Spring Break in the Springs!‏

Dear Family and Friends,

This week was a bit crazy... Mostly because it was Spring break here and everywhere we went it was hit or miss. Either they were gone camping or they were home. It made things interesting that is for sure!! But, it was also really good:) In fact, I hit my 13 month mark on the 27th and Sister Bristow hit her 2 Month mark on the 29th so on the 28th we went out for a little frozen yogurt to celebrate:) It was a lot of fun!!! Sister Bristow also managed to place her first Book of Mormon this week which was also a cause for celebration. Over all it was just a fun week!!! In fact yesterday, we were sitting in our car in the church parking lot getting some paper work ready for a meeting that we were about to have. I'm focused on writing and Sister Bristow was trying to find a scripture when all of a sudden she says "Is there a reason they are standing in front of our car?" So I look up and lo and behold there is a man and about 4 kids standing in front of our car. They wave and I roll down my window and the man says: "We are here for a spiritual thought, we knew you sisters were diligently studying and we came for a thought." to which one of the kids pipped up "No, you just said lets go find someone in their car" so in a situation that took both Sister Bristow and I completely off guard we pulled out a thought and shared it. Then the man ( he never did tell us his name all I know is that he is a Sunday school teacher in another ward) said "That was actually very good, I know what I'm going to talk about now class. Lets go back in I know what I'm going to teach you about today." Then he added to us that the scripture we shared helped him pull his thoughts together so that he would be able to teach his lesson! I was so random but so fun!!

     Another highlight of this week was the General Womens Broadcast! I can hardly belive that it is time for conference again but alas here it is! As for the Womens broadcast I was super excited and curious to see how they would aim it towards an age range from 8+ of women. But, I came out of it very much enlightened as I hope the younger girls present did as well. One thing that really stood out to me was from Bonnie L. Oscarson's talk where she stated: "When we compare ourselves to one another we will ALWAYS feel inadequate." I think that is something that we all struggle with. It is so very easy to see the good in others and the bad in ourselves to compare outward results of others to our own even when our own successes have been monumental. But I really like what she said next "Relax and Rejoice in our Divine Differences" What a blessing it is that we are not all carbon copies of one another!!! The world would be so boring if that was the case. One thing I have noticed about being a companion with someone for the last 13 months of my life is that we each have things to bring to lessons or to peoples lives. One of us would not be as powerful as the two of us are able to be. God wants us to be our best self's not someone else. He loves us because we are us and he helps us grow and improve upon the person that only we can become. I  will let you all get going this is getting to be a bit of a lengthy letter! But I love you all and hope that you all have a fantastic week and enjoy conference!

Love,

Sister Bice

Where we need to be.‏

Dear Family and Friends,

     First, I would like to start out by saying it is so amazing how the Lord shows us that we are where we need to be. This week was a rough week, it was the week before spring break and everyone seemed to just be too busy to call us back or let us in. But, on Saturday we had exchanges and we were going out and about and decided to visit a sister from the ward that we had never met. She is Less active due to a job that makes her travel a lot. So, we went over and I was sure that she wasn't going to answer, especially since we had learned via text that her mom had taken ill. But, I was proven wrong and she answered the door and let us know that she had an appointment in 20 minutes and that she had just gotten home maybe 10 minutes before we came over.

    Well, as we talked with her it became very evident that she just needed to see us. Not us I guess necessarily, but she needed reassurance from the Lord that he was still aware of her and her difficult situation. The fact that we dropped by the one day she was going to be home for the next 2 weeks wasn't a coincidence and I know that she noticed that. Not only that but I personally needed that confirmation that the Lord is directing my path. That even when we go to houses and no one answers we are having our steps guided as long as we are moving our feet. He knows where we need to be and a lot of the rest is in the hands of those we meet. We cannot control the agency of other people but we can give them a chance to exercise faith and to use their agency to choose a path that will change their life's. It reminds me of the story of the Son's of Mosiah. After Ammon converts king Lamoni he gets the revelation to go free his brothers who were being held prisoner in Middoni. So, as a faithful servant of the Lord Ammon goes to follow what he has been asked to do.  As a result, the new convert Limoni decides to skip out on the big party his father is having and travel with Ammon to help him accomplish this mission. It is because of this very incident that Limoni's father converts to the Lord. I'm sure that the Son's of Mosiah that were in prison didn't understand why they were there. But, if they had not been there at the time they were then Ammon wouldn't have had the chance to bear testimony and make such a big impact on King Limoni's father. Heavenly Father knows who we are and where we need to be and when we need to be there. Even when we don't understand or know why. It is such a blessing to have a father who is so very concerned for our welfare. He wants to bless us and the plan he created was created to help us succeed. I love you all so much and I am so very grateful for your prayers and your support! Thank you for all that you have done for me!

Love,

Sister Bice

Another Crazy Week in the Life of Sister Bice‏

Dear Family and Friends!

This week was a lot of fun! It was also super crazy... as per usual! The beginning of the week started out normal but then on Thursday we had a Specialized Zone Training meeting... Which was super good but it knocked out most of the day seeing as we had to go to Colorado Springs! and THEN then next day we had Zone training in the springs as well and that took up a good part of the day. So around 2 in the afternoon we are on our way back and we get in the car and it just sounds and feels funny... But, I blow it off as my imagination... Until we get on the freeway and I'm trying to accelerate and my little rpm thing is going to a 5 and we are not accelerating above 50 miles and hour!!! This was also made more panicking by the fact that the little box in our car that tracks our speed also tracks our RPM's and we get a violation if we go above a 5... So, we pulled off the road and called our vehicle coordinator (for the umpteenth time.... He has to be sick of hearing from me!) He, of course gives me instruction to go to the dealership in springs and get the car checked at the Toyota dealership. So we do, only we were on our way to service so not only are we both in sweats but since the service was with a new family in the ward we didn't have a phone number to call. So, here I am sitting in the dealership panicking because this has to be the first time in forever that I was in service clothes not doing service in public for that long and trying to get a phone number to call and cancel service and 3 hours latter they come back and tell us that they couldn't find anything... They think that the Tiwi box (our speeding monitor) might have messed with the cars computer...  It was a crazy day... I always feel so bad for my trainee's cause I get into so many random situations!

     But, after our crazy run in with the car we were able to go to a stake relief society meeting where Sally DeFord talked and during her talk she said a quote that I really liked it simply stated "I'm not earning Heaven. I am learning Heaven." I really really liked this quote, I think often times people mistake that about our beliefs... I have had said to me often times on my mission by people who don't quite understand us that we believe we can earn heaven... That is not true, there is nothing that we ourselves could do to earn heaven. But, we do believe in living life's so that we can be comfortable in the presence of God. Obedience is like a Kite. A kite without a string people often think would just fly away... That isn't true! A kite without a string would fall. The commandments are not something that is holding us down. Like a kite the commandments provide the string to ground us in Christ and allow us to fly higher than we ever thought we could. God, wants us to succeed and He is rooting for us, if we follow his commandments we will be able to grow in His gospel in ways that we have never ever before imagined we could! I love you all so much and hope you have a great week!

Love,

Sister Bice

Onward Ever Onward!!‏

Dear Family and Friends!

This week was an interesting one!! My poor trainee got sick with the flu so we were stuck inside a bunch! But, we were still able to go out and teach as well:) In fact, on Thursday we were able to teach some members the lesson of the restoration. It was so good! It is a message we hear so often but is just as powerful every time we hear it! As we were reciting the first vision one of the members we were teaching just started crying. This message is true and it effects so many life's! Then on Friday we had a snow storm! It looked all nice and great that morning but after District Meeting it was pretty much a blizzard!! Okay... So it wasn't that bad but it was really really snowy! And we had some service to do for an older lady in one of the Elders wards and neither of us had brought super warm service clothes because it was nice and sunny that morning... But this is Colorado. If you don't like the weather wait 10 minutes AND if you do like the weather wait 10 more! So, we were nice and cold as we were helping this lady move into her house. It was worth it though because she really needed the help and I really love to do service! It was an adventure! which, I always did like adventures!

     So, in Doctrine and Covenants 62:3 there is a scripture that one of my companions came across and I really really liked it! It says "Nevertheless, ye are blessed, for the testimony which ye have borne is recorded in heaven for the angels to look upon; and they rejoice over you, and your sins are forgiven you." I really like this scripture! We as members of the church are constantly bearing testimony to everyone we come in contact with! Even though it may not start with ' I would like to bear my testimony...' every time we stand up for what we believe or even when we just live the standards that are set before us by a prophet we are bearing testimony! That is so so so amazing! It makes such an impact! and not only that but in this scripture it says that those testimonies that we are sharing are RECORDED in heaven for the angels to look upon and they are rejoicing over us! When we choose to live what we believe we are not only affecting ourselves, but rather, we are having an impact on every single person we come across! Every time we do so! What a blessing that is that we can help our fellow brothers and sisters start the path to returning to our Heavenly Father simply by showing them the way. As we are living the gospel and others are seeing it they will be curious! They will want to know more about what makes us happy and they will start their path to returning to their Heavenly home. We have such a great impact on others. It amazes me every time I see it as a missionary. When we go knocking on doors those who know a member of the church who is a good influence and lives what they believe are those who are much more willing to talk with us. That is all that I have for this week, but know that I love you all so much!

Love,

Sister Bice

Some Pics!

Emotional Week!

Dear Family and Friends!

This week was an emotional one! On Thursday I hit my year mark! that is sure hard to believe!! Everyone keeps telling me "Oh! Then its all down hill from here on out!" and I keep responding "Thats the problem!!!" It's crazy to think that its been a year! Boy, does time fly! Other than that, this week was a rough one. We went out and about and worked hard but no one seemed to want to talk with us and if they did they were not home. So, we were getting a bit discouraged and down. But, as he always does the Lord showed us his tender mercies and helped us out. We were in the car on Sunday and I got a thought that we needed to text an Potential Investigator we had meet maybe four or five weeks ago. So, we did and he replied! So we had a nice conversation and were asking how his church services were today and instead of answering he asked if we wanted to meet that night. Well, I'm never one to turn down someone who wants to meet us we told him that we would love to meet. So, we did! It was a good lesson I believe and I am really hoping that he continues on and learns more of the gospel. He has a sincere desire to know of the truth now we just get to be his guides in discovering it. And that isn't all that happened on Sunday! We also had a Less Active sister in the ward that we have been working with come to church. Not only did she come to church but she got up and bore her testimony and said that we were her little angels helping her hold onto her faith. As a missionary I don't feel like I need recognition. I know that even when I don't see the difference I am making that the Lord does. But, that doesn't mean it isn't nice to hear from time to time that you are helping someone even when you are down or feeling discouraged. Sister Horrocks (my Trainer) would always say 'prayer doesn't change God, Prayer changes me.' I really really like that. As we pray for things we are not changing the will of God. Rather, we are learning to align our will with his. This whole week Sister Bristow and I were praying for people to be put into our path, and we weren't really seeing that happen. But, God knew the timing that was needed and He was just asking us to be patient so that we could see it as well. This morning I was reading in Alma 37:36-37

 "36 Yea, and cry unto God for all thy support; yea, let the all thy doings be unto the Lord, and wither soever thou goest let it be in the Lord; yea, let all thy thoughts be directed unto the Lord; yea, let the affections of thy heart be placed upon the Lord forever.

37 Counsel with the Lord in all thy doings, and he will direct thee for good; yea, when thou liest down at night lie down unto the Lord, that he may watch over you in your sleep; and when thou risest in the morning let thy heart be full of thanks unto God; and if ye do these things, ye shall be lifted up at the last day."

     One thing I have learned on my mission is that as we pray to God, He does answer. He is always there ready and willing to help us in our trials and troubles. Even when the answer doesn't come in the way or manner that we are expecting. As we went out and about this week I fully expected to meet someone on the street or for a member to refer a friend to us and that was going to be how we found the person that was being prepared... However, we already knew and had met the person before we just needed to follow up. I love you all and I hope that you are having a wonderful week!

Love,

Sister Bice