I Love the Rolling Hills

If you drive way north in my area, like a half an hour into the boonies, you'll find some really pretty rolling hills that eventually turn into mountains.

Thanksgiving isn't the only time to be grateful

Dear everyone!

 

  This week I've been oddly very grateful for my trials! I've been especially grateful for the blessings the Lord has given me. When I think about it I haven't really had any major life trials (except my Shunt). No divorced parents, no siblings gone astray, no physical handy caps. My life overall has been very blessed. However,we all  know life can't be perfect right? If it was we'd never progress! I've started to realize little things that I struggle with ,and have come to accept calling those as my trials. Perhaps you'd expect me to complain about those things, I'll admit I sometimes do but I like to think I've really come to love them. I realize that I'm not alone. I know my Heavenly Father has given me those little annoying struggles to help me grow! And I want to grow!! I'm becoming more patient with Heavenly Fathers Plan for me and remembering that its not my timing its His. I can't help but think I'll look back at this in a little while and realize how better of a person I've become! My testimony has been strengthened that trials really are for our benefit! So this week I am simply grateful!

Oh! and I'm also super grateful/in love with the Book of Mormon! Are you all reading this stuff?! ITS AMAZING! What a blessing to be able to read and re-read its wonderful pages. I think I may have a slight obsession with it.

 

I love you!

Sister LeStarge

Knocked Dead For a Week

Hello everyone! 

  I've said this before and I'll say it again! Being sick as a missionary is the worst thing ever! I guess it's my fault though...I seem to remember having this idea that since I was serving a mission for the Lord I would be immune to illness...that was a terrible mistake! This past Sunday I was feeling a little cold coming on but with appointments set up for just about every hour that evening I didn't feel I was sick enough to cancel. Last preparation day I wasn't feeling my best either but since it was the only day we had to get our busy work done, I again put off the rest. Of course no person can just put off illness when it comes knocking at your door, so I paid the price of procrastination and was knocked out for the next 4 days! 3 days in a row I moved from members house to members house sleeping on guest room beds while my companion was able to go out and work in another sisters area. On the fourth day she was slammed with a touch of a stomach bug and we were both out!  I was lucky though to get into a doctor pretty fast and start on some antibiotics. I've also been overdosing on vitamin C and other various health pills. I should have an IV hooked up to my arm with all the water I've been drinking too! But though modern medicine is a great blessing, during this week I was able to receive a priesthood blessing from my District leader! Along with a blessing of healing he also gave me a blessing of comfort that the Lord knew I would be sick at this time and caused it for a divine reason. That perhaps I might learn to love and appreciate the time I have to work with a healthy body! And I do appreciate it! I'll never take my healthy body for granted again!    

  This week in spite being down and out, I was able to see a tender mercy of the Lord! Yesterday our dinner appointment canceled, and though I'm all for making my own dinner, it gets a little difficult on the last day of the week before shopping. At church we were frantically searching for someone who would be willing to feed us dinner. Among our chaos we also had two appointments fall through for that night. Our next scheduled appointment was with a family who had some pretty darn moody teenage boys, torn up carpet leaving nothing but cement and smelled like cat urine. You could say we weren't particularly looking forward to going in. Before leaving the car, we offered a prayer (as we usually do) and asked the Lord to bless us that we might have our attitudes changed and figure out what it was He wanted us to do with all the time that was made. We went in and delivered our message to the family and with only a portion of them participating we were able to have a surprisingly wonderful discussion about the Restoration. When we sat back in our car we both felt empowered to go out and work! In the time that we needed to fill we were able to set an appointment with a family that we've been desperately trying to teach...for the very  next day! At our last stop for the night a family gave us compliments passed on from another family about our behavior involving the non member husband. We were also blessed to have our dear sweet Bishops wife agree to feed us dinner! I know that the Lord answers prayers! 

I love you all! Pray sincerely! I know it works! 

Sister LeStarge

Rain

Happy Monday everyone!

 

 

As I'm sure you've been aware California is in this terrible drought. Which is actually terrible since we grow so much of the world's produce. So what do you do when there's no rain? Why you call together all the good Latter-Day Saints in the state, and ask them to hold a special fast for rain! Then lo and behold, it rains! Hot dog! It was actually a pretty amazing miracle. I remember looking at the weather here in the Valley last winter, when I was home, and preparing myself for a rainy season. This winter has held to be quite the opposite of what I prepared myself for! Warm and dry. Not only do the crops need the rain but the people do too! They say the Valley has some of the worst air quality in the nation, and each year they wait for the rain to "wash out" the dust and pollution from the summer. This year with the drought the air quality has been so bad the kids have "purple days", where they can't go outside because the air qual. is so awful.

  So as I said before what do you do when there's no rain? Well I guess all the members in the state of Cali. were asked to fast for rain. The very day we fasted it rained! The miracle continued though out the week as it rained 3 other days this week. I'm not sure how much more rain they'll need to have a good harvest this year but what an amazing miracle to have witnessed.

  Other than that this week has been pretty slow! Though the State needs the rain we find it to be an excuse for people not to open their door. We've been trying to get to know our members and earn their love and support in the mean time. My companion and I have been battling colds this week too, so we're trying to find a balance between resting and working. We've found some vitamins and over the counter meds in one of our cabinets, lets hope they get us better! We also had a couple give us a bottle of something called 4life Transfer Factor. Its suppose to help boost your immunity? That couple swears by it, they're also pretty high up in the company so we figure why not give it a try! (They live in President Lawrence's home (he's in the second quorum of the 70, over Russia) and we call it the "temple home" because it was built to resemble the temple, on the inside, its beautiful).

 

Have a fun Valentines day everyone! I love you and miss you each!

 

Love Sister LeStarge

 

p.s Happy Birthday Doug! You ole goat!

What a great area!

Hello everyone! We'll I'm happy to say I'm thriving in my new area! I love it here and I find my self drained at the end of each day! I can't remember being this tired at the beginning of my mission! We've been working through our area book weeding out all the prepared people, we've also been tracking on a few streets and have found a few people who've accepted for us to come back! How exciting! 

 I've got a story of an awkward experience I had this week with my companion! We tracted into a woman who was seriously misinformed about the LDS faith so we set her straight on a few concepts. She was probably in her late 40's and over all seemed like a very gregarious woman. I liked her a lot, and liked her even more when she said we could come back after accepting a copy of the book of Mormon! A few days later we knocked on her door and she invited us in. I noticed in one of the back rooms her husband sitting by their computer. She sat us down and just as we were finishing our small talk, about to crack open the book of Mormon, her husband appeared at the door and basically dismissed us! He informed us that in the Bible it states there would be no more prophets to arise until the coming of Christ, which to him means Joseph Smith is a false prophet. He explained we could not convince him that he was a real prophet and he could not persuade us that he wasn't a prophet so he once again invited us to leave. Feeling a bit shocked and stunned we stood and headed to the door. Walking back to our car I felt pretty sad while on the other hand my companion felt fired up! As I talked to my companion about it I figured I was so sad because I really liked that lady! I might have been her only chance to hear the Gospel! Just goes to show not everyone is prepared. How sad.

   On a lighter note we have this AMAZING recent convert who was baptized in December. He's from Iran and was a Muslim growing up. When the Government found out he was Christian he had to flee the country (with his daughter) where he lived as a refugee in Turkey for a year. Once he came to America he found a job working in a Persian restaurant where he's worked ever since. He's learning English and loves to meet with us so he can practice. I just think he has incredible amounts of faith to leave his life behind and come to a new country to learn a new language, start  a new job (that's not as good as the job he left behind) and basically just start over, all becase he loves the Lord!! Since he can't completely understand everything the missionaries have taught him we know he accepted the gospel because of "the feelings in my heart". Luckily we found a sister missionary in the LA mission who speaks Farsi so we'll be able to Skype with her so he can continue learning the Gospel! What an amazing example!

I love you all and miss you too! Have a great week!

Sister LeStarge

Alluvial Ward!

Dearest Everyone,

 

  I LOVE being transferred! Best thing ever. It's been too much fun being companions again with my trainer! We just have so much love for one another! But the sad thing is she goes home in two days :( I'm struggling a bit with that since so many missionaries I love area going home this transfer! But onward and upward right!? I can't say I know my new area that well but we've done a pretty good job of meeting all the people I'll be working with (bishop, investigators...). I'm very excited to get my  new companion Wednesday, Sister Carpenter! She's just past her year mark this month and I've only heard good things about her, like she's obedient, loving and a hard worker! What more could you ask for in a companion right? We'll be awesome! I've made it my goal to serve her every. single. day! I feel I haven't had enough love for my companions in the past so by serving her I'll grow in that Christ like love! There's a great feeling of hope being doubled into an area, you just have to figure everything out on your own! I'm excited. And the sisters in this area have baptized the last two months! So hopes to keep that up! We don't have any dates set right now but we've got some solid people to teach! Phew, I feel like I can breath again! We'll be hard at work for the next month, not only with teaching but with getting to know members and building their trust. Sister Sims and her companion were here for 5 months together so people have gotten pretty attached, but they've been welcoming to me as well. Most of the investigators here are from part member families so we hope to reactivate the less active parent and baptize spouse and children! Ready? GO!  This area is larger than my last with some beautiful rolling hills and mountains in the northern part. We'll have to come back here to explore together :) I'm also very excited because I live in an apartment now! Not just a one bedroom studio! I have so much closet space I don't know what to do! It's great :) But I've got to go! Sorry this is so short! I LOVE being here in the CFM!!

 

Love,

Sister LeStarge

 

ps. HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO KATHRYN AND JONAH!!!!

BEST DAY EVER!!!

Hello Everyone!!

      This past Friday our mission president called us with a request! He informed us a Sister would be going home early due to a medical release (a sister who came in with me to the field, who is now the second one to go home from my group) and her companion would need someone to be with her in their area. So he offered to transfer me!! I ACCEPTED!!! Not only was I emergency transferred, I get to be companions with MY TRAINER!! SISTER SIMS, for the win! BEST DAY EVER!!!!! I know we didn't get along always when I was being trained but now we practically worship the ground the other walks on, sooooo is great! . Unfortunately she'll be headed home in a week when the real transfer date is, so I'll have to learn the area quickly but, I just feel like I can breath again! New area! New sister! New investigators! New apartment! Life is great! I am now in the Alluvial ward, which is actually just next door to my old area but in a different stake. I'm feeling a little lost as I was just moved in this morning, but I should be a bit more comfortable as the week goes on. I feel a huge burden has been lifted and that I'm starting my mission over! The demographic is a bit different here so hopefully I'll see more success. It will be a challenge when Sister Sims goes home because I'll be leading an area I've only been in for a week but hey, LeStarges like a good challenge every once in a while ;)

All is well :)

Love you,

Sister LeStarge