Crazy Time Oct 15

Dear Family!

Hello hello, I have no time at all today as in it's 5 and p-day ends at 6 and I still have lots I have to do! So sadly this will be another short email from me but keep yours all coming and I will try to find some time next week to really sit down and write everyone.

Today has been crazy! We had to go get the packages that mom sent me which was AWESOME! It was like Christmas! I ripped them open right when I get them and I've already given the scarfs away to Sister Ferrin she LOVES them and needed new scarves so, mom good job! :) We went to get our cars emissions checks, went grocery shopping and went to Zone sports in timbucktoo. It rained the whole time we were playing frisbee haha the elders in my zone are crazy!! Jumping and diving and sliding all over the place to get that stinking thing and I got in on the game too and was tearing it up! We went produce shopping at trader joes and at lunch/dinner at Olive Garden!! [greatest choice ever!] And now I am at the library because the computers in our complex don't work. ha So it's been a busy day! [sadly I didn't get to write ANY letters so sorry to those who wrote last week!]

This week has been amazing! We taught 18 lessons?! And found 5 new people to teach! We are so very blessed to be in our area! Everyone is so kind and generous and willing to at least hear the message, a lot of people have a hard time with Joseph Smith they don't know anything about him when we ask they just are bothered by the thought of him I guess? hahah I am not really sure. It makes me giggle. But seriously I love everything about it!

This week we taught a man named Patrick! OH my goodness he is so great!! He has been taking the lessons for a while and knows that it's all true but he has a problem with the word of wisdom and don't want to give it up yet. We had the most powerful lesson with him and it was so cool to be able to talk and have the spirit direct my words! I love it!

We also taught a man from Camaroon. His name is Pascal and he is 26, he's homeless and trying to work his way into an appt and he might be one of the most spiritually in tune people I've ever met. We only had about 20 min with him so we went to a members house and watched the Restoration DVD and at the end of it he just bore the sweetest testimony that he knew it was true. And he is so excited to learn more and be baptized! He had the biggest smile on his face and then he said the prayer and you could swim in the spirit it was so amazing!!! Ah! I love it!!

Oh and side note: I flew off my bike again!!!! I'm pretty done with Virginia drivers! That's all I really have to say about it, hahaha Heavenly Father is DEFINITELY watching out because I wasn't hurt. Just a little tweeked.

The weather is starting to get colder... which is TERRIBLE!! Who in there right mind would live somewhere this cold?! Who in their right mind would bike around when it's this cold?!?! Oh right... the missionaries! hahahaha. The leaves changing colors is really fun to watch though! I will send pictures next week when I have more time! But this week you just get a bunch of different random stories. haha.

I love you all so much!! Keep up the good work!!! You are all in my prayers!! Come what may and love it!!

Love,

Sister Stones

Conference What?! Oct 8

Hello Family!!

Holy Cow conference was amazing!! Those men and women are no doubt in my mind men and women called of God. I watched each session at a different place and each one had a different meaning and feel because of it but so needed and my questions were all answered! My oh my if you were busy or didn't get a chance to see them go to lds.org and watch it! Your conversion to Jesus Christ will increase 10 fold if you listen and apply the teachings that were taught! And holy cow 18 and 19!! SO GREAT! I cried I was so excited! There are going to be so many more amazing missionaries out because of it! So many amazing changes! Love it!

This week has been amazing!! But sadly I lost my planner and my memory is... all over the place so... I would have a lot to say but I don't remember all I know is that it was so busy we taught lesson after lesson everyday! We are so blessed to be in this area! We meet so many amazing people whether prepared or not for the gospel they are still wonderful! It makes me laugh because even if there is someone not so nice to us, God needed us to be there for them to get mad at someone so we are the perfect people, and it happens so rarly I couldn't even give you an example. ha Sister Rozsa is hilarious, [side note: I am sitting here typing and all the sudden I hear a little tearing and then in her most pleasant voice she says, "MMM Splenda is delicious!"..... hahahahahahaha I LOVE HER SO MUCH!] she makes me laugh all the time and she is such a great teacher! I am very blessed to be here with her training me!

I am so sorry this letter is so short. I made a new planner and maybe next week i wont be so scatter brained haha but I seriously can't think of anything else to type besides that I love you all and you are always in my prayers! I LOVE BEING A MISSIONARY!! I am excited to see where the Lord will place me these next months and who I will get to meet and invite to come closer to christ! It is so worth everything! You are all amazing and keep up the hard work!

Love you,

Sister Stones

Howdy Yall Oct 1

HELLO!!!!

I loved eveyones emails they were fun and I loved all the pictures as well!

This week was amazing! We had another wonderful man get baptized, had SO many wonderful lessons with a million people, helped someone pack, did service, went GLEANING!! and had the Relief Society Broadcast [which may or may not have blone my mind and I might have sobbed a couple times. because I LOVE this gospel and I am so blessed to be a missionary!]

Ok first I have to say mom you would be SO proud of me for eating new things. I am not even picky here it's amazing. I meet a LOT of people from Ethiopia [they are beautiful and stunning] and on monday I ate Enjara [don't actually know how to spell that] but it is this elephent skin looking tortilla thing you dip in sauce and eat with your hands. Delish! Then I had samon [also delish] and hummas, and who knows what else but it is fun! And I am really trying to eat what ever I am given. Shrug my shoulders and say sure I'll try it :)

We had a baptism for Pat :) or Pattycake! Ha he is hilarious and I love him. I spoke on baptism at the meeting and he loved it and was talking to me the whole time I was talking. He is so sweet and wonderful we love him!

So we found this man Frank. I don't remember if I have already talked about him yet or not but he. is. golden! We met him as we were going down one of the many hills in the area and just stopped and talked to him. He loves Romney and loves mormons because we are the nicest people and he wanted to "know our secret" we laughed and told him there was no secret but we would love to come and teach him more. So he got our number and said he would call us. AND HE DID!! That doesn't happen very often ha. So we set up an appointment and fell in love with him instantly! We taught him twice a week for the last two weeks set him on date and then helped him move and pack up his stuff because sadly he moved to Daytona Beach Fl Sunday!! So the rest will have to get taught by them, but he is so amazing and is going to be baptized and this is going to bless him so much!! We will miss him but we know God has a specific plan for Frank! :)

Here is Virginia they have a day of service to feed the hungry and this year it was on Saturday and so we got permission to go out of our mission and drove with some members to Winchester [B-E-A-UTIFUL might I add] to GLEAN! haha We went to an apple orchard and sorted through the apples that were under the trees that were still good, and put them in bags to go to a shelter to feed the hungry! It was SO much fun! Then we went to the little farmers market and bought apples and ate apple cider dognuts [yummmmmmm I may or may not have had 3] and just had a jolly good time! It was wonderful, came back taught a lesson and then went to the Relief Society Broadcast!!!!! Oh my goodness, if you didn't get a chance to see it or hear it I advise to go onto the Website www.lds.org and watch it because it is life altering. It was focused on the atonement (the suffering of christ for each of us) and how amazing of an event it is, and how we can really utilize it in our lives! I was so deeply touched by all the comments I want to watch them all again and again!

Then we had church which is always amazing and we learned about forgiveness. Elder Uchtdorf from the first presidency of the church says it perfectly in his two word sermon, about always feeling the need to justify our grudges we hold, or the things we gossip about, or the feeling to not forgive someone is.... to "Stop it" . Simple as that. If someone does something or says something or anything really let it go. You not forgiving them is only hurting you. They are not recieving anything out of it, you are alone in your wollowing... It may be easier said than done, but this week I want everyone to take a second and think of the people you aren't talking to because of something that was said, or a grudge you hold against someone, or that one time a long time ago they said something that offended you... "Stop it" Let it go, forgive and forget and you will be free! The Savior has already taken that on you don't both have to feel it, let him and let it go. LOVE IT!! Then I sang at a fireside at the Mission Home and we brought Darlene!! LOVE HER!!!! She bought us earings and tic tacs, [hehehe] because she was thinking about us when she got her hair done.

I am so lucky and so blessed to be in the area that I am, and so blessed to be with my companion another 6 weeks (we stayed together at transfers), I am blessed to be a missionary and to have a front row seat at watching my Heavenly Father welcome His children back into the fold of His arms. I am blessed to be in the ward that I am in and to have a ward and family back home sending love and prayers my way. I feel the love all around me and it lifts and carries me through. This week we have the most incredible opportunity ever to hear from a Prophet of God President Thomas S. Monson. Him and the apostles and other leaders of the Church will address the world on matters that our loving Heavenly Father and our Savior Jesus Christ want us specifically to know. How lucky are we to hear from them? I hope and pray that everyone takes the time to pause their busy life for even 5 minutes a day to set aside time to prepare spiritually for this wonderful event! Write out specific questions you need answered, whether temporal or spiritual and God will answer them. Have faith and hope, Heavenly Father wants to help us in this crazy world we live in. He is pleading with us to get down on our knees, repent, and humble ourselves so we can feel his guidance and hear his answers.

I love this gospel! I know that Jesus is the Christ and that he suffered and died for my sins that I may be able to have a way to live like him. That I can repent, and change everyday to be more loving, charitable, patient, humble, and kind. I know that as I do my best with everything that I have He will carry my through any hard ship that I have. They will still come, they always do, but I know that I can rely on him and I will get through them. I love the book of Mormon and the simple truths it has inside it's pages, it truly is the word of God. I know that Joseph Smith was called of God to Restore Christ's Church on the earth, I know that we have a Prophet on the earth today and as I listen to his guidance and teachings I will draw closer to my Heavenly Father and Savior. I love you all so very much and I hope you have the most amazing week ever!

Love you!!!

Sister Stones

Ps Invite your friends to listen to and watch conference! :)

Sorry So Short Sept 24

Hello Family and friends!!

I am so grateful to hear from everyone I love you all so much!!

Sorry this week my letter is going to be short, this has been a crazy week, but more for my learning than for my sharing. We had two exchanges back to back (which means that on wednesday Sister Feng from China came to Shirlington where I am for a day, and sister Rozsa left to where Sister Berg was.) So wednesday I was in charge of the map and the phone and everything else because I know [funny] the area and could get us from place to place. OR get us lost everywhere we went so we had to ask everyone.... ha and then talk to them about the gospel so it worked out! It was really great because I couldn't do anything but rely on the Lord to guide me where I needed to go so it was really amazing how many new people we met that we scheduled to go back and teach another day! Then on thursday we changed again and I went to Mt Vernon with Sister Evans and Sister Anderson came here to be with Sister Rozsa! Again so much learned because I didn't know the area AT ALL so I could only rely on the Lord to know where to go or who to talk to! It was exhausting but so amazing!!! I learned so much about me and so much about how the holy ghost touches my life! Then I got to come back on Friday to be with Sister Rozsa!! I missed her! haha having exchanges like that two in a row doesn't happen very often, but it was great!

But my favorite part this week was having the opportunity to take Taneala to the Temple Visitor Center in Maryland!! It.was.beautiful! We watched the testiments, and walked around the temple and just talked about how amazing it is to be able to make covenants (or promises) with God! He will always hold up his end of the promise, but we have to do our part and we will recieve so many blessings! I LOVED IT!!

I love being a missionary! I love being broken so that God can fix me with his loving, caring arms. I know that my Heavenly Father loves and protects all his children! I know that I am given challenges or mountains to climb to make me stronger! To build my foundation on christ and to be stronger and more faithful!! I know that as I rely on the Lord I can do anything I put my mind to! I love this work and I love ALL of you with ALL my heart! Put your trust in the arms of the Lord and you will be carried through life! You will be happy, blessed, and filled with the Love of God!

I love you all and I know the Lord knows you personally and wants to help with everything!! Let him :)

Love you love you love you!!

Sister Stones

pictas!

We played Zone sports this morning and at the end of it I realized I had been to that park before!! Crazy feeling!! We went right before brady was born! I have a picture with tre next to the anchor! I was so amazed!! It was so cool!! I have that happen a lot haha it's fun!

Temple!!!!

 (sorry this is sideways, blogger is not my friend right now) -deanna

Me and Sister Mannchen (from Germany) at zone sports!! Love her!