Letter as of 4/21

Happy Easter!!

Hope everyone had a great Easter Sunday. I sure did! Mom, I got your package Saturday night, so it was great timing! Thank you soo much! Definitely made our day. :) 

When we woke up Sunday morning, there was another Easter basket on the table, to the both of us from Sister Orr, our host mom. She's seriously the best. 

Church was really great, but the miracle happened right before it started. This less active that we having been working a lot with, Kim, was planning on going to church, but she has soo many health problems, its ridiculous. She was in a lot of a pain, and could barely walk. We called her 15 minutes before church started, and she told us she wouldn't be able to make it :( We asked her if she wanted to get a priesthood blessing, and she paused for a long time, thought she hung up at first, but then she finally answered and said Yes but she didn't want to ask for one. We told her we would be there in less than 10 minutes with a priesthood holder, and she was so grateful. We asked our ward mission leader to come, and one set of the elders, so we hustled right over there and got her that blessing :) She still didn't come to church, but her asking for that blessing was so huge for her, so it was so great.

After church we went to a members home for easter dinner. it was sooo good. As soon as we finished eating, we had to run to our second dinner appointment. This time it was with an awesome less active, Brooke, and her mom. Definitely ate wayyy too much. After dinner we dyed some cute easter eggs. my turned out pretty good! I was pretty surprised, I don't even remember the last time I had done that.

 

So the other night I had Tofu for the first time :( Yeup, definitely could have gone the rest of life without eating that.   It was kind of funny because we were talking to the member who was feeding us, and she was saying how she was going vegan. I said "That's funny since your holding a pot of meat..." she replied with "Oh its not meat! :)" I was almost scared to ask what it was... So we had a taco salad thing, but the "meat" was tofu, the dressing had tofu in it, and the chocolate pudding for dessert had tofu in it. I was trying soo hard not to be sick from it. Yeah, not a huge fan. I think it was worse than the cow intestine soup I had a couple of months ago...

 

This past week my sleep schedule has gotten so out of wack. So last sunday I had to wake up ridiculously early for that 6am meeting I told you about. And then on Wednesday we were able to go to the temple! But we went to the 5:30am session, so we had to wake up at 4 :( But it was so worth it since I was able to watch the newest temple video! It was so so so great, definitely my favorite. I learned so much from it.

 

Transfers are next week! We find out Saturday whats happening. I don't think me and siter falke will stay together for a 3rd transfer, but i'm not sure which one of us will be transferred. Also, we are moving this Saturday to a new house. Sister Orr needs a break from housing missionaries, she's been doing it forever. I'm ready to leave her house, as great as she is, I'm done with the 3 cats and 2 dogs. New adventure here we come!

 

I love you all so much! Thanks for all the support, it means the world to me.

P.S. Yeah I also got to try cow intestine soup, called Menudo? I don't know, its a Mexican dish. Not a fan....

Letter as of 4/14

Hey there, hi there, ho there! :)

My week was pretty good, a little slow, but that's okay!

We taught some great lessons this week, we were able to finally meet with Phil and his wife. We taught them the Restoration and invited him to be baptized.. He said Maybe in the next five years... haha so we'll have to work on that!

 

On Monday we had zone pday! It was so nice outside so we played soccer for about three hours and then had a picnic. Me and Sister Falke made ice cream cake! It turned out really good, but it was pretty much melted by the time we got to eat. But then it became a yummy milkshake :)

 

(President Toombs wrote to Sister Cannon to give her some words of encouragement as she was feeling a little discouraged and here is a bit of what he told her... Find your vision for your mission, what do you hope to accomplish. You are doing a great job and have made a difference in our mission. Thanks for all you are doing. I love you. She said it helped her a lot.) I thought they might help each of us too, where do we want to be and what is our vision for our life...

 

On Thursday we had Zone Meeting, and it was so great. The entire focus was on the Atonement. We had some super great trainings from our district leaders, zone leaders, and sister training leaders. We broke down the different aspects of the Atonement: Redeeming, cleansing, strengthening, and enabling powers of the atonement. They gave everyone a copy of the talk His Grace is Sufficient by Brad Wilcox I believe. I highly encourage everyone to read it, its fantastic. It was exactly what I needed to learn at the time.

Yesterday morning we had a 6am meeting. So gross. No one should be forced to wake up that early. And then we had another meeting at 9am, and then another at 11, and then church for three hours. Not to mention it was fast Sunday (because of general conference) and so it just made it a really long day for fasting, but that is okay! Extra blessings that way, right? :)

I wanted to share this link with everyone and I am asking each of you to watch it and share it with others...

www.Mormon.org/becauseofhim

 

 

 

Also, it snowed 4 inches yesterday. It was nonstop snow all day. I thought it was springtime?! I'm over this cold weather.

                                        


Also for p-day we decided to do facials ( I warned her I would be posting these so here you go...)

 

ok maybe just this one so as not to scare anyone too badly :)

 

Today me and sister Falke are going shopping. We got permission to go to a store we have been dying to go to but its across the street from our boundary line. I'm excited :)

 

This Wednesday we get to go to the temple! Our zone is assigned to the 5:30AM session, which is insanely early, but it means I get to watch the newest temple video! I've been wanting to see it forever. Or since it came out- which was only like 3 months ago... haha.

 

I love you all so so much! Hope you have a fantastic week.

Love, Sister Jessica Cannon

 

 

 

 

Letter as of 4/7/2014

Hi from Parker!   Conference was so so great! Definitely the pick-me-up I needed, and I felt like the speakers were speaking directly to me. I don't know, I've been struggling a little bit in this area, and so the talks really helped me.   The work here is pretty slow, and I sometimes feel like I'm not making a difference here in Dove Valley. I mean sure, we teach 20 lessons a week, but like 17 of those lessons are with members. Me and Sister Falke have been trying to think of new ideas we can do with the ward, but I feel like we are in a rut and don't know how to get out. I know it will get better soon, I just don't like this inbetween time.   But then I think of President Uchtdorfs words about being grateful during trials and I try to have a more positive attitude. "How many times have we waited for the rainbows without being grateful for the rain". Rains great. Reminds me of Seattle :)    Speaking of Seattle, amore specifically Federal Way, there is a family in my ward here, The Spransys, and they used to be members of the Dash Point ward! They were there when Bro. Phipps was bishop. So crazy!   Im so glad I decided to serve a mission, I really have learned so much and seen so many miracles.   I love you so much! Love, Sister Cannon

Letter as of March 31 2014

Hiiiiii !

 

What a fantastic week.

 

We hit 21 lessons this past week. Dove Valley hadn't hit 20 lessons in years, if not ever. We only keep the records for the past 3 years. AND WE FOUND 2 NEW INVESTIGATERS!!!

 

On Saturday we spent most of the morning at a members house baking cookies and other yummy treats. The plan was to make 2 plates for a couple of families in the ward. One for them to enjoy, and one to pass on to their neighbor. We had an odd number of plates, and we tried figuring out who needed the cookies. Sister Cunningham, the member we made cookies with, told us to go and visit this woman who used to take the discussions about a year ago. She pointed us to the right house, and we went but no one was home. :( That night our district opened a fast together, specifically that the work would hasten in the area and each companionship would find an investigator. Sunday after meetings we had about 30 minutes before church started, so we ran home and quickly got something to eat. But as soon as we got home, Sister Falke felt that we should go and visit Toni, the referral Sister Cunningham gave us the day before. We got to her house at 12:15 (Church starts at 12:30) and her and her husband were just chilling on their driveway, sitting on some lawn chairs. We walked up with the cookies and started talking, share a brief message, and asked if we could come back. John and Toni Hazlip are so going to get baptized haha. Fasting definitely works.

 

Today Sister Cunningham is taking us to Costco to shop. Pretty excited for that :)

 

Also something I'm excited for, is General Conference. Saturday we are watching it at the stake center with this less active, Brooke. Cool story about her. She hasn't come to church in over 6 years, and she randomly showed up to church last Sunday. We didn't know anyone at all, it was our first Sunday there, and we decided to sit next to her since she was sitting by herself. She is so great! She felt the spirit so strong, and when we asked if we would see her next time at church, she said Yes she will never not come again. :)

 

On Sunday morning we are having breakfast with some members in the ward, and watching the first session with them. For lunch we are eating at the Hilliers, and watching the last session there with a whole lot of YSAs. Its going to be wonderful.

 

When do you all leave for Utah? Give Grandma Metcalf my love. :)

 

You all are the best. Lots of love!

-Sister Jessica Cannon :)