Crazy Week! March 29, 2016

Man I am so sorry I didn't write yesterday. I was super super sick with the stomach flu.

We have had a pretty good week! I forgot to tell you that is was transfer calls last Saturday but sister Tycksen and I are both staying in Carlsbad! # Hallelujah

We are going to work so hard! And marcos is getting baptized not this Saturday but the next and we are very excited:)

Continue to pray for Lizeth that she will pray about her baptism date and that he mother will support her I her decision.

And we found a new family:) I prayed to Heavenly Father to help us know what the house will look like that will be our next investigator and sister Tycksen prayed and got that we would be finding a family:) and so when we came together we were lead by the spirit that we would find a family in a white house with a big ole tree out side. Crazy. So that day we were picking up trash on the side of the road and a guy came up to us and asked what we were doing. We ended up getting an address and phone number and later that day he wanted us to come share a message with his family:) We pulled up to the house and guess what it looked like. a white house with a big ole tree. The spirit is so real!! They ended up having something come up but we set an appointment for another time:) We found our family:)

This easter was so fun to teach about the resurrection of the savior! Sister T's mom sent her a bunch of easter stuff to give out. So we did easter egg hunts for members, less-actives, the new family we found, and potential inv. It was so much fun!:) It truly just brought the Spirit of easter and what it is truly about:) There were 12 eggs that we hid but one of the was empty to represent the empty tomb. It was super cute:)

Mosiah 2:17

"As we learn, we come to know, and as we come to know, we come to do, and that is our purpose- to serve our Heavenly Father and help others along the way"- Thomas s. Monson

Have a great General Conference!

Love to all, 

Rachel

This is adorable Maria who takes such good care of us. She has beautiful green eyes!

Dad check out one of our member's truck:) This is what I'm gettin' when I get home. right?

Had dinner with Tanya Miller family.  Cute kids!!

Brother and Sister Porter

3/21/2016 Happy Easter!

Thank you so much for all the Birthday wishes! Y'all are awesome!

So Lizeth didn't feel ready to get baptized this week so we have to push her baptismal date back:/ but she is awesome!  She comes to church, studies the Book of Mormon and prays. She knows these things are true. Her mother is what is holding her back. Her mother is willing to listen but she just has lots of questions and is being difficult. Just pray that her mother will be supportive:)

We also have Marcos who we are teaching and his wife is a member. He is going to get baptized It's just a question of when?

We had 2 inv in the spanish branch, not counting Joe who comes and pays his tithing but doesn't want to get baptized. Ya I don't understand either. We've tried. We are his 6th set of missionaries. He just needs some time:)

We need to get working on the English ward but there is just so much going on in the Spanish Branch! We are working with a lot of less-actives which is awesome!

Hope y'all have an amazing week! and a Happy Easter!

Followhim.mormon.org #Hallelujah 

Please watch the easter video the church has but it out! We love sharing it with our inv. and less-actives and members!

Tenga una buena Dia en doming and celebrar el resurrecion de Jesucristo!

Chao and Love you ALL,

Hermana Russell

From Sister Tyckson's letter home:

We had an investigator drop us Monday night. :( It was really sad,) but Sister Russell and I had both been feeling like it was going to happen. He wouldn't keep his commitments and so he just wasn't progressing. She was pretty disheartened that night. She had so much hope for him.

The next morning, I felt motivation to do the work like never before. I strongly felt like we were going to find a new investigator that day. During companion study, Sister Russell shared with me an experience she had during personal study: she was praying about finding new investigators and she saw this house in her mind. It was white and it had a big tree out front. We laughed about it and were like "wouldn't that be crazy if...?"  So we went on our way. We were picking up trash in a field near our apartment when this guy (probably in his late 30s-40s) pulls over and asks us what we're doing. We said "We're picking up trash! We're missionaries and we love to do service." He pulled into a parking lot nearby and we got to talk to him for a little bit. He told us about his family and how they attended church and three of them had just been baptized. We asked if we could come share a message later that day, he said sure. So, we go to the street and we're walking down, talking to people, and I see a white house with a tree out front. We look up his address, and sure enough, it's his house. We were thunderstruck. We met his wife and two of his kids, but we haven't been able to share a message quite yet. I was amazed. Faith and obedience truly work wonders.

Had fun on the McCutcheon Ranch feeding baby calf with Sister McCutcheon's grandson

We made green jello for the St Patty's relief society get together:)

3/20/2016 Provo Temple Dedication

The Provo Temple was dedicated today!

Elder Ballard encouraged all the youth in the dedication audience to follow what President Monson has asked, “to keep your sights on the temple”.  He said with the latter-days having the most valiant and strong spirits to prepare for the second coming of Christ, temples and our worship there is very important - especially with this generation of youth.  

Elder Oaks conducted and gave the dedicatory prayer which was very profound!  We did the Hosanna Shout and we sang, “The Spirit of God Like a Fire is Burning”.  The choir that sang for the session also sang the “Hosanna Anthem” as well at the end.  Something learned this morning from Elder Oaks, is that the “Hosanna Anthem” was first sang at the dedicatory session of the Salt Lake Temple.  And, “The Spirit of God Like a Fire is Burning” was sang for the first time at the Kirkland Temple dedication.  So, when we sang both songs today at a dedication of the Provo City Center Temple dedication, we are connecting all three temples together symbolically – Kirkland, Salt Lake, Provo CC which had been the tradition since the SL Temple. 

3/19/2016 Happy Birthday Rachel!!!!!

Sister McCutcheon took her to dinner!

With birthday wishes -- she had her very own gluten free cake!  Thank you Sister McCutcheon!  This is the third time she has made it!  It's become a favorite!

Another cake!  Ahhh Fruit! I love it! Make a Wish!

Twenty candles is a Lot!

Cake made by Sister  Ivonne Rosales!!  Beautiful fruit cut into flowers! Gah!  That's talent. Thank you Sister Rosales! 

Blow out the candles

It took some effort this year -- there are Twenty!

Best Birthday wishes and hugs from Sydney and Aiko!

Birthday Week!!! March 14, 2016

K, so I almost forgot it was my birthday this week. There is still so much to do in the Carlsbad area!

Lizeth has a baptismal date for the 26th of March! We are so excited for her:) She only speaks Spanish and she is just the cutest thing. We go to the Gospel Principles class in the Spanish branch which is fun but it sometimes is hard because its all in Spanish:)

We also worked with one of our New investigators. He is not quite interested but hopefully while reading the BoM and praying he will gradually gain a testimony and interest.

Well sorry this is short! Don't have much time today. Have a great week!

Followhim.mormon.org

-- 

Chao and Love you ALL,

Hermana Russell

We needed a little stress reliever so sister Mogged let us use her message chair:)! Felt sooo good.

This is how Sister Russell spent her P-Day Monday...feeding calves, doing laundry and getting a haircut!  At the McCutcheon farm

March 12, 2016 package from Rachel!

These two cute ladies just dropped by from Carlsbad, New Mexico!!  Tanya Miller (right) and her sister Jeana Norton are here for a homeschooling conference and brought Sister Russell's coat, boots, mission journals, and gifts Rachel has received on her mission.  Saved Rachel a ton on shipping!!  Sister Russell and Sister Tyckson are teaching the baptism prep class to Jeana's 8 year old daughter Allie.  And Tanya has been out on splits with the sister missionaries.  We appreciate them sooo much!  They took back a box of birthday surprises for Rachel to open just in time for her birthday!

Repentence=Change! March 7, 2016

So it was kind of slow this week because we had Zone Training and Exchanges and Sister Tycksen was sick for 2 days and We went to the Temple.

But we are super pumped for this week Because Sis. T is doing much better and we have lots of people to see!

So Joe kind of dropped us because he feels he has already been baptized by someone holding the priesthood. Even though 6 missionaries explained to him about the apostasy and restoration. He says he will continue to pray and when he receives an answer that this is the only church with the proper authority then he will get baptized. In the meantime he is still going to attend church and pay his tithing.

We were able to stop by Sean who is still in a lot of pain and he received a blessing and was grateful. He still is praying about his baptismal date and trying to live the Word of Wisdom.

We still need to meet with the other people we are working with!

We had 2 less-actives come to the English ward which was exciting! One of them brought their non-member husbands as well:)

In the Spanish branch we had 3 investigators come. It was so awesome! Liseth is one and she is 18 years old with a 2 year old little boy:) He is adorable and we are so excited to teach her and prepare her to be baptized!! She only speaks Spanish and she thought church was different but good. There is another investigator who is going to take a little more work but at least he came to church:)

Focus of this week: Teach Repentance!!

Love the Scripture 3 nephi 27:19

The reason why we repent is to one day enter into the presence of our loving heavenly Father:) So pumped!

Have an amazing week! Love Y'all!

Rachel

Our Zone:)

Big Buddah

Sis Heaps would love to see an Armadillo before she goes home -- a LIVE one.