Monday, November 16, 2015

November 16, 2015

HEY Y'ALL!! 
Well.. this is it!! Wow... I absolutely never thought this time would come around so soon... but it's time. I am so so so excited to see all y'all! This has been the most amazing experience in my life thus far and I know that I will be forever grateful that I came here to serve in the Texas Lubbock Mission! I had a great "last full week!" We did a ton of service- lots for a member and for the food bank boxing up Christmas food boxes. It's amazing to see how many thousands of families the Lubbock food bank feeds! We also had a great time with our ESL class- I have loved teaching them English! This week we played basketball and made a spelling game out of it and then one of the hilarious students, wanted to pretend he was a journalist and was interviewing the rest of us by asking us parenting 101 questions haha.  

We had dinner and taught the neatest family ever from the Philippines. They are members who haven't been to church in a while and we were able to teach them the Plan of Salvation and have a testimony meeting along with it! It's so powerful to see how the Holy Ghost teaches and testifies of the truthfulness and divinity of our Savior and His perfect gospel. 

I had my exit interview with my mission president, President Heap! He is the man! I love him so much- he likened my situation of going home to the scriptures and told me he was kicking me out of the "Garden" of Eden/ Mission Field- a place where living the gospel has been made so simple and I have been able to live "in" the world, but not "of" the world. There is so much truth to that statement! I am grateful for the inspired "My Plan" program that he started and to see how much it will help me to adjust. 

Want to know a mission miracle? The Sims family- recent converts that we've been close to and working with often- are going to the temple tomorrow to receive their Endowment and their 3 children will be sealed to them on Wednesday! Wow! It is so special to see others grow in the gospel and prepare to make further covenants with the Lord in His temple! That's what it's all about...The [End]owment in Mind. I am so grateful for this experience! I know that the Lord is hastening His work and will continue to do so! I have learned so much as I have entered so many different homes and taught the restored gospel. I know... I absolutely, 100%, without a shadow of a doubt, know that THIS (The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints) is the Lord's true church here upon the Earth. It has changed me and I know that it will continue to do so. "Behold, I am a disciple of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. I have been called of him to declare his word among his people, that they might have everlasting life. (3 Nephi 5:13)
I love y'all! See you Wednesday! XOXO
Love, 
Sister Evans 

This is the Sims Family.. Brother Sims is a total hoot and was 
trying to tip me over- mid picture!

Monday, November 9, 2015

November 9, 2015

Hey Y'all! 
Wowza- I never really thought this week would come! I am so excited to see all y'all next week! That's nuts that now I am coming into Idaho Falls! Thanks for pullin' some strings for me! 

Well, this last week was a great week! It started out a little rough, but a Priesthood blessing definitely helped me! I am so grateful for worthy men who hold God's power that are able to act as voice for Him. Then we were led by the Holy Ghost to visit a certain apartment complex... the person we were in the area to visit wasn't around, so then we were really confused as to why Heavenly Father sent us there. As we were walking towards our car, we met a lady named S, and she is a member of the church who hasn't been active in nearly 20 years! She expressed how she is going through some hard things (which have humbled her a lot) and she is ready to turn to God again for help. She wants to come back to church! YAY! 

We had a great Zone Training this week where we learned more about goal setting, inviting people to be baptized with more confidence, contacting, and how to be more sincere when talking to our Father in Heaven through prayer. It was great! Sister Johnson and I visited the temple this week and I was able to do an Endowment Session for the last time as a full-time missionary in the Texas Lubbock Mission- bittersweet! 

I had a neat experience this week as I taught my ESL student, P. He is from China and is soaking in as much as he can about the Bible and Jesus while he is here in America. He asked me where he will go in 40,50, 60 years or so when he dies... great question! I was so excited to teach him the perfect and fair, Plan of Salvation and answer all his questions! We are so blessed to have this knowledge! He couldn't believe we had so many answers that "just make sense!" 

We also got to teach this really sweet Hispanic lady, R. She is so receptive to the gospel and the members that live directly across the street are such good examples to her. They take such good care of her and really keep their covenants. We also taught R The Plan of Salvation last night and she absolutely loved it! I love being a teacher of the restored gospel. It truly brings me so much happiness and I am so grateful to have the Savior at the center of my life. I love this perfect organization of the Lord's church- I am excited to continue helping others come unto the true sheepfold! I love y'all so much! God Bless. 
Love, 
Sister Evans 
 Erry'thangs Bigger in Texas...Including Sweet Potatoes

Monday, November 2, 2015

November 2, 2015

HEY Y'ALL!
Hello!  Your Halloween costumes were on point!! I loved them! We have such a fun family :) We didn't do anything quite as exciting as y'all did for Halloween- we played dodgeball, hand-ball, pigskin, and basketball at the church with some of the other missionaries. 

I was able to go on my last exchanges this week with my trainee, Sister Udall! We had way too much fun together- it was just like times of old :) We had dinner with the sweet Shorter family and Sister Shorter's mom from Utah- it was so great! We did a service project this week for Meals on Wheels and landed ourselves in a picture and an article right on the front page of the newspaper! Then, later in the week, I got in a stupid little car wreck.. it was dumb! But all is well- no one got hurt! 

We visited a sweet, returning-less active family- they fed us (Pilot-House status) enchiladas! I'm not even kidding dad! All I could think about was you as I was eating them! 

We had one of the most spirit-filled, powerful lessons with another returning less active family also! They are working hard to be where they'd like to be spiritually and it's such a wonderful opportunity to be an instrument in the Lord's hands to help them reach their goals. I feel so blessed to help these families put Christ in the center of their individual lives and back in their homes. 

We had a mission tour this week with Elder Foster (of the 70). It was so neat! Something that I loved was how he helped us recognize that we are so special to our Father in Heaven. There are so many of us, but yet, every little thing that is important to us is important to Him! He had us liken the scriptures to ourselves and replace our names with others' and it was so powerful! 

I had a funny experience last night... haha- so I attempted to talk to an older spanish lady.. I think she was so amused that a white girl was trying so hard to speak her language. As we were leaving her house, I noticed a key ring holder next to her front door that said "CUBA"... so I took every chance that I possibly could to teach this woman the gospel! I claimed Harrison's roots and told her that I have family from Cuba... haha- I didn't convince her though because I pronounced it the American way- Cuba. She immediately corrected me and said "No! It's COOOOBA!" Oopsie! I guess I didn't fool her ;) It was a good week! I love y'all! Have a blessed day.
Love, 
Sister Evans 
 
I got to see one of my best friends, Sister Affleck, this week!
 I died over this work Halloween card-thanks for the 
good laugh Mom!

oops...dented door

Crazy Texans and their spare tree stumps...prior to the wreck!