Email No. 39

Family!

Time is a real thing. So. I don't have a lot of time. But, a few highlights of the week!

1. Keri is amazing. We taught her this past week and we invited her tobe baptized on November 7, 2015. Before we could even finish the question, she was fervently nodding her head and saying, "Yes! Yes! Yes!" It was awesome. I knew that the Lord has prepared her and that she is coming closer to our Heavenly Father because of this. She sent us a text saying "Is it unusual to have church withdrawals and you've only been once?" She loves this gospel and wants to be apart of His
church more than anyone else I've ever seen.

2. Bernie was interviewed and will be being baptized on Ocober 24, 2015!!!!!!! We are so ridiculously excited.

I love this gospel. And I love my Savior. I have come to realize on my mission that being happy is totally up to us. And we can rise above challenges and struggles and trials with the Lord's help. 
I am so sorry this is so short! I love you all!

Love,
Sister Sewell

Email No. 38

Faaaaaaammmmmiiiiilllliiiaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!!!!!!!!! Y

AMMMMIIIIGOOOOOOOSSSSSSS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

You are sitting in your family room and all of a sudden you hear somebody running and moments later you see me burst open the door and say at the top of my lungs: "GUESS WHAT GUESS WHAT GUESS WHAT. I'M TRAINING." And I am beyond pumped. Funny funny story of how this happened. So. The way our mission does transfer calls: from 8-10:30 on

the Saturday before transfers, (which happens on Tuesday) the assistants will send out a text saying that neither you nor your companion will not be being transferred. Or if one of you are being transferred then they will give you a call and tell you what will be happening. And if your are training, then President Stoker will call.

Here is the story:

         So, as most of you know, this past week was General Conference. Because we are the farthest east you can go, General Conference happens a lot later. The morning session is from 12-2 and the afternoon session is from 4-6, with the priesthood session starting at 8 and going til about 9:30ish. Plus, almost all themissionaries are far away from the church (at least 30 minutes) so tack on another time block and most missionaries (elders) wouldn't be

getting home til about 10:30.

         So this caused great anxiety among the New Hampshire Manchester Mission. The big question the past week and a half was:  "What is happening with transfer calls?"

         I think our leaders finally got so sick of hearing us ask that every time we saw them, the assistants finally sent out a

voicemail informing us that the upcoming transfers calls would happen between the hours of 6-8 on Saturday.

         Sister Jensen and I were fully expecting a call. #1 Sister Jensen had been here for 6 months and #2 We have been together for two transfers.

         So the time came. The dreaded/really exciting hours of six to eight o'clock in the evening on the third day of the tenth month in the year of our Lord two thousand and fifteen on a beautiful Saturday evening, came. And we waited. And I paced. And we waited. And I paced. And then waited and paced some more.

         We were finishing up planning and I just could not focus. I was just a mess. We were doing planning at the church because we needed wifi for our iPads in order to plan and at the same time the priesthood was having a potluck before the priesthood session. So occasionally, someone would pop their heads in and ask if we got the call yet. I would look at them with one eye twitching, looking like a crazed lunatic (more than I usually do) and respond with a (probably more loud than necessary) "NO!" I was spazing out, folks. I was a mess.

         So those two hours passed. And then we waited. And waited and waited. Allllllll through the Priesthood session. We kept thinking, "Well, we haven't heard anything, no text, no call.... Maybe we aren't getting transferred?" The questions were flying and we were both thoroughly confused. So we continued to wait and wait.

         Eventually I gave up hope that we would get a call. So at 9, we planned. And we decided that if we didn't get a call or a text by 10:15 (15 minutes before curfew) we would send a text to the Assistants. And so 10:15 came and we texted them. 5 minutes later we got a text back informing us that we had texted the wrong elders. Gosh darn it. In our frantic effort to find out what was going on, we goofed! So we then sent it to the right person. Nothing... Nothing..... Nothing.

        In the mean time, I was in my pjs flopping around in bed. Occasionally staring off into space with my covers up to my eyes, other times curled in a ball with the sheets covering me, other times pacing around the room, mumbling to myself like Gollum. "We don't like waiting. We don't have patience, my precioussssss." was my song.

         I'm pretty sure I was a horrifying sight to see. Sister Jensen was probably praying that we would get transferred. Eventually I calmed down. Well enough to realize I was being pathetic. So I finished getting ready for bed and just sat. Kind of. At least I wasn't outwardly showing my inward turmoil.

         So 10:30 came and we both looked at each other and said, "Happy next 6 weeks...?", fist-bumped, turned off the light and started saying our prayers. I joke you not, 30 seconds later, we hear our phone signify to us that we have received a text.  We bolted up, turned on the light and read, "Woah, woah, woah! You didn't get a call?! <The Elders>" Wait. A call?!??!  "Nope. <SisSewell&Jensen>", was the reply.  "Oh my goodness... Can you take a call right now? <The Elders>".

We got a call at 10:36 pm. Elder Chilton was the one that was speaking and apologized up and down and we told him that it was all good, but we were pretty sure he almost killed us.  At the beginning, he said that President would normally be the one to call, but he probably accidentally skipped over us and we were forgotten. He told us that I would be training a new missionary and that Sister Jensen will be transferred and go senior companion.  So there it is. The craziest transfer call I will probably ever receive.

So. A couple Pros to this:

* I have really been wanting to train.

* I get to go to Manchester for transfer meeting.  (haven't been since

my first transfer)

* I get to go down to Manchester in a couple weeks for New Missionary Training.

Cons:

* I am no longer with Sister Jensen.

So. This next couple transfers will be a good one, I think. Pray for me. My nerves have gone out of whack.

Because I have already written a novel and we have some packing to do, I would really like to just focus on the one thing this week that made me so incredibly happy I wish everyone in the whole entire world could feel the joy that I felt. I think I told you all about Keri. She is an amazing person and is totally prepared to receive the gospel. After our first lesson, she came to all three hours of church, which I told you about, but get this. We taught her this past week and SHE CAME TO

ALL FOUR SESSIONS OF CONFERENCE. I don't even know many active members that do that. Not that they are bad, life is busy and I get that, but she isn't even a member, hasn't even committed to a baptismal date yet and she came! It was incredible. And she was taking notes the whole time. Afterward, she asked really good questions like, "What is the Atonement?" And "Who is Joseph Smith?" And "How can I be pure to return back to God?" We have set goals and made plans to have her be baptized this upcoming transfer. Keri is a special spirit and I love her.

I think the biggest thing for me this past week was that I was able to see the new apostles called. You could see the power that these men held, and that power is the priesthood power coupled with the Spirit inside of them. I cannot believe, scratch that, I can and do believe that we have apostles and prophets who speak with the Lord to lead us and guide us in these sometimes dark and perilous times. But it doesn't have to be as dark and as dreary as we make it. Light is flooding the earth and it comes through the restored gospel of Jesus Christ and it is beautiful. I am reminded of the beautiful song we sing at each temple dedication:

The Spirit of God like a fire is burning!

The latter day glory begins to come forth;

The visions and blessings of old are returning,

And angels are coming to visit the earth.

The Lord is extending the Saints' understanding,

Restoring their judges and all as at first.

The knowledge and power of God are expanding;

The veil o'er the earth is beginning to burst.

We'll call in our solemn assemblies in spirit,

To spread forth the kingdom of heaven abroad,

That we through our faith may begin to inherit

The visions and blessings and glories of God.

How blessed the day when the lamb and the lion

Shall lie down together without any ire,

And Ephraim be crowned with his blessing in Zion,

As Jesus descends with His chariot of fire!

We'll sing and we'll shout with the armies of heaven,

Hosanna, hosanna, to God and the Lamb!

Let glory to them in the highest be given,

Henceforth and forever, amen and amen!

Love,

Sister Sewell

Email No. 37

Family and Friends,

This week, as always, was a good week. I had the very sad realization
that in two weeks I will be half way done with my mission. I almost
burst into tears. I have, since I was a little girl, been counting
down the years, months, days until I could be a missionary. "I Want to
be a Missionary Now" has been my theme song (emphasis on the now)
since I was little. It saddens me greatly that it is going by so
quickly. You know in Star Wars where Luke Skywalker is in that nasty
tin container and the walls are getting smaller and smaller and he
keeps pushing against the walls, but he can't do anything about it?
Well, that's how I feel. So I came to the decision that I am just
going to live, day by day and enjoy the moment and not think about the
finish line. At least I'm going to try. I suppose I should take the
counsel of Yoda: "Do or do not. There is no try." (I just realized
that I have a theme of Star Wars going on. Totally unintentional.
Sorry all you Star Wars fans if I have my facts incorrect. You are
probably cringing as you read this.)

Speaking of time flying by, this week is the last week of the transfer
so, I will let you know next week what will be happening! Ahhhhh! I
really really really don't want to leave Ellsworth!

I think I have told you all about Althea, Elle's granddaughter. She is
incredible and about a month ago, she went back down to Sanford.
Sister Jensen and I have felt prompted to continue to write her. Well,
we found out from Elle that Althea will take the letters that we write
to her, bring them to school and show them to all her friends and say
how much she loves the missionaries. Also, she said that she wants to
get married in the temple and start going to church. She is amazing.
Love love love that little girl.

Last Monday, we went over to Katie's and Kes's. We talked about family
history work. While I was helping Katie get signed up for
familysearch.org, Sister Jensen told a story about one of our friends
and her experience with going to the temple to do baptism for her mom.
After telling the story, Kes was crying. She said, "I don't know what
it is! Is it the Spirit or is it a sad story and I'm just being a
baby?" We told her that no, she was not being a baby, but that the
Spirit was touching her heart. It was so so sweet. They are both so
close to being a rescue. Katie just needs a calling! Pray for it!

Melissa, our recent convert is really struggling. She is, as most
recent converts do, going through a hard time. If you all could pray
that she will feel at peace, I know that the Lord will answer our
prayers and it will boost up Melissa.

We also got to meet with Jeanne! I don't know if I told you all, but
she came to church a couple weeks ago! It was awesome! She didn't even
look for us when she got there, she just ran right over to one of her
fellowshippers and sat with her. It was really good to see. In our
lesson with her, we invited her to be baptized. She was very very
hesitant. She explained to us that she didn't know exactly what she
wanted and needed to do. So we invited her to pray about it. She did.
Right there, right then. She asked Heavenly Father what His will was
for her. After that, we sang "I Believe in Christ". The Spirit was so
strong and you could tell that she was really, intently listening.
After we sang, we asked her how she felt. She said, "I feel that life
is just the way it should be." Her heart has really softened and it is
amazing to see. She didn't come to church yesterday and hasn't ca,led
us back so we are hoping that all is well with her.

While we were tracting on Tuesday, we were walking in front of a house
and there was a younger mom with a whole ton of kids running around
her. We walked across the lawn and started talking to her. After a few
minutes of speaking with her, we found out that her godfather is a
member and that she and her husband have a friend who is serving a
mission and her name is Becca. We asked her if she would like to learn
more and she, very resolutely said, "Sure!" We asked if we could come
back the next day and she said, "Sure!" with equal enthusiasm. So we
came back the next day! The lesson was a little crazy because her kids
had just gotten home from school. It was a good lesson though. She
definitely seems to have real intent. When we invited her to come to
church she said that this weekend she couldn't, but next weekend she
absolutely could and would. So we pray to be able to see her.

Bernie, as usual, was as funny as ever. We taught a lesson on the
priesthood and what sets the prophet apart from other ecclesiastical
leaders, such as the pope. He really seemed to understand and get it.
Which is a HUGE miracle. We also went over the baptismal interview
questions. When we asked him if he believed if Joseph Smith was a
prophet, he got really quiet. He then looked back at us and said, "You
know, it has taken a while, but I finally know it. I know that Joseph
Smith is a prophet." *Choir of angels come down singing Handel's
Messiah* All joking aside, it was amazing.  We all couldn't stop
smiling. The Lord answers prayers.

Speaking of Bernie, I would like to share with you all just the kind
of humor Bernie has. Yesterday, in Gospel Principles class, we were
talking about repentance- specifically about godly sorrow and worldly
sorrow. While we were talking about this, Bernie raises his hand and
in a very serious tone says the following:

"Yes, I have something to add. I once heard a story that I would
really like to share. Peter was standing at the pearly gates when two
of the worst criminals came up and asked if they could enter into
heaven. Peter, not knowing what to do, went into God and asked. God
said, 'Do you think that they have truly repented of their sins?'
Peter answered, 'Yes, I think they really have.' So God said, 'Then
let them in'. So Peter left, but shortly afterward came back. God
asked where the two men were. Peter said that they were gone and that
they had taken the pearly gates with them."

We all started dying laughing. I couldn't even breath I was laughing
so hard. I started choking and I just could not stop laughing. Bernie
then said, "Sister Sewell, I promise with real intent that I never
meant to kill you. I promise! I feel godly sorrow for it!" Which just
made me laugh even harder. Bernie is one of the funniest people I
know.

We also picked up two new investigators this week! Their names are Kim
(mother) and Keri (daughter). They live together in Bar Harbor and are
the sweetest people. They have been through a lot and have seen a lot.
Keri is about 22 and Kim is in her 50s. We taught them for the first
time on Friday and right from the get-go, they were so open with us
and have such a strong desire to know more. We invited them to church
and Kim said that she wouldn't be able to because she would be taking
care of her mom, but Keri said she would and guess what? She did! She
was very nervous, but she came! And stayed for all three hours!
Afterward, she texted us and said  that she has never felt that way
before. She felt that everyone was just so genuine and kind and real.
She can't wait to come back.

Remember the really cute little boy that I told you about from the
Waldrop family? Well he came up to me in church and motioned for me to
come down to him, so I did. And he said, "Actually you want to know
what? You are my missionary." And then he pursed his lips in a little
smile and nodded to me. Then he gave me a high five and ran off.  It
was the most darling thing I have ever seen.

Fellow people, I have news: I LIVE IN THE PRETTIEST PLACE IN THE WHOLE
ENTIRE WORLD. Yup. This is true. We were traveling back from the Rands
last night for dinner and they live right next to a lake by the coast.
Anyways, we left after dark and we drove by the ocean and the moon was
shaking ridiculously bright on the water. There were little islands
all scattered around the water and then it was so still. Oh man. It
was breath taking.

I absolutely love being a missionary. There is nothing that I love
being more than the Lord's servant. It is the happiest and most
rewarding work that I have ever done. It always is whenever we are on
the Lord's errand. Elder Ballard once said, "It is impossible to fail
when you do your best when you are on the Lord's errand." That is so
true! No matter what your calling is: Sunday school teacher, full-time
missionary, Boy Scout leader, Cub Scout Leader, Relief Society
President, Bishop, nursery leader, they are ALL important because they
all involve building up the Lord's kingdom. That is also why everyone
feels great happiness in parenthood, no matter what your religion,
because it all involves carrying out our Heavenly Father's plan. Our
life has purpose. This principle is taught very simply and very
beautifully in the primary song "I Will Follow God's Plan":

My life is a gift; my life has a plan.
My life has a purpose; in heav'n it began.
My choice was to come to this lovely home on earth
And seek for God's light to direct me from birth.
I will follow God's plan for me,
Holding fast to his word and his love.
I will work, and I will pray;
I will always walk in his way.
Then I will be happy on earth
And in my home above.

I love you all. Keep pressing forward with... unwearied diligence.
Because guess what? At the end of it, it will all be worth it. The
trials we face are far out-weighed by the blessings we receive.

Love,
Sister Grace Sewell

Email No. 36

Family!! 

Today was a good good day. We had a p-day with Elle!! We drove around MDI (Mountain Desert Island) and then went to Jordan Pond house. Oh man it was just so so good. We had pop-over sundaes. I just love hanging out with Elle on P-days!!,

I got to go on exchange to Old Town/Bangor with Sister Innes! She is from Thatcher, Arizona and let me tell you... She is an absolutely amazing missionary. We were able to go down to Bangor with one of their potential investigators, Holly and her really good friend, Naomi. Holly is a very very incredibly religious person. The reason why we went down to Bangor was because that is where the Family History Center is. It was such a good experience. Afterwards we took them on a tour of the church and the Spirit was so incredibly strong. Especially when we took them into the chapel. Oh. It was phenomenal. We stood in the chapel and Sister Innes and I just were so filled with the Spirit and we stood there an bore testimony of the Savior and everyone involved was touched in such a personal way. We were all a little bit weepy. 

This week, Sister Jensen and I felt that we needed to weekly plan at the church, which is conveniently only about 5 minutes away! That's new! Anyhow, we decided to do that.  After about 2 hours of planning both Sister Jensen me I were having a hard time focusing, so we decided to take a quick 1 minute break. And what does Sister Jensen decide to do? Play tag. So we ran out the door and played tag for about 2 minutes and we were just laughing and laughing. Good times, my friends, good times. 

Sunday, I guess, yesterday was a absolutely amazing day. The two talks were by two of my absolute favorite people: Morgan and Whitney. Both of these women are the most dedicated people to missionary work that I know. Morgan will, at the drop of a hat, come to our aid to come to a lesson with us. She will put her three kids in the car, which includes a new born, and come and bear beautiful testimony. Whitney is willing to drive us to the very edge of our area, the places where we usually can't go due to miles. Oh man. They are just absolutely amazing people. Anyways, Morgan talked on faith. She is an artist and so she said in her talk that it is very difficult for her to understand faith because it is not a visual thing. So she broke it down into simple steps: 

1. Be humble

2. Have a desire to believe

3. Search for truth

4. Choose to believe that truth 

5. Act on that belief

This was her way of showing how we can, non members and members alike grow faith. This, to me, was the pathway to conversion. As we act on the belief that we have found, we will be able to return back to our Heavenly Father. 

Whitney spoke on missionary work. She bore a powerful testimony of why we do missionary work. She basically said that if we truly have charity for others, the desire to share the gospel will flow naturally out of us. It was fantastic. 

We also had zone conference down in Augusta area on Thursday! And guess who I got to see?? SISTER DUNCAN!!! Oh, we had a grand ol' time. Laughing up a storm, I tell you. We had a blast. Also, it was incredibly, spiritually enlightening. One of the things we did was Book of Mormon trailers. It was the same idea of the skits we do at girls camp: get a prop, have a story we were supposed to emulate and have about 20 minutes to prepare. All of them were absolutely hilarious. We were dying laughing. I looked over at President Stoker during one of them and he was in tears laughing. After all of them, Sister Stoker got up and bore testimony of the truthfulness of the Book of Mormon. Afterwards, we drove the two hours home and let me tell you, I. Was. Exhausted. 

Oh my heavens! I almost forgot! We also got these things called tiwis! They are a way to keep us safe and the Missionary Department of the church calls it "The Missionary Accountability Program". They are actually cool little devices! So when I get into the car, I am supposed to swoop my card over it and it logs me in. Then, as I am driving, if I speed, it will notify me. If I drive aggressively, it will notify me. And at the end of the transfer I get a "report", either green, yellow or, red. You want to be green. I have only had a couple of notifications so we will see how long I go without getting one! 

I wanted to share with you all something that I learned yesterday. The principle I learned of was pride. Here is what I basically learned: there is a huge difference between being prideful and feeling confident with who you are. President Benson teaches that the defining characteristic of pride is enmity. On the other hand, feeling confident with oneself is the exact opposite. We are filled with charity. It is okay to know that you do stuff well, but it is what you do with that (knowledge) is what matters. We are to filled with charity and when we realize that we have an admirable quality, instead of puffing out our chests, we can ask ourselves how we can utilize this skill the benefit others. Christ always was always turning outward. He knew what He did well and instead of being prideful, He utilized it for the benefit of others.

I love this work and I love being a missionary!  

Love, 

Sister Sewell

Email No. 35

Family & Friends!!

Can I just say how absolutely amazing you all are? I mean it. I am so incredibly lucky to have such awesome support. Every time I sit down to write you all, I am filled with gratitude to my Heavenly Father because He has filled my life with such spectacular people. So thank you all! 

This week was filled with goodness and wondefulness and all things happy. So. Prepare for it. Reader, do you have about 30 minutes? Because that's how long this is going to be (not tested to be true. I mean, how can it be? I just stated writing it!).

First off.  On Monday night, we went over to one of the families in the branch for dinner. The Waldrop's. When we pulled up, we turned off the car and said a prayer, like we always do. When we were done praying, I looked out my window and what did I see? Little tiny eyes looking at me. Their little boy who is 3 had this big ol' grin on his face and his eyes were all squinty because his smile was so big. And when I say he was close, I mean nose-up-against-the-window close. And he just yelled in his little 3 year old voice, "Hi misssionaweeesss!!" And then he bolted. Oh man, it was so stinking cute. 

We also met with Marcia this week and holy cow, she is progressing. We read a chapter from the Book of Mormon this week and afterward she bore testimony to us that it wasn't until very recently that she states reading the Book of Mormon because she wanted to, not because the missionaries told her to. We asked her if she knew the Book of Mormon was true and she said that absolutely she did. "I haven't found anything wrong with it yet!" Her only struggle right now is that she takes care of her mom on Sunday's, so that prevents her from being able to come to church. We are working with her on that, but if you all could pray that she will be able to have it so that she can come to church, that would be very much appreciated. We know that if it is the Lord's will for her to come, circumstances will be so that she can attend. 

We also met with Katie and Kes who are a mother and daughter that are less actives. On my heavens. They are amazing. We talked about the priesthood. Katie, the mom, just has such a sold testimony of the priesthood. Also she told us about how she felt inspired to sign up for a charity foundation. She almost started crying at the experience. 

We also met with Bernie. He called us Thursday night all in a fluster. He said that the people who were supposed to put in his new carpet didn't show up, so his house was a mess so he didn't know if he could meet. We suggested meeting at the church and he just sounded so relieved. So the next morning, when we met with him, he came into the church all flustered. He came whizzing in and said, "Ladies, I just have had to tell you. I have had the worst week of my life." He went on to list all the things that happened wrong. But! True to character, he ended it all with a joke: "The good news to all this is that I saved money on car insurance by switching to Geico." We started dying laughing! It seems as though the more stressed Bernie is, the funnier he gets. At the end he was telling us that when we dies and he is at his funeral, he's going to pop out of the coffin and say, "I got one more for ya!" Oh man we could not stop laughing. He is just too too funny. He was just so so funny. We joked around with him that he is gunna be buried with a wink in his eye and a grin on his face. On a more spiritual note, after our lesson on Tuesday, we commented to him how happier we think he looks. He said, "I am happy. I feel so much lighter since I've been taking lessons." He is so excited for his baptism on October 24.

We also had a very spiritual lesson on the temple with one of our investigators, Jeanne. She before wasn't very interested, but now she came to church and is really progressing. 

It was a fantastic week. And the reason was because I grew closer to my Savior. I have come to know Him more on my mission in a way that I didn't even know was possible. He is my Savior and He is my Redeemer. I love Him with all my heart and I can't imagine what my life would be like with out a knowledge of Him. I am so happy to be able to serve Him. 

Love,

Sister Sewell 

Email No. 34

Family! And friends!! 

This week was 50 bajillion times (yes, that's a technical term) better than last week. It is amazing to me how the Lord blesses us with challenges and then uses those challenges to help us grow into a person that we never imagined we could be. I know that it is completely the Lord who helped me grow and have greater faith than I never thought I could have. 

As usual, we taught Bernie twice this week. He is an absolutely hoot. He always has a joke to say and is one of the most giving people I know. We talked about how we need to hold to the rod (specifically the Book of Mormon) in order to make it through the mists of darkness that we all go through. I can't really describe the Spirit that was there because it wasn't really anything that we said, but rather the feeling that made this lesson so so special. Even from the time that I have been here, I have seen Bernie's heart soften even more (didn't know that was possible!). Usually, Bernie will crack a joke every other minute, but this time he was almost completely silent. It was the kind of silence that you could tell that he was truly listening and that the Spirit was really working with him and testifying to him of the truthfulness of what we were saying. He gave the closing prayer. Oh! I wish everyone could hear Bernie's prayers! He doesn't just pray to God, but he talks to God. He always talks about how much he loves the gospel and how he knows that this church is true. He loves the church and everything about it so much. Oh man! I just love Bernie! Our second lesson with Bernie was equally amazing. We talked about trusting God. Again, this lesson wasn't anything that we said, but rather how we felt. Afterward, he made is pizza and we sat out on his porch and ate it. It was absolutely beautiful out. 

I don't know if I have told you about Andy. Andy is an investigator who the sisters before Sister Jensen and I found while tracting. He loves the Book of Mormon and he absolutely loves reading it. He is honestly so kind and such a sweetheart. I have only met with him once my whole time being here because we just haven't been able to find a time to meet. But, we have kept in contact. This past week, we called him on Tuesday and asked if we were still on to meet that evening. He hesitated and said very politely that he didn't know why, but he just didn't feel good about meeting with us. He explained to us that he was thinking about it an he just didn't feel good. But, he said that he still loves the Book of Mormon and is still reading it. He also asked us to continue to send him the "Daily Teaching" texts that we do because he really enjoys them. After he has said all this, we just asked him if he had prayed about it. He said, "No, I guess I haven't. I didn't think of that. I will do that." We told him that we would follow up with him. The next day we texted him and asked if he was still praying and he said that, yes, he had prayed twice already today. We then called him on Friday and had a very pleasant talk with him. We asked if he felt that his prayers had been answered. He said that he didn't fell like it yet, but that he planned on praying that night and asking again. We left him with a couple of chapters on faith to read and he said that he would. We will be following up with him next Saturday to see. Please pray for Andy that he will receive his answer and that he will feel at peace about meeting with us.

We also met with Marcia this week. Oh! It was a gorgeous place that we met. She called us and said that she had a very special place that she wanted to meet: Tidal Falls. It is a very pretty place where the ocean rushes in. The water is this gorgeous turquoise color and there are some rapids just by the shore. I guess it is what is called a "reversing fall" because when the tide is coming in, the current (and you can totally see the current) goes one way, but when the tide goes out, the current goes the other way. Anyways, it was a way cool place and we sat under this ginormous tree at a picnic table. She said that she wanted to meet there because it was a place she would always  go to have peace and to pray. Sister Jensen and I were grateful for it because we thought it was very fitting to be down by the water because we were planning on committing her to be baptized. The lesson went amazing and we asked her to baptized and she said that she just couldn't commit to that right now. We asked her what is holding her back and she said that she really didn't know, but would definitely pray about it. The Spirit was so strong and we were able to see that she was sincerely searching for truth and really wanted to know. 

Marcia also told us a very cool story. She told us that she remembered it this week and that she just couldn't wait to tell it to us. Years ago, her friend invited her to go to a Pentecostal church with her. Marcia did go and ended up sitting next to this woman, who I guess always prayed to herself in Hebrew. During the whole time, Marcia could hear this woman praying throughout the whole service. After the service, one of the members of the congregation mentioned how this woman, who Marcia sat next to, could never be understood. Marcia then told this person that she could understand every word that that woman said. Marcia told us that she knew that it was God that translated what that woman was saying. She told us that she couldn't remember exactly all that the woman said except that this woman was praying and that she opened her prayer saying "Dear Heavenly Father" and was closing "In the name of Jesus Christ, amen." Marcia said that this experience was a testimony to her that everything that we are teaching her is true because it seemed to familiar and that it connected to this spiritual experience that she had. 

As I mentioned in the beginning of my letter, this week was one for the books. I will prelude everything that I am about to say by stating that this was a week where I feel that my testimony has exponentially grown. I pray and hope to be able to convey adequately all the feelings and emotions that I felt this week into words that help you all feel them as well.

First off, I have to say that I have such a love for every single one of you that read my letters. I recently discovered that there are a lot more people reading this than I thought did. Even though I don't know the extent to who reads this, I will say that I truly do love every single one of you. I feel of your prayers and love. I don't know how missionaries in general, and me specifically could make it through this journey without your love and support. Know that your prayers are being answered and that I feel them and to say that I appreciate them would be an understatement. 

For those who didn't read my email last week, I had a really rough week the past week. Don't you worry about me, it happens and it is all good. Well, specifically what I was struggling is with faith. I didn't have faith in God. I didn't understand the "why" of everything. I wanted to know. I didn't get why we couldn't know. So yes! Even missionaries struggle! (I was under the impression, before my mission, that missionaries were perfect, but now that I am one, I can tell you with surety that they are not.) Well, I got over my initial breakdown, I suppose you could call it, but I was still feeling a little down and out (#selfishpityparty #ithappens). So what did I do? I prayed and prayed and prayed and basically just asked Heavenly Father to help me get out of this funk. In the mean time, I just applied the principle of hope (see previous emails) and moved on forward in the work of the Lord. So Wednesday came around and we went to Book of Mormon class as usual. Only Matt and Marsha showed up and of course the elders were there as well. It was their turn to teach so I had the privilege of sitting and listening and participating where I felt prompted to. Well, it was about half way through and I was tuning out hard core for about the past 5 minutes, absorbed in my own thoughts. The elders were teaching about the apostate Zoramites and how their trials made them humble. But after a little bit, I tuned back in and noticed that Elder Dortch was talking about faith. Something inside me went, "Hey! Listen up! This is for you!" (No doubt that was the still, small voice telling me) So I did. Pause real quick. You know how they portray in movies Southern Baptists in their services just silently saying, "Amen, amen, amen" shaking their head with their eyes closed. Or they like jump up and say, "Praise the Lord!". Yes, well this was one of those moments. It's like a big red brick of revelation hit me in the face and I just thought "Oh! I get it!" What he said will forever change my life and how I look at faith. He said, and I wish I could say it exactly like he did because it was absolutely beautiful. He said that before we came here we proved to our Heavenly Father that we would follow Him when we knew. But now is the time to prove to our Heavenly Father that we will follow Him when we don't know. That's why faith is so important. That's why we don't know. I already showed Him that I would follow Him with knowledge! Now it is time to show that I will without knowledge. And you know how I mentioned that this was a Southern Baptists moment? Well I tell you that that actually happened. I audibly gasped and everyone looked at me. And I just started testifying to everyone there that the prayers of my soul had just been answered. And I would bear that testimony to all of you: never in my life had an answer to a prayer come to me so unexpectedly, so real, so pure. I knew in that moment that Heavenly Father answers prayers. I know that He is aware of my struggles and trials and questions and that He answers them. I know it. I know it. I know it. 

I also had my testimony of the Book of Mormon grow. I can't even pin point a certain event, but I know that it is true. I know that it is the word of God. I know that in it is the truths that are required for salvation. I know that more than I ever have in my life before. I know that Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ appeared to the boy prophet Joseph Smith and that event which we so reverently refer to as the "First Vision" did in reality happen. And in that moment, in that singular event, the whole world changed. 

I love this gospel. I love my Savior. I love being His representative and sharing His gospel though people may ridicule and mock and make light of it. It is, as Elle told us, "a great honor" to be His missionaries an the ones He has called to be His missionaries. I am sad that I am almost half way done, but I will hold fast til the end because this work is true and this gospel is true and I can it deny it. 

Our Savior lives and He loves us. I know that more than I know anything. To me, right now, it is the only truth that matters. Everything else is just an added bonus. 

I love you all. 

Love, 

Sister Sewell

Email No. 33

Family! (& co.)

Some weeks are better than others. On the scale of "The Goodness Scale", this week fell under the category of "I learned a lot". But! It was a good week!! A lot of amazing miracles came. 

First I should start off by saying that this transfer, the theme (for lack of a better term) is "The Book of Mormon". We are completely centering all of our district meetings, zone meetings, and this upcoming Zone Conference on the Book of Mormon. Also, for the past little while we have been having a Book of Mormon challenge to read it in 60 days. It will end on September 12th. So! Almost all of our lessons will (and should have been. #calledtorepentancebigtime) be focused on the Book of Mormon. 

This week we were able to meet with Bernie twice. As his baptism gets closer and closer, we have felt that it is important to meet with him often, as we know that Satan will work hard on him as he prepares to make to covenant of baptism. Our amazing branch missionaries, Lorraine and Dave came to that lesson and the WHOLE lesson was how Bernie can have his prayers answered through diligent, sincere study of the Book of Mormon. It was an awesome, Spirit- filled lesson. Our second lesson with him on Friday was out of this world, crazy amazing. We felt inspired to teach him Temples and Family History. So we met at the church, so we could utilize the wifi and get him signed up. The lesson went amazingly well. Morgan (the member who does the prints I told you about last week) and her three kiddos were there. We talked about how he will be able to live with Joany, his wife, for eternity and that a year after his baptism he will be able to be sealed to her. Later that afternoon, we realized we forgot to set up return appointments with Bernie for the next week so we gave him a call. We set up the appointments and then Bernie told us, "Ladies. I had a revelation this afternoon. I had a vision in this revelation. In this vision I saw me and Joany, dressed completely in white, dancing through the eternities. I know that when I am baptized and Joany is baptized it will be for eternity." It was an incredible thing to hear about. 

We also met with our recent convert, Marsha. Let me just tell you a story about Marsha. She is the best missionary I have ever seen. Last Sunday, she invited her friend to come to church and told her all about it. She (her friend) told her that being baptized into this church was the best thing that could ever happen to her. Anyways, because of what she said, her friend totally showed up for church! It was awesome. This week at our lesson, the first thing she said to us was that she needed to go to the temple as soon as possible because she needs to get baptized for her mom. It was awesome. We also taught her about patriarchal blessings. We explained that it is in those blessings that we come to know our lineage. I expressed to her that the reason why I love that is because it gives me a sense of identity. To that, she very quickly responded,"Yes!! Yes!! That is exactly what I want!! A feeling of identity!" It was so exciting to see her be so excited about patriarchal blessings. 

We weren't able to meet with our other recent convert, Jeannette because on Wednesday she went into the hospital. We decide to go visit her there and while we were there, she just was glowing. The whole time she was asking how this person and that person were doing, not a moment thinking of herself. We asked her how she has been doing reading the Book of Mormon and she told us, "Oh, girls. There is so much to learn and it is so wonderful. I love learning. I feel so much closer to the Lord since I've joined this church." We just couldn't stop smiling. On Sunday, we found out that she was still at the hospital and so we passed around a "Get Well Soon" card to the whole branch and everyone signed it. After church, we went over to the hospital with Elle and chatted with her and saw how she was doing. She was in good spirits and she was telling us how just this morning she was able to eat. She told us that the nurses brought her some pancakes (which she ate, because she loooooves pancakes haha) and then some tea. She said that she was going to drink it, but that "the Lord told me not to. It was as if the Lord Himself was right there telling me not to drink it because it would not make me feel good." She is an incredibly spiritually sensitive person. 

I want to bear you my testimony of the Book of Mormon. I know that it is, as Joseph Smith said, "the most correct of any book of earth." There is a quote that I read this past week that I think perfectly sums up what I have come to know is true:

"If you are struggling, confused, or spiritually lost, I urge you to do the one thing I know will get you back on track. Begin again to prayerfully study the Book of Mormon and live its teachings every day, every day, every day! I testify of the profound power in the Book of Mormon that will change your life and strengthen your resolve to follow Christ. The Holy Ghost will change your heart and help you see ‘things as they really are’." 

Love,

Sister Sewell