I'll be HOME for Christmas (12/22)

...No, really. Sorry everyone, especially my family, this is my home right now, and I can't imagine being anywhere else this Christmas. This morning Hermana Norton and I planned our "Christmas lesson" that we will be giving everyone over the next few days, and I am so excited. I love talking about the Savior - his birth, life, and death, as that really is everything to me.

This week has been incredible, with so many Christmas miracles. We are in a difficult situation with all the work we have, but the Lord is truly blessing us and guiding us with his hand. I feel like I haven't even had time to breathe, or get organized after the move, but there is just so much to do! I love it though - less time to think about things that don't matter, and focus on what's really important.

One of my favorite things about missionary work, and the gospel of Jesus Christ in general is the power that it has to change us. It is so incredible to watch as people learn about our Savior, and on their own want to make changes in their lives to become more like him. We had two incredible experiences as our investigators showed their willingness to be "humble followers of God and the Lamb." (Helaman 6:5)

First, Bernice, our investigator that has read everything that we have given her! She finished the Book of Mormon in two weeks, and recently completed Gospel Principles and Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith. We're "stalling" her with a few Liahona magazines for a few days until we can get our hands on a few other things.

The other day we went over for our lesson and she started asking us questions about the Word of Wisdom, something she had learned about from Gospel Principles. She basically asked "What's this about you not drinking coffee?" We explained the principle and the eternal laws that God has given us to protect our bodies. Without any further questions she said, "Well, I had a cup of coffee this morning. I guess that was my last!" Incredible. It has been so clear that as she is studying the doctrine of Christ the Lord has poured out his spirit upon her (Helaman 6:36) and filled her with the desire to follow him.

We have also been working closely with Heidi for the past month or so, and she and her two sons have come to Church every week since we started teaching them. Heidi told us that this Sunday after Church she had a discussion with them about some of the music they were listening to and movies they were watching, and how maybe they needed to reevaluate some of their media choices. She admitted that six months ago that never would have crossed her mind, but we pointed out that now she has the spirit working in her life, and as she comes closer to Christ she wants to eliminate the things in her life that may be distractions from the peace and joy He brings. This is a natural process, and although we never asked her to do or think about any of those things specifically, she has an innate desire to what it takes to be closer to the Savior.

This special time of year is the perfect opportunity for us to focus on the Savior and eliminate the things in our life that prevent us from having Him at the center of our lives and homes. We always talk about the "true meaning of Christmas" of course, the birth of our Savior Jesus Christ. But this year, really let the true meaning also be the most important meaning. Unlike the inn keeper, let Him in to your homes, and let him be the center - just as the Christ child is the center of each nativity display. I know that if you do these things throughout this season, and into the new year, that you will be strengthened as the Lord pours out his spirit upon you. I testify that Jesus is the Christ, the King of Kings, Lord of Lords, the only true Peacemaker, our Savior and Redeemer. In his Sacred Name, Amen.

Merry Christmas

LOVE

Hermana Richelle Ouellette

In the Lord's Hands (12/15)

I don't know if you have ever had to move everything you own out of your apartment in an hour, but it is NOT fun! Transfers were today, and although we have known since Monday that I was staying in the area and Hermana Johnson was leaving (as well as Sister Stringham - she's home now! Crazy!) we assumed that meant no additional changes. However, yesterday afternoon we found out that we would be moving out of our apartment and into a member's home. That also meant that they would be splitting our areas and putting Elders in after the last four weeks that the Sister's have spent getting to know everything there, based on the assumption that we would be here until March. I was not happy. But, President Howes made a few last minute changes (based on the quiet whisperings of the spirit), and things have worked out more perfectly than I could have planned (I guess that's why we rely on the Lord!)

I can't even begin to detail everything that has happened with this transfer, especially in the past two days. Things have been absolutely crazy stressful since Sunday trying to figure out what was going on, and what was going to happen. Suffice it to say the Lord answers prayers, above and beyond anything that I could EVER imagine. Once again I've been proven to that the Lord is mindful of our needs and the needs of all His children and He will not let us fail. Our mission president said it well today during our transfer meeting... He told us it is a miracle how well things work out every transfer the way they are supposed to, because the Lord will NOT let us fail.

So anyway, my new companion is Hermana Norton, from Colorado. She is way cool, and I am excited to work with her. I am also excited to continue working with the people we have in BOTH the English and Spanish areas. I LOVE these people - they are all so different, and yet, each so wonderful.

Not much time this week to tell you more, but the work is still moving along great, and I still love all of you at home. Hope you are having a joyful holiday season.

Love,

Hermana Richelle Ouellette

Gifts (12/8)

It's Christmastime! There are lights up everywhere and I love it! My favorite part is when people decorate the palm trees in their yards... definitely not something I'm used to! We've joined in on the spirit - our Christmas tree is up, we have lights around our front porch... AND even a strand of lights in our car! We wanted to frost the car windows with snow paint, but it seemed like a little much (and we're pretty sure the fleet coordinator would feel the same). Along with our never-ending Christmas music, we are really getting into the holiday spirit!

We had a chance to go see the lights at the Mesa Temple on Friday. (See picture) They are beautiful! We brought an investigator family with six little kids there and they LOVED it, of course!

I also had the sweet opportunity this week to go with Sister Stringham to contact a referral we had received for a deaf lady, Diana. Sister Stringham wasn't called to an ASL mission, but she has studied it since high school, and wants it to be part of her career... so basically she is really good.

When she opened the door Diana tried to tell us that she is deaf, and it was so cool to see her face change as Sister Stringham immediately began signing. She invited us in and of course I couldn't do much, but I was so touched to watch them communicate with each other. I could tell that it meant a lot for Diana to have someone come into her home and speak with her.

I was praying for Sister Stringham the whole time, and after we left she told me she was rusty at first, but as she began to talk about gospel things she was amazed at her fluency. It is just another testimony to me that the Lord will provide spiritual gifts in our times of need in order to bless His children. In this case the gift of... hands?

I guess I take it for granted sometimes that I am able to speak Spanish and communicate with people who would not be able to hear/understand the message of the restoration of the gospel in English. It really is powerful to know that the Lord has blessed me with this talent and invested so much in me so that I can share the gospel with His Spanish speaking children. I have seen over and over again the reality of the gift of tongues, as well as the other gifts of the spirit - the gift of faith, the gift of testimony, of knowing that Jesus is the Christ. I know that these gifts have blessed not only my life, but the lives of many around me.

In this time of gift-giving, take a moment to reflect ont the spiritual gifts our Heavenly Father has given to you, and how you can use them to benefit His children.

Happy Gifting!

Love,

Hermana Richelle Ouellette

Give Thanks (12/1)

It's December already! How did that happen?! It's been fun seeing everyone get prepared for the holiday season, and knowing that I don't have to stress out about any of it! People are really big into decorating their yards here... probably since they don't have any snow to do the job! This will be my first winter without seeing any snow.... weird! Although, I can't complain!

Thanksgiving was fun! Our P-day was switched from Wednesday to Thursday so we didn't have to worry about spending too long at members' houses or multiple dinners... which we did have. Hermana Johnson and I actually only had two meals set up (one lunch, one dinner) - makes sense, but then we inherited two more dinners with our third companion. Fortunately we got out without eating too much (I've mastered the art of refusing food on my mission!), and we've been working out a lot (see picture :) above) so no damage was done!

I hope all of you had a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday and took the time to talk about all the things you are thankful for. I loved President Monson's general conference talk about having an "attitude of gratitude" (thanks, Mom, for those Brite Music tapes as a child... all I could think about was "when you have a gratitude attitude"...!). We are commanded to give the Lord thanks in all things (2 Ne. 9:52), and really that should be a constant activity.

When Elder Scott came to Show Low (September) he was asked what it is that keeps him awake at night and his answer was that members of the church are not grateful enough for the blessings of the gospel. We are truly so blessed to have a knowledge of the restored gospel and we have to do everything within our power to grasp the significance of the blessings.

On Monday we had a Family Home Evening with an investigator family and their member neighbors and we talked about prophets, as well as President Monson's recent advice on gratitude. Even our eight year old investigator, Alec, knew that we need to show gratitude to our Father in Heaven by following Him. It is the least we can do for all that we have been given.

I love gospel! And I am SO grateful that I can share it with others all day every day! It is so special to see the powerful influence for good that these truths can have in people's lives. We had an awesome experience this week with another investigator, Bernice. She has read about half the Book of Mormon in a week, and loves it! She has a thorough knowledge of the Bible and she told us she always thought there is no way she would be involved with Mormons or "the blue book". The Book of Mormon has brought about a change of heart within her, and she, like many millions of others, is feeling herself coming closer to Christ through His gospel. I am thankful for the Book of Mormon, and for Christ's church, which has been restored in its fullness today!

May your gratitude continue through this holiday season.

Love,

Hermana Richelle Ouellette

PICTURES

TOP:"Disasters - First Response" - This should be a missionary truck!

BOTTOM: We found this epic pink track suit at a ward clothing exchange, and I HAD to wear it the next morning to the gym.

Don't Give Up! (11/4)

Where to start? I haven't written in two weeks, and SO much has happened in that amount of time! I guess I'll give you a quick run down of the highlights.

Transfers
Lame. I was really upset, and I don't feel like my work was finished in Show Low... 6 weeks is not long enough to be in an area! I LOVE the people there and am really going to miss, them, but there is a possibility I could end up back there before my mission is over. I am now in Gilbert - back in the valley, and I must admit this is the perfect time of year to return... went from 32 degree weather to 80s in less than 3 hours. My new companion is Hermana Johnson, and the best part is this is the area Hermana Wilkins just left so I get to follow in her footsteps. As I said, I wasn't thrilled with the change, but I'm excited to make the most of it!

Halloween Extravaganzas!
This week was FULL of Halloween adventures. It started on Wednesday with our zone Halloween party that I organized (right up my alley!) - most of the missionaries dressed up and we had some "gross" finger foods and played volleyball.
The people of Show Low voted for Saturday night to be the official night for trick-or-treating... we were going to go "tract-or-treating" but our mission president put us on lockdown for Saturday and Sunday night. Those of us who didn't have appointments went to the church for our lockdown party. We had an appointment Saturday night so we missed out on the Elders' capture the flag game, but Sunday we went to the stake center with our district and ended up forming a quartet singing group. We sang hymns for an our (cheesy, I know!) but we sounded awesome!
To wrap up our celebrations we had our branch Halloween/Dia de los muertos family home evening at the church on Monday night. Unfortunately it turned into more of party than an FHE, but we had fun! And we had investigators there who very much enjoyed themselves. Hermana Jones and I also dressed up for this one... well, as much as we could with missionary attire... I wore a metallic silver shirt and a purple wig, and she pretty much had all red on with a tall red Cat in the Hat style hat. I want to show you all pictures but this computer I'm at won't let me load my camera :/

Pranks
The Elders put a TARANTULA in our apartment! A living, breathing, out in the open tarantula! Ridiculous! We did not know how to retaliate without getting sent home, so things have mostly died down, although we formed an alliance with a member in one of their wards should something need to happen in the future. Unfortunately I won't be there, but I'm sure I'll still hear about it.

Missionary work
Oh yeah, that one thing I'm out here to do! I LOVE it, and even though it hasn't been my focus on the things I've shared with you I promise it is my focus EVERY single day. I love the people we work with, and we've had several awesome lessons recently - one with a man named Oliverio and another with Lourdes. I love being able to answer people's real questions and help them come closer to Christ. The spirit in these lessons is incredible.
Obviously being in a new area will mean a new teaching pool, but I'm excited to find those people that have been prepared for me and are ready to receive the gospel at this time.

This transfer has been amazing, and even though there have been PLENTY of hard times and struggles, I have learned SO much. As I look back over the past years its so interesting to see how much more I have learned in the times that are more trying... that's when I can see the biggest personal growth.

Hermana Jones and I gave talks in our branch on Sunday, and that's basically what mine was about. I think if I were to put a title on it it would be "Don't Give Up". I talked about how our reaction to our trials basically determines our destiny. The question isn't when we will receive trials, but how we will react to them when they come. I gave three examples of people's whose decisions have impacted our lives - Nephi, Joseph Smith, and most importantly the Savior. If these men had decided to give up we would not have the Book of Mormon, the restored gospel and the blessings it brings, including temples. And, most importantly if the Savior had given up after all his persecution, or even after Gethsemane we would not be able to enjoy the infinite effects of the atonement. It is that same atonement that empowers us to continue forward when times get tough.

I know that the Lord will bless us in our righteous desires, and that sometimes we have to go through the refiners fire. But, as Elder Hallstrom said "Never let and earthly circumstance disable you spiritually." I think this simple piece of advice is critical, especially when we put our lives and our trials in the eternal perspective. Don't give up!

Love & Hugs,

Hermana Richelle Ouellette

Halloween Pictures (10/27)

These are photos that Richelle sent home the week after Halloween....the top one is a Ward Halloween Party in Show Low, AZ.

Middle one is Richelle's pumpkin creation.

Bottom one, I believe, is the tarantula that the Elders put in their apartment as revenge for the pink bike attack (see previous blog November 4)

Thanks to ALL for your love and support of our missionary

Mom Ouellette

BIG Changes (11/24)

This week has been interesting, to say the least. It all started with a voicemail from Sister Stringham, another sister in our zone, last Wednesday night that basically just said "Hello Companions!" We called her back and found out that she wasn't kidding... she is our new companion in the power trio. (We have also been dubbed "Tres Amigas" and "Charlie's Angel's" among other things.) There was a sister in another area that got sick and had to go home, so some rearranging was done and they combined our area with Sister Stringham's. With that we had a "corporate acquisition" (that's what our District Leader called it) of 5 new wards! This week has been exciting, stressful, hilarious, frustrating, and so much more as we try to figure out how to make things work.

Saturday night we had a baptism in the Spanish branch for Angel, probably the biggest, non-Mexican-looking-Mexican you have ever seen (not obese or anything - just football player big - see picture :). It was kind of an ordeal getting a baptismal suit for him, since the largest one we had in the building was too small! Panic Mode!

Fortunately, we have another companion (who was on exchanges with a member at the time). We called her and she picked up a much larger suit at one of her stake buildings. It worked, the baptism went well, and afterwards we took the extra suit home to wash it so we could return it to the other building. I threw it in the washing machine right as we walked in the door, and we started our nightly planning session. After we were done I took it out of the washing machine and we all kind of freaked out when we realized that it was now BLUE! We thought it might have been the detergent at first, but checked the washing machine and found the culprit: a blue sheet that has been left in there to spoil the load.

We did the only thing we could think of and re-started the washing machine, this time with some bleach in the water. We were relieved that our plan worked, because I don't think the person in charge of the baptisms would have been very pleased with us returning a 5X blue baptism jumpsuit.

It was a miracle of forgiveness! Just like when we made a mistake we were able to correct it with bleach, our spiritual mistakes can be corrected by something far more powerful than any chemical. Sometimes we are involved in things that leave stains in our lives, or even completely change our colors. As we apply the atonement in our life we can be made pure and clean no matter what... there is NO stain that Christ's atonement can not wash away. I paraphrase the words of Isaiah... "though your sins be as turquoise, they shall be as white as snow" (Isaiah 1:18).

True repentance is a complete change, and sometimes those set-in stains take a lot of work and will power, but it is possible as we rely on the Savior. As we focus on His life and Atonement (especially this holiday season) I know that our true colors will shine through as we rid ourselves of our stains and sins in our past. The future is bright... especially when we look into the eternities!

Hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving weekend with family and friends. Our goal for tomorrow is to eat as LITTLE as possible with the 5 or so dinners we'll be making an appearance at. I'll be thinking of you!

Love,

Hermana Richelle Ouellette