February 23, 2015

Hey y'all! Thank you so much for the emails! Macey looks so old and it is freaking me out!! 

We had one of the busiest/greatest weeks ever!! We started off the week by having Zone Conference and President Heap gave us some additional insight about the Holy Ghost that has really changed my studies! He counseled us to thank him (the Holy Ghost) at the end of everyday, because he is the mail man who delivers every message that our Father in Heaven wants us to know! John 16:13-16. 

We had a good ole' bible thump this week... that was a good time! I am so grateful for the knowledge and clarification that we have in our lives thanks to having a living prophet of God, The Book of Mormon, and the spirit to teach and testify to our souls what is pure and correct. 

On Friday, our branch went on our temple trip and it was AWESOME! We had 2 investigators and a few less actives come and were able to feel the strong, sweet spirit of the temple! Savannah and Justin both came and said that they were both so excited to be baptized so that they could go and participate in temple work next time we go! They are so great! Macey, now that you are 12, you can go do Baptisms for the Dead!! Have you been yet? If not, I want you to make it a goal to go this upcoming month (March) and have Mom, Dad, and Brother take you! You and Makynlie and Marion could all even go! That would be neat :) I have such a strong testimony of the role of the temple in the Plan of Salvation and I know that "except a man be born of water and of the spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God." (John 3:5) It's true!! Individuals in the spirit world are just WAITING so patiently for us who are fortunate to have a mortal body to go to the temple and serve them! 

Speaking of baptisms, Justin got baptized this weekend!! Woot Woot! He told us in the lesson right before he was baptized, that he feels like he is getting drafted [into the kingdom of God!] hahaha He received the Gift of the Holy Ghost on Sunday and felt so comforted by the things that were promised to him in his blessing. 

Oh, funny story- so the baptismal font was taking so dang long to fill (leaky drain)... So Sister Udall and I brainstormed and began to run pitchers of water down the halls of the church from the kitchen to the font to help fill it faster! We prayed the water would flow faster, but we decided that faith without works is dead, so we took action! haha. 

We are experiencing a lovely ice and snow storm here at the moment that made us not allowed to go out and work yesterday, and probably will result in the same thing today! Gotta love Texas! I have learned so much this week and am so excited to share it all with you when I get home- there's just not enough time to write it all! I love y'all so much and hope you have a great week!!

Love, 

Sister Evans 

Sister Affleck, Sister Bearnson, Sister Evans, Sister Udall

 Justin's Baptism

February 16, 2015

Hello :) This has been a great week for Sister Udall and I! We started off the week by going on exchanges and I was able to go up to Amarillo for the day and teach with Sister McFarland! We saw many miracles and enjoyed the beautiful 70's weather! ...It's back to cold temperatures again! haha 

Thank you so much mom and dad for the package this week! I am so grateful for a handy dad who can fix my curling iron in a jiffy so that I don't have to suffer with any more bad hair days! :) 

We were able to teach a LOT of people this week! We've had a week of back-to-back lessons and it has been so great! Some of them dropped us though because of unsupportive parents and friends... but it's ok!! No effort is wasted! At least we are planting seeds! J and our new investigator, S.R. came to church this week! They are both so solid! S.R. has accepted a baptismal date for March 7th, and J will be baptized this Saturday! Woot Woot! 

We were able to do some service for the Canyon Ward Relief Society President- she is flipping a house and we helped scrub walls and paint! It was great fun! We had branch conference this weekend and the stake presidency came and instructed through all of our meetings and it was so good! President Horn (the former branch president- before President Fish) taught us about how our (righteous) desires lead to action and related everything back to his childhood dream- to be a cowboy... which he is! Thickest southern hick accent I've ever heard!! I love it! haha Mormon cowboys truly do exist! 

This week I've really seen the importance of DAILY personal worship and how it leads to lasting conversion. We have a recent convert who has decided that she isn't sure if this is really Christ's true church here on the earth because she has found herself confused by reading other material and not focusing on the most important matters! CPR- Church, Pray, Read. CPR is vital for our spiritual recessitation and if we start to fall away and our testimonies are shaken, it is because we are not doing the basics! I have a testimony of the importance of doing the basics in order to stay close to the Lord and to continue progressing. I love this work and am grateful for the opportunity to participate in it as a servant of the Lord!  I love y'all! Have a great week!

Love, 

Sister Shelby Jane Evans :) 

Hope y'all had a great Valentines Day! XOXO 

February 9, 2015

Hey y'all!! Happy Valentines Day (later this week!) I love all y'all! 

So this week was great here in Canyon! We had a couple of very spiritual lessons with returning less-active members and recent converts, so that was great! It's amazing what the spirit can teach each of us! 

THANKS MOM and DAD for the Valentines Box! I loved it! You brightened my day! Sister Dale had surgery this week on her nose, so we took care of her by making her a couple batches of cookies! She's worse than I am with the sweets! hahaha! 

The highlight of this week: our investigator, J! We taught him several times this week and he is progressing so well! This week was stake conference and he came to the Sunday session and was so happy to be there! He walked up to me and said, "Sister Evans, I didn't sleep all night and stayed up until 6am because I was just so excited to come today. So while I was up all night, I decided to pray and ask the Lord if I am making the right decisions. I felt like he was answering my prayers, so I just kept praying and praying." It was the most tender thing of my life! What a sweet kid, just seeking for truth! He is still planning on being baptized on the 21st and is preparing himself well for that day! 

For the Saturday evening session of conference, I was part of the stake "missionary choir." We sang a few songs and then sat in the congregation among all of the other members. Elder Keele (of the 70) said something that really hit me hard- "We (missionaries) represent how those in the spirit world are embedded among us." Then he had the missionaries hum the song "Love One Another" as he shared scriptures about Christ and then bore testimony. It was neat! We had a great week! I know that the Lord is hastening His work and we have all been saved for these latter-days for a reason! I know that it's not by coincidence that we are all here at this time, because Heavenly Father has a perfect plan and it is all by design that we are here. 

This week I've really noticed that people are very curious about the Mormons! We are definitely a unique and peculiar people! It's ok to stand out and be different, but stand firm! I love y'all! Have a great week :) 

Love, 

Sister Evans 

February 2, 2015

HAPPY FEBRUARY!

Hey y'all, happy love month! Where has the time gone?! It is so crazy how fast time flies out here! This week was kind of crazy with transfers, but SO good! I took Sister Gonzalez down to Lubbock for her immigration appointment and to update all of her paper work and picked up Sister Udall! Sister Udall is from a tiny town outside of Vegas called Moapa! She is so cute and anxious to baptize nations haha! She has what we like to call here in the TLM "greenie fire!" I am really enjoying training and serving with her! We have been practicing a lot of different teaching skills together and she worked up the courage and re-committed J.M. to baptism! J.M. will be baptized on the 21st of this month and he is so prepared and ready for the gospel in his life! He came to church (twice in a row) and has been attending all of the branch's activities and is so pumped to be a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints! The last few times that we have met with him, I would pray and then he would follow my example and pray... this time he said "I've got it this time, Sister Evans!" Then he said the most sincere and humble prayer asking Heavenly Father's help to be prepared for baptism on the 21st and to be on the straight and narrow path so that he could enter into the Celestial Kingdom!! I was blown away by his prayer and it took everything in me to not fall out of my chair!!! 

This week we got together with President Fish (the branch president) and with Timmell and Allison (Branch Mission Leader and Relief Society President) and created a new 2015 Branch Mission Plan! Remember me telling y'all about J.L. (the Less Active who was in the Marines and is trying to come back?) Well, he fell off the face of the earth and we haven't been able to contact him in 2 months! Rough Stuff! But, the Spirit told us what action to take this week and we finally were able to contact him! It was the best!! I love this gospel so much and am so grateful to be a representative of Jesus Christ! I love you and hope y'all have the greatest week! 

Love, Sister Evans

P.S. Mom... Don't freak out! I didn't cut my hair, I promise! My hairs are just tucked behind my back! LOVE YA!