Cupcakes (8/24)

I love the people here! There are so many wonderful hometown folks - members and nonmembers alike, as well as many crazy people that we enjoy for entertainment... is that bad? Anyway, we talked to this sweet old lady the other day, Winnie, who is quite possibly insane, but also very lonely. She didn't want to talk to us at first, but once we got her going, she didn't stop! She told us all about her modeling career back east, and how recently she was looking at greeting cards at Safeway and saw herself on one of the cards... "I'm on an American Greeting!!" Anyway, she continued to detail her life story for us, and we're really not sure how much of it is true, but that's OK! After about 45 minutes we finally broke loose and went to talk to a recent convert in the same apartment complex. Winnie could still see us and called us back saying "I have cupcakes for you girls!" The funny part is that they were completely frozen, but it was so nice that she wanted to do something for us.

Yesterday was a miracle day! We had a meeting in Show Low in the morning, and then came back to Eagar to work for the rest of the day. Our first lesson was with Gary... he was a referral from a member a couple weeks ago, and we knew he was very interested in the church, but we had a hard time setting up an appointment with him because he just started a new job. Anyway, we taught him the Restoration last week and yesterday the Plan of Salvation. He mentioned he was very much looking forward to his baptism so we gave him a baptism date. All of us were excited, and it's awesome to see his understanding of how important that step is.

Then, later that night almost the same thing happened. We met with a young man named Ronnie for the first time (he has met with Sisters in the past, but also had scheduling conflicts because of work). He also mentioned baptism right away, and after we explained the Restoration to him we decided to pick a date for his baptism. Ronnie was adamant that it be as soon as possible, and we certainly weren't going to object. He's been coming to church, and reading the Book of Mormon, so he already really has a testimony; he knows he needs to be baptized and receive the gift of the Holy Ghost (which he's excited for) to continue to progress.

I am so amazed at the way the Lord prepares specific people and puts them in our path. Sometimes I struggle to understand what I'm doing differently in the times when we have less "success" - as far as I can see I'm working just as hard and being just as obedient. We do get blessings for our diligence and obedience, but it isn't only about us. Things happen on the Lord's timing and in His way. As long as we continue to do our part He will eventually bless us with the things we need.

He loves each and every one of His children, and for that reason has given us the gospel. It is amazing to see the effects it has in people's lives each and every day, and I am so grateful to have it in my own. I was studying in Enos this week, and found his experience (really his personal conversion) very interesting. We know that his father, Jacob, had faith that could not be shaken (Jacob 7:5). Enos had been taught by his father, but came to a point in his life that he couldn't rely on his father's testimony anymore. I think that's one of the reasons he went to pray, and did indeed have a testimony building experience where his own faith "began to be unshaken in the Lord" (Enos 1:11).

Each of us, even those who have been raised in the Church, has to have a personal conversion. We must each commune with our Heavenly Father on a personal level and he will grant us faith and a testimony of the truthfulness of the gospel. He will help us embrace the gospel, have a "change of heart", and give us the strength we need to LIVE our testimonies. The gospel of Jesus Christ truly changes lives and I am so grateful to be a part of helping people recognize that.

Thanks for all your support!

Love,

Hermana Ouellette

PICTURE CAPTION - can't see it very well, but these are our frozen cupcakes from Winnie. Also - that's my new companion, Hermana Jones.

Invite to the Party (8-17)

It has only been a couple of days since I last wrote, but it feels like a lot longer. Hermana Jones and I are enjoying working together, and I am loving introducing her to all the people (many of them very crazy) that we know. She is an English major, and wants to write books, so she is getting tons of ideas for characters. We laugh every night as we discuss our daily adventures and interactions with people.

One of our investigators, Mike, has progressed so much recently. Yesterday, he finally admitted that he pretty much knows the church is true... and he should by now... he's reading the Book of Mormon for the second time, and is also almost done with Doctrine & Covenants. Anyway, we have been inviting him to be baptized, but he said he feels he needs to stay at his church, and that maybe God just wants him to be an ally to the LDS Church from the outside. For some reason we can't get him to understand that if this really is the Lord's church, he needs to be a part of it.

We talked about how this is a missionary church and how he can be an ally to it even from within, and can (and should) help people as he says he wants to do. We used several analogies to try to get through to him, and one of them I really like was from a training we had with our mission president, President Howes. We were talking about our purpose as missionaries to "invite others to come unto Christ". I also recently read in 2 Nephi 25:23 how we "labor diligently to... persuade our children, and also our brethren, to believe in Christ..." This is really what we do... all day every day. Anyway, President Howes put it this way:

Imagine you are planning an incredible party but as you start inviting people to it you tell them how awesome it will be, but then say you're actually not going to be there. "You should go to this party, I hear there will be great food and music, but I don't really want to go". How much stronger is the invitation when you say "I am having a party and it's going to be great and I and all my friends will be there so you should come too!!"... much more credible.

Brothers and Sisters, the gospel is the party! And you are all invited! And you are encouraged to invite others, but you have to be willing to come too! We have been called to invite people to the gospel of Jesus Christ but we have to be willing to live it ourselves. Our friends and family around us will have very little desire to accept the gospel, if they can not see that we are excited about it and have received many blessings because of it.

Maybe you are afraid to invite people to the party is because you're not sure of the details... what time it starts, where it's going to be held, etc. I think one of the reasons we are sometimes are hesitant to share the gospel is because we are afraid we don't know enough, or that we won't be able to answer people's questions. But that should not stop you from inviting people... take the opportunity to do what you need to to find out... study, research, ask! I promise the answers are there, and the more we understand, the more excited we become.

The scriptures invite us all the time with "Come unto Him" and we need to invite others to do the same. Hopefully Mike will soon understand this, and I'm sure as we continue to help him resolve his doubts he will want to "come". Make sure you are in the right place to be able to invite others, and I know you will enjoy the party even more :) The closer we are to Christ, the happier we are, and the greater influence we can have to help others come unto Him.

Love you all,

Hermana Richelle Ouellette

PICTURE CAPTION - On the left is Becca, whose parents will not let her "come to the party". She is awesome, and we have had a great time teaching her with lots of her friends (one of them, Holly, is on the right). She is leaving for college this week, but has promised to continue meeting with missionaries there, and I know that when the time is right she will be baptized.

Transfer Week

Sorry for no entry yesterday... it was transfer week again. Sister Emrazian and I weren't planning on transferring, so we were kind of taken by surprise when we found out she was leaving. Tuesday was kind of a commotion day trying to get ready for Wednesday... (like "Saturday is a special day, the day we get ready for Sunday.....") We drove to St. John's Tuesday evening, spent the night there at a member's home, and then left Wednesday morning at 5 am for the valley. It was a looong day of driving, but it was a good one.

So, I have a new companion - Hermana Jones. That means there are two Spanish speaking sister missionaries up here, even though this is not technically a Spanish area. We have hardly any Hispanic investigators or potentials right now, so it's kind of frustrating for me, but apparently with two of us up here there is SOMEONE that we are meant to find and teach.

Fun fact: Sister Jones and I were born in the same hospital. Well, I'm just assuming it's the same one - she's from Renton, Washington, and that's where I was born... how many hospitals can there possible be? Also, her dad works for Boeing, just like mine, so it's fun to have that in common as well!

We met the sweetest family this week, the Torres family, and started teaching them English. They were all so excited to learn (parents and two teenagers - on boy and one girl) and we were really excited to teach them. It was so incredible to me to see how much they value education - so many people in the US take it for granted how much access they have to education. I was so impressed by how precious learning is to the Torres family, and how much it means to them. They were so appreciative of us. We taught them the alphabet, and after teaching, Sis. Emrazian and I sang the "A, B, C" song for them, and they loved it! Apparently they were shopping a few days later and found a doll that sang the alphabet song and bought it so they can remember.

We were planning on transitioning to teaching them the gospel - we had given them a copy of the Book of Mormon, but they have decided to return to Mexico. It's crazy how close we got to them in only a few days. They invited us to Mexico to stay with them after our missions, and when they come back to Eagar in October (we'll see if I'm still here then) we're going to start meeting with them again. Plus, we promised them the missionaries in Mexico will come visit them.

We had a booth at Eagar Daze (I wish I had a picture for you, but it's on Sister Emrazian's camera)... we had literature including free Books of Mormon, and pamphlets, etc. We talked to tons of people (mostly members) but there was one girl from Dallas, TX that came and talked to us and took a Book of Mormon. She was fairly young (teenager) but really seemed interested. She gave us her information so we can send missionaries to her house in Texas.

I'm so grateful for the worldwide organization of the church, and that when we meet someone that lives in another part of the world, we can make sure they still have the opportunity to learn about the gospel. Heavenly Father loves all of His children and wants them all to know of His love. It's so cool to me that there are 50,000+ young men and women doing the same thing I am all over the globe, ensuring that His purpose is fulfilled. The gospel is perfect, and the work will go forth!

Thank you for your love and support,

Hermana Richelle Ouellette

I Believe in Christ

We got to do some more working with cows this week! Last night we were eating dinner with one of our ward mission leaders and his wife (the Penrod's - awesome family!) and he invited us to come over this morning and milk with him. So, we woke up early, got geared up and went over to milk ol' "Bessie" - that's really her name! We had fun (it was Sister Emrazian's first time), and to finish we went in and had home-made granola with fresh milk (from the day before so it would be cold) for breakfast! Last night at dinner we got to try the cheese Sister Penrod had made from the milk, and everything we had was just delicious! I love country life!

I just have a few other funny things I have to mention from this week. Both of them are funny things children have said to us...

Our apartment is right behind a family that has 10 kids, and often when we leave in the morning and walk through their yard there are children out there playing. They are always excited to see us, and say "Hi Sisters!" every time. One boy who is about 2, has started asking us where we are going, and every time we tell him we're going to work. Yesterday as we were leaving he asked us the same question and we gave him the same response and he just said "Again?!" We laughed and responded, "yes again!"... this is what we do all day every day! He told us he is going to be a missionary when he grows up... so I guess some day he'll understand.

The other situation was in a lesson with a less-active family with 3 kids - we were talking about the gospel of Jesus Christ and had taught them the first principles and ordinances with a bottle and a hard boiled egg - you have to get the egg (a person) into the bottle (the kingdom of God) through faith, repentance (peeling the egg), baptism by water (rinsing it off) and by fire (lighting a match and putting it into the bottle which sucks the egg in). Anyway, the kids loved it as they always do, and as we were reviewing the steps at the end of the lesson they answered faith... repentance... and then they got stuck so I started to prompt them with "ba...." and the four year old shouts "BATH PRISON!" Usually I can contain myself when something funny happens in a lesson, but I really just had to laugh for a good minute before I could pull myself together... it didn't help that my companion and the parents were laughing just as hard!

Well, enough of the funny things... onto the spiritual, I had some of those experiences this week too (just a few ;) that I wanted to share with you.

I have been thinking so much about the power of the Atonement, and some things happened on Sunday that make me think, and really helped me to understand some important principles of the Atonement of Jesus Christ.

First of all, in Sacrament Meeting in the Spanish branch there was only one person there (apart from us, the American counselor, and the other English speakers who come as support... but for the sake of the example, ONE). Still the bread and water were still blessed and passed for this one man to partake. I thought about the significance of the Atonement, and how even if there were only one person that had lived on the earth, Christ would have still come to redeem that person's sins.

His love for us is infinite. I have come to love so many people here - our investigators, active and inactive members, and even people I talk to for a few small moments on the street. But the love that I have for each of them does not even compare to that of our Savior's for each of us. It is eternal, all-encompassing and literally incomprehensible.

As missionaries, we work so hard to help people come to understand the idea of His love. As Christ's representatives we become instruments in His hands to do His work on the earth. As such I believe we take upon ourselves some of the characteristics and feelings that he has for His children. I don't think people understand how much we care about them or more importantly how much our Savior cares about them, but the pain that we feel when someone rejects our (His) message is only a fraction of the pain He feels when someone rejects Him.

This is the second thing I learned this week as I thought about all the things we go through to bring the restored gospel to the lives of the people in this area. We labor so diligently all week, teaching, serving, helping, and inviting people closer to Christ. Sometimes, much of our effort is simply focused on the weekly goal of getting our investigators to church on Sunday. Each week it seems we work harder and harder to meet this goal, but again in the end each person has their agency and the decision to act is up to them. At the end of the week, I often feel how I imagine the Savior feels when His own children reject the invitation He offers to "come unto me". It hurts us to see the people who choose not to come (to Church, or more importantly unto Christ), but our suffering is NOTHING compared to His suffering. Having an idea of what He feels makes me want to work even harder to bring souls to Him.

To my family and friends and loved ones: I know that Jesus Christ has suffered infinitely for our sins, our afflictions, our pains, suffering and temptations, but we have to do our part to accept His help. We have to come and take His outstretched hand. The Atonement has already been performed and can be a very real power in our lives if we will only use it.

It is not enough to believe in Christ, but we have to believe Him. We have to follow His example, learn His words, and keep His commandments. I know that as we do these things we come closer to Him and can learn of the power of the Atonement and apply it in our lives; by so doing we are blessed. Believe in Christ, and believe Him.

Love always,

Hermana Richelle Ouellette

Miracles Happen

This week has been full of fun and miracles! A few highlights from this week:
Friday: We got to do some service by prepping bulls (bucking broncos) for the Luna Rodeo... giving them B12 and Dex shots. OK, so we didn't actually get to give them the shots (keep in mind they're bred to buck), but we at least got to fill the syringes.

Saturday: We got to go to the Luna Rodeo! It was great being in proselyting clothes and feeling completely out of place at this back country, small town rodeo. We were doing service there (serving concessions) so we didn't see a whole lot of the actual rodeo, but when the lines slowed down we could catch a few glimpses of mutton bustin', team roping, and bucking. When we got back to Round Valley we got to go to the Pioneer Day Celebration where we and the Elders were judges of the food contest. It was all dutch oven cooking and each ward in the stake had prepared posse stew (Round Valley thing apparently - (cross between beef stew and chili) and cobblers. It was all delicious and very difficult to decide a winner.

Sunday: We fasted today as a district, and this is when our miracles started coming. We received a couple of referrals from the celebration yesterday that we are excited to contact, plus some of the potential investigators we have been trying to teach have warmed up to us, and are prepared to start taking the lessons.

One girl, Alandra, is 13 and lives with her grandmother, who is a inactive member. We first taught Alandra when she sat in at another investigator's home about a month ago. She is so intelligent and spiritual for her age... we watched the Restoration video, and she said that she felt something different. We felt that she had been prepared, and have been trying to get in with her for about the past month. We have met her grandmother several times, but she hasn't been very open to speaking with us. Sunday evening, however, she invited us in and began talking to us about her conversion and what the Church has meant to her... even though she hasn't been active in years, she had nothing bad to say. She has agreed to let Alandra start taking the lessons because she really feels like her granddaughter needs some help right now. We are so excited to start working with both of them.

Sunday evening we found out that Girls Camp for their ward is this week, and our ward mission leader suggested that we try to get Alandra there. It seemed like a long-shot since we would have to make it happen in one day, but somehow we did it... another miracle! Alandra had to take a lot of initiative to make phone calls, ask her grandmother's permission, and get packed in less than 10 hours, but she did it, and we know she's having an awesome experience right now.

On Sunday we were also able to talk to a man named Mike Geisler, who was referred to the missionaries in this area about 6 months ago. They were never able to get in with him because he was so busy, and not really that interested, which is essentially the same thing he told us about two weeks ago. But, when we went back on Sunday, he was totally different and even though he was busy at the time he said we could come back later that night, or sometime during the week. We scheduled an appointment for Tuesday and went over last night with two of his friends that are members and had an awesome, spiritual first lesson. Turns out since the last time we talked to him he has experienced the death of a close friend, and he is finally looking for answers to questions he has had for a long time.

It is interesting to see how important timing was in his situation - a few weeks made all the difference in him being ready to meet with us. We can see that he has been prepared, and we are grateful to know that the plan of salvation offers the answers to the questions he has.

I know the Lord prepares people, and I can see how our prayers have been answered for the Lord to lead us to those who are ready to learn about and accept His Gospel. I know our fast played a part in all this, and that our faith provides miracles. I am so grateful to be receiving the blessings that we are at this time.

As we continue to pray for the things we need, and then do our part through diligence and work, the Lord WILL bless us. Everyday people are being prepared to accept the gospel, and it is up to YOU to find them.

Never cease to pray, and you will see miracles in your life!

Love always,

Hermana Richelle Ouellette

THIS WEEKS PICTURES:
TOP: We got caught in a torrential downpour, but fortunately a member helped us out with a poncho and some trash bags - I got the trash bags :)
MIDDLE:"Welcome to Arizona!" - on the way home from the Luna Rodeo - I figured it was my only chance to ever get a picture (in pros. clothes) of me at the Arizona border.
BOTTOM: Me and a syringe of B12 :)

Now!

First of all, THANK YOU so much for the influx of mail this week, it helped make my birthday super special! Really though, the increase of mail was significant enough for the ladies at the post office to say something about it, and as a missionary, it really means a LOT!

I had a great birthday, and my companion's birthday was the day before mine, so we had lots of fun telling people it was our birthdays... usually it went something like, "Did you know Monday is her birthday?!" and then whoever hadn't spilled the birthday beans would say, "but Tuesday is HER birthday". Anyway, it made for an exciting couple days!

In other news I went to New Mexico today for the first time! We went as a district to a place called The Catwalk in Glenwood, NM... it's a really neat one mile hike through a canyon, and we had tons of fun!

I'm sorry this is going to be a short one, but we're pretty rushed today with traveling all morning, and still trying to get everything else done that we need to within the few precious hours that make up P-day.

I did want to share one thought I had that actually goes along really well with a comment in the email I just read from my mom about focusing on the "now". It actually comes from the June Ensign which I was reading the other day (we get them a little later than normal people because we have to wait for our zone conferences). Anyway, the author talked about the early Saints arriving in Kirtland knowing they weren't going to be there permanently.

It says: "I like to picture those early Saints hearing the Lord’s instructions and getting right to work. They plowed fields they didn’t know they would harvest, planted trees whose fruit they might never eat, and built a beautiful temple they would ultimately have to leave. I picture them living busy, productive lives, not peering endlessly into the unknown, wondering where they would go next and when. They acted “as for years,” trusting that their work would not be in vain." (Your Mission in Life is Now, Ensign, June 2010)

It really made me think about how much we worry about the future, and make conditional statements such as "I'll be happier/it will be easier/things will get better when______, etc." Although goal setting is great, and it is very important to look to the future the time to work is NOW. We need to take advantage of the present to accomplish those goals we have set, and to strengthen ourselves RIGHT NOW. Even though we may not always have the opportunities to see the final fruits of our labors, we will grow in the process, and will be better prepared for the future for when it does arrive. Think about that this week, and do one thing today that will help you accomplish a long-term goal you have. Get to work!

Thank you again for all the letters and packages!

Much love,

Hermana Richelle Ouellette

Hopefully a few pictures will make up for a lack of a long entry... you know what they say...

1-3 Hiking at the Catwalk this morning.
4 Another beautiful Arizona sky this week

A little bit goes a long way....

I had a couple really interesting experience this week, and they were all very exciting. The first was when Hermana Wilkins called to let me know that a family we have been teaching will be getting baptized on July 24. We have been working with them for a while, and I am so happy that they have finally made the decision to be baptized. While we were on the phone Elder Crandall (from my old district) called her so she put me on hold to talk to him. The second exciting thing happened when she came back a few minutes later to tell met that Ron, a guy we had referred to the Elders is also getting baptized.

Hermana Wilkins and I met Ron after we weren't paying attention while we were driving and ended up in a different neighborhood than we had planned. We didn't have miles or time to go somewhere else so we went to talk to a referral that we had received for that area. Well, he wasn't home, but we saw that there were some people moving in across the street so we went over to go help them. When we asked if we could help they said they were fine because the only thing they had left was a big TV and they didn't think we were strong enough to carry it (we weren't). But, Hermana Wilkins saw some pillows in the back of the moving truck and we told them we could probably handle those. She climbed into the truck and had fun tossing them out to me to see how many I could catch. We lugged them upstairs into the house where they were supposed to go and when we saw that none of the couches were put together we decided to do that for them.

We did it as quickly as possible so they wouldn't notice we were taking so long, and then went back outside to talk to them. They went back in with the giant TV and I guess they saw the couches because when Ron came back out he was so impressed that we would do that he couldn't thank us enough. We brushed it off as nothing (it really wasn't) and after his friend left we talked to Ron for almost an hour... about everything - the importance of families, the gospel standards, YM/YW programs, the Restoration. He had so many good questions, as well as lots of good stories, so we really enjoyed ourselves. He has lived a pretty hard (thug) life, and has been trying to make changes in the past couple years, and "had found God" but still had some doubts about his church. One of the things he was concerned with is that he has been moving houses by himself (which has been stressful because he's preparing for his 5 daughters to move out here with him) and no one from his congregation was willing to make time to help him, and the ones who were wanted to be payed. I think that's why he was so impressed with our willingness to help and serve (we had offered to come back the next day and get the rest of his stuff unpacked for him). He said that every time he has seen missionaries around before he has successfully avoided him, but since he really needed help he accepted it and allowed us to serve him (I felt just like Ammon in the Book of Mormon!)

Anyway, what really touched Ron was our family values and programs, and when we came back the next day we gave him a copy of the Family Proclamation (this was during the time Hermana Wilkins and I were memorizing it). The most exciting thing about the news I got on Thursday is that not only is Ron getting baptized, but his daughters that have since moved her are as well! AND, he and his wife are trying to work things out so they can all be one family again. It is such a testimony to me that the gospel really does bless families, and is a power that provides unity and healing in a way no other thing can!

During the second lesson Hermana Wilkins and I were sad to turn him over to the English Elders (because we had been called to teach in Spanish, not English) because we both knew he had lots of potential, but we also knew that the most important thing is that he received the gospel, which he now has. I really believe that we were the right missionaries in the right place at the right time to find him, and I know the Lord put him in our path to help his family. It is very rewarding to know that out of all the thousands of "seeds I have planted" some of them are already blooming.

Another interesting experience happened this week when we were talking to a lady named Tomasa... we had talked to her at the 4th of July parade and were following up with her. While we were chatting she mentioned that she had a brother in Queen Creek and I asked her where exactly he lived since that's where I had been assigned before this new area. Before she answered my question she said that he had seen me at the parade and recognized me - he told her I had come to their house to talk. After she gave me his name and street it took me a minute to remember, but once she described his house I knew exactly who she was talking about. His name was Francisco, and we had tracted into his house looking for someone else but ended up having a good conversation with him. It is SO COOL to me that several months later and a couple hundred miles away he was still able to recognize me - not me for being me, but because I am a representative of Jesus Christ. I know that even though he wasn't interested he had to have noticed something different about me that made him remember me, and hopefully the next time he has some interaction with the Church the positive association will continue to build until he is ready to accept the gospel. Again, interesting to me to see where my seeds are landing.

I'm running out of time/space, but I also wanted to tell you about a baptism Sister Emrazian and I had this weekend for a lady named Trish. She was originally contacted on the street about 2 years ago and started taking the lessons, but wasn't ready or really interested at the time. The sisters that were here right before us were going through former investigators and decided to call her. She happened to check the voice mail for her old phone, and about a month later she decided to call them back and started meeting with them again. In the past two months she has come so far and made so many positive changes in her life, and is being blessed for it. She was baptized this weekend, and the spirit at the baptism was incredible. I am so impressed by her faith, and once again by how she was prepared to receive the gospel.

We never know who is prepared, or when they will be ready to receive the gospel, but I know that through every association people have with members of the Church or missionaries they are being prepared in their own way to one day accept the message we share. We have such a great responsibility to be an example to those around us. I promise they ARE watching, and they notice something different about us. If we truly live the gospel we believe by serving others and following the example of Jesus Christ, people will be put in our path that need our specific personalities and will be influenced by the way we live. A little example, and a strong testimony really go a long way...

Love ya,

Hermana Richelle Ouellette

p.s. It's my birthday next week... Just letting you know :)