Monday, June 30, 2014

Letter as of 6/30/2014

Hello!

Man it has been so incredibly hot this past week. Either been in the 80's or 90's. So gross. But I am getting a tan, so that more than makes up for it :)

goofing around cause it was a slooowwwww day....



We found 2 more investigators this week! Brooke & Jamie. Brooke is 15, and Jamie is her dad. We met Brooke a little over a week ago on the street, and just started talking to her. We asked if we could come to her home at a later date and share a message with her, and she just said she would have to ask her dad. We got her phone number though, and a couple days later we texted her, and she said we could come over Monday evening. When we got there it was just her for a little bit, her dad was tinkering around in the kitchen, but after awhile he came and sat down. We taught them the restoration, and invited them to be baptized, and they said yes! We haven't set them on date yet, we'll do that the next time we see them.

Unfortunately we no longer have any investigators on date for baptism. Phil and David both haven't been coming to church regularly enough and they cant get baptized by their date because they need to come at least 3 times to sacrament. Which is a bummer, but we're not giving up on them.

President and Sister Toombs are officially back home, as of Saturday, and now President Mendenhall is my mission president. I get to meet him on Thursday, which I'm really excited about.

This week we did A LOT of service. Its been really great. We helped this nonmember move on Saturday, she didn't have a lot of help so a member called us and asked if we could help for a little bit. Me and Sister Svedin did pretty much all of the heavy lifting, while the Elders wimped out and carried the lighter boxes and stuff ha-ha. From upstairs to the truck, we brought down four beds, three dressers and a couple bookcases. It was fun! I'm pretty impressed with myself ha-ha. Guess those weights were finally paying off ;)

SERVICE AT THE ELDERLY HOME...working in the kitchen with our stylish hairnets! :)


We go on exchanges tonight! I'm super excited. I'll be staying Dove Valley this time, and I'll be with Sister Elwell. Shes super nice. She was companions with Sister Sprague the transfer before I got there.

 Oh yeah, Sister Sprague is now in my zone. She got ET'd here to replace another sister who had to go home because of illness. 

How has your week? Hope everything is going swell! 

Love you lots!

Monday, June 23, 2014

Letter as of 6/23/2014


Heeeeelllllllllloooooooooo!

This week has had its ups and downs. Mostly ups!

Week 2 of Transfer 8 was very, very slow, up until Saturday. We weren't able to find a lot of people to teach earlier in the week, unfortunately, but that's okay because Saturday more than made up for it.

 We found 6 new investigators to teach! 6! Ahh, I'm so pumped. Linda and Brita, (mom and 18 y/o daughter) were tracted into by the elders months ago, and they gave us their names so we could try it instead. And they welcomed us right and we taught them the Restoration, and they were very interested in learning more.

Nabini, Raj, Vidhi, and Minal are some Hindus that we tracted into that are the nicest people. All we got out of our mouths was "Hi, we"re missionaries.." and Minal, who answered the door, said Yeah come on in! And immediately welcomed us in. Sister Svedin and I just looked at each other, shocked because honestly that never happens ha-ha. They told us they were just talking about God, and what Christians believe God is, and they had a lot of questions for us. Golden. They were super interested in what we had to say, and Nabini said the closing prayer for us, which was so cool! We are going back to see them next week, which I'm so excited about.

But life has been going really well, besides that hiccup last week.

Sorry its not the longest letter I've written! But there will be some snail mail coming your way the next couple of days! 

Love you!
Sister Cannon

Monday, June 9, 2014

Letter as of 6/9/2014
Colorado Skyline


Big news first.
 
I didn't get transferred! I was so so so sure I was going to, I even started telling a couple of people goodbye which was way funny cause surprise I'm still here. I'm actually way happy about it. Sister Robbins got transferred. She'll be serving in a YSA ward up in Arvada, so that's super fun. My new comp is Sister Svedin. (Pronounced sfuh-deen, say it really fast haha) She seems super great. She's been about 3 transfers, so like Sister Robbins was when we became comps.
 
 
 
 Sister Robbins and Cannon
 
 
This week was pretty rough. Every lesson that could have canceled, canceled. The one saving grace was that we were able to meet with Cheri again. She is so wonderful. She is so looking forward to her baptism, she cant stop talking about it. She loves the Book of Mormon too, which is so fun. She always takes a lot of notes when we teach, and on what she reads. She really wants to learn as much as possible about the Gospel, which is really refreshing to see.
 
The weather has been so insane lately. One minute its 80 degrees, the next its pouring down rain and the tornado sirens go off. At church yesterday the alarms went off. I wanted to go see what it looked like sooo badly, but Sister Robbins wouldn't let us leave sacrament meeting to go see it. Lame. There was this one family who got scared and left to go home, to hide out in their basement. When I saw that I just wanted to tell them that they were being stupid, the safest place on earth that you could be in during a tornado, besides the temple is a church building. But of course I'm a missionary and cant call people stupid haha.
 
 
The district...
 
On Wednesday we had our Mission Conference. The entire mission got together to hear President and Sister Toombs last address. They leave in 3 weeks which is way sad. We had a professional photographer come in to take a picture of the entire group (256 missionaries and president and sister Toombs) We get to buy a copy of it if we want, which I probably will. Details to come.
 
last picture with this Mission President and wife
 
I'm really really happy I get to stay this transfer. I get to see Cheri all the way through baptism, and Phil as well. I don't think I would like to stay another transfer after this one, but who knows :)
 
I hope you all hade a wonderful week!
 
I Love you sooo much!

<3 Sister Jessica Cannon
Letter as of 6/2/2014
 
Hola de Parker, Colorado!
 
Its been super hot this past week! In the 80s everyday. This coming week looks like it will be about the same. Finally starting to get my tan back! About time :)
 
Cheri finally came to church! She absolutely loved it, and she cant wait to be baptized. She's progressing more and more each day. She loves the Book of Mormon, she loves the plan of salvation, and each day she's getting a stronger and stronger testimony. Her only hold up right now is that she isn't sure Joseph Smith and Thomas S. Monson are Prophets, but I know that will come with time. Rome wasn't built in a day. :)
 
Its been a really crazy week actually. Weird stuff keeps happening. Monday we met with this super crazy man, Steven. He's less active (I'd go so far as say completely inactive) He just preached at us for over an hour. Each time we would try and leave he would basically yell at us to sit down and let him finish. It was a little intimidating, but we ended up just standing up and walking away without saying a closing prayer. Definitely wont go visit him again anytime soon- we'll let the Elders handle him for now on even though he's in our area of the ward lol.
 
Saturday morning was pretty eventful. The woman who we live with, her niece was staying with us for a week until she can be sober enough to enter into a rehab. Well Courtney, the niece, ended up leaving randomly on Wednesday, and we thought she ran off. Well she came back Saturday to grab her stuff, but she was obviously high on something. Our member wasn't home so we helped Courtney pack us her stuff and put it in the car. We found out that she hadn't had anything to eat really since she left, so we quickly made her a bagel and some yogurt with granola in it for the rode. She was a little hysterical for a little bit, so we offered to pray with her, and she was really grateful for it. She told us she was checking herself in to rehab that day, but I don't really think she did unfortunately.
 
 After she left we went back to our studies. Part of companionship study is that we recite a couple of things. Our Purpose as Missionaries, D&C4, The Standard of Truth, The First Vision, and Our Commission. As I was reciting Our Commission ((I am called of God. My authority is above that of the Kings of the Earth. By revelation I have been selected as a personal representative of the Lord Jesus Christ. He is my Master and has chosen me to represent him. To stand in his place. To say and do what he himself would say and do if he were personally ministering among the very people to whom he has sent me. My voice is his voice, and my acts are his acts. My words are his words, and my doctrine is his doctrine. My commission is to do what he wants done. To say what he wants said. To be a living, modern witness in word and deed of the divinity of his great and marvelous latter day work. How great is my calling! -Bruce R McConkie)) the Spirit just hit me very strong as I was saying this. I just wanted to help Courtney, and love her, even though she had track marks up and down her arms. I really hope she did up in Rehab. She has a lot of kids that are waiting for her to turn her life around.
 
I truly love being a missionary. I Can't believe how much I have learned in the past 10 months that I've been gone.
 
On Wednesday the whole mission is getting together, President and Sister Toombs will be addressing us for the final time before they head home in a couple of weeks. I cant believe they are leaving, its so incredibly weird, and honestly I haven't processed it yet. Not looking forward to telling them bye. But there daughter lives in Puyallup, and they said we could get together when I get home :)
Love you all so so much. Have a fantastically wonderful, awesomely amazing week! :)
 
Love Sister Cannon