Sept 30- If you don't like where you are, then change it. You are not a tree.

Hello Family!!

This week has been loads of fun!! Seriously! We had a bunch of meetings and a bunch of lessons and a bunch of pranks pulled on us. ha man oh man I love this big family I am apart of right now!

Ok So first off I will start off by saying the Elders in our mission are crazy! AND they LOVE pulling pranks on us, because we give the reaction they want. haha but these ones were really good. First. There used to be an Elder in the Mission he has been home a while now, but I heard a rumor that he was coming back to visit his name is Elder Makwenkwe and he is from Africa and amazing! I called one of the Assistant to the President (AP's) to ask him a question (Elder Cluff) and this is what I hear, "Hello this is Elder Makwenkwe." WHAT?! I was stoked! I then proceeded to have the best conversation with elder Makwenkwe! Asked him how we was doing and what he had been up to. and as I continued to ask him questions his thick African accent started to slip and so half way through the conversation I hear this timid voice, "uh... Sister Stones. hey.. uh... it's elder cluff." "What?!" (seriously so confused!) "It's Elder Cluff." bahahaha then I hear Elder Day in the background just bustin a gut! (They were on exchanges) and then we all laughed hysterically. man oh man I am a blonde. The next day We got a text from the zone leaders (where elder Day is) and it says, "Hey remember that one time when you thought Elder Cluff was Elder Makwenkwe? ... good times." ha terd. Oh but that's not all, I then got a call from Elder Gustafsen asking how my convo with Makwenkwe was. I am with a bunch of children. ha. I love them!

To continue forward onto the next one. (ha) We had the best night Saturday. We got a ride from a member to the Relief Society Broadcast (the women's organization in the church) so we were being really kind and we gave the elders the keys to the car so they could drive the rest of the night since we weren't going to be using it. After this spiritually uplifting experience (quite life changing I might add) we are driving home and we were telling our member that the elders have our keys to the car. And then all the dots connected and I said... "Oh they also have the key to the apartment." hmmm... "Elders don't do pranks." Says the member sarcastically. OH.NO. So the elders come and let us in to the complex, and give us our keys and silly us are just so tired we don't think anything of it (short term memory loss I swear), UNTIL we get up to our room and I go to turn on a light and nothing happens. or any of the other light switches in the house. Oh ok they turned off our power. So we find the power box and turn it back on... oh wait nope they have taken all the lights out of the light fixtures... it's fine it's just pitch black and we are all screaming and yelling and (I am recording this on my camera for laughing purposes) when I find all the bulbs underneath our beds! And the ones where they couldn't take them out were on our balcony! haha So we get all the lights in and on and Sister Olson goes to turn on the water in the sink to wash her hands and she is then sprayed!! Yeeup they had rubber band, (rubber banded??) our sink sprayer so when we turned it on... we got wet. Her face should have been recorded! Seriously! I dropped to the floor laughing! Man good times. We got it all figured out and are now trying to figure out how to get the elders back. any good ones?!

Onto the spiritual now, because this week was full of that too!

We are still teaching Steven, Debbie, Tim, Amy, and are doing new member lessons with Zahra. They are so amazing. They are all struggling with their own things that they are needing to overcome but as they read the book of Mormon little by little they are struggles anymore. They recognize the strength that comes from keeping the commandments and they are working on finding out if this is true for themselves.

We went to a Fireside with Steven last night and it was wonderful. Afterward he said, "Yeah I feel like my prayers were answered by some of the testimonies that were said. I think I know this is true. I want to get baptized on the 12th." !!! YAY! So we are working hard and helping him remember why he loves this so much! It's fun! We also had a half mission conference, and learned all about how important it is to go back to the basics. And so that is what I am doing. It has been great so far! I'll just keep it up!

Ok last thing before I run. This morning I was studying and reading from the Book of Mormon and read Alma chapter 26. It is about Ammon and his brothers when they have finished their mission among their brethren who didn't know Christ and how much joy they have for being an instrument in the Lords hands. I feel that exact way! This experience has changed my life! I have become so deeply grounded in the Gospel nothing could change my mind ever! I know that there is a Prophet of God on the Earth today and that this weekend we get to hear from him and the other general authorities of the church, and I can't wait. We have divine guidance sent straight from Heavenly Father, through his servant to us! Wow he loves us so much! I want to challenge everyone who is reading this to watch it! Watch it with questions, and I promise they will be answered! I love you all so much and I love my Savior Jesus Christ. I hope you all have an amazing week!!

This is one of my favorite verses from the chapter (Alma 26:36-37, and exactly how I feel!!:

"36 Now if this is boasting, even so will I boast; for this is my life and my light, my joy and my salvation, and my redemption from everlasting wo. Yea, blessed is the name of my God, who has been mindful of this people, who are a branch of the tree of Israel, and has been lost from its body in a strange land; yea, I say, blessed be the name of my God, who has been mindful of us, wanderers in a strange land. 37 Now my brethren, we see that God is mindful of every people, whatsoever land they may be in; yea, he numbereth his people, and his bowels of mercy are over all the earth. Now this is my joy, and my great thanksgiving; yea, and I will give thanks unto my God forever. Amen.

I love you all. Remember that we are all children of God and we are all meant to change and grow! SO If you don't like where you are, then change it! You are not a tree!

Love you,

Sister Stones

Dropbox "September Fun" Elders pranked us, I made spaghetti squash for dinner, Sister Olson in her Armor of God, And Sister Christensen. LOVE YOU ALL!"
https://www.dropbox.com/home/September%20fun!#!/home/September%20fun!