Pictures for Oct. 2013

10/21/14

I hope Sarah is doing better! Poor thing! I will be keeping her and you guys in my prayers, well you all always are anyway, but I'll be saying extra ones. I hope the kids all had a great birthday at the Martins! So fun!!!! Please tell me you took pictures and that they are on their way to me!!! Have Grandma tell Grandma Reida happy birthday for me!!! She is incredible, still going!

 

Things here this week have been good! Another fast week!

 

The Rohrers are doing good. Today would have been Rick and Erma's 22nd anniversary so it's been a tough weekend. Erma's brother sent Rick a really awful "happy anniversary" card and was really mean and things didn't end very well. I feel so bad for them. I can't even imagine what they must be going through. But we had dinner with them Saturday night and it was so fun! I love just getting to hang out with them for a little bit. They always make me feel better about everything! I hope they really do go out and visit you guys, I'm not sure what's holding them up and why they won't just go...

 

Yesterday the Bishop had us do a missionary Sunday. It went really well! 3 of the speakers spoke on their conversion stories. Bro. Shadle, he's in the bishopric and is Hanna and Bethany's (my roommates) uncle! But he spoke about how he was in the air force and met this guy who was a member and long story short this guy had talked to 150 people about the church and all of them said no or weren't interested, then he talked to Bro. Shadle and he was the first to say yes. So it just goes to show that no matter how many times we have already tried to share the gospel we never know what's going to happen the next time. The last speaker, our new ward mission leader, spoke on the restoration. It went really well!!! I am really excited about our new ward mission leader. He is in his late 20's, so he has returned from a mission recently and so has our assistant ward mission leader! I am really excited to see how this goes! Then in 3rd hour we had a combined priesthood/RS lesson on missionary work and the 3 sets of us taught it! It went great! We taught them all how to use the great resources that the church has online like lds.org, mormon.org, and mormonchannel.org! They are so incredible! We told them all to make  a mormon.org profile and then to post videos and mormon messages on their facebook. and then we explained how you can refer a friend on mormon.org. We talked to a member in the ward today and they said that people have actually been posting stuff!!! I was really excited to hear that. So it went well.

 

Our investigators are doing okay. Rachael is on track for her baptism lesson wise, but hasn't stayed for all 3 hours for church yet or been to mutual. and she doesn't have solid fellowship in the ward yet. and her baptism is the 2nd, NEXT WEEKEND!!! So we're a little concerned. We've been praying really hard to know what to do. We don't want to move her date back because she has had it moved back so many times in the past 4 years and I don't want her to get discouraged. but I am nervous to baptize her and then have her not stay active afterward like her dad and brother. They both did that! BUT!!!! Her dad came to church with her yesterday!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! THAT WAS HUGE! I was so excited to see him there!

 

Linda is a mess. Her husband cheated on her, she is cheating on him, the man she is cheating on him with is cheating on her. Her husband put on job applications that he was in the military but he's not and so now there is an investigation going on and he is probable going to jail and IT IS LIKE A STINKING RED NECK SOAP OPERA OUT HERE! So she probably won't make her baptismal date for this weekend...

 

The Padilla's aren't doing too great. They are working at a chocolate factory to try and get money for a house so they can move out of the member's house they are living in. So that is their focus right now and we decided to hold off on teaching them till things calm down and they can focus. And hopefully they notice a difference in their lives without us there.

 

The weather here is getting cold! I feel so bad for my companion, she packed for Brazil and so she doesn't have warm clothes. She sent her mom a frantic letter to send warm clothes, hopefully she gets them soon! haha! She's funny. I love Sis. Trussel. She keeps me laughing, all the time. She has these blonde moments that are just spectacular. WE were at a member's house for dinner and they have 3 little kids that are so much fun! Sis. Trussel was helping one of them put carmel on his icecream cone and had a major malfunction with it and had to have the mom help her and it was just great! You kind of had to be there..

 

Yesterday I hit my 8 month mark! Crazy! It seems like last month I got here and yet at the same time feels like 2 years. But I love being here in the Massillon ward, they are making jokes that they're going to be moving my records in and give me a calling. haha! no thanks... But transfers are coming up in a bout a month (Nov. 13) and we are pretty certain I am going to be getting transferred. I'm excited and really sad at the same time. I am ready for change and a different setting, but I am really going to miss Massillon. I have gotten so close to the people here and it's going to be hard to leave right before the holidays. But "I'll go where you want me to go dear Lord".

 

These past few weeks I have been studying the Old Testemant. It has been interesting, boring, disturbing, all of the above. But I am starting to understand how the Lord feels about us when we make the same mistake over and over again and murmer when we have received blessing after blessing. I feel so bad for Him, I bet He can't wait to come and make us all perfect and be done dealing with the natural men. I have really enjoyed my personal studies lately though!

 

MOM! I was reading in Exodus 29:40 when they used "deal" to talk about a measurement and it made me think of you! Whenever you say to get a deal of sour cream or a deal of butter! Made me laugh.

 

Things here are good though. Staying busy and trying to smile no matter what. Not always easy, but I'm trying.

 

I love and miss you all so much!!!

 

hope you all have a good week!

-Rachel

10/14/13

It has been a super short week! Staying busy!

 

We have been working a lot this week with less actives and seeing an excommunicated member. It has been a lot of fun! I love these people! They often don't have specific reasons for being less actives, life is just hard. The people are still great. I just want to hang out with them all the time!

Our investigator Linda is going through some hard things. She has told her husband she wants a divorce. apparently he cheated on her about 3 years ago and she can't let go of it. However, she's having camp outs in her back yard in a tent with some man... So we're not quite sure what's going on there... We are praying that she can get things figured out and continue working towards baptism.

Rachael was doing really great and then didn't come to church yesterday. So that was a little disappointing. It was REALLY disappointing because it was the Primary Program!!!! My favorite Sunday of the whole year! One that she as a 17 year old might have actually enjoyed! We have a lesson with her tomorrow and are hoping that we can figure out what's going on and where she's at.

It's hard being upset with investigators when they don't keep commitments. Because I remember what it was like to be a 17 year old sitting in Sacrament meeting. and reading the scriptures and going to YW every wed and doing all the things that we are expected to do. It's hard and I didn't want to do it then either. So it's hard to try and tell her these are things she has to do to gain a testimony. It's true, without those things I wouldn't have gained a testimony and neither will she. I hope she can see why she needs to do these things and that once she gains a testimony of them she will begin to enjoy them!

 

Padillas are still going good. We had a good lesson with them last night about what we do as missionaries and why we extend commitments and expect them to do certain things. They are having a hard time finding time to read the scriptures and come to church because they are trying to get money to pay for a house, they are living with a member family right now. So they don't understand that if they put God first everything else will work out, that they will be blessed for that sacrifice. I think they got it. We committed them to read 2 Nephi 9, which talks about what Christ expects of us. I hope they understand how much the Savior loves them and wants them to come unto Him!

I am starting to realize that this is going to be my last transfer in Massillon. It's going to be really hard to leave. I will have been here for 9 months at the end of this transfer. and they will be transferring me right before Thanksgiving and Christmas! That is what is going to be hard! I'm not going to worry about it too much until it gets closer, there is still 5 weeks...

 

The Morrisons, one of my favorite families here, the ones who were the first members to feed me, they had a Golden Retreiver, Toby Lou, pass away a bout a month before TJ did. So they were really sweet when TJ died. This week we went over to their house to help out with some service. Margie told me they had a new addition to the family and pointed down beside her and there was their new Golden Retriever, Ruby Lou! I picked her up and just started balling! IT was so embarresing. She looks so much like TJ did when he was a puppy! It was so bittersweet. She's adorable and so cute! We had fun playing.

 

The other sisters did some service for a sister in the ward who was getting ready for a garage sale and I am attaching some photos of some little treasures they brought home from their visit. Mom, I know you will really enjoy them.

 

Other than all of that there isn't much going on here... just really trying to find some new investigators and stay busy!

 

I love and miss you all so much!!!!
Rachel

10/07/13

YOU GUYS ARE THE BEST!!!!! I BET THE MISSIONARIES THERE LOVE YOU!!!! I'm so proud of you guys, having lessons taught in your home and inviting neighbors to meet the missionaries! You guys are doing everything they talked about in Saturday's sessions of Conference! I know that as you continue you will see the great blessings that come from doing missionary work and you will fall in love with being part of that work. LOVE IT!

 

This week was so good! I feel like no matter what you are going through in life, conference always makes it better. There is always something talked about in conference that is specific for everyone's situation, whatever that situation is. Such a testimony to me that our Father in Heaven is aware of each of us individually. I love hearing from special witnesses of Christ and His restored gospel. It always gives me the extra nudge to push forward and continue.

 

It has been a good week of missionary work! The Padilla family has been looking like we were going to have to drop them. But my stubborn companion who doesn't like accepting reality didn't want to drop them so we decided to give them another week. And I am so grateful she is stubborn! We had a fantastic lesson with them last night. We had a member in the ward, Bro. Rice, who is fluent in spanish, RM, and assistant ward mission leader come with us. It was fantastic! The Padillas have never been that involved in our lessons before! I think it was really great for Lazero and Eric to have a male there to relate to them. Lazero is 25 and Eric is 30. They don't want to hear about chastity and the word of wisdom and stuff from a 21 and 19 year old. So it was great to have Bro. Rice there who is their age explain things to them and to be an example. It went really well! We aren't giving up on the Padillas!!!

 

Rachael is doing good! We're not sure if she was able to watch conference or not, but we really hope she did! We know there were things in it that she and her family needed to hear!

 

Linda is doing alright... There are some more serious problems going on than we thought and some of it she is causing. So we're not sure how things are going to pan out or what's going to happen, but we are praying things get figured out and she can apply the things we are teaching her.

 

This week has been really special for me. I have felt the Lord sustaining me. I have felt Him carrying me through this week. He has reassured me that this is where I am supposed to be and that I can do this. The Atonement of Jesus Christ is real. It's not just for forgiving sins, its for strengthening us. There was such a great talk about this this weekend! The Atonement brings personal strength and I have most definitely gained a testimony of that.

 

I miss you so much. Thank you for all of your encouragement and help through all of this. It really has made things better for me. I love you!

 

Rachel

9/16/13

It has been a good week though! The Padillas, the cuban family that the other sisters were working with before, just moved into MY area so I get to teach them! I'm excited about that, I love them! And my companion, sis. trussel, can use her portugeause! the languages are so similar. We got a new investigator this week, Bonnie! She seems great. I'm really excited to start working with her.
The Rohrers took us out to dinner this week. It's so hard not getting to see them as often as we used to. But they are doing good. Rick finally bought some dress pants and a white shirt and tie! He looked great on Sunday! Brandon and Sam are good - I want them to try going to Singles Ward! I think they would like it a lot more than the family ward, they would relate more to the lessons taught there.

 

I don't think I have told you guys about the Shannon family here... CRAZY! So the kids are all middle-aged and have grown kids and they are all members. So Brother Shannon, the one that is in our area is insane. His sister is in prison for killing her husband  - burned the house down with him in it. The whole family has anger issues. So we were over there the other day and his 17 year old daughter and him were telling us about the time some 16 year old girl backed up into his car. Apparently she didn't leave a mark or anything but Bro. Shannon got out and started calling her foul names and then told us what he called her... he thinks everyone is white trash, I think he has some pseudo-racism going on. He also told us about the time he saw his daughter watching a movie with a guy friend in the dark and called her a prostitute. He also told Sis. Trussel that if she called him white trash he would kill her (we knew he wasn't serious, don't worry, my companion is completely safe!). He told us about how there was a kid in high school that called him that and he goes,"did I kill him? no. did I beat the crap out of him? yes." He says the craziest things. the other night he told Lazero, one of the cubans, that because they had to take all of the tests to become citizens, "you are more smarter than us." and he was being completely serious when he said it, he wasn't trying to be funny... Ah, the Shannon family. Seriously, there is a magnet underneath Massillon that attracts all of the crazy people.

 

We also had a general authority come and speak to us on Tuesday. Elder Bowen from the 70. It was really good! He talked a lot about the Abrahamic Covenant and the House of Israel and who we really are and how when we know that we act differently. I really enjoyed it. at the begining we all walked by him and got to shake his hand and Pres. and Sis. Vellinga's. It was definitley a spiritual experience. Pres. adn Sis. Vellinga cried the whole time. I love them. They are both incredible and have helped me in so many ways. Elder Bowen talked about how they were pre-ordained to be our mission president before the foundation of the earth. SO COOL! I know they were supposed to be here for me.

 

We are trying to get busy and meet every less active member that will let us. It's something we're working on with the ward missionaries. We are also trying to start a Preach My gospel class on Wed. nights so people can learn more about how to do member missionary work. I'm really excited. Yesterday in church we helped teach the RS lesson on that! It was awesome. there was such a strong spirit already there. I really hope the sisters took it home and start applying it!

 

This week I have felt so much gratitude for my family and everyone that is supporting me. I feel your prayers, and they are what keep me going. this is the hardest thing I have ever done, but I know that with all of you behind me I can go forward with faith.

 

I love all of you!

Sis. Chapman

9/9/13

It has been one great week! The week started out a little slow, not much was happening. We were trying to visit a ton of less actives and see where we could get with any of them - not much success, they didn't really want to talk to us. Then on Friday we went over to a member's house, Brenda Baxter, who has a neighbor that she has been talking with about the church. So we went over and talked with Sis. Baxter for a while, and then her neighbor's son dropped by and Baxter told him to tell his mom to come over. So we got to meet Linda and talked to her for a while. She asked us what seperated us from everyone else. WHAT A GREAT QUESTION! We talked to her about priesthood authority and how it is only found in our church and about our prophet and latter day revelation. She asked why she needed to be baptized again and we talked about priesthood again and pretty much told her that her baptism was invalid, of course in a nice way!, and then invited her to be baptized in our church by someone holding that proper priesthood authority. SHE SAID YES!!!!!!!!!!! She came to church yesterday and had a great time. She is really excited to start learning more about the church. it's great.

 

We also started talking to an investigator that we were working with some this summer, Rachael Bennett. She decided to come to church yesterday, which was HUGE! she hasn't been at all in the past year and has met with 5 different sets of missionaries. hopefully something is different this time!

We also went contacting downtown and my awesome companion thought we should go back and talk to some people we passed who were waiting for the bus. We got 2 of their phone numbers and they said they were looking for a new church to go to! We have an appointment set up with one of them, Johnnetta, this week! So exciting!

 

We also started meeting with this family, kindof, they are looking for a church. they are great people and I really hope to get to work with them a lot. I really like them!

So it has been an exciting week!

 

Leilani is doing a lot better with the Young Women - thank goodness! Her dad is still in the hospital. He should be getting out today. I really hope that he starts getting better or atleast can hang on till January when they can all be sealed together.

 

On Tuesday after I found out about TJ we went over to the Hildebrand's. They have a really sweet dog and I just sat with her for a long time. I miss him. He was the best dog. I hope everyone back home is doing okay.

 

Sarah Kay, you need some serious help it sounds like. I am so sorry to hear about all the pain you have been in! You'll be in my prayers babe!

 

I'm excited for you guys having Cory and Steph and the kids at the house! That's going to be so fun! I'm so jealous. There are all these little kids at church that are so stinkin' cute and I can't pick them up or play with them or anything. It's so sad.

 

I love you guys a ton and miss you all so much!

Sis. Chapman

9/3/13

It has been  a long, but great week! Tuesday I was still sick, but we were able to go out for a little bit. Frank Cain is in the hospital again, he has heart failure. So we went with the elders to give him a blessing. It was a great experience for everyone. The spirit was so strong! Wednesday we had a lesson with Leilani. She is doing so well! I am starting to understand the change that has taken place as she has accepted the gospel, but sometimes it's still hard to believe! I love her so much! Thursday we had a relief society activity that we went to and got to know a lot of the sisters in the ward a lot better! There were a few less actives that we got to meet and we hope to see them more! Friday we went to A LOT of less active's homes to try and meet a lot of people that no one knows. We got to meet a few, but most of them weren't home or didn't want to see us. We also helped the Padilla's (the Cuban family who are investigating the church) move. Leticia's ex-husband stopped paying the rent so they had to be out that day. It was really sad, but I'm glad we were able to help them out! THey are so fun! My companion was able to talk to them because she speaks Portuguese, which is really close to spanish. It was fun for them! I love hearing her speak and helping her with her language study. Saturday we did some emergency service for a family that is moving into the ward that are going to become investigators for the other sisters. It was fun! All week we have been doing a ton of tracting and stopping by former and potential investigators just trying to find some new people to teach! We haven't found any yet, but I know that there are people here who need us and are looking for the gospel! There was a great elder that said once, "treat every area like someone prayed you there, and then move mountains to find them." That's what we're trying to do! Sunday was fast Sunday and Rick Rohrer got up to bear his testimony! It was so awesome! I love that family so much! They are incredible! They say they are going to be coming out to St. Louis before the holidays, hopefully that works out and everyone back home gets to meet them! They need some fellowship and lots of encouragement! Rick got called as one of the cub scouts leaders - dad you gotta help him out! And Brandon got called as the YM's Secretary! It's fun. I don't know if they've done anything in their callings yet but I think they're excited about it. Monday was labor day and there was a big county fair going on. the Senior couple in our area got a booth and set up some stuff for the church. So we worked there from 10-3! It was crazy! I have never done contacting like that on my mission and I don't really like it. I felt like a salesman the whole time. That's not the way I want to represent the church. But overall it was a good experience. Rick was there with Sam! She has been helping us out a lot with getting Leilani some fellowship! THey had Leilani spend the night over there this weekend and all went to the fair together. It made me really happy to see Sam being so sweet and helpful to us and to Lei. Love that girl! Last night we had a really great lesson with Leilani's parents Frank is still in the hospital so we went up and sat with them for a while. We read that scriptures in proverbs "lean not unto thine own understanding" and just talked about how we don't know why these things are happening, but the Lord does and He has a plan. Then Frank started baring his testimony about it. It was awesome! The spirit was incredible! He told us about one of the first times he felt the spirit. He was in the navy and was an alcoholic. He had just gotten sober and his buddies wanted to take him to one the shows they were having for the navymen. So Frank went, but they were all trying to get him to drink the whole night and so he wasn't having a good time. One of his friends came up and asked him what was wrong and he told her. the rest of the night she asked him to dance and helped him out  and took his mind off of it. He lost contact with her later on and then found out that a year after that she had died from cancer and then he found out that she had had a husband who had died from alcoholism. So she had made a huge impact on Frank. Then years later when Frank was working as a counselor for AA he met this kid, Troy, who he was helping out and trying to get him sober. He came to find out that Troy was this women's son. He said he felt the spirit confirm that this was not a coincidence. That was the first time in the 6+ months that I have been here that I saw Frank cry. He continued to bear testimony about the Lord's plan for each of us and how He knows us better than we think He does. It was awesome! I love them. They teach me so much everytime I am with them.

Other than that not much has been happening. Just really trying to find people to teach.

We are also trying to get members more excited about sharing the gospel, but aren't coming up with very good ideas of how to do that so if anyone has suggestions or things that worked in their missions send them my way!!!!
love you all!!!

Sis. Rachel Chapman