"I Will Go - I will do - the things the Lord Commands!"

It's crazy how fast time is flying!!  At this speed, we will be "Returning With Honor"  before you know it!!! We are so grateful to be here serving in this part of the Lord's Vineyard!!  Such an amazing place to be and serve, because of the Church History that took place here.   Not just Church History but other major events!   Yet there is so much work to be done here.  

 Well...most of the time we work!!!

 Elder Tefteller before heading out for a day of service....

 Like Elder Tefteller said, "Going to Costco, is part of the Mission!!!"   We paused for a massage!

 Sister Tefteller ready for the day....

 This is Yvonne, an investigator we found.   The sisters are teaching her.

 Sister.... Peterson and Sister Bentley

 Today, we went as a group to visit Missouri 1855.    About 50 acres of 1800 era houses...barns....log cabins....and animals.   We had a great time.   We were small in #...but we all had a great time!

 Elder Tefteller looking at the Oxen....

 Elder Tefteller visiting with the Blacksmith....

 Beautiful....

 Old Timey equipment and barns....

 One of the houses from 1855....

 The house in the center of the village...

The gift shop....old 1855 house....

 Baa...Baaa.....Black sheep!!!

We stopped and ate lunch at Cheddars.   Elder Tefteller topped it off with this apple cobbler dessert!!!

The Elder's have a baptism this coming Saturday.    I was asked to speak on baptism.   The Sisters have a baptism on the 15 of June.  It is our investigator Yvonne.   These young Elder's and Sister's are amazing.  It is inspiring to see their hard work and dedication.    These are some of the most obedient missionaries we have met.  It is so wonderful to see the Lord working in their lives!  That is why we are so anxious to help where we can.  It's great to be a part of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Missionary Work!!!   We were even talking last night about where we will serve our next mission!!!   Until next week....Say your prayers!!!

May Showers bring June Flowers?

I always thought it was April showers bring May flowers!!    It has been raining here quite a bit in May.   I am not complaining because it has been quite beautiful.   It only means we can't ride our bikes as much!!! Or at all.    It is supposed to rain through Saturday.  Some friends of ours from our Washington DC Temple Mission were on their way home to Utah and stopped her for 2 days.  We had a nice visit and took them to some of the Church History sights.   They had never been before so they really enjoyed it   And Glenn is the best tour Guide.   He has a great love and knowledge of Church History, and has the best memory.   He is excited for visitors to come so he can take them around and teach them about the Church History that happened here in Missouri.   We went to the Liberty Jail Visitors Center for the 2nd time.  I really enjoyed it this time.

With Rita and Jim Hollingshaus at the Liberty Jail Visitors Center.  May 16, 2016.

We have been out visiting less active members of other our Ward,  and last week we made some cookies....and set out on a new adventure trying to find all the youth who are in our Sunday School Class.  4 of the kids we were able to visit came to Church last Sunday.   So our Sunday School class grew from 6 the first week to 9 the 2nd week.    I think I may have mentioned before that there are 38 youth from 12-18 on Record.  We also found an investigator who we took to Church for the 2nd time.   The Sister Missionaries are teaching her the Gospel.  We went with the Sister Missionaries last week to teach a woman about the Gospel.  She seemed very receptive.    Last Friday there was a fireside, and she and her husband and 2 children showed up.  It was a young couple.    He played football for BYU and is now on the team for the Kansas City Chiefs.  They both spoke and it was great!   I was the chorister in Sacrament Meeting last Sunday.    I started counting how many people were there, and I think there was less than 100 or close to.   I am beginning to recognize the faithful members in the ward, and there aren't many.  They truly have their work cut out for them, and I am hoping that we can be the means of doing much good and helping them to increase not only their numbers but the strength and spirituality of their ward members.  Last Saturday we went to a sealing of a couple and their 15 year old daughter.   It was a great experience.   Some of the ward members told us that had been working with them for the past 3 years.

 The Missionaries of the Independence 3rd Ward.  Elder and Sister Holdaway.....Elder Cox...Elder Duarte...Elder Tefteller...Sister Bentey..Sister Tefteller and Sister Peterson.

 Sister Bentley...Sister Tefteller and SisterPeterson with the Kansas City Temple in the background.

 Jessie  Wilkes who was sealed to her parents, is in our Sunday School Class.

 

Elder Duarte walking down the stairs.   At the Kansas City Missouri Temple.

I am very grateful to be a part of helping further Heavenly Father's Kingdom here on earth.   Glenn and I truly love going out and finding His lost sheep.  Some aren't excited to see us and some don't open the doors when we know they are home.  But we know we are doing His work, and hope that we can make a difference somehow.  It's blessing our life, we are grateful for that!!!  We have a testimony of the Gospel of Jesus Christ!   We are so grateful to Heavenly Father for allowing us to serve a Mission.   We know without His help we wouldn't be able to.   We are blessed with relatively good health, and we have the financial means to do so.  Our testimonies continue to grow as we serve.  

 Glenn with two youth we took to a ward activity. All on their electronic devices!!

On our way to Church!   

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So happy to be reporting on Mother's Day.  It was a beautiful day at Church.   We invited the Elder's over for dinner and also Sister Christensen, who is the Mission Nurse.  I made lasagne, french bread, salad and cheesecake.   We sent the left overs home with the Elders.   We let the Elder's skype their families on our lap tops.  
We went to Adam ondi-Ahman for the 2nd time with the Independence 3rd Ward.   The Ward the Mission President assigned us to. We also went to Far West. It was amazing even the 2nd time around.   I hope all our children can get out here while we are serving so we can take them to all these sights.   So inspiring!!!  We are so thrilled to be here!    We are seeing that there are many who have strayed from the Church....it's sad to see their living conditions.    We now how their lives would improve if they would return to activity.  The last 3 weeks we have been going out everyday to visit these folks.
We taught our first SS class today.   We teach ages 12-18.   We felt the class went quite well.   I was YW President 36 years ago.  It was great to be with the Youth.  We had 6 in the class.   There are 36 on record.  Looks like Elder Tefteller and I have our work cut out for us.   My goal is to bring class attendance up to 100%!!!!   Piece of cake.   We have 17 months!!
I love this Gospel and am so happy to be serving where an important part of Church History happened.   It has definitely strengthened my testimony!!!  I love the Prophet Smith.   I know he was foreordained in the Pre-existence to be the Prophet to help restore Christ's true Gospel here on earth and I know He under direction of the Spirit and the tools given him, translated the Book of Mormon.
Our friend Tia passed away yesterday, Saturday morning.   We were so glad we went to visit her on Thursday.   We took her a red rose.   She talked to us, and she asked Glenn for a head massage.  He had given her one on our earlier visits.   She told us she was at peace and was ready to die.   She was happy that she would be reunited with her father, who had passed away 6 years earlier.   She was the sweetest person!  We are glad that just 3 weeks earlier the Bishop asked us to go visit her.   We are so grateful he did.  They are having a memorial service for her Wednesday morning at 10.  They said that there will literally be hundreds of family there.   Her brother and his family flew in from Hawaii early this morning.  I love the Polynesian people.

 We are delivering Roses to Sisters in the ward.   We passed out 30 Roses.

 View of a very old barn on our 18.5 mile bike ride.

 Here come's Elder Tefteller...

 Another view of the very old barn....

 We went with the ward to Adam Ondi-Ahman.....Elder Tefteller with Sister Pelusi...

 Ward members at Adam Ondi-Ahman.....

 Elder''s Duarte and Cox with their investigator Joe.....

Elder Duarte and Elder Cox on Preacher rock.

 Waiting by Preacher Rock...

 This is what an Adam Ondi-Ahman cow looks like....

 Elder Tefteler and Joe at Far West....

 2 ducks lounging by the pool at our apartment complex,

 Late Saturday I made a cheese cake for Mother's Day.  I thought I grabbed Graham Crackers off the shelf.....I used them and they worked.....

 My beautiful corsage Elder Tefteller got me for Mother's day.....

 Sister Peterson and Sister Bentley gave me two red roses for Mother's Day.....and I got the others at Church.

Brother and Sister Studyvin gave me and the other Senior Missionary Sisters flowers for Mother's Day.  They thanked us for our service and helping their ward.  I was touched.

Serving.....

It's amazing how quickly time flies.  We continue to enjoy our service here in Independence,  We go out every day looking for people who the Bishop has asked us to visit.  It is so sad to see the living conditions of these people we visit.   We live in a very poor ward.   We live in a very inactive ward.  I hope and pray that while we are here, we can make a difference to a lot of these people.  I know that the Gospel changes lives.  It is obvious when we go into peoples homes if they are living the Gospel or not.
Last Saturday, the YW had a fund raiser. They had a spaghetti dinner and a silent auction.  The Young Woman's President is amazing.   She owns a party store and had the cultural hall decorated so amazing.   She did the whole thing herself.   She is Polynesian and we have learned that Polynesian families are very tight.   She is the ONLY one active in her family.   But her daughter was there, two of her sons....a brother....a sister and a few other relatives.   None were active but they were sure there to support her. And nice!!!   I have never met a nicer people.   They are so warm and friendly.  It was funny when I went up and introduced myself to her daughter.   I told her my name and she said, "I am Bianca, and I'm inactive."  I started laughing and said that was a different way to introduce yourself!!!  It was a great evening and I hope they were able to earn the money they needed.  The Bishop told us it wasn't a real good turn out.  But it was only because you had to pay for your meal.  He said when they have pot lucks or dinners that are provided for ward members, they get a couple of hundred people.    That supports earlier what I said about this being a poor ward.
I made more cookies last week than I have in a very long time.  I made 3 batches during the week which equals 12 dozen cookies.   Then I made cookies for the YW fundraiser.  It was dessert for the dinner.   I made 18 dozen last Saturday.   We also took 5 meals into two families.   I was in the kitchen a lot last week.   Glenn was right there with me, cleaning up, and he would go to the store for me if I needed anything.  What a trooper!!!  But we are a companionship and I think we work very well together.
The Bishop asked us to team teach the youth in SS.   Ages 12-18.  If all of them came, there would be around 36 youth.   But as it stands only 8-10 come.   We begin teaching this coming Sunday.   We are excited and pray that we can teach so that the Spirit will touch their hearts and they can develop a strong testimony of the Gospel.
My testimony of the truthfulness of the Gospel, and my knowledge that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the only true Church on the earth today has become stronger, as we have been serving the past 8 months.  Here and in Washington DC.  There is no doubt in my mind that Jesus Christ is our Savior and that He loves us.  We have a Heavenly Father who wants nothing but to see us happy and living the Gospel.  I am serving a mission because of my love and gratitude to Him for all He has blessed me with ALL my life.  I know I can NEVER repay Him or my Savior for their kindness and generosity to me....but I know how I live my life, in some small way shows that gratitude I have for them.   Glenn and I can serve missions the rest of our life and it still wouldn't come close to repaying them.  But I will continue to live my life serving them, and to live a life of obedience.  Until next time: read your scriptures!