Monday April 14, 2014

There were a lot of success for the week here in the area that I am serving in, which was nice for the first week of the transfer.  There is a part member/less active family that we usually do family home evening with every Monday night, the sisters have been doing that with them for the past six months.  This last week we focused on teaching them a cute little lesson on the plan of salvation, but directed it towards their 8 year old daughter.  At the end when we talked about the 3 different kingdoms we asked her/ her parents what we need to do in order to live with our father in heaven again.  The nonmember dad said baptism, and they gave answers like church, prayer, reading the scriptures.  Which are all things that we are trying to get them to do.  It was kind of funny, we talked about their daughter getting baptized and the mom mention how they want the dad and daughter to get baptized at the same time and how they want her brother to do it who lives in CA.  When we asked them to set a "goal" for that they were thinking the end of August. My companion and I talked to them about not waiting that long, but we also know we need to get them back active again.  They use to come all the time a year and half ago.  Well yesterday they came to church!!!!! It was seriously such a miracle and I was so shocked, because they haven't come in forever.  They stayed for all three hours.  I seriously have no clue why they aren't active, they were making comments in the gospel principles class and both of them made really good comments in Relief Society and Priesthood.  We are seeing them tonight and we are hoping that we can keep them on the path to continually coming to church.

    Another miracle this week is that we contacted a referral that was given to us, i met of mentioned it before.  It is a mother, daughter, and son from Bosnia and her coworker who lives in Star has been working on them but she lives in our area.  We finally met with them this week and had a really good talk with them. We picked them up as new investigators, they just seem so golden and so well prepared by the lord. She talked about how she wants a church to raise her children with good morals and standings, she had talked about how she works around about 90% members and she just loves the type of people that they are.  With our first visit she asked what it would take to get them baptized, we talked about the Book of Mormon as well and extended a soft baptismal invitation as well, which they accepted.  We are shooting to have the baptism in the middle of May.  I really have high hopes for this family.

     On Saturday I got to go back to my old area to my investigators baptism.  It was for Emily, and it seriously was so good.  I loved that girl so much and was so sad when I had to leave that area.  It was so nice to have gone back and to see how much she had grown even more.  She seriously was so shy when I first met her, but she seriously has gotten so outgoing and has gain such a strong testimony of the gospel.  We got to talk for a little bit before the baptism and I just told her how proud I was of her and she told me how awesome I was and how grateful she was for me teaching her.  The spirit was so strong at her baptism, not gonna lie I cried a couple of times.  I knew that my Father in Heaven was proud of both of us and I just felt so blessed that I got to come back for her baptism.  Sadly though when I talked to the sisters that are serving in that ward, it sounds like all my other investigators have gone off the deep end.  This was so sad to hear, I wanted to cry.  The adversary had gotten to two of the youth I was teaching and by not getting any support at home at worn on them.  I hope to stay in touch with them after my mission and pray that they will find their way back to the church.

   This week we also went on exchanges with two of the sisters that we were over and it was a lot of success.  One of the newer sisters who I was with is kind of struggling with some stuff that is going on back at home.  I really feel for her, but it was a great opportunity for her to open up to me and for me to help her with what she was going through.  I feel like I worry so much more for these sisters out her, I want them all to succeed so badly.  It is such a blessing that I have been able to build a trust and friendship with them that they feel like they can open up to me and talk to me about their struggles.

  I found out the other week that my first investigator, Joe Rarick and his wife are planning on getting sealed in the temple at his year mark.  I was so excited to hear that he was doing so well.  I was nervous a few months ago because I had heard that about a month after his baptism he lost his job, and then his wife and him had some troubles and kicked him out of the house.  The advesary was working on him hard because he seriously has such a strong testimony.  He stayed faithful through it all and kept going to church.  Things are good between him and his wife and she is actually active again in the church!!! I hope he keeps strong because I would love to be able to be there when he goes through and gets sealed to his family! These are the types of people I love to find, it is not about the number of baptisms.  But it is about finding those people that will help build up the kingdom of God and stay strong in the church.

    Sister Hatch and I are really fired up about our ward, we have been talking a lot about how we can build up the ward and strengthen the members.  How we can help them to reach out to those last actives and to their nonmember friends.  We talked about building up the ward for our investigators so that way when they are baptism they will stay and that the ward will hold on to them instead of letting them fall to the waste side.  We really both got fired up and we had a meeting with the stake high councilor over missionary work.  That meeting showed us the indication of how the stake is doing with missionary work and members being missionary minded, which doesn't seem to be going so well, which got me fired up even more.  As a district we discussed how we want to do a Stake BBQ.  An opportunity for all the members to reach out to their less active friends and nonmember neighbors.  The stake president approved it so now we have to jump on the ball with it.  It is gonna take a miracle because we have 5 weeks to plan it and get the word out and we know that us missionaries are gonna have to be the driving factor for the success of this.  I have faith that it will be successful. 

   Hope all is going well back at home, I love you and miss you all! I appreciate all the letters and emails that I get from all of you! I pray for you each and every night as I hope that you do for me as well.  Still some struggles out here in the mission field but I try not to let that get me discouraged. I still can't believe that I hit my half way mark this week! Where has the time gone?! 

My challenge to you this week is to share this link/ video with everyone!

 http://easter.mormon.org/?cid=HPTU041514694   

Seriously is so good, I love it! And I love how well the church is putting out these videos, they are such a good source of sharing the gospel, all you have to do is post it on Facebook. I love you all so much! Hope that you have an amazing week and am so excited for Easter this Sunday, may we all remember what Christ means to us in our lives and Remember what He did for each and everyone of us. I know that my Redeemer  lives and Because of Him.... (you fill in the rest) 

Love

Sister Metcalf

 A marque at a local church, kind of a smart saying

Helped some one that has an antique store move some things and found this sweet gem!

 1- Elder and Sister Olsons last day, they were our office missionaries and I loved them to death

 2-Me with Sister Gibbions and Sister Olson, they work in the office

3-Some of the amazing sisters I serve with

 1-Baptism of my investigator from my last area, Emily!

2-Emily and Sister Hess(the RSP, who was the reason for our success) after the baptism 

Monday April 7, 2014

I seriously cannot believe how fast this transfer has flown by! I am half way through in my mission transfers wise! Transfer calls came in on Saturday and I am staying and my companion is leaving. I was so shocked! We had only been together for one transfer, I feel like I barely know the area. I am a little stressed and worried because she had been here for 6 months and just knows everyone. She is from Utah, i know her pretty well and have been on exchanges with her and I know that she is a hard worker which I am excited to go out and work hard.  I am actually super impressed and amazed by her cuz she actually has stuttering problem but still decided to come out when as a missionary all we do is speak to people.  She is super bold and has no fear which I love, I know that she is going to push me to be a better missionary. But I know that everything will be fine and it is what the Lord wants.  My new companion is Sister Hatch, she just became and STL and has been a transfer out longer than me.  We will be Co-STL's together which will be nice, but I feel a little stressed that I have to train her on a sense of all that we do.  Do you know she will be my 9th companion in 9 months?! That is just so crazy to me, I feel like I can't keep a companion.  Well I guess I have been in 3 trios and have been training a lot back to back to back. I think the Lord knows that I don't like change very much so he has been giving it to me a lot on my mission which I know is good for me.

   So sad news that I keep forgetting to tell. So one of my first companions I had when I first came out and was trained in a trio, Sister Thompson, went home a few weeks ago.  I was so sad to hear this, we were in the MTC together! That is two sisters from my MTC district that have gone home early.  Also last Saturday I got a phone call from Sister Roberson and she told me that she was going home :( She actually left last Monday.  I got to see her before she left which was really nice.  When she called to tell me she was going home I started crying. I am seriously so proud of her and for her staying out for 7 1/2 months.  I told her how proud I was and how much she had grown and how she had been successful.  I was sad to see her go, but I knew that she was ready and needed to come home.  I just hope and pray that her parents were supportive and everything.  So this now makes 3 of my companions that have gone home early.  I have learned so much from them when they were my companions and was so sad to see them go.  We actually have been having quite a few sisters that have been going home early, and it is so sad to see. I guess with the wave coming out there are gonna be a few that go home.

   This week was a slower week with us with all the meetings, transfers, and General Conference.  We had Mission Leadership Council on Tuesday, it is where all the zone leaders and Sister training leaders get together to discuss different types of things in the mission.  It was really good and President really inspired me to work harder and keep pushing.  Last month was a pretty good month for our mission with finding new investigators as well as baptisms.  He talked to us about how if we spend 50% of the time with members(active and less active) and 50% with investigators and 100% of the time finding then we will double our baptisms.  This week I get to go back to my old area for the Baptism of one of my investigators I was teaching, Emily.  I am so excited for her and so excited to see old faces and hear how the other investigators are doing.  We also had zone meeting this week as well, Sister Allen and I actually went to another zone meeting of the sisters that we are over because they asked us to do a training.  It was pretty great and we did some really fun role plays with them.  Wasn't general conference just amazing this weekend! I loved it so much. Saturday Morning session was probably my favorite, Elder Holland just started it off with a bang! I just got so much out of conference, I just want to re watch it over and over again and reread the talks! My new favorite speaker is Elder Corbridge, I thought he was amazing pretty much teaching the first lesson and bearing his testimony of Joesph Smith. I wish we had conference more then two times a year.  I truly believe that things like General Conference, Zone meetings, district meetings, ect are needed as a missionary because you just are re-energized to go out and just take on the world. I hope that all of you got the chance to watch it.  

   I love you all so much!!!! Sorry for the short email this week.

Love

Sister Metcalf

 My New Companion

 On my birthday

With Sister Roberson

March 31, 2014

Okay so I took Nathan's advice and took notes through out the week in my planner of things that had happened, but this week we had weekly planning and we do new planners for each month. Well today i grabbed my new planner, but then I left my old planner at home! So that planned failed, but I am going to try to do my best to remember all that has happened this week.

   We visit a part member family each Monday night and do family home evening with them. The dad is not a member and has taken the missionary discussions before.  He told us he knows he needs to get baptized, but they don't go to church.  They use to go all the time a year an half ago, but i don't know why they don't now. Every time we talk to them about they have an lame excuse why, I just need to be bold with him. I almost just want to drop them, but my companion has been seeing them for six months and doesn't want to just yet. We have been trying to make little commitments to them like nightly family prayer and scripture reading hoping that that will lead to them coming to church. We will see what will happen there.

   On Tuesday we went on exchanges with one of the sisters that we are over and I ended up going to their area. IT is crazy how different the areas are just within Boise, such a small city but you have all these different areas.  Anyways we ended up doing service most of the day, we weeded someones yard for like 2 hours, that is something that I do not miss doing back at home with you mom.  But it was a great opportunity for me to talk with the sister that I am over and see how things are really going.  After that we went to another service project, apparently the ward had a service auction or something and somehow someone bought two hours of the sisters time to drain a fish pond.  I didn't think that it was going to be such a big deal but, that water had been sitting there for 3 years!!! There were some dead fish in there with toys, you name it and it was in there. We brought a drain thing, but couldn't use it because their were so many leaves that it kept clogging it up.  We ended up doing all by hand, i wish that i could describe the smell to you, the closest thing that I could describe it is putting all the animal droppings from a petting zone and condensing it down to a water form of 3 feet and letting it sit there for years.  Luckily we were blessed and we didn't get sick! I have been converted to never getting a coy pond in  my backyard.  The rest of the night went really well, we went to go see one of their investigators that is on the verge of dropping them as well as a less active that they haven't been able to get in the door with.  It is so amazing how much more bold I am able to be when I go on exchanges, I don't know what it is.  I am bold in my area, but I wish i could be even more like when I go to other areas.  It's hard to explain, but I am pretty sure Megan understands what I am saying.

     Thursday we had a Sister's Conference that was really good! It was kind of long, but all the things that were discussed was needed. Each companionship of STL's were assigned to train/talk to the sisters on a subject.  Sister Allen and I talked about Companionship unity, Companionship Inventory, obedience dealing specifically with music, and how to build up your companionship.  It over all went really well, i had an elder in our district write us a song about companionship unity which me and my companion sung in the beginning.  The girls really liked it.  Later that night we saw one of our investigators, Caleb.  Things are going well for him, he has gone to church these last two weeks and is progressing well.  We invited him to be baptized and he said yes.  Just like Megan said, we now have to help him truly investigator and come to a surety that this is the fullness of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  It is tough to teach him at times because he is at a lower reading/education level then he should be at, but I know that they Lord will make up the difference and the spirit will help him with that.

   Overall things have been really good this week. My companion and I are continually working with less actives.  We did end up getting dropped by one of our investigators this week, it was hard, but I knew it was for the best.  I had a feeling that this wasn't her time.  She did say that we helped her grow closer to God and to start going back to the Catholic church. I almost wanted to laugh when she said that to us.  But she told us that is what she is familiar with, it is hard to have to push yourself out of your comfort zone.  I can see her joining down the road and I know that we have planted some seeds that will be nourished down the road.  Right now I just have a drive of finding new investigators, I know that there are people out here that are being prepared and I just need to find them.  My companion and I set some really good goals this week and have the faith that we can see miracles.  I feel like I need to build up the comradery in the ward with missionary work. When we told the Bishop that we have the faith to have a baptism by the end of June, he didn't seem too thrilled or show much faith in us.  But I haven't let that get us down! 

   My birthday was really good this year, it really was like any other day in the mission field but with cake and ice cream.  The sisters that I lived with decorated the apartment and baked me a cake and for lunch our whole district went out as well as a few other sisters that I have grown close with, it was pretty good.  I was really hoping to find a new investigator as a birthday present to me, but no such luck.  Thank you for all the letters, packages, gifts, and testimonies. It made my birthday even better. Yesterday in PEC all the men auxiliary leaders sand Happy Birthday to me, it was pretty great.  My companion did a good job the whole week and the day of telling everyone how it was my Birthday.

  Funny story for the week, on Saturday we had a baptism in our ward for a girl who had turned 8 and she had asked us to go.  When we got there everyone was rushing around.  We found out that no one had cleaned the font so when they had filled it up it was super gross, will hair and gunk floating around.  SO they had to drain it clean it as quick as they can and then fill it back up.  People were rushing back and forth from the kitchen to try and fill up the font.  The funniest part is that the city was flushing the city water by there so the water still came out yellow.  We just told the little girl that it was like getting baptized in a river like Jesus hahahaha And the water was still super low so the dad had to dip her back really far to get her all the way under.  Defiantly an event that I will never forget.

   Hope things are going well on everyone else's ends.  Know that I love you and miss you all! Keep being that example to those around you.  I pray for each and everyone of you every night! I love you and keep praying for me, i need it! Love you!

Sister Metcalf

March 24, 2014

I feel like this has been a week of miracles.  My companion and I are continually trying to be come even more obedient and purify our hearts and I truly believe that the Lord is seeing our efforts. One of the goals I have set is to walk around more from place to place because it is nicer out.  There are more people out and about roaming around because of the spring weather.  I have been trying to talk to everyone I see, a lot of them not really interested in what I have to say, but I haven't let that get me down.  I know I am successful when I invite and they have their own agency to choose for themselves.  About halfway through the week we got a text about a referral and to call a member in the Star stake.  This member in Star has a coworker that he has been working on for sometime now and they have had a lot of gospel conversations.  He had her and her son over for dinner last Sunday and had the missionaries over as well, they taught her the first lesson and she said she wants to continue to learn more.  She lives in our stake boundaries, she lives in a different ward but feels more comfortable being taught by sisters.  It is spring break this week,so she is out of town with her son, but we have an appointment to meet with her on the 30th.  She really seems promising and the member in star feels like she is a golden contact.  

      The next day we got a phone call from a member in one of the other wards in our stake who teaches seminar at the local high school.  There is a 18 year old foreign exchange student from Italy who has been going to the seminary building for lunch for the last few weeks and has been having some really good discussions with some students and teachers.  The member who called us challenged him to go to church yesterday and he came.  We got to meet him and talk to him for a little bit, he only ended up staying for the first 2 hours of church, I don't think anyone told him that it was three hours long so I think it was a little too much for him.  But I had a good talk with him and gave him our number and he says he is thinking about learning more.  I don't know where this will go, but I trust the Lord that all will work out.  The only thing that I am worried about is that we literally have no youth in our ward to be his fellow-shipper, my companion and I have been talking about what to do about this situation.  We are thinking of going out and contacting some of the less active young men and having them get involved in this.  I think that it will be a great opportunity for them and hopefully help them to gain a testimony of their own and start to become a little more active in church, which hopefully will help their families to become a little more active as well.  It might seem like a long shot, but anything is possible in the Lords work.  We also got one of our investigators to come to church yesterday and the LA family he lives with came as well, it was such a blessing to see!!!

   I got a text from the sisters that are serving in my old area and one of my investigators agreed to be baptized in the second weekend in April, I am just so excited for her! She is such an amazing person, i feel so blessed to still be able to see the blessings from my labors in my old area.  Now I just need to help "harvest" the work in this area that I am in now.  I know that it is going to take time and a lot of patience.

   We had a missionary fireside last night for the stake and that went pretty well, we had a decent turnout, like 70 people.  Pretty much the size of our ward, but I hope what we had to say really touched their hearts.  Each of us missionaries in the district bore our testimonies on a gospel principle, we sang the EFY Medly of "As sisters in Zion" and "We'll Bring The World His Truth".  We then had a recent convert come and speak about his conversion story.  It was so amazing.  He is from Sister Allen s old area and he talked about how he thought he was happy with his life, living the lifestyle that he was living.  How he got a divorce from his wife and she had the kids and he kept living the bachelor lifestyle and still felt like he was happy with his life.  One day he decided that he didn't like how things were going, he knelt down one night and prayed that Heavenly Father out of desperation and it was the first time since he was a child that he had prayed.  He asked that God would give him a sign that He exists and that He knew who he was and put him on the path he needed to be on.  He feel asleep and in the morning woke up and felt like nothing had happen and he just gave up hope on things.  Later that day he heard a knock on the door and he felt like he should go open it, but at the same time he didn't want to open it.  He fought with himself for a minute debating wither or not to open the door.  He finally decided to and there was two Mormon missionaries at the door and he knew that God had sent them to him and he listen to their message.  He said for the first time in a long time he felt a peace in his heart and started to feel a sense of happiness.  He continued to take the discussions, a miracle of it all was that his wife who lived across town was also taking the missionary discussions as well as their children.  He did not know that at the time, but they both accepted it and a long while later they ended up getting remarried and sealed in the temple.  His story was so amazing, but what he said at the end really touched my heart.  He said this message that we as members have to share is not ours to give, it is the Lord's.  He has blessed us with this knowledge and He has asked us to share it with everyone.  He used the analogy of giving some candy to one of his sons and asking him to share it to with his brothers and sisters.  He talked about how he would feel if he saw that his son was keeping that candy all to himself and wasn't sharing it.  Or if his son was deciding who would like the candy and who wouldn't.  We can not choose who and will not accept the message we have to share.  It isn't our message and gift to decide that,it is Christs.  He is the one that paid the price for us and He has given it to us freely to share with everyone.

   Overall things have been going really well, and I feel like I am constantly been busy! It is hard trying to keep up with everything when you are on the Lord's errand.  I am so grateful for all your love and support for allowing me to serve a mission.  There is no other place that I rather be! I love you all! Don't forget that what I really want for my Birthday is your testimonies either handwritten or typed.  I already got Ginnys, and I appreciated it, it really touched my heart and means a lot to me. I promise to have a longer email next week, i need to do better taking notes during the week of things that have happen. I love you all and pray that the Lord is contiually blessing your lives! Share your testimony with everyone around you, it is a gift that God has given you!

Love 

Sister Metcalf

March 17, 2014

I feel like there is so much that goes on during the week, but when it comes to sitting down on Preparation day and typing it out, i never know what to say.  Last Pday we went to the old penitenary, it was pretty cool, but kind of a creepy place.  Not sure if I want to go back there again.  I feel like the weeks are just flying by, I am trying to grab a hold of time a dig my heels in to slow it down, but that doesn't seem to be working.  I feel like there is so much work I have left to do and I don't want to waste a minute of it, I also feel like one thing I will take away from my mission is being a missionary forever.  Being a better member missionary, it is funny the difference you see when you are on the other side of the work.  Before my mission I thought that I should just leave missionary work to the professionals, but I have seen that the work progress so much faster when the members are involved as well.

    This week we went on two exchanges with some of the sisters that we are over.  They went pretty well, one of the companionship that we are over are struggling in their area.  I went there and was confused because according to their area book they should have a ton of work to do with less actives as well as 20+ former or potential investigators.  I went an taught the junior companion how to work more effectively in their area, I hope that they will take what both my companion and I showed them and taught them.  We are planning on going on an excjange with them in a few weeks.  The other one went well, I ended up staying in our area which was good.  I have never been left in our area by myself so it forced me to have to better learn the area.  We had a really successful week even with the exchanges that we went on.  I got to contact some less actives that seem receptive, but you can never really know for sure.  That is the one hard thing is that people will set up appointments for us to come back, but then they will not be home.  Sometimes I rather that they just tell us they aren't interested, but I know we just need to soften their heart and make a connection with them in order for them to allow us to be able to work with.  Sister Allen and I are continually increasing our total of number of lessons each week which has been great.  We are still trying to find new people to teach, that is a struggle but we are continually working hard at talking to everyone we see.  The only true progressing investigator that we have is a lady that is an ex-communicated member who wants to come back, all she has left to do really is to meet with the stake president.  We have been trying to help our new investigator we found last week to progress,but he was out of town this whole last week.  We plan on talking about the Book of Mormon with him tonight.

     Yesterday at church I felt this strong feeling that this is where the Lord needs me to be.  The area is a tough area, apparently the toughest stake in the mission with missionary work, welfare, and activation.  It seems discouraging, but it has given me a drive to work harder because the Lord knows that I can handle building up another area that I will continue to work hard.  I feel like I would feel more successful in an area like this then going into an area where the missionaries have built up the work. Every Sunday we go to either PEC or Ward council.  Yesterday was PEC and i came to find out that their home teaching report is only at 6%!!! They have over 100 families in the ward so that means only about 6 families are being home taught.  I was so shocked.  Home teaching and visiting teaching are so important in Hastening the Work along.  I feel like the members don't quite understand that.  We can go and contact less actives all day long, but their is a difference when members are the ones also reaching out to their neighbors and friends.  The less actives see that they are wanted and needed by those around them, friendships are built.  It becomes easier for them to come back to church because they know at least a few people there that they can sit by.  The work moves so much more smoother when we work hand in hand with the members and they are doing their part.  The bishop told a story that really stood out to me and made me see things in a whole other way.When you read this story, I want you to think of it as if this was you,(i am summarizing the story my bishop told to us):

In the pre-existence and awaiting your call to come to earth, you were filled with anticipation and excitement. You had a dear friend that was your best friend that you felt a special closeness to him/her. You did everything together, you played and joked around, talking about all the things you wanted to do when you finally made it to earth. As you talked a messenger came and gave me a letter. It was your call to go to earth. In great excitement your friend and you opened the letter. You gave it to him/her and asked him/her to read it aloud. It said: "You've been called to earth in a special time and to a special land. You will be born to the true church and you will have the priesthood of God in your home. You will born into a land of plenty, in a land of freedom. You will go to earth in the United States of America."

Your friend and you rejoiced as you read your call, and while you were rejoicing the messenger returned. This time he had a letter for my friend. We knew it was his/her call to earth. Your friend gave you the letter to read aloud. His letter said: "You've been called to go to the earth in circumstances of poverty and strife. You will not be raised in the true church. Many hardships will attend your life."

You wept, your friend and you, as you read his call. And my friend looked at me with tears in his eyes, and said, "When we are down on earth, you in your family and me in mine, my friend, please come and find me."

I want you all to think of this in two different ways.  I know this is not doctrine, but I like to think that there were people in the Pre-earth life that I knew that were foretold what their life was going to be like and I promised them that I would find them.  That is what I am trying to do, find my brothers and sisters that I promised that I would find and help them come to the knowledge of the gospel.  I also look at it as that there were people up there that I knew that would join the gospel, but would face hard time and difficulties and would fall away from the church.  I promised them that I would find them as well and help them to regain their testimonies so that their lives could be more fuller and happier.  I truly believe that members are called to certain people to visit teach and home teach for a reason.  Maybe they were someone that you knew before, maybe you will be the reason why they choose to come back to church.  It might not be in the near future, it could be years down the road or it might not even be until the next life, but we are placed in peoples lives for a reason.  I don't want to make it to the next life to find out that I had failed one of my friends, that I wasn't able to find them or I wasn't able to help them because I didn't do my small part.  I encourage all of you to talk to those that are around you! Do your visiting and home teaching! They may not let you in, but at least reach a hand out to them and be their friend.  That is a great work for all of us to do.  Sorry to get on my little soap box, but I just felt like I looked at things a whole different way after I heard this story.

 How great is it to be out here serving the Lord and serving my fellow brothers and sisters.  I love you all!!! Hope all is well on your end, I pray for each and everyone of you everynight!!!!

Love

Your Missionary in the great land of Boise

Sister Metcalf

P.S. as for birthday gifts, I seriously have no clue. Sorry guys, whatever you will think of will be great!!!! I love you and miss you all!!!


Went to the Old Penitentiary last Pday, a place I never want to go to again!

 A cool spot we found where you can see all of down-town Boise

By the Old train depot

 My 3 legged dog friend, this is the 3rd one that i have seen in my area

March 10, 2014

So just for clarification from last weeks subject line, I haven't really been having any trials.  Things have been good here, usually I write my letters and then think of a subject ether something to do with my letter or sometimes quotes heard from this week.  So just again to clarify, things are going good here hahaha  Well nothing too excited really happened this week.  A lot of ups and a lot of downs.  Usually Saturday and Sunday is when we do our best and see the most people, but that wasn't the case this week.  It was so weird, every single one of our appointments cancelled this weekend and everyone we tried to see didn't want anything to do with us or claimed that it wasn't them.  On a few of them I know for a fact that those people live there.  I don't know why people just don't tell us they are not interested instead of claiming that they aren't who they are.  We did find a couple of less actives that really seem responsive to allowing us to continually stop by and to visit/work with them.  We also went on exchanges with some of the sisters that we are over , which went really well.

   This week we had a Mission Leadership Council, my first one since becoming an STL.  It was such a great meeting and really inspiring.  We have set a goal to find 425 new investigators for the month of March.  It seems crazy when back in December we set a goal to find 500, but we are now seeing the fruits of that Labor.  We want to continually get the missionaries excited for finding new investigators, we also set a goal to try to get a baptism for every ward in the mission by the end of June.  That is about 133 baptisms by June 30th.  We are calling it our June Harvest.  We talked a lot about faith taking a role in this, we have to trust in the Lord.  I truly believe that the field is white already to harvest here in Boise, Idaho.  Our mission president told us how years ago the church sent out a random survey in the United States asking who would join The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, the response was 3%.  Now that may seem like not a lot, but he put it into retrospect for us, that there are 400,000 people in the Treasure Valley and so that means there are 12,000 that would be willing to join.  Numbers set aside, I truly believe that the Lord has prepared those and that their are people out there searching for the truth, but they no not where to find it.  This week we actually found a new investigator.  His name is Caleb and he lives with a less active family that we have been working with.  It was kind of unexpected, we stopped by the families house and when we walked in the mom was telling us how the friend that is living with them said he wanted to learn more about the church.  We just jumped right into teaching him the first lesson and it went really well.  It was also a testimony builder to me of how the Lord's hand is in the details of the work.  A few days earlier we had role played lesson one for one of our investigators, but he ended up canceling on us.  That day we had something totally different for the family, but as you have read was quickly changed.  But we were prepared and ready, although we had to rely a lot on the spirit to direct how the lesson should go to fit his needs.  It was such a neat experience.

      Things have been going pretty good in my new ward, this week was a little slower with us with lessons. Not many people wanted to meet with us or they cancelled appointments, but we didn't let that discourage us. We focused on the positives like finding a new investigator this week and Sister Allen and I are excited to continually find those that are being prepared. Yesterday Sacrament meeting went really well, we got a couple of less actives to come out as well as a part member family. We saw a lot of joy and success this week even though our numbers don't show. We are trying to contact all the less actives that haven't been contacted in this ward as well as trying to help our investigators to progress. Things are going well between Sister Allen and I, we get a long great and are really enjoying the time we have together. The transfer has been just flying by for the both of us! We recieved a referral from our mission President who ran into a less active lady this week who wants her baby to be baptized who lives in our area. No luck yet, but we have been praying to the Lord to find her and we have the faith that we will this week.  

     Saturday I got to go back to my old area for one of my investigators baptism.  It was for Max Wilson, one of the over aged youth I was teaching.  I was so excited to see him, and he was so excited to be baptized.  This little boy is so awesome and is just always positive and enthusiastic.  I truly believe that the Lord knows what he is doing and that everything is on His timing and not ours. I still pray for the other three youth that are still waiting for their parents to allow them to be baptized and the sisters that are working with them. I have faith that it will happen, but on the Lord's time frame. I also got to see my last companion who is still in the area and hear how the other investigators I was working with were doing.  One of them was at the baptism yesterday and I got to talk with her, she said how she wants to be baptized in a few weeks.  I am so excited for her, and hopefully some of the others should have a baptismal date soon. The Lord has truly blessed me to allow to serve in an area close to my old area so I am still able to see the fruits of my labors. I am truly grateful to be serving in this mission, but most importantly to be serving my Savior and Father in Heaven!

   Nothing really excited to tell this week, but things are going well.  There is no other place I rather be than to be out here serving my mission.  Got a text yesterday from the missionaries serving in Jensa's ward saying how you bore your testimony and I guess we sound a lot alike.  Both those elders in your ward have either been my district leader or zone leader, they are great missionaries.  Anyway the point of that is that I am so proud of you Jensa, I encourage all of you to contiually share your testimonies with those around you, it will not only touch their hearts,but strengthen yours as well.

"Please, first doubt your doubts before you doubt your faith. We must never allow doubt to hold us prisoner and keep us from the divine love, peace, and gifts that come through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ." -PRESIDENT DIETER F. UCHTDORF

Love you all and miss you! Hope all is well on your end, I pray for each and everyone of you every night.

Love
Sister Metcalf

Max's Baptism

 My companion and I

March 3, 2014

Well the one thing that I was worried about with being transferred was being sent to a ward where nothing was going on, I for sure do not have to worry about that.  This week has been weird, I feel like I have been on a week long exchange, but it is starting to settle in that this is my new area.  It is crazy that I am only 5 miles away from my old area, but it is totally different.  This ward mostly consists of older people and some young couples.  Church yesterday was so weird, there were no young men to pass the sacrament or to bless it.  It was all men that were 65+ that were doing it.  There are no youth in this ward, maybe a total of two that are actually active.  I loved working with the youth and spending time with them in my last area.  During the whole sacrament I was just shocked of how small the ward was, there was maybe 60 people there total and that is what it is normally. It felt like a branch to me, I am so use to filled chapels and with my last two areas the overflow was filled as well.  I am over the Shoshone ward, and they have had their own set of missionaries for about 6 months now, but the missionaries have been seeing the same less actives/people every single week.  During our weekly planning my companion and I wrote down all the less actives or people that she wasn't sure of being active on a board. There is 180+!!!! I have decided that the Lord has been preparing me for this.  In my last area I really became better at working with the members and helping some less actives to come back to church.  I really found a lot of joy seeing those lost sheep come back and regain their testimonies.  So I know that I need to really get down to work in this area and help reach out to these less actives.  I know that this is where a lot of the work is going to be at.  We have a couple of investigators, but they are "eternal" investigators, missionaries have been meeting with them for months and some even years.  One of my goals that I had set out before this transfer was to be more bold with people.  This is what I am called to do, to call people to repentance.  I am representing the Lord and I should not be timid with less actives.  Seeing how small the ward is and how many less actives there are has really put a fire under me.  I have been trying to "be bold but not overbearing" as Elder Holland would say. I have a feeling that this is going to be a tiring transfer, in a good way.  One of my goals has been not to slack and to continue to be diligent and I feel like in this area I won't have time to take a break or to let off the gas.  I know that trough building the trust of the members and working with the less actives and the part member families that there will be much joy and success in this area.

   Mom I got the flowers yesterday day, I loved them!!!! Did you know that when you dropped them off that I was actually home.  We were having dinner, the members don't feed in this area as much as my last.  Which is fine because I need a break from being fed to much.  Anyways when we were leaving after our dinner hour I saw them there and I thought I had heard someone come up the stairs earlier and was gonna check but thought against it.  To be honest before that I had totally forgotten that you were going to be up in Boise this weekend.  When I think of my mission I don't think of me being in Boise, I forget that I have family here.  When I hear of people coming to visit I get excited when I read the email but by the time that you all get here I forget about because of how busy I become with missionary work.  I love how it has consumed my life and my thoughts, constantly thinking about others and who to go see and how we can get them to progress in the gospel.  I have been trying to learn the area and the people we meet, but I feel like my companion won't be here past this transfer.  I met the bishop this week and he seems to have a push for missionary work right now.  Sister Allen(my companion) said that when she first got here and even two transfers ago he didn't really care much for them.  We had a good meeting with him yesterday and I can see the passion that he has now for missionary work, I guess the Lord has been tugging at his heart strings with this.

   This week has been a really good week for us, we got 17 total lessons which is a pretty big deal.  We set a goal of 20 for this week, I have been praying to know how the Lord needs me to push His work along in this area.  We actually found a new investigator this week, it was pretty cool.  The sisters have been stopping by visiting this guy off and on for a while just to "visit".  I have been trying this new thing when I meet new people to picture them in all white like on their baptismal day.  I did that with this guy and I talked to him about the church and invited him to learn more by taking the missionary lessons and he agreed!  We will see where it will go, he loves to drink, but I can really see him changing his live around.  Had some interesting stories for this week trying to contact some less actives.  One had moved away, but his roommate and an opinion on Mormons! We were stuck on the doorstep for like 5 minutes.  I would just say well you have a good night, but he just had to throw in a few more things about why the church was wrong and how God doesn't exist. We just sat there and listened to him because we knew trying to argue with him or straighten things out with him wouldn't make a difference.  I kind of hope to see that guy in the next life and see his face when he realizes that the Church is true and that God is real.

   This week we will start going on exchanges with the sisters that we are over, I am excited to see how the other sisters are doing and to learn different things from them.  This week all the STL's got together to start planning a sisters conference at the end of the month.  Sister Allen and I decided that we are going to talk about companionship unity and resolving problems. I just realized that I haven't told you about my companion.  Her name is Sister Allen, she is from Lewiston, Idaho and is 19.  She went to BYU-I before her mission, she is so sweet and loving.  She can be timid with people at times, but I feel like us together will make a good companionship.  I feel like this first week just flew by so quickly!!! This Saturday is Max's baptism in my old area, I am so excited to go back and see him as well as all my old investigators.

   I love you all so much, thank you for all the love and support and the prayers that you continually show to me.  I pray for all of you as well. My favorite quote from the week " when someone is speaking to us from their heart, we must listen with our heart". Continue to do the little things everyday, they add up and make a difference.  I am excited for this transfer because I know it is going to be challenging, but the Lord is going to push me to the person that I need to become.

Love

Sister Metcalf