So this computer has a keyboard with a super annoying space bar that doesn't work half the time, so this will be a shorter email. It's not because I don't love you, it is just out of annoyance with this keyboard. 

This week, on Friday, we had a meeting with Elder Anderson, of the Second Quorum of the Seventy (not the 12 apostles Elder Anderson. Even though that would be cool, too). We did a tri-zone conference with him and he taught us a lot, as did his wife. And of course, President and Sister Wilson!

Sister Wilson taught us about patience. We read in Preach My Gospel about patience, under Christlike attributes on page 120. You should all read it. It has a bunch of scriptures about patience and about how patience is related to faith. And what I learned from that is basically that we can't have faith without patience. Patience is allowing the Lord to perform His will on His time. If we are not doing that, we cannot have faith.

Something interesting that President Wilson did was this Book of Mormon quiz:

          Who am I?

-The son of a great prophet

-Left his home and traveled for many years in a strange land

-Went back to get the brass plates and the daughters of Ishmael

-Saw many amazing miracles

-Built a ship

-Was protected by God to arrive in the Americas

-The head of a great nation

Think about it.... The answer is.................................................................................................................... Laman, of course! He and Nephi experienced the same things and both were incredibly blessed. The difference is that Laman's attitude was terrible the whole time. Everything he did, he did it grudgingly. He did not accept the amazing blessings that the Lord offered to him. He did not have patience or faith, so in the end, he didn't have all the blessings, either. 

Also we read the story in 2 Kings 5:1-14 about the man who went to Elisha to be healed of his leprosy and Elisha told him to go wash 7 times in the river Jordan, but he gets mad and almost doesn't do it because he doesn't understand it and it seems dumb to him. He basically says, "There are a bunch of other, cleaner rivers a lot closer to here. I came all this way and he wouldn't even come out to see me?" and so on. But then some wise servant of his says something like, "Hey man, that's a prophet, right? Shouldn't you do what he says?" and the guy is like, "Oh yeah." Then he does what Elisha said and had new, baby smooth skin. Something interesting that President Wilson said is that if we need to understand every single rule/commandment, we are limiting God to who we are. I liked that. 

Then with Sister Anderson we played a Book of Mormon game and it was fun. Then she talked about how in Preach My Gospel it tells us to teach using the words and phrases of Book of Mormon Prophets. A lot of times I think that if I do that, the people won't understand and it will just confuse them. But I just have to remember, I guess, that those men are prophets. Even if they did talk differently back then, their words are the words of God. Plus, it will help my investigators to grow to love the Book of Mormon and to be able to read it better. 

She also challenged us to choose a scriptural word/phrase and think about it, ponder it, and dwell on it, every week. For instance, Elder Bednar made a whole talk about of just two words: "Tender mercies." Mine for the week is "stirred up to remembrance." I would like to extend the same challenge to all of you. It will help us come to love the Book of Mormon even more. And it doesn't have to be from the Book of Mormon, it can be from the Bible or any scripture. Just take some time to think about and ponder about a short phrase from an ancient prophet of God. 

Speaking of prophets, just about 5 weeks til General Conference! Woot woot! Get ready, everyone!

Elder Anderson talked a lot about reverence. And how we should make a habit of reverence and nurture it. If we are reverent, worthy, pure, obedient, we will be made into a conduit for the the Spirit. Especially for our callings. When we are set apart to do something, there is SO much power in that. He talked a lot about that. But the power in our setting apart does not come from us. It comes from God.  We also read in 1 Corinthians 11:27-30 about being worthy to partake of the Sacrament. But being worthy to take it does not just mean keeping the commandments and coming every week to take the sacrament. Elder Anderson talked about how if we are just taking the Sacrament robotically, without thought or feeling, that is not worthy of the sacrifice of the Son of God. The scripture says if we take it unworthily, we are guilty of the blood of Christ. That is pretty intense, right? We need to take the Sacrament to be spiritually "awake," as well. "For this cause many are weak and sickly among you, and many sleep." When we take the Sacrament and take it without reverencing it, we are weaker.

He also talked about the key to avoiding pride. The key to avoiding pride is gratitude. I thought that was super interesting and so true. If we are grateful, we will know where our blessings come from and we will always remember Heavenly Father. It was good.

Well, in case you want a good study, there's my meeting. Not a lot else happened this week. Hermana Kingsley has been sick for the last couple days. 

We also had Spanish meeting on tuesday. That was great, too. 

Oh and we helped J move this week, which was fun. We also got a lot of good support from the ward, which was SO good. We appreciated it a lot, and she did too, which is the most important thing. We also went to her husband's birthday party on Thursday and met her family and helped break down some prejudices there. She is really excited about us. But we think that she thinks were more her friends than anything else. Which is great, but not what we're here for So we are going to go over tonight and explain our purpose and what we do as missionaries. We have this member that we want to bring, and she can be her friend. But we are here to bring her closer to Christ. 

So E won't be getting baptized this weekend. We didn't get to see her at all this last week, and only once the week before. But she still hasn't gotten work off to be able to come to church, and obviously, that's not going to work out until she can. So we're going to postpone it. 

But, K spoke in church this Sunday and it was SO GOOD! She is such a champion! She used the scriptures like a pro, bore her testimony so strong, and it was just SO AMAZING. I love that girl. 

Well, I don't have any more time, but I love you! I hope you have SUCH a wonderful week. Write me letters and tell me awkward moments and cool experiences and favorite scriptural phrases! Also just everything about your lives. 

Love,

Hermana Emily Pratt

Ps Has anyone else shared the Gospel recently with a Hispanic? Or anyone? 

This week has been a pretty good one. We did exchanges this week after district meeting, so I got to try working out in a new area. It was really good. I was with Hermana Horton again, in my first area, so that was fun. 

I've been working on improving a little every day, rather than trying to do everything at once. I was reading in Jacob 5 and it talks about taking out the bad stuff (like bad habits/choices) but only as much as the roots have strength. It talks about how you have to replace the bad with good. And I was thinking about why you can't just take out all the bad at once and just do a huge 180 change, or you'll just end up worse than you started out, and you will fall back into old habits. It was kind of cool. I know that it was just for me, because I've been trying so many different ways to change and be better, but it hasn't been working, and I think it was Heavenly Father telling me that I'm trying to do too much at once. And since I read that, I've been going slower and I have been improving steadily. I am able to work harder now and I'm not so discouraged. 

I think I've also been worried because, since I only have just over 3 months left, that there isn't time to change. But it also said in the chapter that the "season" was coming soon, so Heavenly Father hired servants to help him to hurry the process along. I think Hermana Kingsley was definitely sent to me for a reason, because she has been helping me so much. She is super patient with me when I need it, but we talked about it this week during weekly planning and how we could be better and I told her that I could really use a push, so she agreed to help me. It feels like the season is definitely coming soon, but Hermana Kingsley is helping me be able to be a good missionary again. And of course, I have the Savior, and I have been able to feel the Spirit with me, guiding me again more and more strong. I feel like for I while I kind of stopped trying so hard. But now that I am really trying again, even though I am far from perfect, Heavenly Father knows that I am trying and I can feel His hand supporting me when I feel like I can't keep going. I am so grateful to my Heavenly Father and I know He loves me and it does matter to Him what I am going through. Even though I feel alone sometimes, it is when I leave His side that I am vulnerable. When I do my best and really try to stay close to Him, He stays close to me, too.  I love the story in the Pearl of Great Price about when Moses sees God and then Satan comes to him and tempts him, telling him to worship him. I LOVE Moses' response:

 13 And it came to pass that Moses looked upon Satan and said: Who art thou? For behold, I am a son of God, in the similitude of his Only Begotten; and where is thy glory, that I should worship thee?

 14 For behold, I could not look upon God, except his glory should come upon me, and I were transfigured before him. But I can look upon thee in the natural man. Is it not so, surely?

 15 Blessed be the name of my God, for his Spirit hath not altogether withdrawn from me, or else where is thy glory, for it is darkness unto me? And I can judge between thee and God; for God said unto me: Worship God, for him only shalt thou serve.

 16 Get thee hence, Satan; deceive me not; for God said unto me: Thou art after the similitude of mine Only Begotten.

I know that I am a daughter of God, and that I am more powerful than Satan. He tries to get me to forget who I am, because when I forget who I am and what I'm worth, that's when I am weak and when I struggle, but I know that Heavenly Father is more powerful than Satan, and I am His daughter, in His likeness, and Satan gave up all his glory when he rebelled against God. Pride is a dangerous thing. It makes us fall more than anything else. When we are prideful, we break our ties with God, thinking that we know better; that one small thing doesn't really matter in the long run; saying that we can do it alone. Well, I can tell you, we don't know better. Every decision we make can be the one that turns our life around. Most importantly, we can't do it alone. We need Heavenly Father's love. We need Christ's Atonement. We need the Spirit's guiding influence. I am grateful for the scriptures and for all the help that our Heavenly Father has given to me. If we try to do it alone, because of pride or whatever, we will not succeed. Maybe it will seem like it for a little while, but it won't get us far.

And I already know all that, but I guess Heavenly Father is trying to tell me something, because that message has just been coming up over and over again. But yeah. There is my rant of the week. Enjoy it. I thought it was cool. You should all read the Pearl of Great Price if you haven't recently. Or even if you have. It's not that long. It is a great book of scripture. 

Well, this week was a good one. We've had some good lessons. 

Oh, and this week J called us. Did you hear? SHE called US. She asked us to come help her move. I was in Chesterfield, but Hermanas Kingsley and Dangerfield helped her out and she is still awesome. So that is cool! She is really excited to learn. She told me when she called she talked to her pastor (I was like, "Ohhh... Dang it...") and that he agreed with her that God sent us!! ("...Wait. What? Are you sure?") It was so cool! Usually when people talk to their pastors, especially when they are really good friends with their pastor like she is, that's the end. She even told him we were Mormons. It was so cool! Heavenly Father really wants her to have this Gospel right now. It's exciting. 

My awkward/embarrassing moment for the week is.... Probably when the buttons of the dress I was wearing (like three of them, right in the front) were open during our member dinner yesterday. Awkward. And I wasn't even wearing an undershirt, so that was unfortunate. 

Well, I love you all! Have a wonderful week and remember to send me some awkward moments!

Love, Hermana Pratt

Two for One Post!!

August 11, 2014

Hermana Kingsley did my makeup!

New Haircut - shorter on the sides

This week has been interesting! The first part of the week was really rough, but about mid-week it picked up and has been a lot better. We've been teaching more and found a lot of new people to teach. 

The coolest experience ever happened this week! We had an appointment with one of our new investigators in the trailer park, but he wasn't at his house, so we went to go see if he was playing soccer with everyone. He wasn't, so we started back to our car. Well, as we were walking, a white lady (one of two white families in that whole trailer park) was just getting out of her car with some Cookout (a wonderful/cheap fast food place) and her Hispanic husband was getting out as well. We said hi to her and she was just like, "Hey!" So we told her we were jealous of her cookout but we were just going to walk past because we had some other people to go see but she was like, "So where are you from? My name's J." and so we told her and it started on this conversation and of course we told her about who we are and what we do and that we teach in Spanish, normally. She got really excited and said, "No way! My daughter who is five doesn't speak Spanish, but I really want her to learn since she is half Hispanic. She won't listen to her dad. We also really want her to learn about God so she can grow up with good traditions and stay away from drugs and all that bad stuff. But of course we would want to sit in on the lessons and know what you teach and stuff." And the conversation went on and it turns out she thought we were Jehovah's Witness (despite us having said the name of our church twice and such, but oh well) but we explained we were Mormon and she perked up and was like, "Oh I used to live out in Amelia and I knew a bunch of Mormons and they were really good people, and hardworking, too." We talked about that for a minute, then she said, "You know, I love my church (then she went on about the pastor for a while) but I really don't like the way it is set up, and none of the people are very friendly. I feel like I don't really do much, you know. I want one that is more like a family and stuff." And so on and so forth. Basically, the most golden conversation you've ever heard of. So we got her number and they are moving in the next couple weeks (closer to us, even) and their new address, and it was so exciting! They were pretty much begging us to teach them and their whole family. She was like, "I just know God sent you here. He sent you from Utah and Alaska, all the way to Virginia, speaking Spanish, just for me." And it was cool that, even though our appointment cancelled, we had such an amazing experience! It is really amazing how much Heavenly Father's hand is in this work. And they had just been getting home and walking the six feet from their car to the door right as we were walking right in front of their trailer. And something definitely prompted her to talk to us, because there are VERY few people that would normally voluntarily approach missionaries of a different church if not to bash. Like, ever. We mentioned to her how prepared they were and she was like, "I know we are. He's been preparing us for a long time for this, and now I can feel that it is my time." Then she showed us the goosebumps she got right after she said that and was like, "I got a confirmation, right there. That's a confirmation from the Holy Spirit! I know this is right." She is SO ready! I am so excited to teach her and see her progress and in the Celestial kingdom! She's got a long way to go, but I know she can do it through Christ. 

Also, it was kind of cool how we found another new investigator (the one that cancelled on us before we found J and her husband). We went to go to our appointment with our recent convert, R, and he was kind of avoiding us because he was with his friends and embarrassed, so we were walking around waiting for us (he said five minutes, but never came. Psh.) And we were playing with some dogs at a member's house right next door and the member's 13 year old grandson, C, who is a former investigator who was going to get baptized but didn't want to because he felt too pressured came outside. I had never taught him before, but we are over there a lot so he knows us and we were talking to him and eventually started teaching him! How cool is that?! Then he came with us to go find R (40 minutes later) and we talked to them and then their friends were all around and being super crazy ninos and so we invited them all to pray with us. So we were all standing in a circle in the middle of a trailer park at like 8:45 at night with a bunch of loud teenage boys, saying a prayer. It was hard to get them to settle down, but eventually they did (mostly) and we prayed. Afterwards (they were joking, but kind of not) some of them were like, "Oh, I felt something! I felt something!" and unfortunately they dispersed pretty quickly, but Hermana Kingsley was talking to one of them (named R) who was a lot quieter and asked him what he likes to do, and he said draw, so she said, "Hey! You should draw me a picture of me!" And he was kind of shy and awkward so we didn't think we'd ever see him again but we went back the next day for R (who wasn't there) and he'd actually drawn a picture!! It was really good, too. Then he showed us his other drawings (which were also WAY good. This kid has talent.) and we talked to him about them for like 20 minutes until he felt a little more comfortable and was starting to come out of his shell. Then we started turning it to the Gospel, because some of the pictures were about Jesus Christ and stuff. He is really interested in learning more and I think he is really really ready. He is very humble and nice. He really wants to learn more, he just doesn't know where to go to learn more and is just confused. Kept from the truth only because he knows not where to find it? You decide. But it was cool! And we might even be able to teach his parents, too.

So, blonde moment time. It was pretty dumb... I was laying on my stomach during nightly planning last night and Hermana Kingsley was on one side of me and dropped her pen or  something on the other side of me, so I reached around to get it and handed it to her, then I am not sure what I was thinking, but I guess I thought the carpet would be soft or something, because I just let myself fall back down flat on my face and like SMACKED my face on the floor, right on the cheekbone. It hurt! Hermana Kingsley just DIED laughing. For like 15 minutes. She was crying, she laughed so hard. I was laughing too, though, so it's fine. And now I have a bruise on my face. Luckily you can't really see it, but it hurts. I guess I can just tell people I got punched in the face. Oh, the struggles. 

Oh and C, Hermana M's grandson, came to church yesterday! It was so cool because he was really reluctant because he feels awkward in the classes, especially young men's, but he still came! And we didn't get to talk to him afterwards, but the Elders took him to young men's and said he was fine. So we are excited! 

Oh and a member that is transferring from the English ward to our ward cuts missionaries hair for free, so she cut ours this morning! Finally! It was getting really long. So that was exciting too. 

Well, I hope you all have a wonderful week! I love you! Careful not to bang your faces on the floor! The floor is probably not as soft as you think it is. 

Love,

Hermana Emily Pratt

Ps Dad remember when you got hit in the face with the frisbee? And squirted your water bottle all over the floor when it was falling? And Ryan when you were just making weird noises all alone in the kitchen making up a weird song? And everyone with their awkward moments. I challenge all of you to tell me/remind me about an awkward story by next Monday. Or whenever. But I could use a good laugh, so let me know! :) I'll share more too, but I'm out of time for now. 

Pps Love you!

August 4, 2014

Birthday Party Photos

So we had kind of a cool experience this week. Hermana Hiebert was getting transferred so on Monday night we visited E and her family and the guy they got to rent a room to help them have enough money while A is in jail whose name is T  sat in on the lesson. He is SUPER shy but pretty nice and he seemed to enjoy the lesson. It was kind of an awkward first lesson to join, since it was the farewell lesson for Hermana Hiebert so everyone was all emotional and we had planned to teach the Priesthood but we thought that would be a really weird first lesson so we switched it up and just read a scripture with them. I had a feeling that great things would come of it, which was weird, because he wasn't like overly interested and Hermana Hiebert didn't feel anything, but I just felt like it was important. And then, yesterday, T took K and T (the 4-year-old who is CRAZZZZZY to church on Sunday and went to all the classes and stuff! It was exciting! And he is still just SO shy so we couldn't get him to talk about it much, but he said he liked it and learned some interesting new things.  So that was cool.

So my new companion is named Hermana Kingsley and she is so great! She is hilarious and super nice and I think it will be a really good transfer. She has been out about 4 months (she just finished training) and she had been at the Mexico MTC to learn Spanish. She is 20, she went to BYU-Idaho, she has lived pretty much everywhere on the planet (not really but her dad is in the airport so she's lived a lot of places but claims Alaska because it's her favorite and a lot of her siblings live there still and stuff. She is the 9th of 10 siblings. But yeah. She is great. She also has a great voice so sometimes she sings songs to me. Which is exciting. And we quote Disney movies and such together. And she is determined to make our district more exciting, which is good because right now it is pretty boring. Yesterday she had the Elders assign everyone in our district a character from Toy Story. They put me as the green aliens.  Haha ok, whatever, Elders.... In Mechanicsville the Sisters assigned everyone a Disney character and I was Jesse. I like that one better. Oh well. Sisters are just way better, I guess... But we all knew that. 

Not a lot of other excitement has gone on this week. I can't really think of anything that happened. Just teaching people. Our investigators are doing well, our Recent Converts and Less Actives are doing well, things are just overall going pretty well. So that's good, I suppose. 

Oh darn it! I am out of time all the sudden and it's not letting me extend! I'll try to get back on in a minute, but if not, bye, love you!

Love,

Hermana Pratt

Ps tell Miss J thanks so much! I love her!