Monday August 25th, 2014

I feel like this week was a week full of miracles.  I can not tell you how blessed I feel to be out here serving here in Eagle. When I first came into the area the really wasn't much going on to be honest in the two wards that we are covering.  But for the past two weeks Sister Haas and I have been really working our butts off and we are really are starting to see the work pick up in these last two weeks.  Eagle is known to be a tougher area to serve in and the numbers are a lot slower and harder to get up here.  The average lessons a week up here is 5 to 7.  We were so blessed this week and so happy that we were able to get 19, which is a good week in area that you are in.  As well as we found 2 new investigators and a ton of potentials.  One of our mission commitments for this month is talking to ten people a day, which has really been good for us.  I mean we always try to talk to everyone we see,but when it is a number that you have to reach I feel like you are more driven and when people are not out and about we start knocking on some doors.

   A tender mercy from the Lord happened earlier this week.  We had already talked to our ten people for that day and it was about8:45pm, one of those times when you are trying to figure out what to do. Head home since it takes about 10 minutes to get home or try to knock on another door.  Well be tried the later, we went and tried to contact a less active that we have knocked on the door before, this time the door was wide open.  We found out that the person who use to live there moved out quite a few months ago.  We started talking to the lady at the door a little bit about the church and what we do.  She said that she hasn't heard much about the church but her co--worker had just given her a Book of Mormon a few weeks ago.  We asked her if we could come by another time to share a message with her and she agreed.  This was another testimony builder that it is always that last push,last knock on the door, last fifteen minutes of the day where the Lord is testing you to see if you will go that extra mile and if you give it your all until the very end and we were so blessed from that.

    So earlier in the week a lady who use to live in the ward called us up to tell us that her friend was moving into her old house and asked if we would be willing to help.  Pat(the nonmember moving in), wasn't sure if she would have much help and so hired 2 professionals to help her move as well.  We were worried because we wanted to get some ward members out there to help her move in and get to know her.  But it was in the morning so most men had to work as well as their was a cannery assignment.  We asked some of the Elders to come out and help but they could only stay there for an hour.  We got to her house at around 815 and we had a good group of missionaries and quite a few men turned out from the ward.  We had the whole moving van unloaded before the two professionals arrived at 930! It was just crazy and she was so shocked.  We felt a little bad that we had put the moving guys out of work, but she ended up having them set up some of the furniture and beds inside.  So in the end it all worked out.  The moving guys joked that we should start our own moving company, they said they have never seen a moving van unloaded so quickly.

   So one of the new investigators we found this week is Andrew, he is about 15 years old and his dad married a less active member in our ward.  We have heard a little bit about him and how he has gone to church a few times, but had never been able to meet him.  Last year when he was a freshman his friend told him how he should take seminary so he signed up.  When we talked to him about it he told us how much he really loved it, they were learning about the Book of Mormon.  He signed up again for seminary this year and he says that it is one of his favorite classes that he is looking forward to taking this year. We taught him the first lesson and it went really well.  I really do feel that if he gets involved in the young men in the ward and his dad is okay with it that he will get baptized.  He really doesn't have much of a religious background, but he said how great he feels as he reads the Book of Mormon.

    On Saturday there was the ground breaking of the Meridian temple and it was so awesome! Elder Bednar was the one who was in charge.  No missionaries got to go due to limited space, we were all encouraged to go to the stake centers and watch it there.  The people we live with actually got tickets to it and invited us to go with them. It was so tempting because it was just a stone throws away from where we were at, but we didn't do it.  Elder Bednar ended up speaking at the Boise West Stake, the stake that I use to serve in! He met with the missionaries before stake conference.  To be honest that was a little hard for me, to know that I use to serve there and I missed that opportunity to meet him.  It makes it a little bit harder as well because we have been told that because of last march before the mission was split that a ton of apostles came out and so because of that we probably won't be able to see any while I am here, but things move on.

   We went on exchanges this week with a set of sisters we are over and things went pretty well.  It was a pretty packed day with appointments and what not, but at the end of the day it ended pretty roughly.  We had about 30minutes left before the end of the night and we decided to contact this less active family, we had heard that the wife was starting to go to the Nazarene church, so we have been trying to catch them.  Well we finally caught her when she was home and she was home by herself we talked for a few minutes and asked her if we could come back to teach her family the Restoration because it is one of our mission commitments.  She agreed and we set up a time to come back she asked us if we could do a "cliff notes verse" for her and we agreed.  Let me tell you we were blind sighted by a huge spiritual bus! The questions she were asking were a lot deeper, so I was able to answer and some I was not.  You could tell that she was starting to allow what others were saying to creep into her testimony and make her doubt.  I tried the best I could but asked her if we could study some of the questions that she asked and come back with an answer with she agreed.  Not going to lie some of them I have no clue how to answer..I wish I could explain them to you, But I know that I will figure it out.  After leaving her house I just felt sick and when I saw my companion when we switch back I started to cry.  It was so sad to see what could happen to someone so active in the gospel who starts to feed their doubts before feeding the faith that they have.  Some things she said to me are a little scary, and to be honest I don't know if I want to know if they are true or not.  But a tender mercy from the Lord this week.  This week at District meeting, the last 10 minutes of our training on revelation on the Book of Mormon, they asked us to go to a quiet place with our companion and ask for a confirmation on things from our Heavenly Father.  It really hit me when my District Leader talked about even recieve reconfiramtions on the things that we already know.  So the thing I asked for was to reviece another witness about the first vision.  I can not tell you how blessed I have been this week.  We have been teaching the Restoration a ton and each time we got to that part wither it was me or my companion quoting Joesph Smith, I could feel the spirit so strong testifying to me that these things were true. Each and every time. 
    I love strengthening my testimony on the things that I already know, I think that is so important for us to always do.  Know that I love you all so much and am so grateful to be out her serving.  It is worth all the doors slammed in the face, all the comments people make about what they think we believe in, because I know that they can never take away from my testimony of the things that I know true and hold near and dear to my heart. I love you all!!! Eagle better watch out because Sister Haas and I are coming for them, guns blazing, no holding back! 

Love

Sister Metcalf

Picture of Me,Sister Haas(my companion with brown hair) and one of the sisters going home, sister Edstrom(blonde hair)

Monday August 18th, 2014

"The work of salvation is not a sprint it's a long distance race."

Eagle is a lot different than Boise South, that is for sure.  I am back to covering two wards again which is weird.  I remember going down to one ward and I thought that it was going to be hard, but not it is weird to me to go back to being over 2 wards.  I loved being able to just focus on one ward, but I am still excited to be over the Eagle 1st ward and the Eagle 6th ward. The area that Sister Haas and I cover is an array of different living styles, we have mansions and even some trailer parks and then everything in between.  The members here are awesome, the work is a little slow but we actually had a really good week this week.  I actually live outside my area, with a family.  They are the Dumas(do misses), who are in the bishopric for the YSA ward.  They are super awesome and super talkative.  They have 4 kids and their youngest daughter is 20 and leaving for LDS business college next week.  They have a black lab, so I feel right at home I feel like.  Their house is super nice, it has been a little bit of an adjustment because its been 6 months since I have lived with members.  But I love it.  They know where Simi Valley is, they talked about how they have been to the Ronald Reagan Library a couple of times and just love it!  Funny fact, last night I was talking to the wife and she was telling me about her conversion story.  She told me how it was because of her friend form 3rd grade.  We talked for a little bit and found out her friend lives in Ventura.  Turns out she is the mother of Austin(Amanda Shoemakers Boyfriend when she passed away.) It is crazy how small the world is and even smaller in the church.

    As a mission we have set a commitment for everyone to talk to 10 new people a day which I think has been great in this area for us.  We talk to everyone we see on the street and if there is no one out we go and knock on some doors.  We are hitting all aspects of missionary work and showing the Lord that we are willing to do anything. I truly feel like we saw some tender mercies from the Lord this week.  We found quite of few potentials by talking to people and knocking on some doors.  Obviously there were quite a few people that were not interested one bit, but we tried. I love serving with Sister Haas, I feel like we are a power house and she is just so bold like I am.  We feel we have very similar teaching styles.  We are hoping that we will serve together for 3 transfers, we truly feel like we can build up the work in this area.  This week we actually have gotten some referrals from some members that really seem promising.  Can I just tell you how much I love working with members and how much more quickly people progress when it is their friends that introduce/invite them.

    We actually found a new investigator, Nate.  He is someone that the sisters had tracted into the previous week and we went back and taught him.  He threw us some curve balls, I guess doesn't really know if there is a God or not, almost like an agnostic view.  Both Sister Haas and I had the impression to teach him The Plan of Salvation.  We taught him the 1st half of it and he invited us back to teach the rest this week.  We hope that all will go well, he is really big into families and he even takes care of his brother who has down syndrome so we really feel like he will like he will be receptive when we teach him about Resurrection. It will probably be a longer process for him but he is interested and we hope he has that desire there.

   This week we actually had Stake Conference this weekend so I didn't really get to meet the new ward members, but I did get a chance to meet the Bishops, Relief Society Presidents, and Ward Mission Leaders.  Stake conference was really good, the Saturday session was so good! I feel it always is.  They had some return missionaries speak as well as an Elder that is currently serving in the Stake.  They all had some really good things to say.  One of the Stake Presidency members talked about preparing the youth now so they are prepared when they go out into the field.  He talked about how it is in the home where they are to learn the doctrine and how PMG should be apart of their scripture study as well.  I thought that was really good as well.  The Stake President talked about the hastening of the work and about the temple being built.  He said that the work is moving along but not as much as it should be.  There really is so much potential in this area I feel like.  We just have to dig deep and find those that are searching.  The next day my mission President and his wife spoke about progression in the gospel and the other speakers talked about Pioneer Trek.  It is something that the youth just did recently did.  They do it every four years and it is where the youth act and trek just like the pioneers for 3 days.  Can I just tell you how excited I am to have so many youth.  I just felt like all during stake conference that we really need to work.  They are just on fire and I feel like that is where a lot of missionary work is at because they are so open about talking to their friends.  Two of our recent converts that we are working with are 13 and 15.  

   After the Sunday session all the missionaries serving from the stake went over to the Stake Presidents house to have lunch, which was really good.  Apparently he doesn't like to work with missionaries very much and same with his high councilor that is over missionary work.  But Sister Haas and I plan on changing that, we actually talked to the high councilor about meeting each week with him to let him know how the week was for us and he agreed to that.  So yesterday and the lunch we gave him our progress records and talked to him about everything.  He seemed really impressed, Sister Haas and I are going to try to really get the stake involved because I feel like it is so crucial for everyone to be involved and aware of what is going on in the Lord's work.

   Know that I am being well...too well fed. I just think of the story Megan told me how she talked to someone who served in Boise and when his parents picked him up they didn't recognize him hahaha I can see how that happens in this area.  But my companion and I are running every morning and working out so that eases my mind when members are wanting to serve us like 4 course meals. Sister Haas and I just get along great as well, I feel like we are just laughing all the time.  Funny story from earlier this week is that she took us to see a family in the ward that is super awesome.  But she had told me that it was a potential family that we were trying to contact that was a referral that they had received.  So I didn't know this was an active family but thought they were nonmembers,apparently they had set this up last Sunday.  So we went to go contact these people and I was the one to start the conversation.  Well she acted like she was not interested and we tried our best but she wasn't interested.  So we left and when we got back to the car my companion said that she really felt like we should go back to give them a Book of Mormon.   I wasn't too sure about this and told her that she was seriously not interested and I didn't think that we should shove it down their throats, that I didn't want to mess up any opportunities that they would have in the future.  Well after a few minutes she convinced me to go back so we did.  So when we knocked on the door she was just like "Oh your back". So we started talking to her and then in the back round you could here her husband saying things.  She then went on to invite us in, but then her husband was yelling to her that she didn't want us to come in.  So they were yelling back and forth to each other for a minute and I just felt super on comfortable. And then I started to know the pictures of Christ that were in their home that usually only LDS members have and that's when she said "I want them to come in because I have Ice Cream cake!" My companion just started cracking up and then the family just came out of know where.  I was so confused for a minute until it registered in my head that Sister Haas had just pulled a prank on me.  It was kind of funny and I admit she had gotten me good.

   Sorry this email is a little scattered brain, but things here are going really well.  Some days things go really well and then others all of our appointments cancel, but that is just the life of a missionary. We actually had a really good week number of lessons wise, it was about the same as my last area and better than usual for this area which was great to see.  I am enjoying every minute of it and not wasting a second of this precious time that I have out here.  I hope is going well for you! I love you and miss you all!

Love

Sister Metcalf

P.S. My new address is 

4547 W. Cardon St.

Eagle, Idaho

83616

I actually live in the same block as where Jensa's Kids go to school...crazy!)

Monday, August 11th, 2014

"It's not where you serve but how you serve"

So it is transfers again all ready! It is crazy how quickly the time flys by here.  So I am now serving in Eagle! ALL THE WAY OUT IN AFRICA hahah It is so crazy, it is polar opposite of where I just came from. People refer to this area as Africa because it is so far away from everyone else compared to all the other areas.  I am excited and a little nervous as well.  I know I will have to dig a little deeper and work hard to start finding those people that are ready to receive the Gospel. They won't be as humble as my last area, but I am excited to work hard.  My new companion is Sister Haas!!! I am so stoked to be serving with her.  She came out a transfer before me and seriously since day 1 of being out we have been wanting to serve together.  She is a hard worker and a go getter, I know that she will be pushing me everyday to be better and to work harder.  We both were shocked when we heard transfer calls, we never thought that it would happen.  I know that the Lord has great things in store for us. It will take hard work but we can do it.

    Not going to lie thought, leaving the Shoshone ward was really hard for me.  I loved those people so much! Although it was a small ward I was so close to them and the work was really moving along.  It was hard to say goodbye to all those people that I was working with and recent converts.  It was even harder for me to say goodbye to Bishop Bates.  He is such an amazing man, I loved working with him and he really helped me to love the people and area.  He told me last night that he had called Mom and Dad and that just made me cry.  When I told him earlier that day in his office that I was leaving we both just started to cry.  He reminded me a lot of you Dad.  He is a spiritual giant like you and loves watching baseball.  I told him that when you all come up that I would have my family meet him.  He has had a huge impact on my life and mission.  After leaving my area for the last time last night and going to my apartment I just balled.  I felt like I was leaving a piece of my heart there with those people.  There are so many great people and so much potential there.  Sometimes people just need to step outside their box to be touch or to influence those that are around them. It brought some comfort to know that I would be back to visit it, but it is different knowing that I won't ever be there again as a missionary. I know I will be back in the near future for the baptisms of Elvira's children(Aug. 30th) and for Anne(Sept. 6th).  So that will be exciting, I hope to see Bishop Bates again when I go back for those.  I just want to say that a good Bishop you truly cares for the people make a big difference! I know that he was called to serve there by the Lord.

    This week though was a spiritual week this week. We had MLC, my favorite part of that whole meeting is the testimony meeting of all of the leaders in the mission.  Talk about some powerhouse missionaries.  The spirit is always there so strong. There was also Zone meeting this week as well, and that just was so well! It just inspired me to continue to dig a little deeper and to push a little harder.  From this week of meetings something really stuck out to me this week.  On exchanges I was talking with a sister about the people we work with and the less actives. We were just saying how some return missionaries just go home and go less active and how heart breaking it is.  We talked about saying that your a RM means nothingtoday.  People go and come back the same all the time, but that is not the point of it.  We are out here to allow the mission to change us.  I just have thought how important that is.  As well as that we don't allow others or ourselves to undo what the Lord has done.

   I want you all to know that I know without a shadow of a doubt that Jesus is the Christ and He still lives today.  His church has been restored again on the earth by Joesph Smith and will never be taken off the earth again.  I know that Joseph Smith saw God the Father and Jesus Christ and that They told him that the fullness of the Gospel was not on the earth, that the missing link was the authority or Priesthood.  I know that Joesph Smith was called by God to be a Prophet and that he received the Priesthood Authority.  And although the Book of Mormon is written by men, it is the word of God.  I know that having the Gospel in my life is the best bet for surviving in this world today.  But most importantly, I know that no one can take that away from me.  My mission has been the best decision I have made in my life and it has changed me for the better.  And when I go home I am not going to let anyone or myself undo the change that God has done in my life thus far.  

   I pray that all of you are doing those little things to strengthen your testimonies and to take that time to build that relationship with your Father in Heaven.

  Sorry that this email is kind of short this week, things were crazy today with it being transfer day. I love you all and pray for you.  Know that there is no other place I rather be than here. I want to continually work hard, but work even harder so that when I go home from my mission I am so tired.

Love

Sister Metcalf

" Don't cry because it is over, smile because it happened"- Dr. Seuss

 The Sisters I was over

Sister Edstrom and Sister Whightman(they are going home soon) some of my favorite sisters 

 Biggest hibiscus flower I have seen!!!

The bishopric in the Shoshone Ward I worked with. Love these men!

Monday, August 4th, 2014

Hooray the Ducks

This week there was not too much excitement for us, just basic missionary stuff.  We met with Charlie on Monday and I just loved talking to him.  That family saw so many miracles the weekend of his baptism.  He even told us that he felt as if his dad was there.  I just love hearing things like that because you know those spiritual experiences are what change/effect people the most.  I am so grateful to have the Holy Ghost help in this work because I know that I wouldn't be able to do what He does.  Charlie also passes the sacrament yesterday, I was just beaming when I saw him.  It is amazing to see the change in him with his white shirt, I was just overcome with joy and I just knew that God was so proud of him.  Church was really good as well, we had some less actives come again and it has been so great to see some of the less actives we have been working with become a little more active.  We even had a nonmember show up, he lives with a part member family we are working with, he came last fast sunday but we hadn't seen in him a while so we were shocked when we saw him just show up.  He is 21 though so we are trying to pass him off to the YSA ward.  We were invited to go on an exchange with a set of sisters in the other district and to attend their district meeting.  I wasn't too excited about it at first because I feel like at times we don't give our area enough attention that it needs.  But it ended up being an awesome experience, the district leader really tried to give the district a big boast that he felt like they needed because their district seemed to be in a lull.  He talked about never giving up and giving us the "ladder" we need to get out of our lull, but the only person that can do that is ourselves. I love going to meetings like that, i feel like that is how district meetings should me to give us that encouragement and boast we need as missionaries to dig a little deeper and to push through. I wish there was more I could tell you about this week. Honestly I felt like this was a good week, I love going out each and every day working hard and just enjoying the little moments in the mission field.

  I am sure that you all have already seen it, but if you haven't I would highly suggest that you go and watch "The Hope of God's Light" that is on the Mormon messages. I seriously loved it! It amazes me how well the church puts things out. Sometimes we don't realize the hand that God has played in our lives until we look back.  We see the pieces that God gives us to help us see the big picture and sometimes we miss those pieces or haven't realized that we have received them. The thing I am most grateful for from serving thus far is the relationship I have built with our Father in Heaven and Our Savior.  The opportunity and chance I have been to receive the tools that I need to help me throughout the rest of my life. I love the chance that I have had to fully take away the "Static" noise that the world brings into our lives and just focus on what matters most.  I have been able to tune my radio to the channel I need to to hear the spirit more clearly in my life.  I know that it is so important that I master that even more now because when my mission is over, I know that Satan is going to overload me with the static that will try to take away from the spirit. I just think of that Mormon message called "Voice of the Spirit". It was the video that I used in my training last week in district meeting.  I really love that video.

     I feel like each and every single day I am out here I am getting a little piece of clarity and little by little I am realizing more and more that I must do the will of my Father who has sent me. I have realized that by submitting myself to the will of the Father is only fulfilling the plan that has been created from the beginning of time. I can understand the natural man at times of wanting to give into the things or the world or to things that have no real importance to our eternal progression but for now it is even more important for me right now at this moment to increase all of the attributes the Savior has and do His work. I know that pure happiness in this life is granted to the persons who become meek and lowly in heart and abide by the principles taught in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, I pray for all of you to receive the eternal message that the Savior Lives and because He lives and grants me daily breath, He lives, and I shall conquer death, He lives my mansion to prepare, He lives to bring me safely there. I think that we are always given more in life than we could ever imagine if we listen to the promptings of the Holy Ghost. I would really just like to take a second and testify that the Holy Ghost is so important to ones conversion that God is real He Lives and so does His Son our Savior Jesus Christ. The Holy Ghost allows us to feel peace as what was spoken of by our Savior in John 14:26, Rely on the merits of the Savior as you do that which is well and right in the eyes of our Great Creator the Father of us all you will have sincere life changing guidance from the Spirit that will benefit you in the eternities. I Testify that the Holy Ghost will feel the gap of loneliness and hope, burdens and blessings, an unrepentant soul to a renewed covenant keeper, adhere to the Spirit after all He will tell you the truth of all things. When we look for truth we look for the companionship of the Holy Ghost. Strive for success in life you will always be more successful when the  humility of your soul allows the Spirit to guide i so testify.

    I love being out here, I love the good and the bad.  If we were never to experience hard times, we would never be able to enjoy the sweetness of the good times.  I have been doing a lot of study on Christ this week and a bunch of random different thoughts.  One thing that hit me hard is that we can choose what our attitude will be towards the adversary.  The trials that we have in our lives we can see as blessings, we can choose to be happy no matter what.  I know there are so many more lessons that the Lord needs me to learn in my life, but I am just so grateful for the trials that have been placed in my life thus far.  Because all those things have shaped me into who I amtoday

     Hold off on sending things to the address I am at now, send them to the mission office(1111 s.cole rd.) because next week is transfers. That is just nuts to me. I know that I will most likely be going because I have over stayed my stay in this area. I can not believe it has already been 6 months since I first came in this area, time is flying by.  I don't know what the Lord has in store for me, but I know that whatever it is will be what not only I need, but what the people need that are in that area.  I can't believe that this will most likely be my last area.

     I hope you all know how much I truly love you and pray for you! Watch that video that I was talking about, the newest one on the mormon channel.

Love

Sister Metcalf

P.S. I know my subject is random but Nathan had written that to me in his email to me and it just made me smile when I thought back to those great memories.