Life is Good

Good morning!!! This week was so good!  Literally full of miracles out the ying yang.  But let me start with two points of business.  (1) I live in California and I am so cold all the time.  I am going to fall off my bike because I am always tucking my hands in my armpits.  (2) It is official, I fell off my bike.  On Saturday.  We were going to turn right and the curb just ran away from me... and so when my foot went down it went down to nothing.  So I literally fell straight on my side on the cement.  And my bike fell on top of me.  And the four men standing there just stared at me. It was probably one of the funniest and most humiliating things of my mission.  I get a gold star for that.
This week was awesome!  I feel like I learned a lot about myself as a missionary.  My area has been frustrating lately.  We literally had no investigators.  We got dropped - or in one case, he found out we couldn't date and go out, so we never saw him after that.  Even though it has been pretty hard lately, I have still been able to find the tender mercies and little joys.  We have contacted - a lot!  But I really believe that that is what has made me more bold lately!  Just to be so direct with people about our message and how it will help them.  We saw a lot of miracles from the English class.  We have been working really hard with advertising it and five people from our area came to class this week!!!  And they all said 'yes' to missionaries! We gave a Book of Mormon to a woman named Paula who had marked 'no' to meeting with the missionaries.  She has been going to the class for a couple weeks.  She asked us how to pray and so we wrote in the back how to do so, and gave it to her.  She thanked us so much!  She told us she had never gotten a gift before and that she was so happy.  It was so cool! 
We had one of the coolest miracles ever this week.  Our Bishop had asked us to visit a few people in the ward that he didn't know.  So we went to visit one and couldn't get in, but we tried a few days later.  We sat outside the apartment building until someone opened the door and then went up.  We said we were looking for Wendy and he told us that she had moved.  His name is Alejandro.  So we invited him to English class and he told us he already knew where the church building was.  I asked how, and he said that he was baptized about six years ago, but works on Sundays and hasn't been able to go.  He saw us riding our bikes the other day and waved, but we didn't see him.  He told us he thought to himself, "I think those missionaries are going to come visit me", but he said he wasn't sure why he thought that.  And there we were!  He said that he wants to go back to church and that he is going to do everything he can to get off work on Sunday.  We are going over this week to see him :) 
Jackie and Joseph are doing great, of course!  I love them so much.  Things are really starting to pick up here.  I have really focused lately on putting all of my effort into the work, and the blessings from it has been amazing.  It has made my desire to serve so much greater as well!  This work truly is hastening.  Something I liked from this week, is to choose a friend that you are kind of close with but not super close, and start calling them.  Build up your friendship and invite them to something at the church.  And most importantly share your testimony.  I promise, you all have friends to share this with.  Be bold!  It's hard I know, but you will see blessings.  Pray about it and a name with come to your mind.  Well, that's my shpeel for the week!  I love it here!  I LOVE my Mission President!  He is like my best friend.  He has helped me in so many ways.  I have had some amazing experiences with him that I will write you about.  His wife is so cute.  I'm so blessed. He told me we have one of the hardest assignments for a sister in the mission right now.  I have whitewashed and trained once!  I love it, though.  It could not get any better here!  I am so grateful for this time, and I am definitely taking advantage of it.  I love you so much momma! :)  Hermana Michelle  
P.S. I love you so much, my dear!  Sorry about no pics,  but the computer is too old to send them.  I love you!

Daddy!  I am happy here.  I like how you said you can't imagine me not being here.  I think of that everyday!  I can't imagine what my life would have been like if I hadn't followed the soft promptings of the spirit.  I remember I doubted my answer so much, but I know that it was so true.  My heart is here in missionary work.  It is so hard dad, but somehow I wouldn't have it any other way.  I have seen so many tender mercies through the hard times, and it helps you appreciate when things are good. My heart is full of gratitude.  I have been getting better at contacting everyone!  I love talking to people and being bold with them. I am happy :) I hope you thought about me as your rode your bike this week!  I have thought a lot lately about how we are going to be biking buddies when I come home; I have found my new love! I get to beam with pride when members and others ask about my family, I'd say I get to brag a lot.  I love how close we have been through my life.  I really couldn't have asked for a better family! I miss the temple soooo much!  I miss going every week.  Thanks for setting that example of going so that I could be able to do it, too.  My companion is doing well!  I really do love her. Always remember to be happy!!!  Life is so good and my mission is amazing.  Thank you for all you do, my sweet daddio. XOXO 

Happy day for Michelle's high school friend, Elder Chriss, who has been serving in Los Angeles while awaiting his visa to Argentina. It finally arrived 8 months after his mission began! This was taken shortly before he left.

Baptism!

Hello my dear family!

I feel like I have so much to tell you!  I tried writing things down so I could remember what I needed to tell you.  

I suppose I will start off with Joseph!  Joseph got baptized on Saturday!!  It was amazing.  I have been to a lot of baptismal services in my life, but this one was so special. There was such a special spirit about everything, I was so happy.  Baptisms are amazing, but they are stressful to plan.  I was so stressed trying to get everything together and even more so, right before the program.  But it was amazing to watch how everything just fell into place. Everything just worked.  He was so ready and he was just happy. We were able to sing a musical number for his baptism, which was really cool. I have some of it recorded so I am going to put it on a flash drive and send it to you. His family was there and everyone was super happy!  I sent you my journal page of it :)

He was confirmed yesterday as well. We sat by them during church and afterward, he came and sat down. I asked how he felt and he said, so happy.  Then a few minutes later he turned to me and said, "I almost cried when I was up there".  I asked him if it was because he felt the spirit and he said, yes.  He told me that he felt differently when they gave him the gift of the Holy Ghost.  It was awesome!

When Michelle left on her mission, her brother, Bryan, gave her his missionary tag.  Looks pretty good on this young man!

I feel like our area has been pretty hard lately, actually.  A lot of our investigators have gone MIA so we have been working really hard with street contacting and stuff like that.  Street contacting has been one of my weakest areas on my mission.  I had such a hard time stopping people that have somewhere that they are going and talking to them about something that I didn't think they would want to hear.  But I have felt so, so blessed lately as I have been able to talk with everyone!  I was reading this morning and there is a scripture in Mosiah 18:35.  If you look it up it talks about souls.  These are souls that we are working with, not just people.  I have been able to look at these people differently as I see their potential and the love that Heavenly Father has for them.

I have a lot of things to share, but no time!  Things are going so well, I am so happy. I am just enjoying what I do get to do here.  I am going to try really hard to write a letter to you.  But just know I am doing well with everything :)  I am happy!  I am stressed but hey, I am happy!  I love my calling as a missionary.  It is so sacred and I receive so many blessings from it.  I hope you are able to enjoy the happiness that comes from it, as well!  I love you so much!

Love,  Hna Michelle

JOY and happiness!
Hna Wright, Joseph, and Hna Warner

Walking...walking...

Hello my dear mom!

Welcome back to the USA!  It looks like your trip was amazing!!!  I want to feel bad for you for being tired... but I don't, haha.  So cool!  I love the picture you sent of the sister missionaries right in the middle of Florence, Italy!  There was a mom here the other week that took a picture with me, because her daughter is in France right now, it totally reminded me of you.  I don't have a ton of time to email, but I will try and give you a good update of this week.  So I am a trainer!  Sister Hart is so sweet.  Bottom line to training ... it is super hard.  It is way harder than I thought it would be, that's for sure.  I want others to be able to look at their missions the way I do.  I can't even express how much love I have for my mission, but I remember how it was at the beginning.  Everything is so new for her, especially here in Hollywood!  She isn't too fond of her bike yet, but I just keep telling her to go.  I think one of the stresses of training is that it's true, you will never ever forget your trainer.  I still remember things that my trainer did with me.  I want to give her that love and joy that is found in a mission.  

Hna Warner and her new companion, Hna Hart

This week was one of the longest weeks I have had in a while!!  I was just exhausted in every way, shape and form.  Emotionally, mentally, and physically.  I have felt a bit overwhelmed, feeling like I have the area on my shoulders.  Friday was especially hard.  I just felt done for the day!  But at the end of the day, I asked my district leader for a blessing.  I have been with my district leader (Elder Roberts) my whole mission, every single transfer!  So he knows me really well.  I received one of the most beautiful blessings I have ever gotten from him.  He said every single thing I needed to hear.  That Heavenly Father knows I am doing what I can, but I need to continually pray!  (which is all I ever do on my bike, pray!)  I literally felt His love for me and His arms just wrapped around me. I knew He was there and that he wanted me to be happy. Later that night we got a call from President Weidman. He told us that he had been thinking about us a lot that day and that he felt like he needed to call us.  He told us how what we are doing is a task that is particularly hard! Wow, all I needed to hear! But that we were doing well.  I cannot tell you how full my heart was this night.  One of the hardest days I had had in a long time, turned to me one of the most spiritual experiences ever. I felt so much love from my Father and knew that He had answered my prayers.  I have the greatest testimony of prayer because of my mission, it is so powerful. (if you read my Patriarchal blessing, it talks about prayer).

We did a lot of walking this week!  Like hours on hours of walking.  We don't have a lot of people to teach right now, so we are working really hard to find more.  I received a lot of answers through General Conference of what I need to do to find more people.  I have been praying so hard about it.  But we had a really cool experience last night.  I am not a huge fan on street contacting... it's just awkward, but hey, you gotta do it in missionary work!  We contacted this couple last night and then this man came up to us and told us about how he used to go to our church for a period of time.  It really was a tender blessing and we saw the Lord work through us.

  

We literally walked soooo much!  But I am so happy!  I love being here more than anything.  It is so interesting to see people's perspectives on their missions.  Brooke was telling me about some missionaries from her ward. But all in all, this is just a hoot and a holler here!  I am going to print off your email because I didn't read it all.  So happy everything is going well at home!  I love you more than anything in the world!!

Love,

Michelle

Daddy, 

Thank you for your sweet email :)  I like what you said about the spirit.  It is something that I have been working really hard on the past few weeks, to really be able to rely on those sweet promptings of them.  To be able to stop for a second and let the spirit work through these people.  We have been focusing on teaching simply.  That through teaching the very simple doctrines of the gospel, the spirit will always be present.  I am so happy!  Honestly it has been a hard week.  Training is taking everything out of me that I have.  I am so exhausted, but I am trying my hardest. I am working so hard to give her opportunities to work.  She isn't my trainee, she is my companion :) 

I love you more than words can express...

Trainer!

HELLO!!! 

Greetings to Italy (or wherever you are right now...)  This week was crazy!!!  I say this every week, but I literally can't remember all that happened.  There were a lot of meetings, that's what I do remember!  I got my new companion on Wednesday and she is so cute!  Her name is Sister Hart and she is supposed to go to Brazil, so she is just here until she gets her visa.  She reminds me a lot of how I was when I got out here, so hopefully with all my wise experience I can make a difference (I hope you understand sarcasm, via email).  We had a few meetings for her as a new missionary, which where just great. 

I hope that everyone had the chance to watch conference... and if you didn't, watch it.  I hope you took notes and are able to look for ways to apply it.  I looked through a lot of my notes this morning and have started making some goals with them.  Pretty much it was the best conference I have ever seen.  Jackie and Joseph came with us, and she just ate it up. She is so sweet.  All in all, it was a weekend overloaded with the spirit... I loved it so much.  My companion is so sweet and I know that she wouldn't be able to be doing the things that she is right now without the help of the Lord. Please keep us in your prayers :)

I'm not sure if it is just because I am a missionary, or not.  I went into conference with three specific questions and every single one of those questions got answered specifically.  

This is short!  I love you more than words can tell :)  Be safe!!!  Have a wonderful week!!

Love, Hermana Michelle

Transfer Week!

From left, President and Sister Weidman,
Sister Marsha Richards, and
Elder Kent F. Richards of the
Second Quorum of the Seventy.

Good morning! Thank you for spending a few dollars just to email me!  Mom, I can't believe you are in Rome right now like it's no big deal.  Can we go when I get home? ;)  This week... wowzers!  It has been filled to the max.  With just about every emotion lagging behind it.  We had a lot of random things happen.  We had a lot of meetings!  But there was a lot of bike riding involved... aka sweating! Yay!  We had an awesome opportunity to have a Zone Conference with Elder Richards of the Seventy.  I think he is the one that covers our mission.  Every time I leave meetings I just feel so pumped to go out and work.... I'm such a missionary.  I love it.  But he talked to us a lot about faith.  I left my journal at home, but he had some really awesome points to it.  I have been working a lot on faith in missionary work.  Sometimes it is so hard to contact people on the street without judging what they are going to say.  But it all goes back to remembering my purpose.  That as a missionary I have been set apart to talk to these people who are put in my path.  But I have seen miracles when I am able to act in faith in this work. Pretty much I have the coolest job in the world.  He also talked to us about teaching simply.  Some missionaries complicate teaching so much.  But he explained to us how the spirit comes stronger in lessons when we teach the doctrine straight and to the point.  I love it.

So transfers... the last few days have been a bit frazzling to be honest.  I got a text on Saturday from President Weidman that said to call him.  I looked at my companion and was like, oh no, did I do something wrong??  So I called him back and he said to me, "Sister Warner I am about to give you one of the hardest things you will do on your mission thus far, are you ready?"  Pretty much my stomach dropped.  He told me that I will be training this next transfer, but it is a little different.  She is a visa waiter and she is coming here.  But she was called to speak Portuguese, so that is what she learned in the MTC. But I am going to be teaching and training her in Spanish! She is coming to my area in Spanish and Sister Wright is leaving.  I think the hardest part about it is Sister Wright leaving.  I always heard that people meet their best friends on the mission, but I didn't think much of it.  She has done so much for me and has seriously changed my mission, so I am sad to be being separated.  But transfers are inspired!!!  I am going to grow so much this next transfer.

Gonna miss this girl!

I wish that I could put into words of all the things that I have learned this transfer.  It has been amazing.  I read through some old journal entries the other night and thought about ripping them out, I was so embarrassed, haha.  I have changed so much.  Especially this transfer.  I have always enjoyed my mission, but I found out how to find joy in my mission.  I love being here.  I can't believe how fast time is going and I just want it to slow down!  I found a love for the little things that I did not enjoy!  I learned how to have a positive attitude in hard situations.  All in all, the transfer has completely changed my mission and I love it.

Please pray for me this week!  I am a little nervous about everything that is going to happen, talk about being humbled!  But I know that Heavenly Father is going to give me everything that I need to do it.  It sounds like the family is great, that makes me so happy!  Keep doing good things!  And read your scriptures everyday.  It brings so much happiness.  The church is true!  I love you so much!  Be safe!!

Love,

Hermana Michelle

Humility

Good morning, my dear mom! 

Monday is here again.. weird stuff.  How was your week?? It sounds like everything is going great at home! We had a really good week.  There was a lot of random stuff that happened.  I wish I could remember all that happened but that is what my journal is for, right?  There were a lot of different emotions from this week!  I had a lot of really hard moments, but I had some incredible moments to make up for them.  We had a six month training this week, (President Weidman started trainings for missionaries who have been out for 6 and 12 months) and we did a bit of goal setting. We looked at where we have gotten in the last six months and where we want to be.  So I have been thinking a lot about goals.... actually I have been thinking about goals my entire mission. It is so amazing to think of where I was six months ago to now.  I am so different, I can only imagine what another 12 will be for me.  But I was thinking of some of my most important goals, and one of them is humility. So I have been studying it a lot and trying to learn how to better achieve it. I've prayed about it.  And I've prayed to be humbled.  I am not sure if that was a good idea or not!  I have felt very humbled this week!  We had a lot of hard days that weren't really filled with a lot of "success".  I caught myself a few too many times not having the attitude that I should.  But then as I have really thought about it, I saw that I am receiving an answer to my prayers.  That I have the ability to pray for help in these times.  To ask my Heavenly Father how I can do this, because I can't do it alone.  And so I've started praying more and more.  I have felt the frustration and disappointment lifted off of my shoulders.  I have felt humbled.  That's an understatement, haha.  But I am grateful for these difficult times.  I have learned so much, mom, and I continue to learn even more.  

Another humbling experience I have had this week is with some less actives we are working with.  I have felt my heart so heavy this week, as we have been working with them. There are two specifically.  We have been working with them since I have been in the area and I have grown so close with them and have developed such a strong love for them. They shared with us some really tramatic experiences that they have had in their lives, and right now what they are facing. I left a few lessons feeling heavy and wonder what I can do to help them.  Sometimes as a missionary, I am not sure if I am helping and I just want to be able to do everything I can to help!  But I thought as well that I am doing what I can. Heavenly Father has qualified me to work with these people because he knows that I can help them. And so there comes prayer again!  But I have seen these prayers answered.  As missionaries, sometimes we feel unqualified, but we have been called and set apart to do this.  And if we are obedient then we will know that the Lord has qualified us.  

I hope this email doesn't sound like a downer!  We had a lot of fun this week, a lot of laughing and a lot of learning.  We have some amazing people that we are going to start working with!  We have seriously seen so many miracles this transfer.  We have transfers in a week and a half and we are stressing about it! We want to stay together so much, but we will go where we need to!  We went to a fireside with Jackie and Joseph last night (she loved it) and we were talking about transfers.  She said, "I want to talk to the guy in charge of these, so my hijas will stay!"  But then she said, "You know sisters, you just gotsta go where Heavenly Father wants you to".  And she was telling Joseph that there were other people here that needed our help.  Yes I did just sit there melting into my seat!  She is so cute and I love her so much.  I love being here more than I could tell you.  

Hna Wright, Jackie, and Hna Warner outside LA Temple VC

Joseph and Hna Warner

I feel like I got here yesterday, the time is flying by.  I hope that others are able to feel the joy of missionary work... do it!  I am working on being more bold, so you need to, too. Thank you for your love and support always, my dear :) I hope you have a wonderful week!  I love you! :)

Love,  Hermana Michelle

Side note... Joseph didn't get baptized this week, he had some issues with his real father and he wouldn't sign the papers....humbling experience number 1.  I was really sad about it.  We will keep working with them, but we just need to wait a little while.  Jackie is progressing really well, I love her so much.  Also, mom, I got a blessing this week that literally told me everything that I needed to hear. The Priesthood is amazing, always use it!

 

Hello my sweet dad,

It was a good week!  A lot of learning went on this week, lots of laughs too.  The people are amazing.  We have some amazing people that we are beginning to work with.  I am learning more from them than they are learning from me!  I love my bike, still!  It has been super, super windy here, so it has been my enemy the last few days.  My legs are sore but it's fine.  We live at the top of a hill so it's always a fun ride home :)  I love what Brigham Young said.  Sometimes I don't feel like I am doing much, but I know I am.  Mission life is just awkward all the time, haha, but we always have a lot to learn from it.  Things are really going great!  We will have transfers next week... yikes!  So we won't email until Tuesday.  Hopefully we stay together in this area, it's awesome right now.  I am just keeping my focus where it needs to be and it's been a blessing!  I think about you often and I hope everything is going well for you :)  Thank you for your constant support daddy!  You are always in my prayers!  I love you so much!

Love

Michelle

Awesome week

Hello my dear family!

I cannot believe it is Monday again, seriously how does this happen?  Okay, so I say that every week but I really don't understand how... How has your week been?  Sounds like it has been an eventful week in the Warner home, with Bryan getting engaged!! SO awesome!  We had an amazing week here. Seriously I could say that this has probably been the best week of my mission.

I have learned so much this week.  I'm pretty sure the tender mercies were flying through the windows (good luck trying to figure out that analogy, I don't understand it either).  I have the coolest mission in the world, it's fine.  I love being here and I love my bike.  I say that because it is pretty much the joke in our companionship. I hated biking and was so mad when I found out that we were going to be on bikes.  But I literally love it so much! We definitely see the weirdest things on our bikes, but it's great.  I feel like I have so many things to tell you I don't know where to start..... 

I will start with Joseph.  He is getting baptized on Saturday! We have the best and funniest lessons with them, pretty much we are laughing the whole time. He is so excited and we are so excited too.  I really hope that his baptism helps Jackie, I think it will.  He is the sweetest boy ever and everyone already thinks he is a member!  Funniest thing happened this week.  So we have dinners with the members and someone had signed up on the list for Monday. But we literally had no idea who it was, so we called the RS president and still couldn't figure it out because they weren't on the ward list.  So, we just didn't worry about it.  Until we get a call from Jackie, saying, "Sisters, where are you?!!"  We were dying for a number of reasons; we didn't know Jackie's last name and it was just a funny situation.  So we learned what her last name is, haha.

So we have been teaching the English class for the last two weeks and I literally cannot tell you how amazing it is. Seriously *amazing*. 

Our ward had three investigators at church yesterday from the English class. We are starting to work with a man from the class named Roberto.  He is so cool. He is probably about Dad's age and is just super quiet and so sweet.  We had an activity called "El dia de la Spanidad" on Saturday and he went!  We were able to talk to him about the church and set up a return appointment.  We had a member that stayed with him all during the activity and church.... Hello, I love members like that.  It has been the coolest thing ever to be able to work with these people.  It is bringing in people that I really don't know how we would ever find.  And the class is super fun/funny.



Griffith Zone!

I love my mission......

I had an amazing experience yesterday at church that I want to share.  I was sitting there before Sacrament started when I noticed that a less-active that the sisters had been working with for a while, was up at the table blessing the Sacrament.  And then I turned to my left and saw a less active that we have been working with.  And then I turned around and saw the 3 people from English class.  I truly don't know if I have felt the spirit so strong on my mission before.  I can feel it right now as I describe this.  I love what I do.  I love this so much.  We are changing others through this beautiful Gospel.  We are bringing others closer to Christ, to feel of this sweet joy that we have.  As I sat there, I knew without a doubt in my mind that I was supposed to be here.  That there are people that I am going to work with that will change my life forever.  I love what I do, and I love being here.  It is hard and the days go up and down, but somehow through the craziness of missionary work, I have never felt more content.  I just feel blessed to be here and work with these humble people.  I feel so humbled.  I am not the same Michelle that I was six months ago and I am grateful for that.  I am truly becoming. This is amazing!  I have a few experiences to share with you that I will send in a letter, but I am happy.  

Home sounds great, but not as great as it is here ;)  I have been thinking a lot about my cousin, Erick, lately -- tell him that I love him.  I remember how when I was little, I prayed for him every day on his mission to Peru!  I hope he is doing well.  I love my companion, she is amazing!  We have grown and learned so much together, it's so cool.  Let me know if there is anything I can do for you!  Have fun planning for your trip, mom, and enjoy yourself!  I love you so much, mom and dad! 

Love,
Hna Michelle