Georgia Peach or Idaho Potato? 08/25/22

Wow! Last my week here in Georgia was so good! We had exchanges with the sisters we live with and I was with Sister Shupe. It was a lot of fun and we got someone's number to start teaching!

We also had some really good lessons with our friends. We taught our friend Brenda about the Word of Wisdom and when we had a call this past weekend she told us that she has really been studying it and is going to give up some stuff for the Lord and to be healthier! We set some goals to help her. 

We went up to Forsyth on Friday and had a lesson with Kennedy and Zoey with Sister Sinclair and it was so good! I am going to miss those girls, teaching kids is so fun. We also had a lesson over Zoom with Lashanda for the first time and she is awesome. We taught her about the restoration and the spirit was so strong. She even has a podcast about Christ that she wants to start tying in what she learns with us!

On Sunday we had our second ever Spanish group and there was over 50 people that came! I also was asked to translate for those that didn't know Spanish to English. (a few English families wanted to join) Let me tell ya, I have not translated in a handful of months but I am glad I got to stretch myself the last Sunday of my mission. Plus, prayer carried me hahaha. We had a mini fiesta as well to celebrate the group afterwards!

I am sad to leave all of the people I have taught and become friends with in GA but I know that there is more ahead. I have been reflecting a lot on my growth over the past year and a half and I am grateful that I have had this chance to serve a mission. If you know me, I have always wanted to serve and I'm glad I have. I know that if you are wanting to come closer to God and Jesus Christ you need to make them a priority. I have seen the blessing that reading the scriptures and praying daily has done for me and my personal conversion, as well as those I have served with. I know that God loves each and every single one of you! I am excited to see you all in a few days! 

- Hermana Worley

Pics:

 - Sister Case and I

- Saying bye to Hna. Villanueva

- Dark Camp picture...

- Saying bye to Freddie!

- Last lesson with Kennedy and Zoey

- Forsyth day

- My funeral that the district had me do

1st Ever Macon Spanish Group! 08/08/22

Hey everyone! 

We were in Forsyth this past week and had another lesson with Kennedy, Zoey and Sister Sinclair! We taught the restoration using plastic cups. I have taught a handful of kids on the mission and they are so fun but they can get distracted so quickly haha! To get them to listen when we taught the first vision we had them all lay on the ground flat with their arms out and eyes closed to imagine it. It was a really fun lesson. 

Within the past week and a half we have had 3 exchanges so that kept us on our toes. I got to go to gray and we found someone to teach which was cool. We were visiting someone who was taught in the past (he is the new person to teach) and we both felt that we needed to walk down the row of trailers and knock. By the end of the day we had got 4 numbers from different people who wanted to be taught! It was a really cool miracle to see because Gray hadn't found anyone to teach in the past month. 

We passed off our friend Jaquaella who Sister Case and I found our first day together in Piedmont Park to the Atlanta elders and that was pretty sad! It was a really good pass off lesson though and it will be much better for her to be able to go to church and know people! 

We started teaching a lady Tori last week. We stopped by a store that another one of our friends works at and she wasn't there. So we were standing outside writing a note when Tori (a lady who owns the store next door) said she would give it to her because if we left it by the door it would get stolen. So we started talking with Tori and she is super interested. We ended up leaving her with a Book of Mormon and a Bible. Then this week we stopped by again to study and Tori was there with her mom! Now her mom is being taught too. 

We had our first Spanish Sunday yesterday! It was so good. Now we have 3 hours of church which is fun. The first hour is English, the second hour is Sunday School overlapped with Spanish and the third is Spanish sacrament! We had to teach the English New Member class so we didn't get to be in Spanish Sunday school but we did go to sacrament! The spirit was so strong during sacrament in Spanish. So many families have been waiting for a group to start to be able to learn and testify in their native language. It was really cool to be apart of.

On Sunday we taught about the story of Job. I love this story because he was so faithful. His faith didn't change when we had everything he had go to nothing. He didn't even question God or go against him. It's a big example to me that no matter what I go though to choose to be grateful. I love each of you and hope you have a great week!

Pics: 

- our apartment stuck in our car due to crazy rain and weather

- Sister Johnson and Sister Ginn! (Last time I will see them)

- Sister Case and I walking outside knocking in a trailer park

- the first Macon Spanish group 

Just Pictures Again 08/01/22

Well sorry for not writing anything this week but I hope yall enjoy the pictures! 

- Sister Case and I in Forsyth

- At Dickies for last pday

- Pre- crazy storm from this week

- Zone conference was this past week and we had to take a sister zone picture because we have the most amount of Sisters in any of the zones 

Georgia is a literal jungle 07/18/22

This week was really awesome. There was transfers on Wednesday and Sister Case and I are staying together. Just us and the sisters we live with are the only one's in the Zone that are staying so that's hype. Sister Case and I saw so many cool things back to back to back that happened from Tuesday to Thursday. It showed to me that there really is a reason for everything and there is a reason why we are staying together!

We were in Forsyth on Wednesday about to go into a lesson with Debby and Renae when a lady drove past us and stopped. She rolled down her window and waved at us so we came up to the car and said how she will be off on Friday this week and how she would like us to come do studies again. Sister Case and I were SO confused. She told us that sisters in the past would come over and study with her from the Bible and she couldn't remember the other book so we said the Book of Mormon and she said yes! Her name is Brenda and she gave us her number and her address then told us to call her. Sister Case and I were so shocked what had just happened, super cool miracle! 

My mission does a lot of missionary Facebook work. Sister Case and I help run the local Facebook and run ads for it. Every day there is a different companionship who watches it and the messages that comes in. Well on Friday we were on the page and I saw an old message and opened it. Well I reached back out and within 10 minutes we were on the phone talking! She even lives in OUR specific area in the stake. It is super cool to see the positive influence media can have.

Darrell! He has been taught for a few months and Sister Case but I haven't been able to teach too much recently. Well on Sunday we were standing by the door greeting with Freddie (he does it every week) and Freddie goes, "Hey Darrell is here!" Sister Case and I were like WHAT! We looked over and Brother Chase went and picked him up! Freddie then said "I saw him before yall did!" Then we laughed and it was really cool seeing Darrell at church. We haven't been able to see too many of our friends at church.

MACON STAKE SPANISH GROUP? SAY LESS! A few days ago Hermano Villanova had a meeting with all 8 of us missionaries and told us that the stake is going to do a Spanish group starting the 1st week of August. It's going to be after the Macon ward! We are all so excited! It will be really cool to see a start of a Spanish group here. Plus, now I get 3 hour church again lol!

I have been reflecting a lot lately on my growth from the beginning of the mission to towards the end and it has been really cool. Seeing where the Lord has needed me and how it has helped me grow and gain a deeper conversion. The biggest thing that has helped me to gain this conversion is reading the scriptures daily, specifically the Book of Mormon. It is something so simple that many people don't do daily. If we read the scriptures every single day we would have so much more peace and guidance. I hope everyone can make Christ a high priority in every day and open the scriptures because it truly does give us strength. There have been so many times where I read something that morning and the spirit told me someone needed to hear it. I love you all and so does God! Thanks for the emails throughout the week!

Pics: 

- our hike as a district from last week (I'm pretty sure GA is a jungle) AND there were MASSIVE spiders

- the sky from this week

- last district pday lunch as a district before the transfer

- us outside after the meet and greet from last week

The Macon Funk and Frog Frisbee 07/11/22

Our tire EXPLODED on the freeway on the way to our meeting... our minivan SWERVED like crazy and was bouncing while we were on a sky ramp because there was some metal bar on the road that we couldn't avoid without wrecking. We slowed down to 7 mph with a fat line of cars behind us and pulled over on the bridge/ramp only partly out of the lane because there was no more room. We evaluated and got back in the car to call the elders on their way to the meeting too and right then- MIRACLE. Two cars of elders were passing and pulled over when they saw us! The dang spare was underneath the seats on the bottom of the car. We couldn't even find it for a while, then we couldn't get it out because we didn't have the right wrench. Our seats were just chilling on the side of the freeway. A policeman pulled over and helped us, he didn't know how to get the tire out either. Poor decisions were made, and the elders put a Chevy Equinox tire on our Sienna minivan. It was pretty dumb, they followed us for SEVEN MILES going 10 mph on the freeway and we made it to the church an hour late for the meeting we were leading haha. After the meeting, we put the right spare on and had to get a new tire! It was crazy. 

We got transfer news and we thought that Sister Case was leaving because she has been here for 3 but we get to stay together! I'm super excited! We were trying to convince president Needs and Farias to put us in a trio because I have to leave a week early but no trio (sad days). The sisters we live with also are staying!!!

Eric! Eric is someone that has been taught for a SUPER long time and we have been a little confused how interested he is. Well on Saturday he signed up to feed us dinner and after we had a lesson. We asked him what he believes and he told us some of his concerns. We ended up inviting him to pray to know if the Book of Mormon isn't true and to read it every day this week and promised him that he would get an answer. The Spirit was super strong!

We are finding a lot of people up in Forsyth which is about 30 min from the church. It's been super cool being able to find in a place that hasn't had much finding in the past. Really cool story: we were driving down a little road in Forsyth and there were a few houses and we passed one that has a women and a little girl outside on their porch. We drive past and I keep thinking we need to stop. So we turn around and walk to them and she was so sweet. We shared that God loves her and talked a little bit about the Book of Mormon. She said that she needed to hear that and we set up a time to go back when we go up to Forsyth this week!

-also I learned what frog Frisbee is...our apt complex gets so many frogs and every morning they are sadly ran over and on top of it the "Macon Funk" was so bad this week. Macon has a nasty funky smells it smells like chicken guts. 

Pics:

- hike from last pday along a a river

- when we found out all 4 of us are staying together 

- us in the car as our tire is FLAT on the freeway

-our car with the Elders spare tire because ours was under our car and couldn't get it out(we are the only area in the mission that has a van)

- dinner with Yvonne 

- zlc of the transfer 

New Mission President! 07/04/22

Sorry for the short email but here are some good pictures!

- little peach stand in Forsyth!

- LOVE IS NEEDED

- on last Monday we went to Okmulgee National Park as a district!

-we have a new mission president! President and Sister Farias! They are so sweet. They are from Brazil and have been in the U.S. for about 2 years so far. President Farias English is decent and he translates a lot for Sister Farias.

- last week was the half way mark to Christmas so we had to match as a district!

- Saying bye to the Needs!

Peaches and Frogs everywhere 06/27/22

Hey Everyone! This week was another week of being comps with Sister Case for only 3 days again!  

The miracle guy Timmy from last week is so awesome. We had 2 lessons with him this past week and he told us that he is ready to let God prevail in his life. Pretty cool! We talked about the Restoration and we invited him to pray to know if it is true and he told us that he already knows that it is true and how the missionaries in the past asked him to also and that's when he revieved his answer!

This week Sister Reber came to Macon with me and it was so much fun. She and I are pretty similar! Sister Clawson also came here and we celebrated my 16th month mark! We went to Your Pie, its a yummy pizza place! 

One of the little towns in our area is Forsyth, it's about 20 minutes away and there is a member Sister Sinclair who is the only memeber in her family. Well she signed up to feed us and she ended up taking us to Dickies!! It's a really cool peach orchard. We got Peach icecream for dinner and it took almost all of our dinner hour getting there but it was so worth it! Afterwards we went over to her home and taught her 2 granddaughters, they are 7 and 9. It was so much fun!!!

Pics:

1- matching for churchhhh

2- us with our peaches from Dickies

3- Sister Clawson and I at the end of the night finishing our calls

4- baby frogs are ALLLLL over our apt. complex