I love being a missionary!

It's been another week! I can't even believe it. I am loving missionary life more than ever. Especially after Christmas! This past week was a little slow as far as teaching goes, so we're hoping it will pick back up this next week. Our sweet investigator Osi is incredible. Still have nooo idea where she came from.. SUCH a blessing. In our lesson on Tuesday, she said that she would hate for Christ to come again and for Him to tell her that she's been doing it wrong this whole time. She said she wants more than anything to be following Jesus Christ and the commandments. Like I said before, she's golden. We challenged her to keep reading the Book of Mormon and to pray about it and she seems more than willing! It's the best when people keep their commitments!!!

I'm learning more and more of just how much Heavenly Father loves His children! Since being on my mission (a whole month this week! woohoooo!) I feel like I've had a brand new set of eyes. I now look at people who I probably wouldn't have even taken the time to get to know a month ago, and I can see their true potential. I love being able to see people the way God does. Everyone deserves to feel loved. Especially from Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. It's so sad to think that a lot of people don't know how truly loved they are.

In the YSA, most of the members are the only ones in their family. It's heartbreaking when you see someone who is SO excited about being baptized and their family just disowns them and believes they're "brainwashed" but these YSA folk are SO incredibly strong. They handle all of these trials like nobody's business. It's the best seeing them have the support they need from everyone else in church and at the activities. I love going to FHE and all of the other fun things they do on a weekly basis. Everyone here is so nice! For Christmas, (keep in mind, these are poor college students), two of our YSA gave us presents! A Winnipeg Jet's Tshirt and an adorable scarf. These people are so thoughtful. It's been the best spending Christmas here. These people are my family now! I love it!

Fun Facts for the week:

1. When you're walking outside, as much as you think there is something in your nose.. there isn't. It's just your nose hairs freezing.

2. Negative 24 isn't that bad, until you've only been tracting for maybe 12 minutes, and you can't feel your legs. Gotta love dresses.

3. Children here wear snowpants alllll winter long. It's the best.

4. You'd think people would be nice and let you in their house because it's so cold outside, but instead, they just remind you of how cold it is and begin to tell you that you're crazy for being outside. Then, the door closes. Next house please.

I love being a missionary in Winnipeg. I feel like Elsa's ice castle isn't even as cold as this place. "the cold never bothered me anyway" is still my motto! I'm still sooo happy I'm here and not somewhere scorching hot. Love me some slippery sidewalks.

I love my Savior and I know He lives! I've realized more and more just how much He loves us. Heavenly Father has a plan for each of us and even though we may have nooo idea what that plan entails, it's worth the leap of faith! I hope you all have a fantastic week!

All my love, Sister Stevenett

merry christmas... love, the sisters

plugging in our car

twinner ornaments for twinner companions

No dining room table = floor eating!

Winnipeg

EVERYONE!

I'm here! I made it to the lovely kind of ghetto town of Winnipeg on Monday night! We spent the night in the mission home and then the next day... met our new companions! My adorable trainer is Sister Brimhall. She's from Mesa Arizona and guess what.. she's a red head.. and pretty much my twin (sorry Nattles) haha. We are SO similar it's getting to be kind of bizarre. I have been serving in the Winnipeg South Zone in the Young Single Adult ward!!!! So if I refer to the YSA, that's what I'm meaning. Goodness. I couldn't have asked for a better area or companion! This past week has been absolutely incredible! Everyone in our ward is 18-30 years old.. so I'm totally in my element. It's a blast! Sometimes I'm having so much fun that I need to remind myself that I'm a missionary.. haha.

Almost everyone in our ward is Philipino. It's the best. Until you get them mixed up and chew out the wrong people for telling me their name was something it wasn't! Turns out Philipino's make the BEST food. Definitely my new favorite. Spring rolls, home made meat balls with who knows what kind of meat.. and the best ever... Balute. Or Baloot? I don't know.. pretty much it's a dead baby/fetus duck. Yep. You eat it.. feathers and all. I haven't yet tried it, but I believe that's my "welcome to Winnipeg" slash Christmas Present from a girl in YSA. YUM. I'll let you know how that goes.. you know me and tiny animals that freak me out.. it should be fun.

Everyone here is SO nice. Like insanely nice. What's wrong with Americans and their rudeness? Ya'll need to move to Canada. This is where the happy people are! Sis. Brimhall and I have gone tracting a few times and I really am starting to love it! It's so fun seeing how much information you can cram into someone's mind before they close the door haha. We haven't been invited in yet.. but we're working on it! Last night we got a media referral. So, we went to check it out like normal missionaries would do. We get to the door (her name is Osi and she's from Nigeria) and she lets us right on in! Once we got inside she was all "so.. wait. who did you say you were!?" haha I think it's just her culture to let strangers in?? And boy were we grateful! We asked her a little bit about what she knew about Mormons and if she knew why we were there. She said her aunt who lives in the states, (that's what they call it here.. the states) is Mormon and has wanted her to meet with missionaries forever. SO. (here's where the miracle begins) she told us that she knows all about Joseph Smith and the Restoration and that she TOTALLY believes in it!!! Pretty sure our jaws hit the floor. But, she said she is so dedicated to her church because she's a teacher there and she can't just "abandon ship" hahaha. But no worries.. we can for sure work with that. I mean, she already believes in the Restoration! That's usually the hardest part! AH. We were floating on cloud nine for a good while after our visit with her. She agreed to let us come back on Tuesday so we're sooo excited to teach her. Seriously this girl is golden. So solid. She will be baptized. I can just feel it! AH. I LOVE CANADA.

Anyways, if you can't tell already, I'm SO happy here! The work is progressing.. slowly, but surely. And now that Sister Brimhall and I are together (I mean ginger power.. come on!) No one can say no to us! We're on fire! and I'm not meaning just our hair! It's SO great. It hasn't been cold at all! Which has been nice.. but I can sense a storm coming! We'll see!

Since Christmas is this week, I want to challenge you all to say a prayer as a family before you dive into all of those presents and just pray for thanks. Tell Heavenly Father how incredibly grateful you are for all that you have. We truly are SO blessed. This gospel is the greatest blessing! Even though I haven't even been a missionary for month yet, I am feeling and witnessing the blessings of having the Restored gospel of Jesus Christ. It's real. I am so grateful that Heavenly Father allowed His Beloved Son to come to earth and Atone for the sins of mankind. My favorite scripture right now is Alma 31: 34-35 "O Lord, wilt thou grant unto us that we may have success in bringing them again unto thee in Christ. Behold, O Lord, their souls are precious, and many of them are our brethren; therefore, give unto us, O Lord, power and wisdom that we may bring these, our brethren, again unto thee." That is indeed the purpose of missionary work. Bringing souls unto Christ. But we as missionaries can't do it alone! We absolutely need members help! You have no idea how powerful your testimonies are and how much others need them. Never be afraid to open your mouth and to share what you know to be true. I just want to extend another challenge that you will work on being fully converted to the Gospel. It's not enough to just have a testimony. True conversion is to be consistent to what we know to be true. Work on that and I promise you will see miracles happening. This work is real... and nothing can stop it from progressing!

I love being a missionary! Thank you SO much for all of the love and support and prayers. It means so much! Keep them coming! Have a great week remembering the birth of our Savior.

All my love,

Sister Stevenett

Making "Kirk's Christmas Cookies" with President Thomas!

Week One (From the MTC)

Hello Everyone! I can't believe I've almost been here for a whole week! Where has the time gone?? There is SO much I want to share with you. 

First off, the MTC is amazing! Everyone here is so uplifting and friendly. My district is probably the coolest one here, just sayin. All 8 of us are either going to Winnipeg, or Lubbock Texas. (The cool ones heading to Winnipeg.. duh) Just kidding! We've probably cried more from laughing than we have from spiritual moments. Not to say that it's not spiritual.. because IT IS, it's just to say that we have lots of fun together.

The first few days here are all a blur! I now understand what missionaries meant when they said you study/sit, then eat, then study/sit, then eat, then lather, rinse, repeat! CRAZY. I'm loving every second of it though. An Elder in my district said it best: "The MTC is so spiritual! It's like they pipe it from the Temple or something!?" hahaha. But really, it's the very best place. Being a missionary really is hard work. 16 hour days.. hard. But luckily the blessings far outweigh the hard days. 

My companion is Sister Simpson, she's from El Paso Texas and she's really funny! We get along quite well :) There is one other companionship in my room. Sister Wray (from Cedar City) and Sister Fry (from Provo). They are all so sweet and we have LOTS of fun. 

The whole investigator thing here at the MTC is really amazing. They get people who could be members, less actives, or not members at all for us to teach. So you never know who you're getting or what their religious status is, but it's an amazing learning experience! The investigator Sister Simpson and I are currently teaching is Devan. She's 19 and lives in Provo with her friends who go to BYU. We had our first lesson with her last night. Our purpose as missionaries is to bring others closer to Christ. We asked her about her religious beliefs and she said "I'm baptist, but I believe that all Christian churches are true. I think it's crazy when Mormons say that they're the only true church..." So we taught her the Restoration and told her about Joseph Smith and how he DIDN'T start our church, but he brought it back to it's original state. We left discouraged because I don't think she was understanding our message. We meet with her tomorrow, so we'll see how it goes! 

I am SO happy to be a missionary. It truly is the best feeling. My testimony has grown so much over the past few days and I am becoming more aware of just how mindful Heavenly Father is of me. Our first day here, the MTC President mentioned one of my FAVORITE quotes. "What E'er Thou Art, Act Well Thy Part" I've only been reading that quote every single time I walk down Quin and Camber's basement stairs! (which is quite often) It may seem insignificant to you, but it made me so happy! There have been several experiences so far that have reassured me that this is exactly where I need to be right now. I am overloaded with information, but the second we go to teach our "investigator" (aka our teachers) I am filled with the spirit and know exactly what to say. This truly is Christ's church. Our first night here we sang "Army of Helaman" and they changed the words at the end a little bit... "And we, ARE NOW the Lord's missionaries, to bring the world His truth!" BEST SONG EVER. I am just so happy to be here... if you can't tell already! 

We were able to watch the First Presidency's Christmas Devotional on Sunday as well as go to the mission conference which was based on Christmas too. Talk about uplifting! WOW. I've gained a whole new perspective of Christmas. One of the counselors in the Presidency here at the MTC mentioned that there are 3 levels of Christmas.

1. The Santa Level (presents, tree, toys, candy)

2. The Silent Night Level (the angel, manger, birth of Christ)

3. The Remembering Christ Level (not just an annual event, but a pattern for our lives)

I absolutely loved that! We need to remember DAILY just how much the birth of Christ means to us. He was the greatest gift Heavenly Father could have given us. The wife of the President stated that this year for Christmas, we as missionaries, get the part of the Angel in the "pageant" because we really do get to express glad tidings of great joy to everyone in our missions! How cool is that?! I'm really excited for Christmas and to be able to share my testimony and love for the Savior with the people of Winnipeg. I may not get a tree, or lights, or ornaments, (although I'm almost positive I will have a white Christmas) I get to be a representative of our Savior, Jesus Christ and that is the BEST Christmas gift of all. 

Thank you SO much for all of the letters, love, and prayers. They mean SO much to me. I'm definitely "that" missionary who gets all the mail... keep it coming! I love you all so much and I hope you are doing just dandy. All is well here in the missionary factory (as I like to call it). I am so grateful for my Savior and His Atonement. I don't think I've ever really understood just how much He loves us until now. His love is real. Even if you feel unworthy of that love, "his hand is outstretched still" I promise you that! If you haven't already, please pray to know of the truthfulness of this gospel. You'll be amazed at how the Holy Ghost will testify to you! 

I hope you all have an amazing week! Please go out of your way to do something kind for someone this week :)

Love, 

Sister Scarlet Stevenett

55 more days

In exactly one month and twenty-three days, I will be a full-time missionary for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints! I can't believe that time is winding down. There is still so much I have to get done, and often I feel very overwhelmed, but I am always reminded of why I chose this. I chose to serve a mission because I want others to be able to experience the joy and peace the gospel brings. 

This past weekend, I had the chance to listen to General Conference. Hearing the words of the General Authorities brought peace to my mind and believe it or not, all of my questions were answered during the conference. If you would like to see what conference is all about, check out this video!

Also, thank you to Kailey Rae Photography for taking my wonderful mission photos! If you ever need a photographer, Kailey is the best there is and I promise you will be very pleased with her work!

 

 

 

so blessed

I have waited for this day for my entire life. The day I could finally go through the temple for the first time. Like most girls, I've dreamed about my wedding day for forever, but more importantly, I longed for the day when I could receive my endowment and make those sacred covenants with The Lord. 

On August 30, 2014 I was able to do so in the Jordan River Temple. The days leading up to the temple, I was super nervous and didn't know what to expect or how I would feel. Well, the day came, and my mom and I headed to the temple earlier than the rest of my family as instructed. Once I walked through those doors, my nerves completely disappeared. I was genuinely happy. The happiest I've been in a long time. I couldn't stop smiling. Those thoughts and feelings I had throughout the whole experience will stay with me forever. This day just testified to me once again, at how real the blessings of the temple are. This gospel is so true and really will make you happier than you've ever been. 

Striving to follow the Savior, will help you recognize The Lord's hand in all that you do. He loves each of us so much that He gave us temples so that if we are worthy, we may be able to feel those sacred promptings and begin to develop a deeper relationship with Him and His Son. I love the temple and I hope to always keep myself worthy to enter into The House of The Lord. 

This song says it all.

Temple Spires: by Jenny Phillips

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tIqfIH5JCfU

I love my mom

My sweet grandparents

So thankful for these two and their support

a place of love and beauty

I can't believe it's been almost a month since I've received my call! Every day I am reminded just how right Winnipeg is for me. I feel like I've known I would be serving in Canada for forever, but it's crazy to think how just a month ago I had absolutely no idea where The Lord would send me. I feared that once the anticipation was over and I knew where I was going, that the excitement would wear off. Well, I've experienced the exact opposite. I am more thrilled now that I can imagine myself in Winnipeg and finally get a glimpse of what I will be dealing with:) 

This past week, I had the opportunity to have lunch with former mission presidents from Winnipeg and they taught me SO much! I know things will probably be a little different considering my mission president will do things his own way, but just to get a gist of what it's like? Incredible. I was so grateful they were kind enough to sit down for a few hours and tell me all about those three years they spent in "the coldest place in the world!" Turns out, the President wouldn't let the missionaries go outside if it was 40 below. THAT'S HOW COLD IT HAD TO BE FOR THEM TO STAY INSIDE. But I mean, 35 below??... you're fine! I couldn't believe it! Meeting them and hearing all of their great stories made me so excited to finally be a missionary! 

At the end of this month, I will have the sacred privilege of going through the temple and receiving my endowment for the first time. To say I'm excited would be an understatement. I've had my temple recommend signed and ready to go for a few weeks now, (now it's just a matter of when all of my family could be there)and I can't believe the difference just obtaining a recommend has made! I now know why the general authorities urge everyone to be worthy of a temple recommend. Even if you're nowhere near a temple, just knowing that you are worthy to be in such a sacred place will bring blessings.

President James E. Faust once said: "I urge all who have not yet received these greatest of all blessings within the walls of the temple to do whatever may be necessary to qualify for them." 

"There, in the house of The Lord, you can learn what you need to know to be truly free. There, tucked away from turmoil and strife, is the chance to be totally unselfish- a rarity in today's world." I am so grateful for the temple and know that the blessings are real. I can't wait for the opportunity to receive my endowment in just a few days. Heavenly Father is just waiting to bless us. Let Him in and you'd be amazed at how much He loves you.

Called to Serve

 [Sunday July 27, 2014]
  
I have been waiting for this day for so long! The day I was FINALLY able to open my mission call. I received my call on Wednesday July 23, but since many of my family members were out of town, I had to wait until today to open it. Lets just say, those five days felt like a lifetime. I thought I would be strong enough to handle it.. but once I opened the envelope halfway, I knew something had to be done. I made my stepdad tape it all up and hide it from me! Best decision I've ever made. You see, this experience in getting a mission call isn't just for me. I am the very first missionary on my moms side and I felt like if I opened it by myself, it would take away from the special experience everyone would have when I opened it in front of those who love and support me most. I couldn't rob them of that. So, I waited. Waiting literally almost killed me. I was constantly having this internal battle with myself by thinking that I should have just opened it when I had the chance! But, that ship had sailed. I made the choice to wait. So that's exactly what I was going to do. 

I'm going to be a missionary!!!

So close to opening it!

4:30 rolls around and people are starting to arrive. My heart was pounding so hard and I really couldn't believe that in a few minutes, I would know where I am supposed to serve. Once my grandpa said the prayer and everyone was settled and ready with their camera phones, I began to open my mission call. I never realized how intimidating it would be simply opening an envelope in front of everyone I loved. The envelope was open, and my call was in hand. I began reading... 

Last chance for guesses!

"Dear Sister Stevenett:

You are hereby called to serve as a missionary of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. You are assigned to labor in the Canada Winnipeg Mission. It is anticipated that you will serve for a period of 18 months. You should report to the Provo Missionary Training Center on Wednesday, December 3, 2014. You will prepare to preach the gospel in the English language."



I can't begin to describe the peace I felt when I read "Canada Winnipeg Mission". I had no doubt that was where I was meant to go. For some reason, I had it in my  mind that Heavenly Father was going to give me the hardest mission with the most insane language imaginable. I was seriously prepared for the worst. It never once crossed my mind that He may send me where I actually want to go and where I can really succeed and be happy with my decision to serve. Don't get me wrong, I know serving a mission will be a struggle, but the fact that I'm speaking english and am in a pretty americanized area, I don't think it will be too bad. :) As for the cold? I'm thrilled. The motto for the Canada Winnipeg Mission is "Many are cold, but few are frozen." I couldn't have said it better myself! I am so excited to serve the people of Canada and I can't wait to see what missionary life has in store for me. 

Sister Stevenett

Grandparents and Mom

Nobody guessed Winnipeg!

I have the most supportive best friends!

**Watch the video of me opening my call here