesome District Meeting and made some awesome plans to involve members more and get that Home/Visiting Teaching DONE! (: Sister Neeley came with us after to visit some people and we ended up seeing Elsa then rushing to Renea's appointment. She is doing SO well. She really is recognizing the Spirit in her life and her home. Although she is struggling with some things, she is making great progress and recognizing her short comings and trusting in the Lord. Our focus in the lesson was faith and the Atonement; two spectacular intertwined principles. After dinner we saw the Watt's and told them that we are moving and they were really sad, but glad that we promised to come back and visit them.
Thursday...I'd really rather not relive Thursday. I definitely counted my blessings that day! We were so emotionally spent by the end of the day that we went to Sister Smego's (we had extra time) and then to Dean and Andrea's for dinner. We had steak salad and it was SO good. It really helped us survive the rest of the night ha. What. A. Life.
Friday was not a super great day (but a lot better than Thursday). We did weekly planning and tried to visit Anthony but on the way there, he cancelled. Rough. We tried Carol. Not home. And our team up had to push the time back. So we started packing/cleaning our apartment for the move. We went to Lisa's for Eli's birthday party. It was so funny. In the middle of it, Sister Green invited us for a "Girl's Night" and we definitely needed one of those. We went over after the party and talked with Sister LaFond and Sister Roy. We talked about books and movies and it was a blast! When we went to say goodbye to the kiddos downstairs, they were watching Secondhand Lions. Good movie.
Saturday, was the move day. Sister K was moving from her old place to one by the church and man it is TINY. It was a rough day. Afterward, Sister L. Neeley took us out to lunch and we came home and showered and napped a little bit. We really couldn't have done anything else because we were so exhausted from it. For dinner we went to the McBride's....and well, Brother McBride was out of town and didn't tell Sister McBride that he had signed up to feed us...awkward. haha! She wasn't even home when we showed up so we sat outside in the freezing wind haha! When she got home, we ended up helping make dinner, which totally works for us. haha! We had spaghetti and salad and some garlic knots from a little wood fire pizza place. It was really good. They were crazy and it was fun to be around family. Crazy, but ya gotta love em.
Sunday. Mmmm. Fast Sunday. What a day we had to! Wendy came to church!!! Out of no where!! And in bad weather too!! I was SO happy! She looked so pretty too and stayed the whole time! It really made my day. We visited Sister Smego afterward, but it's harder to stay a long time on fast Sunday. We went to Bishop Weeks' house for dinner and it was so good! We had pot roast and mashed potatoes (these potatoes are so creamy!). We had gotten Haley a One Direction Notebook that we saw at Walmart and she was THRILLED. Her room is so decked out in One Direction stuff haha! She's funny. After dinner, we talked a little bit then went through the whole ward roster with Bishop and it was really good for us. We have a lot of new names we can try. At the end, we asked him if there was anything we could do better and he said that we were doing everything he expected of us. He said this group (Elder Waddoups, Elder Adamson, Sister Hanseen, and I) were the best group of missionaries he had seen during his time as Bishop...and he's been Bishop for 6 years. It really meant a lot.
So that has been my crazy week. I know that Heavenly Father hears and answers our prayers, because He really answered mine. As I have been dealing with some stuff, I've really seen Him reach out in love, mostly through other people. I am so grateful that He loved us enough to send His Only Begotten Son, Jesus Christ, to Atone for us. Christ knows every little feeling that we have. Think about how infinite the Atonement is, because as we go through our trials, Christ relives those things because He remembers what we are feeling at the moment. How wonderful that He would be willing to not only suffer it once, but over and over and over again. I truly stand all amazed at the love God offers me.
I hope you have a wonderful week!! I love you so much!! (: Stay strong!
Love,
Sister Kaitlyn Crockett
Well, I am sure you are DYING to know how our week went. Lemme tell you, if I never have another week like this one, I'll be ok. yikes.
Tuesday...mmm where do I even start?! We cleaned our apartment and Brother Yovich came to inspect it...with the Elders...awkward to have 3 guys in your apartment after spending all your time with one other girl in it? Yup. Definitely. So they were all acting super weird about how the smoke smell wasn't "that bad", the ceiling could be fixed, and the rodents removed....umm yes. Yes they could. So we got in a little "discussion" about how the new apartment in Beaver will just be better for us and they finally saw our point. Men. hahahaha! I guess the Elders were afraid we would start working in their area?? Umm we have our area and there are plenty of things we need to get done there! No worries. Mission drama is the worst. After that fiasco we saw Vicki and I talked with the 3 year old twins, Gia and Lucas. They are so sweet and just want to be loved. Vicki has a hard time with that with her cancer and treatments and all. It's crazy how I feel like I am going to some adults' houses just to make sure the kids feel loved and appreciated. I just hope that I am making a difference in their lives. I told the kiddos to say "I love Jesus Christ" every time they felt bad or sad or even just happy and they were excited. I hope they remember. We went to dinner at the Green's and it was good as usual. We then went with Sister Goettman to visit some people but only were able to see the Lion's. Despite the fact that I didn't feel like we were doing much good there, it made an impact on them which is the whole point.
Wednesday was District Meeting and our district is the same...much to our dismay. We now have 3 different wards in our district. It's an interesting dynamic now that they have split Cranberry and Pitt 4th to make the Wexford ward. The Cranberry Elders, Elder Vassallo and Elder Ashton, are now in the Wexford ward and the Cranberry Sisters, Sister Gates and Sister Aston, are working their ward by themselves. Crazy when a ward splits from a missionary perspective. It's crazy that Sister Aston is from Gilbert and went on a date with Spencer...0.o ummm ok. haha! small world. But we had a super awesome District Meeting and made some awesome plans to involve members more and get that Home/Visiting Teaching DONE! (: Sister Neeley came with us after to visit some people and we ended up seeing Elsa then rushing to Renea's appointment. She is doing SO well. She really is recognizing the Spirit in her life and her home. Although she is struggling with some things, she is making great progress and recognizing her short comings and trusting in the Lord. Our focus in the lesson was faith and the Atonement; two spectacular intertwined principles. After dinner we saw the Watt's and told them that we are moving and they were really sad, but glad that we promised to come back and visit them.
Thursday...I'd really rather not relive Thursday. I definitely counted my blessings that day! We were so emotionally spent by the end of the day that we went to Sister Smego's (we had extra time) and then to Dean and Andrea's for dinner. We had steak salad and it was SO good. It really helped us survive the rest of the night ha. What. A. Life.
Friday was not a super great day (but a lot better than Thursday). We did weekly planning and tried to visit Anthony but on the way there, he cancelled. Rough. We tried Carol. Not home. And our team up had to push the time back. So we started packing/cleaning our apartment for the move. We went to Lisa's for Eli's birthday party. It was so funny. In the middle of it, Sister Green invited us for a "Girl's Night" and we definitely needed one of those. We went over after the party and talked with Sister LaFond and Sister Roy. We talked about books and movies and it was a blast! When we went to say goodbye to the kiddos downstairs, they were watching Secondhand Lions. Good movie.
Saturday, was the move day. Sister K was moving from her old place to one by the church and man it is TINY. It was a rough day. Afterward, Sister L. Neeley took us out to lunch and we came home and showered and napped a little bit. We really couldn't have done anything else because we were so exhausted from it. For dinner we went to the McBride's....and well, Brother McBride was out of town and didn't tell Sister McBride that he had signed up to feed us...awkward. haha! She wasn't even home when we showed up so we sat outside in the freezing wind haha! When she got home, we ended up helping make dinner, which totally works for us. haha! We had spaghetti and salad and some garlic knots from a little wood fire pizza place. It was really good. They were crazy and it was fun to be around family. Crazy, but ya gotta love em.
Sunday. Mmmm. Fast Sunday. What a day we had to! Wendy came to church!!! Out of no where!! And in bad weather too!! I was SO happy! She looked so pretty too and stayed the whole time! It really made my day. We visited Sister Smego afterward, but it's harder to stay a long time on fast Sunday. We went to Bishop Weeks' house for dinner and it was so good! We had pot roast and mashed potatoes (these potatoes are so creamy!). We had gotten Haley a One Direction Notebook that we saw at Walmart and she was THRILLED. Her room is so decked out in One Direction stuff haha! She's funny. After dinner, we talked a little bit then went through the whole ward roster with Bishop and it was really good for us. We have a lot of new names we can try. At the end, we asked him if there was anything we could do better and he said that we were doing everything he expected of us. He said this group (Elder Waddoups, Elder Adamson, Sister Hanseen, and I) were the best group of missionaries he had seen during his time as Bishop...and he's been Bishop for 6 years. It really meant a lot.
So that has been my crazy week. I know that Heavenly Father hears and answers our prayers, because He really answered mine. As I have been dealing with some stuff, I've really seen Him reach out in love, mostly through other people. I am so grateful that He loved us enough to send His Only Begotten Son, Jesus Christ, to Atone for us. Christ knows every little feeling that we have. Think about how infinite the Atonement is, because as we go through our trials, Christ relives those things because He remembers what we are feeling at the moment. How wonderful that He would be willing to not only suffer it once, but over and over and over again. I truly stand all amazed at the love God offers me.
I hope you have a wonderful week!! I love you so much!! (: Stay strong!
Love,
Sister Kaitlyn Crockett
Tuesday, February 25, 2014
Privileged
Welp!! Here it comes! Another week down! Today I hit my 10 month mark... 0.o WHAAAAAAT?!?!? I have 8 months left on my mission. It is going by so fast! Every transfer picks up! And speaking of transfers...nothing is changing in good ol' Beaver Valley. BOTH Elders are staying and Sister Hanseen and I are staying as well! Crazy right??
This week has been nice because the weather has been warm!! 40's all week! Man, I've been wearing rain jackets and the heat has been off in our car! Unfortunately, that will probably change this week. PA likes to tease with the weather!
Tuesday, was a pretty interesting day. I was laying in my bed during "getting ready" time and I heard this familiar noise. At first, I thought that Sister Hanseen was popping her knuckles or something random and then it kept going. drip drip drip. NOOOO! I looked at our ceiling and well, there was a HUGE bubble above Sis H's bed. Here we go again! I ran and got a bucket and we moved her bed. We called maintenance but they couldn't get to it because of the ice and snow on the roof. Turns out, our apartment is right where the gutter is so we get the water collected in the roof. Lucky us right? That and the smoky smell and some sketchy business with the landlord qualifies for a move! We called the mission office and they agreed. We got a letter from the maintenance guy that said we would have to wait until May 31st to transfer and pay $400 plus a deposit after our lease was up to transfer in the same complex. Sketch right? We are so moving. We finally made it to correlation and it was pretty typical. I did get my Valentine's day package and it made. my. day!! (: SO HAPPY!!! (: We went to the Green's for dinner and then tried Vicki. She was super sick and still going through chemo and radiation. She looked a lot worse than I have ever seen her before ): Cancer is so scary! We saw Lorraine and Julian after that and downloaded the Mormon Channel app on to their tablet and they were really excited about it. We watched President Uchtdorf's "Living below your privileges" and after that, Julian say "He is Risen" one of the Bible videos. He asked to watch it so we did and he had lots of questions and the video answered them. He said he really wanted to learn more about Christ and what that video was about! These moments make the mission worth it.
Wednesday was so hectic. We got a call in the morning that Rachel, Bro Yovich's daughter in law had her baby but that he had to be life-flighted to Children's in Pittsburgh. They had already lost a boy about 2 years ago last August and had a miscarriage last winter. So we all started praying hard and the baby is doing really well now. He'll still be in the hospital but he is doing a lot better. We went to DM and it was pretty good. We went to Olive Garden after for lunch and just partied because it was our last meeting as a district before transfers. We went to a less active's house, Renea, and I have been trying to see her since I got her in October!! We had a REALLY good lesson with her and she said that she feels like she is a new convert and has so much love for the gospel. Her goal is a temple sealing for her family! I am so excited for her! (: We went to Sister DeBaker's for dinner and had her help us look up some potential apartments online. Not a whole lot to be looking at it seemed haha! oh well.
Thursday we spent a lot of time trying to shop for apartments. Only one person answered the phone. It is in Monaca and it is the CUTEST apartment I have ever seen! It seemed perfect for us except it is out of our area...the ward wasn't too keen on that one. But ya know, beggars can't be choosers haha! But at the moment, that won't be the one we move too. We then "blitzed" our area with the Cranberry Elders...basically it turned into DM 2.0 without the other sisters d: awkward? A Little haha! We went to dinner at the Pamula's and the Elders were HARD CORE SICK. I have been praying I don't catch it; I think I'm safe at this rate unless it sneaks up on me haha! On the way home we listened to "Don't Give Up" by Josh Groban. mmmm Good music for the soul!!!! (: We saw Wendy but we are kinda hitting a road block...we don't know how to help her anymore ): I'm not sure...
Friday was weekly planning but it got interrupted to go apartment hunting again. We looked at the McBride's old apartment...ya know...the one I packed up 3 months ago?!? haha! It's the missionary mansion. We may actually be moving there!!! Fingers crossed. The other place we looked at was SO SKETCH!! It had a basement with one little square room with a cigarette butt on the floor and weird spray painted symbols on the wood door. Complete with an organ o.0 umm no thank you. We then had dinner at the Nelson's which was fun haha! We always enjoy dinner appointments that is for sure! After that we ended up talking to Trent and he is still planning on going on a mission which is SO inspiring because he turns 23 in September. He has had a rough life. He told us that one day he realized that he had hit rock bottom and needed some help. He prayed and randomly opened up the Book of Mormon to Ether 12:27 and it changed his life. Man. What a champ.
Saturday we taught Rasheda with Ruthy and it was REALLY good because Rasheda said that her doubts were soothed when she read President Uchtdorf's "Come, Join with Us." I mean how couldn't they?? He is a boss hahaha! We talked about the power of the priesthood and baby and patriarchal blessings and temple work. She really wants to work for those things which is inspiring! She is working so hard and this gospel is a huge life style change and she is learning. We gave her a for the Strength of Youth pamphlet and that is helping a lot I think. She didn't understand the standards. We saw Carol after that and her granddaughter was there so we tried to build trust and then shared a scripture with her. We went to the LaFond's for dinner which is always a riot! They are moving to AZ in June so they beat me there hahaha! Oh well! They are moving to Phoenix/Glendale area, but that's still pretty close right? Haha! I can't remember things anymore...mission brain.
Sunday was fun as always. We had ward conference with the theme "In the world but not of the world." It was super good! (: Definitely got answers to my prayers there. We saw Claire and Sister Smego. Then went to the Goettman's for dinner and came home to do weekly planning. We had a good comp inventory and we are working at becoming better. It was really good. Missions aren't all peaches and cream turns out haha!
Well, guys, I want to tell you the power of prayer and our Father in Heaven's mercy. I have had a trial come into my life since being on my mission. I never thought I would struggle with it but here it is. It has been a major road block and I am working on it every day. But through this trial I've come to realize so much about who I am. This trial doesn't mean I am a victim. I don't have to let it control who I am or what I do. As I was praying on Saturday to understand what Heavenly Father wanted me to learn through this and as clear as day I felt an overwhelming since of gratitude that Heavenly Father would trust me with this particular struggle. Is it ideal? Ummm definitely not, but I know that gratitude is the answer. Truly it is the answer to all of my struggles. It won't change them, but it will change my attitude and my approach to them. How much greater can you get? There is a stellar quote from President Monson "To express gratitude is gracious and honorable, to enact gratitude is generous and noble, but to live with gratitude ever in our hearts is to touch heaven." Awesome right? Don't forget to give gratitiude!!!!! Mosiah 2:19-22!!
I love you guys so much!! I thank you so much for your support and love!! You help me more than you can imagine when I get your letters. They really make my day and make this journey so much more bearable!! You are awesome!! Love you!!!!
Love,
Sister Kaitlyn Crockett
This week has been nice because the weather has been warm!! 40's all week! Man, I've been wearing rain jackets and the heat has been off in our car! Unfortunately, that will probably change this week. PA likes to tease with the weather!
Tuesday, was a pretty interesting day. I was laying in my bed during "getting ready" time and I heard this familiar noise. At first, I thought that Sister Hanseen was popping her knuckles or something random and then it kept going. drip drip drip. NOOOO! I looked at our ceiling and well, there was a HUGE bubble above Sis H's bed. Here we go again! I ran and got a bucket and we moved her bed. We called maintenance but they couldn't get to it because of the ice and snow on the roof. Turns out, our apartment is right where the gutter is so we get the water collected in the roof. Lucky us right? That and the smoky smell and some sketchy business with the landlord qualifies for a move! We called the mission office and they agreed. We got a letter from the maintenance guy that said we would have to wait until May 31st to transfer and pay $400 plus a deposit after our lease was up to transfer in the same complex. Sketch right? We are so moving. We finally made it to correlation and it was pretty typical. I did get my Valentine's day package and it made. my. day!! (: SO HAPPY!!! (: We went to the Green's for dinner and then tried Vicki. She was super sick and still going through chemo and radiation. She looked a lot worse than I have ever seen her before ): Cancer is so scary! We saw Lorraine and Julian after that and downloaded the Mormon Channel app on to their tablet and they were really excited about it. We watched President Uchtdorf's "Living below your privileges" and after that, Julian say "He is Risen" one of the Bible videos. He asked to watch it so we did and he had lots of questions and the video answered them. He said he really wanted to learn more about Christ and what that video was about! These moments make the mission worth it.
Wednesday was so hectic. We got a call in the morning that Rachel, Bro Yovich's daughter in law had her baby but that he had to be life-flighted to Children's in Pittsburgh. They had already lost a boy about 2 years ago last August and had a miscarriage last winter. So we all started praying hard and the baby is doing really well now. He'll still be in the hospital but he is doing a lot better. We went to DM and it was pretty good. We went to Olive Garden after for lunch and just partied because it was our last meeting as a district before transfers. We went to a less active's house, Renea, and I have been trying to see her since I got her in October!! We had a REALLY good lesson with her and she said that she feels like she is a new convert and has so much love for the gospel. Her goal is a temple sealing for her family! I am so excited for her! (: We went to Sister DeBaker's for dinner and had her help us look up some potential apartments online. Not a whole lot to be looking at it seemed haha! oh well.
Thursday we spent a lot of time trying to shop for apartments. Only one person answered the phone. It is in Monaca and it is the CUTEST apartment I have ever seen! It seemed perfect for us except it is out of our area...the ward wasn't too keen on that one. But ya know, beggars can't be choosers haha! But at the moment, that won't be the one we move too. We then "blitzed" our area with the Cranberry Elders...basically it turned into DM 2.0 without the other sisters d: awkward? A Little haha! We went to dinner at the Pamula's and the Elders were HARD CORE SICK. I have been praying I don't catch it; I think I'm safe at this rate unless it sneaks up on me haha! On the way home we listened to "Don't Give Up" by Josh Groban. mmmm Good music for the soul!!!! (: We saw Wendy but we are kinda hitting a road block...we don't know how to help her anymore ): I'm not sure...
Friday was weekly planning but it got interrupted to go apartment hunting again. We looked at the McBride's old apartment...ya know...the one I packed up 3 months ago?!? haha! It's the missionary mansion. We may actually be moving there!!! Fingers crossed. The other place we looked at was SO SKETCH!! It had a basement with one little square room with a cigarette butt on the floor and weird spray painted symbols on the wood door. Complete with an organ o.0 umm no thank you. We then had dinner at the Nelson's which was fun haha! We always enjoy dinner appointments that is for sure! After that we ended up talking to Trent and he is still planning on going on a mission which is SO inspiring because he turns 23 in September. He has had a rough life. He told us that one day he realized that he had hit rock bottom and needed some help. He prayed and randomly opened up the Book of Mormon to Ether 12:27 and it changed his life. Man. What a champ.
Saturday we taught Rasheda with Ruthy and it was REALLY good because Rasheda said that her doubts were soothed when she read President Uchtdorf's "Come, Join with Us." I mean how couldn't they?? He is a boss hahaha! We talked about the power of the priesthood and baby and patriarchal blessings and temple work. She really wants to work for those things which is inspiring! She is working so hard and this gospel is a huge life style change and she is learning. We gave her a for the Strength of Youth pamphlet and that is helping a lot I think. She didn't understand the standards. We saw Carol after that and her granddaughter was there so we tried to build trust and then shared a scripture with her. We went to the LaFond's for dinner which is always a riot! They are moving to AZ in June so they beat me there hahaha! Oh well! They are moving to Phoenix/Glendale area, but that's still pretty close right? Haha! I can't remember things anymore...mission brain.
Sunday was fun as always. We had ward conference with the theme "In the world but not of the world." It was super good! (: Definitely got answers to my prayers there. We saw Claire and Sister Smego. Then went to the Goettman's for dinner and came home to do weekly planning. We had a good comp inventory and we are working at becoming better. It was really good. Missions aren't all peaches and cream turns out haha!
Well, guys, I want to tell you the power of prayer and our Father in Heaven's mercy. I have had a trial come into my life since being on my mission. I never thought I would struggle with it but here it is. It has been a major road block and I am working on it every day. But through this trial I've come to realize so much about who I am. This trial doesn't mean I am a victim. I don't have to let it control who I am or what I do. As I was praying on Saturday to understand what Heavenly Father wanted me to learn through this and as clear as day I felt an overwhelming since of gratitude that Heavenly Father would trust me with this particular struggle. Is it ideal? Ummm definitely not, but I know that gratitude is the answer. Truly it is the answer to all of my struggles. It won't change them, but it will change my attitude and my approach to them. How much greater can you get? There is a stellar quote from President Monson "To express gratitude is gracious and honorable, to enact gratitude is generous and noble, but to live with gratitude ever in our hearts is to touch heaven." Awesome right? Don't forget to give gratitiude!!!!! Mosiah 2:19-22!!
I love you guys so much!! I thank you so much for your support and love!! You help me more than you can imagine when I get your letters. They really make my day and make this journey so much more bearable!! You are awesome!! Love you!!!!
Love,
Sister Kaitlyn Crockett
Monday, February 17, 2014
"Little Kids are the Sweetest Things!"
Well, another week has come and gone and I can't believe I just started week 6 of this transfer!! Crazy! Luckily, I probably won't have to worry about getting transferred yet (:
So this week has been super crazy for us. Tuesday, we went to correlation where we found out we were doing exchanges the next day and that was a roller coaster trying to get everything done that we could! We tried some people but no one was home and so we came home and made some treats for members in the ward for Valentine's day.
Wednesday we cleaned the apartment and did exchanges with the Butler sisters. I went with Sister Larsen to Butler which was pretty awkward because it has only been 4 weeks since we were companions. We visited some people that I don't know haha! They were all pretty nice. We had dinner with this young family and the kids were psycho. haha! When we opened the door the kids were saying "YAY! Our best friends are back!" Even though I had never been there and Sister Larsen had only met them at church once. Little kids are the sweetest things! I feel like I learn so much from the children! After dinner we went to their correlation meeting and called it a night.
Thursday was interesting. We visited a lady and then the 1st counselor in the Stake Relief Society Presidency met us at the apartment and picked us up. We went to her home for lunch and it snowed the entire way there. After lunch we went to our zone training meeting and then home for the night.
Friday was hectic as well because we started weekly planning but Brother Allread wanted us to take us out to lunch because everyone needs something special on Valentine's Day. So awkward chaperoned missionary date? Checked off my bucket list hahahah! JK WASN'T A DATE!!! haha! SO that was our fun day because we delivered stuff afterwards to the members for Valentine's Day.
Saturday we saw this sweet little old lady named Betty. She was so nice and her non-member family that she lives with told us to keep stopping by anytime we wanted! (: YES!!!! We went to the church and tried to do weekly planning. We took dinner and then went to mall to get some Chick-fil-a. Yup. haha! We came back and went to the Elder's baptism. Jodi is a sweet heart and is Paige's mom. (: Oh and Brother Allread took us out to dinner. Seriously, he is the sweetest guy in the world. (: SO fun.
Sunday we went to church and had a whole bunch of people show up because the weather was good...at first haha! It was good. We went to Sister Smego's and then Sister Karkalla's for dinner. We came home and finished weekly planning. Basically, that was our day.
So I hope you guys had a good week! I love you a lot and will talk to you next week!
Love,
Sister Kaitlyn Crockett
So this week has been super crazy for us. Tuesday, we went to correlation where we found out we were doing exchanges the next day and that was a roller coaster trying to get everything done that we could! We tried some people but no one was home and so we came home and made some treats for members in the ward for Valentine's day.
Wednesday we cleaned the apartment and did exchanges with the Butler sisters. I went with Sister Larsen to Butler which was pretty awkward because it has only been 4 weeks since we were companions. We visited some people that I don't know haha! They were all pretty nice. We had dinner with this young family and the kids were psycho. haha! When we opened the door the kids were saying "YAY! Our best friends are back!" Even though I had never been there and Sister Larsen had only met them at church once. Little kids are the sweetest things! I feel like I learn so much from the children! After dinner we went to their correlation meeting and called it a night.
Thursday was interesting. We visited a lady and then the 1st counselor in the Stake Relief Society Presidency met us at the apartment and picked us up. We went to her home for lunch and it snowed the entire way there. After lunch we went to our zone training meeting and then home for the night.
Friday was hectic as well because we started weekly planning but Brother Allread wanted us to take us out to lunch because everyone needs something special on Valentine's Day. So awkward chaperoned missionary date? Checked off my bucket list hahahah! JK WASN'T A DATE!!! haha! SO that was our fun day because we delivered stuff afterwards to the members for Valentine's Day.
Saturday we saw this sweet little old lady named Betty. She was so nice and her non-member family that she lives with told us to keep stopping by anytime we wanted! (: YES!!!! We went to the church and tried to do weekly planning. We took dinner and then went to mall to get some Chick-fil-a. Yup. haha! We came back and went to the Elder's baptism. Jodi is a sweet heart and is Paige's mom. (: Oh and Brother Allread took us out to dinner. Seriously, he is the sweetest guy in the world. (: SO fun.
Sunday we went to church and had a whole bunch of people show up because the weather was good...at first haha! It was good. We went to Sister Smego's and then Sister Karkalla's for dinner. We came home and finished weekly planning. Basically, that was our day.
So I hope you guys had a good week! I love you a lot and will talk to you next week!
Love,
Sister Kaitlyn Crockett
Tuesday, February 11, 2014
Wrong Roads and Mountains to Climb
Dear Family!!
Happy Valentine's Day!!! (this week)
How is it going down in the land of the warm weather?? I am freezing my booty off up here!! This has been the worst winter in PA for 20 years. Oh. goody. haha! Somehow I knew this would happen. The weather really affected our week though, which is pretty typical. I'll explain.
Tuesday we were without a car because we dropped it off for a cosmetic fix up on Monday. It made planning super difficult last week but we had good support from the members at least! (: The Elders didn't manage to tell us that they had cancelled correlation which put a huge damper in our plans because it was too cold to tract. We waited for the Amazing Char to come and pick us up and we tried to visit a whole bunch of people who either didn't want us there or just wasn't home. We went to Brighton Hot Dog Shop before our lesson with Anthony because Char likes to spoil us haha! We taught Anthony the Plan of Salvation. He likes to play the devil's advocate and asking super deep questions (i.e. Do you believe that you can see people who have already passed away?). He is just testing to see if the doctrine that we believe holds up. It's kinda awesome. He promised a lot that he would come to church if we could find him a ride, so we were counting on him all week. Sister L. Neeley came and picked us up from Char's house and took us back to her home. She had soup for us and asked if we would listen to her play the piano. She is phenomenal!! It was so good. We talked to her a lot about our lives and what motivated us to come on a mission. She kept warning us about a terrible storm that was coming in, but still we doubted. We came home and packed our bags because we were going to stay in Cranberry that night and go to District Meeting the next day with the sisters. Ruthy picked us up and we beat the storm there.
Wednesday we woke up and got ready for the day. We started personal study and were half way through comp study when we looked out the window to see a FOOT OF SNOW!!!! That is a BIG deal in PA. We spent a good 20 minutes taking the ice and snow of the car so we could get to district meeting. I, being from AZ, wasn't thinking and wore flats....dumb? Yeah, I know now. My feet were SOAKED by the time we got to the church building. There was so much snow and ice everywhere because it had snowed, then rained, then froze, then snowed. Crazy weather!! And it was STILL snowing. We went to lunch and then had to call Sister Neeley. The roads were horrible and so we ended up spending another night in Cranberry. We came back to the sisters' apartment and because my feet were little icicles, Sister Gates heated up these slippers called "Hot Booties" (basically a bean bag slipper) and I snuggled under my Christmas blanket and we talked. We got bored and Sister Gates made us work out and it kicked. my. butt. SO BAD hahaha! I am so out of shape it is not even funny. Good thing I have a while before I get home! haha! But we did find out a bit of bad news....our apartment reeks of cigarette smoke and so our clothes smell disgusting. And we never knew!! It makes it a little bit difficult to teach the Word of Wisdom when you smell like an ash tray. So we might be moving apartments but not for another couple weeks so don't worry, you can still flood my mail box (;
Thursday we finally made it back to Beaver Falls! Sister Neeley came and got us after studies and then we picked up our car. It was so clean and shiny and whole. Sister LaFond (who is moving to the wonderful state of Arizona in June) picked us up and got a first hand look at missionary work in Pennsylvania. We tried everyone we could think of and literally no one was home. We finally did see Carol and it was a good visit. After being dropped off we saw Lorraine and she isn't doing too well in the gospel. She didn't agree with the word of wisdom, but frankly it is because she doesn't realize that there is a prophet who is receiving that revelation from God. You can argue all day about it but when you realize that God is speaking to the earth through a living breathing prophet...there really isn't that much to argue. We went to Sister DeBaker's for dinner and she is SO sweet to us. Her daughter, Shyanne, called and was asking what her mom was doing and she said feeding the sisters and we heard Shyanne say "AGAIN?!?!" hahaha! I think she is a tad jealous but it is so much fun to be at Sister DeBaker's house haha!
Friday was the dreaded Weekly Planning. Long story short, we went to correlation with Ruthy and she is the bomb when it comes to member missionary work. LIKE AWESOME! She really helps us out a lot.
Saturday was a busy day for us! We worked on the area book then did mormon.org time and it was great! There was an awesome Mormon message called "Wrong Roads" by Elder Holland. Check it out. (:
After lunch we tried Barb, a referral from Brother Yovich. She was extremely receptive. The Lord's timing is so precise. We had a good discussion on the Book of Mormon and she said she would read it and pray to know if it was true (it is). After dinner, we went to Sister Bishop's house and had an awesome lesson on studying the scriptures and she said she wants to study better from God's word. Oh how I love the gospel! We came home and started our work as a taxi service. We called so many people for an hour+ trying to find a ride for Trent, Sister Bishop's son, and Anthony, our investigator. Finally we managed to get them rides when some poor members took pity on us. What a long night!!
Sunday is seriously like my favorite day of the week!! (: I LOVE IT SO MUCH!!!! I mean how awesome is it that we get to partake of the sacrament EVERY WEEK! It's SO AWESOME!!! Anyway, so we got to church and Anthony didn't come because he was sleeping. I had a really hard time with it until, during the sacrament, I was reading the words to "I Stand All Amazed", like I always do and I realized that I did all that I could and it still wasn't enough. It wasn't enough to get Anthony to church. But as I pondered the Atonement I realized that Christ made the Atonement because He knows that no matter what I do, it will never be enough. He knew that I would need His help to reach my potential but it would always be up to me to take His hand. It was such a good meeting yesterday because it was Cody's, a boy in the ward, farewell to Boise Idaho this week. It was awesome in Relief Society when we talked about the Plan of Salvation and I had some "Ah ha!" moments on simple doctrine. When you go to church to be spiritually uplifted and fed, you will be. God has promised us that.
Bishop Weeks and his wife took pity on us and since we didn't have a dinner appointment invited us over for dinner. We went to Sister Smego's then to Bishop's house. He left half way through to go to Cody's setting apart. We talked to Sister Weeks and it was a great visit. All in all, a fantastic Sunday, as usual. (:
Well, that is my week in a nut shell. Pretty crazy right? I mean, no earthquakes, no big bugs, not even a horrific storm. Nice and quiet United States with little to no physical challenges right? But what about the spiritual? What about the mental and emotional? Rejection, disappointment, slow moving work, little involvement from the ward. Although the challenges we face vary, the purpose is the same. My purpose is to invite others to come unto Christ through faith in Jesus Christ and His Atonement, repentance, baptism, receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost and enduring to the end. How great is my calling! Now take this to a non-missionary level. Some people face physical challenges: blind, deaf, crippled, exhaustion. Some face mental and emotional: depression, fatigue, anxiety, loneliness, crisis of faith. All of these challenges are big when you go through them; the mountain we are called upon to climb. They seem impossible until we reach to top and see the breath-taking beauty. Sometimes we don't reach to top until we are resurrected, sometimes it was only a hill instead of the Everest we saw before us. No matter what the challenge or concern may be, the Savior and His teachings, the gospel will help you. The Atonement is far more reaching than repenting of our sins. It is far more than feeling peace after forgiveness is obtained. The Atonement allows us to get to that point; to climb the mountain. It is literally the propelling force. Strive this week to remember the promise you made to God when you were baptized and when you pressed that cup to your lips yesterday. Remember that no matter the trial, Christ has already been there and is going through it with you. You are never alone.
I love you so much! There is no way I could be on my mission without your love, support, and prayers. Thank you so much!! Stay strong and Carry on!!
With all the love that I have,
Sister Kaitlyn Crockett
Happy Valentine's Day!!! (this week)
How is it going down in the land of the warm weather?? I am freezing my booty off up here!! This has been the worst winter in PA for 20 years. Oh. goody. haha! Somehow I knew this would happen. The weather really affected our week though, which is pretty typical. I'll explain.
Tuesday we were without a car because we dropped it off for a cosmetic fix up on Monday. It made planning super difficult last week but we had good support from the members at least! (: The Elders didn't manage to tell us that they had cancelled correlation which put a huge damper in our plans because it was too cold to tract. We waited for the Amazing Char to come and pick us up and we tried to visit a whole bunch of people who either didn't want us there or just wasn't home. We went to Brighton Hot Dog Shop before our lesson with Anthony because Char likes to spoil us haha! We taught Anthony the Plan of Salvation. He likes to play the devil's advocate and asking super deep questions (i.e. Do you believe that you can see people who have already passed away?). He is just testing to see if the doctrine that we believe holds up. It's kinda awesome. He promised a lot that he would come to church if we could find him a ride, so we were counting on him all week. Sister L. Neeley came and picked us up from Char's house and took us back to her home. She had soup for us and asked if we would listen to her play the piano. She is phenomenal!! It was so good. We talked to her a lot about our lives and what motivated us to come on a mission. She kept warning us about a terrible storm that was coming in, but still we doubted. We came home and packed our bags because we were going to stay in Cranberry that night and go to District Meeting the next day with the sisters. Ruthy picked us up and we beat the storm there.
Wednesday we woke up and got ready for the day. We started personal study and were half way through comp study when we looked out the window to see a FOOT OF SNOW!!!! That is a BIG deal in PA. We spent a good 20 minutes taking the ice and snow of the car so we could get to district meeting. I, being from AZ, wasn't thinking and wore flats....dumb? Yeah, I know now. My feet were SOAKED by the time we got to the church building. There was so much snow and ice everywhere because it had snowed, then rained, then froze, then snowed. Crazy weather!! And it was STILL snowing. We went to lunch and then had to call Sister Neeley. The roads were horrible and so we ended up spending another night in Cranberry. We came back to the sisters' apartment and because my feet were little icicles, Sister Gates heated up these slippers called "Hot Booties" (basically a bean bag slipper) and I snuggled under my Christmas blanket and we talked. We got bored and Sister Gates made us work out and it kicked. my. butt. SO BAD hahaha! I am so out of shape it is not even funny. Good thing I have a while before I get home! haha! But we did find out a bit of bad news....our apartment reeks of cigarette smoke and so our clothes smell disgusting. And we never knew!! It makes it a little bit difficult to teach the Word of Wisdom when you smell like an ash tray. So we might be moving apartments but not for another couple weeks so don't worry, you can still flood my mail box (;
Thursday we finally made it back to Beaver Falls! Sister Neeley came and got us after studies and then we picked up our car. It was so clean and shiny and whole. Sister LaFond (who is moving to the wonderful state of Arizona in June) picked us up and got a first hand look at missionary work in Pennsylvania. We tried everyone we could think of and literally no one was home. We finally did see Carol and it was a good visit. After being dropped off we saw Lorraine and she isn't doing too well in the gospel. She didn't agree with the word of wisdom, but frankly it is because she doesn't realize that there is a prophet who is receiving that revelation from God. You can argue all day about it but when you realize that God is speaking to the earth through a living breathing prophet...there really isn't that much to argue. We went to Sister DeBaker's for dinner and she is SO sweet to us. Her daughter, Shyanne, called and was asking what her mom was doing and she said feeding the sisters and we heard Shyanne say "AGAIN?!?!" hahaha! I think she is a tad jealous but it is so much fun to be at Sister DeBaker's house haha!
Friday was the dreaded Weekly Planning. Long story short, we went to correlation with Ruthy and she is the bomb when it comes to member missionary work. LIKE AWESOME! She really helps us out a lot.
Saturday was a busy day for us! We worked on the area book then did mormon.org time and it was great! There was an awesome Mormon message called "Wrong Roads" by Elder Holland. Check it out. (:
After lunch we tried Barb, a referral from Brother Yovich. She was extremely receptive. The Lord's timing is so precise. We had a good discussion on the Book of Mormon and she said she would read it and pray to know if it was true (it is). After dinner, we went to Sister Bishop's house and had an awesome lesson on studying the scriptures and she said she wants to study better from God's word. Oh how I love the gospel! We came home and started our work as a taxi service. We called so many people for an hour+ trying to find a ride for Trent, Sister Bishop's son, and Anthony, our investigator. Finally we managed to get them rides when some poor members took pity on us. What a long night!!
Sunday is seriously like my favorite day of the week!! (: I LOVE IT SO MUCH!!!! I mean how awesome is it that we get to partake of the sacrament EVERY WEEK! It's SO AWESOME!!! Anyway, so we got to church and Anthony didn't come because he was sleeping. I had a really hard time with it until, during the sacrament, I was reading the words to "I Stand All Amazed", like I always do and I realized that I did all that I could and it still wasn't enough. It wasn't enough to get Anthony to church. But as I pondered the Atonement I realized that Christ made the Atonement because He knows that no matter what I do, it will never be enough. He knew that I would need His help to reach my potential but it would always be up to me to take His hand. It was such a good meeting yesterday because it was Cody's, a boy in the ward, farewell to Boise Idaho this week. It was awesome in Relief Society when we talked about the Plan of Salvation and I had some "Ah ha!" moments on simple doctrine. When you go to church to be spiritually uplifted and fed, you will be. God has promised us that.
Bishop Weeks and his wife took pity on us and since we didn't have a dinner appointment invited us over for dinner. We went to Sister Smego's then to Bishop's house. He left half way through to go to Cody's setting apart. We talked to Sister Weeks and it was a great visit. All in all, a fantastic Sunday, as usual. (:
Well, that is my week in a nut shell. Pretty crazy right? I mean, no earthquakes, no big bugs, not even a horrific storm. Nice and quiet United States with little to no physical challenges right? But what about the spiritual? What about the mental and emotional? Rejection, disappointment, slow moving work, little involvement from the ward. Although the challenges we face vary, the purpose is the same. My purpose is to invite others to come unto Christ through faith in Jesus Christ and His Atonement, repentance, baptism, receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost and enduring to the end. How great is my calling! Now take this to a non-missionary level. Some people face physical challenges: blind, deaf, crippled, exhaustion. Some face mental and emotional: depression, fatigue, anxiety, loneliness, crisis of faith. All of these challenges are big when you go through them; the mountain we are called upon to climb. They seem impossible until we reach to top and see the breath-taking beauty. Sometimes we don't reach to top until we are resurrected, sometimes it was only a hill instead of the Everest we saw before us. No matter what the challenge or concern may be, the Savior and His teachings, the gospel will help you. The Atonement is far more reaching than repenting of our sins. It is far more than feeling peace after forgiveness is obtained. The Atonement allows us to get to that point; to climb the mountain. It is literally the propelling force. Strive this week to remember the promise you made to God when you were baptized and when you pressed that cup to your lips yesterday. Remember that no matter the trial, Christ has already been there and is going through it with you. You are never alone.
I love you so much! There is no way I could be on my mission without your love, support, and prayers. Thank you so much!! Stay strong and Carry on!!
With all the love that I have,
Sister Kaitlyn Crockett
Monday, February 3, 2014
Cold Weather and the Superbowl
Weeellll HELLO FAMILY!!! (:
What a mighty crazy week this has been. So long and so short all at the same time!
The weather has been CRAZY here which has made being a missionary nigh impossible, but luckily it's warming up! (:
Tuesday, because of the weather we just hid out in the morning until it warmed up enough to go out...you know, like 6 degrees d: We went to correlation and it was pretty typical. We didn't get a lot accomplished unfortunately, but then again, we never really do haha! We went to the LaFond's for dinner and a nice bowl of soup is SO good on a chilly day. They are actually moving to Arizona in the summer. Smart move? I think so haha! They are moving to the Scottsdale area. We then went of team-ups with Sister Goettman and saw Vicki. She was in a way better mood than we have ever seen her. Her cancer is almost gone and she starts radiation pretty soon. Maybe we can get her to come to church after this is all over!
Wednesday was pretty similar to Tuesday actually. Sister Neeley came and got us in the afternoon and we saw Carol and she is doing so much better than she was! She is recovering from her surgery really well and she knows it is because of the priesthood blessing she got beforehand. She is trying to get to church but her shoulder is really bothering her. Someday! We saw Sister Smego and then went to the King's for dinner.
Thursday was our district meeting and interviews with President Topham. The Tophams are SO trunky haha! They go home in June and are so excited to see their grandkids again. I had a really good talk with him and it was a good experience. After lunch we went with Sister Hays to see Dobi, our investigator. Because he took a new type of medication he fell asleep five minutes after we showed up. Luckily, we had invited his roommate, Anthony, to sit in on the lesson. When we asked him if he believed that Christ's church could be on the earth again today, he said, "of course. It was so it can be." We asked him to be baptized after he came to know that Joseph Smith is a prophet and the Book of Mormon is true and his response? "Well, that's what I would need to do right?" HE IS SO SOLID!!!!!!! (: He is from Jamaica and ran track for West Virginia. He was a civil engineer and has a car! I am so excited about this because it is such a rare thing in PA to find someone with BOTH traits haha! I love the people, but they struggle. It's amazing how much the gospel enables them to improve the quality of their lives too! After that we went to Sister DeBaker's for dinner. Missionaries are supposed to strengthen the members as much as the investigators.
Friday we did weekly planning for forever. Seriously, the least favorite part about the mission. -__- haha! It was super hard because our car will be in the shop this week...roughin' it! d: We saw Sara though and that was pretty awesome! She said she wanted to come to church on Sunday, but want and doing are 2 very different things. We saw a less active named Betty who is currently living with her daughter and granddaughter, who aren't members. Then we went to dinner at Sister R. Neeley's house. She is 87 and still doing awesome. She made us pork chops, green beans, and bread and a whole bunch of other yummy stuff! (: She is the sweetest. We saw another less active and Wendy. Wendy was really struggling when we stopped in. I am so glad we did because we were able to help a little bit. She just had a really rough week and she was appreciative that we stopped in.
Saturday was a tad dramatic. We helped the Stapletons with their house. They have an old fixer-upper from the 1900's and so we prepped the living room for painting (i.e. spackeling, sanding, washing, taping, etc.) Crazy stuff. We saw Lorraine after getting cleaned up and she wasn't feeling well unfortunately so she wasn't going to come to church. After that we tried Francis and her boyfriend. It's amazing to me how no matter how long I am on my mission, I still get hurt by rejection. It stings as much as it did that first day I tracted. It still hurts as much as when that lady said I didn't believe in Jesus Christ as my Savior. It still smarts as much as when a less active told us to stop visiting because she would never be worthy enough to enter the temple. It breaks my heart. And yet, the joy of hearing someone accept the gospel, keeps me going. I still feel joy when Faith cried saying that she was so glad we stopped by. I still feel peace when I think of Agnes saying I helped her feel closer to Christ. I still feel happiness when I saw Rasheda come out of the water after making a covenant with our Father to live by His rules. Oh how much the gospel changes lives to those who will only give it a chance! No matter what happens, I am resolved to live the gospel my entire life, no matter the cost. I have seen the other side of it and I don't want that for me, my family, or my future loved ones. The true cost comes when I forsake the teachings of Christ and think I know how to get back better than He does. I see how prideful I am, but luckily He still loves me and is helping me overcome my weaknesses.
Despite all of this, Rasheda called us and said that it was too depressing to come to church and to see all of the families and know that she doesn't have that. We talked her into coming to church on Sunday but it would prove to be a battle.
Sunday the ward was phenomenal with Rasheda. Everyone came to her aid without asking why. They just stepped up and filled the need. They are so wonderful to these recent converts. Yet, Rasheda still felt alone and Char helped her talk to the Bishop about it and we have a plan of action. The church is run by inspired men. She is going to attend some of the young single adult activities and some of the ward members are going to help with Aniyah. Thank goodness for ward families.
We went to Sister Smego's after church to check in on her. Then we went to the Week's for dinner and talked a lot. The Superbowl really put a damper on any plans we had so we went to the Green's for some good family games. It was so fun! Love them to death!!
That was my hectic week. I can't believe how quickly the days are flying by! I mean it is already February! How did this even happen!!! d: I hope you all are doing really well and I can't wait to hear from you! (:
Love,
Sister Kaitlyn Crockett
What a mighty crazy week this has been. So long and so short all at the same time!
The weather has been CRAZY here which has made being a missionary nigh impossible, but luckily it's warming up! (:
Tuesday, because of the weather we just hid out in the morning until it warmed up enough to go out...you know, like 6 degrees d: We went to correlation and it was pretty typical. We didn't get a lot accomplished unfortunately, but then again, we never really do haha! We went to the LaFond's for dinner and a nice bowl of soup is SO good on a chilly day. They are actually moving to Arizona in the summer. Smart move? I think so haha! They are moving to the Scottsdale area. We then went of team-ups with Sister Goettman and saw Vicki. She was in a way better mood than we have ever seen her. Her cancer is almost gone and she starts radiation pretty soon. Maybe we can get her to come to church after this is all over!
Wednesday was pretty similar to Tuesday actually. Sister Neeley came and got us in the afternoon and we saw Carol and she is doing so much better than she was! She is recovering from her surgery really well and she knows it is because of the priesthood blessing she got beforehand. She is trying to get to church but her shoulder is really bothering her. Someday! We saw Sister Smego and then went to the King's for dinner.
Thursday was our district meeting and interviews with President Topham. The Tophams are SO trunky haha! They go home in June and are so excited to see their grandkids again. I had a really good talk with him and it was a good experience. After lunch we went with Sister Hays to see Dobi, our investigator. Because he took a new type of medication he fell asleep five minutes after we showed up. Luckily, we had invited his roommate, Anthony, to sit in on the lesson. When we asked him if he believed that Christ's church could be on the earth again today, he said, "of course. It was so it can be." We asked him to be baptized after he came to know that Joseph Smith is a prophet and the Book of Mormon is true and his response? "Well, that's what I would need to do right?" HE IS SO SOLID!!!!!!! (: He is from Jamaica and ran track for West Virginia. He was a civil engineer and has a car! I am so excited about this because it is such a rare thing in PA to find someone with BOTH traits haha! I love the people, but they struggle. It's amazing how much the gospel enables them to improve the quality of their lives too! After that we went to Sister DeBaker's for dinner. Missionaries are supposed to strengthen the members as much as the investigators.
Friday we did weekly planning for forever. Seriously, the least favorite part about the mission. -__- haha! It was super hard because our car will be in the shop this week...roughin' it! d: We saw Sara though and that was pretty awesome! She said she wanted to come to church on Sunday, but want and doing are 2 very different things. We saw a less active named Betty who is currently living with her daughter and granddaughter, who aren't members. Then we went to dinner at Sister R. Neeley's house. She is 87 and still doing awesome. She made us pork chops, green beans, and bread and a whole bunch of other yummy stuff! (: She is the sweetest. We saw another less active and Wendy. Wendy was really struggling when we stopped in. I am so glad we did because we were able to help a little bit. She just had a really rough week and she was appreciative that we stopped in.
Saturday was a tad dramatic. We helped the Stapletons with their house. They have an old fixer-upper from the 1900's and so we prepped the living room for painting (i.e. spackeling, sanding, washing, taping, etc.) Crazy stuff. We saw Lorraine after getting cleaned up and she wasn't feeling well unfortunately so she wasn't going to come to church. After that we tried Francis and her boyfriend. It's amazing to me how no matter how long I am on my mission, I still get hurt by rejection. It stings as much as it did that first day I tracted. It still hurts as much as when that lady said I didn't believe in Jesus Christ as my Savior. It still smarts as much as when a less active told us to stop visiting because she would never be worthy enough to enter the temple. It breaks my heart. And yet, the joy of hearing someone accept the gospel, keeps me going. I still feel joy when Faith cried saying that she was so glad we stopped by. I still feel peace when I think of Agnes saying I helped her feel closer to Christ. I still feel happiness when I saw Rasheda come out of the water after making a covenant with our Father to live by His rules. Oh how much the gospel changes lives to those who will only give it a chance! No matter what happens, I am resolved to live the gospel my entire life, no matter the cost. I have seen the other side of it and I don't want that for me, my family, or my future loved ones. The true cost comes when I forsake the teachings of Christ and think I know how to get back better than He does. I see how prideful I am, but luckily He still loves me and is helping me overcome my weaknesses.
Despite all of this, Rasheda called us and said that it was too depressing to come to church and to see all of the families and know that she doesn't have that. We talked her into coming to church on Sunday but it would prove to be a battle.
Sunday the ward was phenomenal with Rasheda. Everyone came to her aid without asking why. They just stepped up and filled the need. They are so wonderful to these recent converts. Yet, Rasheda still felt alone and Char helped her talk to the Bishop about it and we have a plan of action. The church is run by inspired men. She is going to attend some of the young single adult activities and some of the ward members are going to help with Aniyah. Thank goodness for ward families.
We went to Sister Smego's after church to check in on her. Then we went to the Week's for dinner and talked a lot. The Superbowl really put a damper on any plans we had so we went to the Green's for some good family games. It was so fun! Love them to death!!
That was my hectic week. I can't believe how quickly the days are flying by! I mean it is already February! How did this even happen!!! d: I hope you all are doing really well and I can't wait to hear from you! (:
Love,
Sister Kaitlyn Crockett
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