February 5, 2018

 In Mount Vernon

 Sister Daul's last zone conference on the end..

 First time seeing the blue sky in a week!! Such a blessing!

4 Months out!!!! February 5, 2018

Dear Family and Friends

We had Zone Confrence on Tuesday. It was down in Mount Vernon and we learned all about the Ward Mission Process and exact obedience. You learn so much at Zone Confrence and how you can improve as a missionary in so many things. I'm excited for this process to kick in, it has been a thing since 2008, but our mission is focusing on it extra this year. Bringing back all the less actives! The Ward really is the key to missionary work and having success. Also, President wants the mission to improve on our language, so we are trying really hard to not use replacement words...It is so hard! I didn't realize how much I say them until I've focused on it. 

Our car engine light turned on so we had to go back to Mount Vernon to Good Year and they said that it will be an hour and a half because they just went on lunch break, so we did a blitz in another area! (When two sets of missionaries work in one area). It was funny, a man pulls over in traffic and yells at us, "Are you Mormons?" we say, "Yes!" He says, "You worship the devil!" and we say "what?" and he says, "You believe in a false Jesus!" and sister Porter goes, "Ok, have a nice day." and he says, "No really!" I was laughing he took the time to tell us that while he is blocking traffic haha.
 

Investigator Update:

Ze: We taught Ze this week and showed him the bible video of Christ being baptized, he was able to watch it in Chinese and it was super cool. He said he felt really peaceful while watching it and asked if he could be baptized in nature! haha, we told him it would be real cold, but he can! His baptism date is for the 24th of February. We love Ze!

Jordan is doing amazing, We were able to start our fast together over the phone and fast that he can stop smoking and be able to receive an answer if he should stop smoking marijuana. He says he will quick right when he gets an answer. So pray he will so he can get baptized!

Coree wants to be baptized! He told us that he feels a difference when we come over and when he comes to church. He wants to wait until his fiance comes up to visit so she can be there, so we aren't worried about him if he has to wait a couple months,  he is so solid.

I hope you all have a great week and look for ways you can serve each day. As we look for ways to better somebody else's life, we will have more joy throughout our day. Even if it's a text message to someone you think needs a friend. I know it's through the simple things that we can make a difference. I love you all! Have a great week.  Love Sister Stokes

January 29, 2018

 Missionary Badge Photo

 Favorite Freshman!! Next to me is Olivia, then Alex who is a recent convert we teach and then Tawny who is a recent convert we teach. They took us to the Dining Hall on campus for dinner! it was so fun.​

 Had a Relief Society brunch on Saturday!

Were Getting Smart Phones :). January 29, 2018

Dear Family and Friends,

President had a mission wide phone call Saturday Morning, we were scared that our mission was dissolving because so many have been lately! Lindsey from our ward told us her mission, The Cleveland Ohio mission is being dissolved! She is so sad. But we were told that we are getting smart phones and all missionaries in our mission will have one my April! It is going to be so weird, Apparently every mission in the US will have a smart phone by August, so that's crazy. 

The second announcement he made was that the Washington Federal Way mission is being Dissolved and in July, we will be adding three Stakes from the Seattle Mission! The three stakes are the Bothel Stake, Shorline Stake, and  North Seattle Stake. We will have University of Washington in our mission now!! I am so excited. 50 missionaries from the Seattle mission will join the Everett Mission and so many other missions are being affected by this.

We had 5 investigators at church this week! Coree, Jordan, Ze, Cecilia, and Ashton. Cecilia was being taught by other sisters, but she is YSA they passed her off to us. Ashton was a former from a year ago who the Elders were teaching and gave to us because he is YSA, but he is moving on Thursday.

We went on exchanges this week with our Sister Training Leader. We only have one STL so we have to go on two exchanges this transfer. But guess who it is! Sister Stokes! HA. We spent the day together Friday and it was so much fun. This is her last transfer on the mission.. She doesn't know her Stokes side of the family very well, but she said they are from Idaho! So we are probably related some how! She is from West Jordan Utah. 

Our investigator Jordan is doing amazing! He wasn't able to cut off smoking cold turkey, but he went from smoking a pack a day, to only 5 a day. He know's the Gospel is 100% true and is so excited to be baptized on the 24th. He is working so hard to be ready for Baptism and has been telling his friends and family all about it! Keep praying for him!

Coree is so solid, he is in for the long run and not going anywhere anytime soon. He has grown so much and hasn't missed one Sunday since we've been teaching him. Sister Stokes and I taught him on Friday and we had an amazing lesson with him. This week, we are going to be bold, but loving about setting a baptism date. He isn't one to move fast in these things, which I don't blame him, if I was investigating, I would take forever probably, but we are cracking down and going to tell him that we know he is ready and cannot procrastinate this covenant.

Our Zone confrence is tomorrow and I am way excited! I feel like it has been so long since we have had one. The last one we had was the 1st week I got to the mission! I am so excited for these upcoming changes to the mission, the lord's work is hastening and I am so excited to be apart of it. 

This week I was reading in Matthew chapter 4 when Christ fasted 40 days and 40 nights and how he was tempted by the devil. I was thinking how easily we are tempted because of our natural state, but knowing that Christ was tempted, but did not fall into temptation stuck out to me. I was pondering why is it so hard sometimes to be obedient to the smallest things and to the commandments of God? We know we are happier when we abide by his precepts, but because of our fallen state, we always fall short.  I love that Christ was able to overcome every temptation. Because who better to learn obedience, than he who has never fallen into temptation? We are able to gain strength as we look to Christ, and use his atoning power he so willingly gave to us. I hope you all look to Christ this week, even though we are weak, Through Christ, we are made strong. Ether 12:27

Love,

Sister Stokes

January 22, 2018

 Ariel and Arroch's Wedding

 Teresa's Baptism program from last week

Bashing in Dairy Queen January 22, 2018

Hello everyone!! I hope you all have had an amazing week! This past week was transfers, and are district pretty much stayed the same other than two new elders came up and are our Zone Leaders. Our ward is so happy that we both are staying another transfer, I love them all so much! Ariel and Arroch from our ward got married this Saturday and we were able to go to the reception during our dinner break, they are so awesome. The groomsmen all had Camo vests on and bullet shells for the flower things haha. 

This week:

Coree, our awesome investigator came to church again this week, he is so solid, he has been reading consistently everyday. I swear he is practically a member already, we just got to get him to accept a baptism date! We love him so much though, he is so much fun and love teaching him.

We taught Ze again this week, he still is trying to understand the feelings of the spirit, he is starting to understand more and more each time we meet with him. He wasn't able to come to church this week because he got sick. But he is awesome and still reading and praying. 

Our investigator Jordan is a champ, He says he just wants to change his life around and marry a Mormon girl! hahaha. He wants to be baptized on the 24th of February really bad. We taught him the Gospel of Jesus Christ and also the Word of Wisdom, which he already knows about. He has been smoking since he was 12, and has tried to stop multiple times. But on Sunday, he came to church and told us that he smoked his last cigarette last night and is going to try to cut it off cold turkey, but might end up slowly stopping. A member of our ward gave him a priesthood blessing and it was amazing, I could feel the power of the words he spoke. The strength that comes from priesthood blessings are unreal, but if you all could just keep him in your prayers that he will be able to overcome this challenge in his life it would be appreciated. 

Maya is a friend of a girl in our ward who we have been teaching, She is Lutheran, but doesn't practice. She loves coming to church and loves everything she has read in the Book of Mormon. She is way awesome, but the only thing she isn't understanding is that you can't be apart of three different religions. She says she is still going to be Lutheran, but add to her knowledge with the Book of Mormon and also agree with other religions. We explained to her the Gospel of Jesus Christ and how you have to be baptized with the priesthood authority and everything, but we will see what happens.

Miracle!

We haven't been finding for the past two weeks and we don't know why. But we felt like finding a new investigator is impossible because nothing is working. Saturday night, we had a little less than an hour before it was time to go in and we both did not want to go tract an apartment we've been meaning to for a while now. It was super cold and windy and we needed to finish weekly planning. But we both felt like we needed to go tracting, and the first door we knocked on was a girl named Jacklyn. She has been looking around at different religions and her friend who is part of our congregation has told her a little about the Mormon Church. We were able to share the Restoration with her and give her a Book Of Mormon. She is way excited to learn more about it and come to church with her friend! It was a huge miracle, God showed us that we needed to work hard, and not give up when you aren't seeing success in one aspect of the work.

Love Sister Stokes

Terese Baptism :)