March 15, 2015

Mother,

Well hello! Another week is down.... and I have 9 more to go!! woot woot! I figure if I live in denial long enough it'll eventually become reality. :) We'll see how it goes!

Well start planning our spring break adventure! journey up to Camie? maybe shopping for clothes? or finding sister terry a job. cause she needs one. I got your last letter. I'm glad a still have a scholarship! miracles do happen! so I have to sign up April 2nd for classes? ahhh future. It's hurting my brain. haha

for p-day I am... writing my farewell letter to president and cleaning up and packing. hahaha I'm SOOO lame. Well I was going to go to the mall of america, but because of terrorists that probably won't happen. But we'll see. I live life on the edge.

Man, this ward is just toooo good. I love it so much. It'll be so sad to have to leave. The work is completely taking off. So far Paulina is on track to be baptized march 28th. She's a little nervous but has such a strong testimony of the Book of Mormon despite it all! She just needs to have the courage to do what God is asking her to do. So if she doesn't get baptized then it'll for sure be in April. But we have had some super stellar lessons with her! We had brother Brother Mkwapatira teaching with us, and talked about how he can baptize her, and he bore such a powerful testimony of how he made the decision to be baptized even though he was nervous. Incredible people. Both of them. People from Africa have the strongest faith ever.

Then we visited with a part member family where the mom, and oldest daughter are members, but the 2 kids ages 11 and 9 are not. They are Micronesian. Which aka is SUCH a cool place! We have a lot of Micronesians who live here, and they are some pretty awesome members. Anyway, we visited with them, and some things have happened in their life recently that caused them to be a lot more open about the gospel and want to participate it in. it was incredible. We talked about the plan of salvation and how we can overcome adversity and that our choices have eternal significance. And then we committed them to be baptized and prepare to go the temple. And then they all came to church! It really was sooooo cute. All the other Micronesian's in the church were SO happy to see them. Somehow all of them are related somehow in a very islander way. So they were STOKED for their cousins to be at church for the first time in years. and all of them volunteered to come teaching with us to them. AHH I love these people. Good things are happening here! I'm so sad that I won't be there for their baptism, but Sister Sperry is already ready to take over the area and party haaaaaaard.

oh, last p-day we taught the elders in our district how to tye-dye. haha it was hilarious. You better believe that I am the tye dye CHAMP! now all I need to do is find a pair of white overalls that I can tye dye :) and then I die in peace.

On Sunday it was my last president's fireside! where we go to the mission home and recent converts share their experience of meeting with missionaries and making the decision to be baptized. Oh wow. it's always amazing to hear such strong testimonies come from these members who joined just a few months ago. And they go through such difficulties. Like one lady joined the church in December with her husband. And then he died in January. And she is still valiantly pressing forward to the temple. It such a great reminder of how real this gospel is. It binds up our wounds, heals our hearts and sets our spirits free. And people feel it. I feel so incredibly lucky to have this opportunity to preach the gospel. I wish I had time to write to you every week of all the amazing miracles, or even just one or two I guess... but it's just so overwhelming to see God's hand in literally EVERYTHING we do. Something as small as making a phone call, offering some service, knocking on a door. God is so involved in all of it. I am so lucky to represent his son and make a difference in people's lives. These past 18 months have been such a blessing, and I could never thank my father in heaven enough for everything that I have gained and lost here. We are so lucky to have this gospel, so blessed with this knowledge and the relationships that we can have with God and Jesus Christ because we can know them, truly know them. Ahh too incredible.

Have a great week!

Love, Sister TERRY

Making hearts and eating toast with Sister Sperry

March 8, 2015

Hello MOMMY!
Things are going well. Daylight saving nearly killed me. haha meetings SO early. yikes! But things are great. The weather is warming up and the work is taking off. Ahh I love being a missionary. it's so good.
Sounds like you are keeping busy, better do it all now because in April we will play :) yay! haha and go shopping. and craft. it'll be some good stuff.
Good job on having the missionaries over for dinner. I'm excited to go out teaching with them. It'll be weird to just be a joint teacher, but how exciting that we can continue to share the gospel even when we don't have a badge. :)
sorry this letter is so short. I'm so lame. haha but one day I'll share all my exciting adventures with you!
That's weird that President Forbes wrote you....ahh I can't imagine what he said, but I'm glad that it was good stuff.
I got my "death papers" this week. and I know they emailed you. so now you know that I have a plane ticket and what not. I'll probably send some stuff home soon so I don't have to bring it with me on the plane :) and I'm selling my bike for $50 to one of the sisters in my district who needs one.


love, sister terry

March 2, 2015

M<3M,
HELLO! I can NOT believe that Riker is 18. I'm like 99% sure when i left that he was 12 years old and still watched Fairy odd parents. Now he's an adult and playing video games, and dating. Ahh I'm not ready for the real world.
That's so cool that you have almost made it to the end of the old testament. That is hard stuff to do! But I'm impressed. It's kinda sad to see this repeated pattern happen of God choosing prophets and them being rejected and killed. but then I realize that in the Book of Mormon they do the same thing. We just don't have all the records of all the prophets. but in 3 Nephi it talks about how often they stoned and rejected what the prophets had to say. Silly people. They just don't have the faith to act.
Things with Sister Sperry are good. She's awesome, and has a good sense of humor and likes to work hard. So we have lots of fun and had a lesson this week with a part member family that is living with a grandma that is HILARIOUS. she became a member less that 10 years ago, but she LOVES missionaries. And when we went over there she proceeded to tell us about how she was was constipated for 5 years one time. hahaha it was the best lesson I have EVER HAD. but then the part member family came to church! and they haven't been to church since I've been here. so that was a cool miracle.
Sister Sperry is not a runner. she has arthritis and can't run out in the cold. So we haven't been running really at all. :( but that's okay. I bought some weights and now I'll just get super buff and beat Jeff in a arm wrestling contest.
Gators are doing well! We are teaching a lot of Part member families, and we have an investigator named Paulina that is preparing to get baptized on the 28th. I'm SO excited for her. She's from Nigeria, and is a grandma. She's super smart too, just loves reading from the book of mormon. God is SO good, and we have a lot of work cut out for us!
Hey, is Once Upon a Time still good? SO many people here watch it. I guess I'll find out soon!
SEE you in a month. Stop telling my friends that I come home in April. I've been telling them I come home in June. And they don't believe me.
I love you!
Sister TERRY

February 23, 2015

Hello mummy!
I don't know what you are talking about that I am joking about extending. It's a real thing. I got to finish training my new companion! Surprise! I'm never coming home. Minnesota has adopted me into it's family. That tends to happen quite frequently actually. (She's teasing again, don't worry, she's coming home soon)
So my new companion is Sister Tristan Sperry. She's from Lehi, Utah, graduated in 2012. She likes to camp and play sports. and dance. K.
But anyway, she's the oldest of 3, has 2 brothers. is going to UVU to do nursing. Her dad died last April from cancer so it's really cool to see how strong of a testimony that she has about the plan of salvation. She's a hard worker and loves God, so it'll be really cool to see all the amazing things that will happen in this area in the next 6 weeks!
Sorry I haven't been writing very long of letters. I need to write to you first. by the time I get to you I'm just exhausted from typing and don't have much more to say. haha
But this Sunday was OH so good. We had ward conference. And I am CONVINCED that God places the best of the best stake presidents here in Minnesota. And Pres. Naatjes is no exception. It was so incredible to hear from him, and the way that he can encourage, and support and well as exhort and invite people to change. And it was all focused on the book of mormon. Completely incredible. I love it. I learn so much from these great leaders that are here.
OH! and I finally memorized The living Christ! haha it took me FOREVER, but it finally happened.
Also, some quotes from what I've been studying this week.
"Too many are giving up on the church because they are tired of constantly feeling like they are falling short. They have tried in the past, but they always feel like they are not good enough. They don't understand grace."
"Grace is not the absence of God's high expectation. Grace is the presence of God's power."
"If the foundation of faith is not embedded in our hearts, our capacity to endure will crumble."

Things are going well in Burnsville! as always, the work is on fire! There is so much to do and so little time, but we are trying to be like the Savior and reach out to the one and lift them higher and hopefully I can do what God needs me to in the short amount of time that I have left (6months :)) but I am SO thankful for the opportunity to serve. I am grateful for the chance to impact the lives of my brothers and sisters, and even more for them to impact me. I have been blessed beyond what I deserve to be sent here to such incredible people, to bear Christ's name and represent Him. I feel so honored and blessed.
Love, Sister TERRY

February 16, 2015

Things have been going really well! I hope you are having a great president's day! I have to go soon, so this is a poopy letter. sorry.
Today is transfers. I'm staying in Burnsville and training again so I'll get a new companion on Wednesday.
Sorry I have to go! things are great, I love being a missionary, work on finding a black baby for me, k?! thanks!
This is a pic of the bag I crocheted for sister Neville. 

have a great week! 

love, sister terry

Actually, funny story really quick.
We are working with this Sudanese family that is less active. and we were talking with the kids. They have a daughter who is 12 and a son who is 7 and then a 3 year old. So we ask the girl where her Book of Mormon Stories book is. and her 7 year old brother says that it's in her closet and I ask him how he knows that and he was like, "oh I was sitting in her closet earlier today. and I was like, "why" and he just goes, "well, I was bored!" It was hilarious. but now I'm 99% certain that will be me. I'm not going to have any social after the mish but I'll just sit in your closet and read until you come home :)
I love you!  (Funny thing is that she doesn't know she will be working at a track meet the first two days she is home!  hee hee)

Sisters Terry and Neville

the Mkwaptira's baby boy

Yep, she knitted a tie!

At first I thought the Elder was proposing.  Now I see that it's all Sidney's fault.

Burnsville District

February 9, 2015

MOM.

I am so jealous of your 60 degree days! ahh life is so cold in Minnesota! But on the bright side I shaved my legs the other.... month. So they aren't so hairy anymore.

hmm the food I eat. Well actually there was a guy we talked to the other day. and he was a nutrition major. he told us that the healthiest way to eat is to fast in the morning and eat a big meal at about 3:00. no joke. it's called interminute fasting or something (she means intermittent). Look it up. But I don't do that. I just eat a banana in the morning. or cheerios. and then I eat pb&honey for lunch. or a quesadilla. or potatoes. I eat a lot of potatoes and rice. mostly a lot of rice. it's a staple for Minnesotans and Africans. and sister Neville likes eggs so we eat some of that. and some wraps. or yogurt with granola. I dunno. I just eat food.

Sounds like you've had a good week! I totally know what you mean about agency though. Sometimes I just want to shake these less active people. There are so many people who stopped coming to church just because someone said something mean and they got offended. Sorry, I didn't realize that you joined this church because it was fun. haha these crazy goons. Sometimes we forget the real purpose of things .that we are trying to come closer to our savior and receive his grace. I feel like that's one of the things I focus on a lot when we teach the plan of salvation. God gave us this great gift of being able to choose. And he expects us to. He doesn't want us to be slothful, or be compelled to do everything. We have to make that choice ourselves. And we show our love to God by the choices that we make. Ahh clearly that's a passionate subject for me.

But sites in b-ville! uh... apartments? haha there isn't many sites. in general Minnesota is SO pretty. just so many trees and it's so green! there's a sledding hill somewhere in Burnsville but since we aren't allowed to sled I don't even know where it is. most of the pretty sites and fun adventures are "up north" no joke. Everyone travels up north to do anything. Except maybe ice fish. you can do that anywhere. they aren't joking about the 10000 lakes.

p-day. I like to nap. no. I don't ever do that. right now I'm doing a lot of crocheting or knitting on p-days. or we spend time with the zone. we hang out as a zone a lot. like pretty frequently. So we usually play volleyball. or whatever I tell the zone leaders that I want to do.

um, so I want a baby to be at the airport when I get home. so I can hold him/her.
the Mkwapatira's had their baby on Sunday. we got to go and visit them. AHH too cute. a black baby. my favorite. can you make that happen for me? and I want everyone to wear a doo-rag

I love YOU!

sorry my letters have been lame. I'll talk to you in... a few months (I'm extending my mission for 6 months:) )

love, Sister TERRY

February 1, 2015

Dearest Mom,

How did the superbowl go? I didn't ever realize that it was yesterday until we started knocking on doors and everyone was drunk and busy. haha how lame.

um, so we don't really have much time to email but things are going well! I love being in Burnsville and we are seeing so many incredible miracles everyday! God is So good.

So one of the elders in our ward had to give a talk last week (did I tell you I gave a talk a few weeks ago? haha I still get SO nervous being up there and start shaking so bad. how embarrassing. obviously I am an introvert.)

But anyway, he gave a talk and shared a really cool poem. so I'm going to use the remaining time of emailing to write out this poem to you:


The alarm rings at 6:30, I stumble to my feet
I grab my companion’s bedding and pull off his sheet.
A groan fills the room, "Is it already time to arise?"
It seems like just a second ago I was able to shut my eyes

The morning activities follow - study, prayer, and such
When it's time to leave the apartment you feel you haven't accomplished much.
"We have a super day planned" my comp says with a grin
I slowly utter a faithless breath, "yeah, if anyone lets us in."

With the word of God and my faithful Schwinn, we ride off in the street
prepared to face another day of humidity and heat.
It's 9:30 in the evening; the day is almost through;
my companion and I are riding home, not accomplishing what we thought to do

We ride up to the mailbox, hoping to receive a lot
only to look inside and hear my echo reverberate, "air box"
We got up to our apartment, the day is now complete
the only thing to show our work is a case of blistered feet.

It's past 10:30 pm, my companion is fast asleep,
Silence engulfs me all about and I begin to weep
in the midst of sadness I kneel down to pray;
I need to talk to Father, but I'm not sure what to say.

"Oh Father," I begin "What happen to us today?
I thought we'd teach somebody, but everyone was away.
My hands, my aching hands, worn, hurt and beat
If our area was any smaller, we'd have knocked every street

Why on missions are the days so much alike?
The only difference about today was the flat tire on my bike.
Will you send some cooler weather? The heat is killing me.
I sweat so bad, it gets in my eyes; it's very hard to see

Why do I have to wear a helmet, isn't your protection enough?
people always laugh at me and call me stupid stuff.
Please send us investigators so I may give them what they lack;
I want to give them Books of Mormon; the weight of them hurts my back

And what about my family? They don't have much to say,
I'm sick of not hearing from home, day after day after day.
Oh Father, why am I here, am I just wasting time?
Sometimes I just want to go home, I'm sorry, but that's on my mind.

My companion, Heavenly Father, What are you giving me?
The way he rides his bicycle, I don't think he can see.
Now you have it, I can't go on; I don't know what to do.
That, my Father in Heaven is the prayer I have for you."

My prayer now finished I stand up, then jump right into bed.
I need my rest for tomorrow; we have another long day ahead.
Sleep starts to overtake me, I seem to drift away
Then it seems a vision takes me to another time and another day

I'm standing alone on the hill, the view is very nice.
A man walks towards me and says, "My name is Jesus Christ."
Tears of joy well up inside, I fall down to his feet.
"Arise" he states, "follow me to the shade, you and I need to speak"

My attention's toward the savior, total and complete.
He says, “Your mission is similar of what happened to me.
I understand how you feel, I know what you're going through;
In fact, it would be fair to say I've felt the same as you.”

“I even know how you felt when no one listened to you.
At times I felt not quite sure what else I could do.
I know you don't like to ride a bike, for you a car would be sweet;
Just remember the donkey I rode wasn't equipped with 21 speeds.”

“I understand you don't like sweating, in fact it's something you hate;
I remember when I sweat blood from every pore, oh the agony was great!
I see you don't like your companion- you'd rather have someone else.
I once had a companion named Judah who sold my life for wealth.”

“It's hard to wear a helmet and have people make fun of you.
I remember when they put thorns on my head and called me King of the Jews.
So you feel burdened down by the weight of your pack.
I recall how heavy the cross was when they slammed it on my back.”

“Your hands hurt from tracting and knocking on doors all day.
I guess when they pounded nails into mine, I ached in a similar way
It's hard not to hear from home when your family's not there to see.
I lost communication on the cross and cried, "Father why hast thou forsaken me?"

“We have a lot in common, but there's a difference between us you see;
I endured to the end and finished my mission, so follow and do like me."
He embraced me with his arms, his light filled me with his love
With tears in my eyes I watched as he went back to the Father above.

I stood with awe and wonder when a beep rang in my head.
I listened and heard the alarm, then realized I was in my bed.
My companion let out a groan, "6:30 already, no way!"
I sat up and said, "Come on, I'll carry your scriptures today!"

No matter what we go through, when we feel we can't take any more,
Just stop and think about Jesus Christ, he's been there before.


And that's the end of the poem. I love you and I have a testimony of the restored gospel. I know that the Book of Mormon is the word of God. It is the power unto the salvation of the children of men. And I am so thankful for my savior and redeemer, and most especially the opportunity to represent him.

Love, Sister TERRY