August 3, 2015

Hey everybody!

We got to meet with Alma this week, so that was super great. We haven't been able to see her for a few weeks because she has been so busy with other things. She had read a little bit of the Book of Mormon, but then stopped.

We went over with Sister Applewhite and read from the Book of Mormon with her. We were really bold, and Sister Applewhite commented,"either this is true, or it is not." Sister Applewhite is a convert and had to go through this same experience. I know that as Alma reads and prays that she can come to know that this is true for herself.

We also got to see Nicole and her family! We dropped in on Friday because we hadn't heard from her in almost a week! She and the kids were so happy to see us. =) We read with them as well because they hadn't been able to read from the Book of Mormon. They had lots of things going on in their family this past week. They really enjoyed reading, all of them even down to the five year old followed along and sat still. It was neat! We committed them to come to church.

They didn't come. =( We're going to meet with them tonight, and we can find out what is keeping them from coming!

We had transfer calls this week, and both Sister Allred and I were nervous about what the news might be. Saturday morning I was praying for peace and in my studies I came across this scripture.

2 Corinthians 13:11

Finally, brethren, farewell. Be perfect, be of good comfort, be of one mind, live in peace; and the God of love and peace shall be with you.

It made me think about that heaven will be a peaceful place, that Heavenly Father is the God of love and peace, and that He wants us all to feel that heavenly peace.

After I had studied that, I felt significantly calmer! So when we got the call at 11am, I was a little more prepared. I am staying here in Kinston, and Sister Allred is going to Wilson, NC.

Phew! It's going to be hard taking over Kinston! But I sure am blessed, because the sister who is coming here has served here before. Her name is Sister Rawlings, and she has only been gone from Kinston for 5 months. Cool, huh? I've never met her, but the members are excited to have her back. =)

I love you all! I truly know that this gospel is true because as I live it, I feel peace.

Love,

Sister Moore

July 27, 2015- Turtle Wranglers!

So this week has been great!

On Wednesday morning we were heading out to pick up Shea so we could go out and see people - we were a little late so we were driving quickly down our street when Sister Allred shouted and pulled over.

"What is it?" I asked. She hopped out of the car, grabbed her camera, and booked it 100 feet back down the street. I jumped out too and ran after her. Sister Allred saw a turtle!

"We have to catch it!" Sister Allred insisted.

We rifled through our trunk, dumping out supplies so that we could use two plastic drawers to catch him in. I caught him and he peed, he was so scared! So we put him in another box, a small cardboard one, put a plastic drawer under it, and one on top. And a pillowcase on my lap so I wouldnt get any nastiness on me!

Then we hustled to the church to get Shea. Funnily enough, she wasnt too surprised by our antics. =P After showing him off, we were informed that Michelangelo was a snapping turtle, and he could take our fingers off. Thank goodness for the plastic! We dropped him off with the elders and let him lose in their yard.

With that start to our day we went to see a potential investigator named Nicole. When we knocked, she didnt answer and we were sad. But we heard kids playing and laughing out back so we worked up the courage to go around and see if anyone was back there. I am so glad we did!

Nicole was hanging out wash, and we asked if we could help. She said yes, and all three of us and her two cute kids helped her put it up in no time. Then we asked if we could share a message with her! She said yes and we went inside. =)

All four of her amazingly cute kids came to join us. We shared the Restoration, and they loved it! They invited us to come back the next day. We also invited Zambria, the oldest, to activity days that night. She said yes!

The activity days leader was not planning on doing activity days so after the lesson we ran over there and threw a fun activity together! =D we invited all the girls and it was on!

She came! Sister S went and picked her up and she had a blast! =D YES! I love the members here!

We went and taught them the Book of Mormon the next day and commited them to baptism on August 29th! I AM SO EXCITED! Miracles abound!

I love yall!

Sister Moore

July 20, 2015- When it rains...

This week on Tuesday we went tracting! Whoo hoo! We spent a few hours in the heat knocking at apartment door after apartment door. We met lots of interesting people, including a woman named Ernestine. We knocked at her door and she opened it and did not seem very happy. She came outside, closed the door, and folded her arms. She chided us saying she just put the baby down to sleep and she didn't want him to wake up and all this stuff and we were thinking she wouldn't listen at all.

But it was actually super cool, somehow we started talking to her and her anger vanished and we had a positive conversation, and invited her to meet with us. She said that we could come back!

In my studies this morning I noticed the phrase "eyes to see and ears to hear" quite a few times as I was reading. I studied Matthew 13 that has lots of cool parables in it. Jesus Christ describes people that hear, but do not understand, a problem that we run into a lot. People will listen, but they don't understand no matter how simply we teach. But then there are people who listen, and things just click, they understand what we're saying and are even willing to act on it. I love those experiences.

On Wednesday we drove all the way out to the very very edge of our area. There is a single road that divides us from Woodington and we were driving on it. We had originally gone out there on Tuesday for an appointment with a potential. She wasn't home. So we went and talked with some of her neighbors and made a return appointment for Wednesday. Sister W went out with us (thankfully! that's a lot of miles!). She is amazing! =) Our appointment fell through (again!) so we went and contacted somebody else who lived in the area named Brenda. We met Brenda's grandson Calvin and taught him the Restoration. So that was neat!

Wednesday morning we got to help Sister R, the Relief Society president in K2, put up corn! I've been wanting to do this since Sister K in Mt Olive told us about the whole long process of putting up corn. =)

The first thing you do is shuck and silk the corn, and cut out any bad parts. Then you pry out as many more of the silks as you can. Then you "blanch" the corn by putting it in a pot of boiling water for about 15 minutes. Then you put the corn on ice to cool it down. then you cut the corn off the cobs, and freeze it! We only got to shuck and silk, as we had to run to our appointments way out in the middle of nowhere, but it was still a lot of fun, sitting in the garage with a big fan blowing, picking silk off of the corn with Brother and Sister Finch. =) I loved it.

Thursday we had weekly planning and we finished in 2 hours and 25 minutes! That's amazing! =D

Then we went out on splits with Sister B. She is so cool! She served a mission in Chile and she loves playing card games so we've gone over on Mondays and had big huge games going. She is so fun! =) We went out and tried to see a bunch of people, and ended up meeting a less-active named Nancy. She is really nice and let us come in and share a message with her. She likes to garden, it's her favorite thing to do. She says she spends more time outside than she does inside. =) That was neat because what we came to share with her was the parable of the sower. So we related that to her and taught about rooting ourselves in the gospel. (good soil!) I talked about how when I was younger, my mom and I would pull weeds from around the roses, even though it was hard and pokey work, so that the weeds would not grow up and choke the plant. It was neat to be able to relate that experience. =) Nancy is great. We don't know why she doesn't come!

On Friday was went and saw a returning member named Sister C and it was so neat - we invited her nonmember son to join us. He didn't seem interested in staying at first, but as we read from the scriptures and really included him, he warmed up to us. It was a cool experience! His name is Christian. We challenged him to read from the Book of Mormon each day and helped him to download the app on his phone.

Saturday was so fun! It was also really crazy. We did service for Sister S in her backyard. It was so fun! So Sister H picked us up at 7am and we ran and all got breakfast together. There is this Handy Mart down the road from our house that has DELICIOUS fresh food. In the morning they have biscuits (AMAZING BISCUTS), sausage, eggs, and stuff. We dropped by there and got food for everyone, because this was going to be a big project.

Sister H invited all the elders and a family from the ward. Sister S is older and her backyard needed some clearing. There were weeds as tall as I was! And vines! Lots of vines, 10+ feet long! It was SO FUN! The elders just tore into the weeds and cleared a huge space in about 30 minutes. We ran into some rusty metal covered in fire ants and fire ant eggs, so that was an adventure! =D I prayed the whole time we wouldn't run into poison ivy. We didn't! =D We took hatchets and shovels and clippers to all sorts of weeds and vines. We pulled up stumps and roots and in general had a blast! =D It was so fun.

That night the K2 elders had a baptism for their investigator Leo! It was such a happy day. =D
As we were headed out the door, it began to POUR. That's some of the heaviest rain I've seen in a while. We were shouting and hollering as we ran to the car. I skipped over puddles with an umbrella in my hand as I helped Sister Allred back. It was so fun, though. =)
Sister Allred gave a talk on baptism, using a Kit Kat as an object lesson. It was so cute!

Sister T made the refreshments for the baptism and she went all out! She LOVES doing things like that. And even though she's 80 years old she was serving the water and cake and having so much fun. =D I love Sister T!

It was a really fun day, we also got to have lunch with the Basden's, some of our favorite people! =D

I hope ya'll have been doing well and that you have a great week! We're going at it and working hard this week!

I love all of you!

Sister Moore

July 13, 2015- Family Discovery Day!

This past week has been hectic crazy!

On Monday we went to Greenville and spent the day with the sisters. We painted pottery again and I had this grand idea to paint a field of wheat with the state of North Carolina over it. Like "the field is all white ready to harvest." Well, I greatly overestimated my artistic abilities and now I have a blue and yellow piece of abstract art. XD

On Tuesday we had to deep clean our apartment and then we had apartment inspections! However, a member invited us out to lunch in the very middle of our deep clean time. So we frantically cleaned and cleaned all morning, went to lunch, then cleaned and cleaned some more. The Stefflers, a senior couple in the mission, came to look at our apartment, and they came 30 minutes early!! So we were freaking out and dusting and it was all very funny-looking I'm sure. =D Good news is, we passed! Then, 30 minutes after that, the Sister Training Leaders showed up for exchanges. =D

So instead of doing regular exchanges where we go down to Havelock and swap companions, the Havelock sisters came here and we all stayed in Kinston! Which was really nice so we didn't have to drive all the way down, but CRAZY because we had to double book two whole days! The Havelock sisters also had a mini-missionary named Laura with them! She's a youth from the Woodington ward. =D Our mission is doing this cool thing where youth (this summer) can sign up for a week-long mission where they live all the missionary rules. How neat is that?? It's like trial run. =)

SO IT WAS CRAAZY! We had five missionaries in one area in one apartment and it was amazing. =D We saw so many miracles! We talked to everyone and we found new investigators and it was a blast! Sister Johanson and I went out to eat for dinner and taught a bunch of lessons and I learned so much from her!

We also all five of us played Nertz and I won every round. Go me! =D

It was really fun, but it was also a relief when exchanges were over. I learned a lot about being bold in helping people make and keep commitments, because that's the only way they will progress.

THEN! On Thursday every single appointment fell through. =(

BUT! On Friday we had a fun district meeting and on Saturday was

FAMILY DISCOVERY DAY! YAY!

So I love family history, like, a lot. I'm totally my mother's daughter. The stake threw this HUGE event that was open to everyone to help everyone in the community get started on their family history. People came from all around, Greenville, Harker's Island, and there was a great turn out! All the missionaries in the stake (42) came and helped out. We greeted a lot of people! There were almost 400 people!!!!!!!!

They set up tons of computers in the gym and had classes all day long, and a barbeque at noon. It was really hot, but really fun! We had a cultural celebration during lunch and two of the missionary elders did the Haka for us! It was a lot of fun. My companion got asked to sing the Star Spangled Banner in a quartet. =)

We ran around all day greeting people, putting up chairs, and in general having a blast! We met a really sweet woman named Crystal who is now going to be meeting with the Greenville sisters! She heard about the event from a coworker who heard about it on the news and said "Hey, don't you like family history...?" YAY! The Lord works in miraculous ways!

This morning I was reading in Isaiah and I came across this beautiful promise.

Isaiah 35

1 [In the last days] The wilderness and the solitary place shall be glad for them; and the desert shall rejoice, and blossom as the rose.
 8 And an highway shall be there, and a way, and it shall be called The way of holiness; the unclean shall not pass over it; but it shall be for those: the wayfaring men, though fools, shall not err therein.
 9 No lion shall be there, nor any ravenous beast shall go up thereon, it shall not be found there; but the redeemed shall walk there:
 10 And the ransomed of the Lord shall return, and come to Zion with songs and everlasting joy upon their heads: they shall obtain joy and gladness, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away.


This promise applies to all of us that believe in God and follow in His ways! He loves us more than we can ever know! He will redeem us from all our sins and mistakes. He already has! We just have to choose to follow Him each day!

I love you all!

Sister Moore

July 6, 2014- Dear Everyone

This week I got a new baby nephew!!!!!! His name is Mason and he is OH SO CUTE!

I could just end my email right there and I'd be as happy as a clam. =D

In other news: We've been teaching lots of less-active members. Sister G is doing really well. Her husband is not very supportive, but she has been reading her scriptures and coming to church and actually has a desire to learn more. We discovered that she last had the lessons when she was 8 and then has been inactive since. So! We are doing the lessons over with her. We explained the apostasy in our last appointment, and a lightbulb went off in her mind. "This is why we needed Joseph Smith!"

Ex-actly!

She is so great, and the Spirit is really leading her and guiding her as she works hard to become active. Heavenly Father has been blessing her as well. We came to our appointment with her right after a dinner appointment, so we had some left-overs sitting in the car as we came in. She commented that her husband had burned the pizza they were going to eat for dinner, and now she didn't know what they were going to eat. She was flustered and upset because he was a little inebriated and she was taking care of the fussy baby.

So we said "We'll be right back!"

We ran out to the car and got our left-overs and brought it in. "The Lord provides!"

I think that really took some weight off of her and it just made me so happy to see the small miracles in someone else's life. I was really happy. =)

We got weekly planning done in less than 3 hours, which is also miraculous! It's a long process! We planned at the church and just stayed focused the whole time.

We got to teach Alma again! We introduced the Book of Mormon to her and encouraged her to read it and pray about it. And she is going to! She is doing really well! =) She says she might consider getting "re baptized", and that she "wants to find truth in more than one source". We are so excited for her! Please pray that she can continue to progress!

Friday we had zone meeting! We went out with the sisters in the zone to Five Guys afterward, which was really fun! =)

We met a really neat active family this week, the O'dells. Sister O'dell is a recent convert! Her husband was inactive for a really long time, but then the missionaries started coming over and she was baptized. =) They have two super cute daughters named Megan and Sariah. Sister O'dell is a really healthy eater, so we had spaghetti squash spaghetti and fruit. That was so neat - I've never had spaghetti squash like that before!

Yay July 4th! It was so fun!

In the morning we helped a recent convert clean in her apartment, and then we went to the Baysdens for a barbeque! We LOVE the Baysdens/Wards!

They are SO FUN! They totally let us come over and eat with them, and then we played a wild game of Nerts. SO FUN! I'm not as great at it, but I held my own. =)

Then we ate with the Tinneys. She absolutely loves to cook! She's 80 years old and from Tulare, California. She makes the best burgers with thousand island....YUM!

We were so full. =)

Then we got to go watch fireworks with the Baysdens at the Neuse river! We had a blast! They are some of the funnest people! They love playing card games, board games. They are so fun. Sister Ward has four girls, Mia, Zoe, Leah, and Allie. Her parents are the Baysdens and her best friend, Laura, is married to her brother Matt. They are a fun bunch!

So it was a wonderfully fun week and we've been staying relatively cool. I LOVE the summer, and I LOVE July!

I know this is the Lord's work and I am so excited for another week to go out and to work hard!

love,

Sister Moore

June 29, 2015

So this week has been crazy, in a good way!

On Monday we played board games with a member family, the Baysdens. They are ALL about board games! One of them had a game-themed reception, which apparently was really neat. We all played Ticket to Ride (I lost miserably, which I blame on the board being upside down) and Uno. The Baysdens are so cute - I love them! It was fun getting to spend some time with them.

Tuesday was GREAT. Our Tuesdays are always packed and hectic (don't ask me why) and this Tuesday was no exception! We had dinner with our ward mission leader's wife, Sister Anderson. She is so great. We told her that we were going out tracting that afternoon in the heat and humidity (it's been in the 100's) and she immediately offered her cooler, ice, and water, and even made us some fruit salad to cool us off after tracting!

WHAT!

She is so great!

I love the members here!

So then we did this crazy thing! We picked up Raven and Shea, two 16-year-olds from the Kinston 2nd ward, and went on splits!!! We've found this apartment complex that is perfect for tracting, so we paired off and two went to that building and two went to the other! I went with Shea, our recent convert of about a month, and we started knocking doors. Raven and Shea are both so in tune with spiritual promptings, and have no hestiancy in acting on them! I LOVE THEM SO MUCH! They rock!

Shea and I talked to a couple of people and even made return appointments. We knocked on a door, and then heard someone coming up the stairs. I had this inkling that the person coming up lived in the apartment we had just knocked at. So we went around the corner and introduced ourselves. She was carrying a big purse, a baby in one arm, and a little 3-yr-old running around her legs. She looked busy.

We're missionaries! No one is ever too busy for the gospel!

We started talking to her. Her name is Tisha, and her two kids are Aria and Amir. THEY ARE ADORABLE. We mentioned our 14-minute message, and she let us in! So Shea and I taught her the Restoration, and it was AMAZING. Shea jumped right in and answered her questions, testified, and right before we said the closing prayer, Shea said. "I have something I would like to add. I am a recent convert. I know that this has blessed my life."

She has no fear! SHEA ROCKS! I love missionary work!

We left Tisha's with huge smiles on our faces. We walked down the stairs to meet up with Raven and Sister Allred, and discovered that they too had been let in and taught someone the Restoration! HOW AMAZING IS THAT???!!! Heavenly Father truly works miracles every day!

On Thursday we had another great day! Sister Baysden came out with us, and we were able to visit and contact a bunch of people. We had a wonderful lesson with Sister Harrison and her and they were able to get to know one another. Whoo hoo! I love it when people I love like each other!

We also had this amazing miracle happen Thursday. All this crazy schedule conflict happened for exactly 7pm on Thursday. We had NO IDEA how it all was going to work. We told a member about it, and she immediately volunteered to help and helped solve our problem!

Our investigator Ernestine is really busy. She has a huge yard and so the hour each week she has free she uses to mow. But we want to teach her!!! So Sister Spence volunteered her family to mow while we taught! And it worked out perfectly!!!! We taught Ernestine about the Book of Mormon and it went really well. She was so surprised that we were all there to help her out. She really enjoyed learning too, and is going to keep reading the Book of Mormon! We're so excited for her!!! She had questions about what it was about, so the lesson was perfect for her needs. She's going to listen to it on her way to work.

THIS WEEKEND WAS NUTS.

Friday we were tracting in the HUMID HUMID afternoon, and we felt prompted to go across the way and knock at another apartment. As we were doing so, someone came out of an apartment upstairs and started coming down stairs. We ran up to her and started talking to her. Her name is Alma (great, huh?!) and she was there visiting a friend. We made a return appointment at her house for the next day.

So Saturday we go to see her, we're a half-hour late and we drive into a less-than-nice but not awful part of town. We don't even know if this is her house and her phone number she gave us didn't work. But I felt this peaceful feeling, like everything was going to work out.

We knocked at this dirty-ish trailer, and after a beat, Alma opens the door. She lets us into a normal, clean, house, and we teach her the Restoration. "Where can I get a Book of Mormon? I want to read it!"

Alma is so special! She really is prepared. We are SO excited to continue to teach her. She says she wants us to come back!

Saturday night we went to see Sister Griffeth, one of our favorite people. We had a wonderful lesson with her. When we left her house, it was POURING.

We drove only a few miles to get home, but man am I so glad Heavenly Father protects His missionaries!

Sunday was super crazy, we had an 8-year-old baptism in the ward that we set up for, and so that took some time. Then we had dinner with the Howell's, who are amazing. =) I love Kinston so much! I love all of you!

I know that this work is real and that Heavenly Father loves all of you individually! Pray to Him each day! He wants to hear from you. Seek His blessings each day!

Love,

Sister Moore

June 22, 2015- This Week

We had zone conference this week, and that was really fun. It was in New Bern, quite a ways away.

The mission is practicing teaching the Restoration in 7 minutes. They video'd us while we were practicing so we could see how we did and what things we can change and work on. We didn't finish in 7 minutes (our quickest so far has been 8 minutes and 13 seconds), but we did pretty good.

It is really hot and really humid, hello summer!

I hope you all have a great week

Love,
Sister Moore

June 15, 2015- After the Miracles come the Trials

This week Sister Allred got sick with gluten! Yuck! She's okay, but that was rough! We had a rough couple of days because of that, and didn't get much done.

But! We saw miracles anyway. On Saturday we were going around talking to people. We went and knocked on a door, and no one answered. Both of us felt strongly that we should knock at the apartment next door. We did, and a young man opened the door.

He was really happy to see us! He and his fiance greeted us happily. Their names are Muhammud and Katrina. They are SO CUTE! They are getting married in 12 days!!!!! They invited us to dinner, to drop by for water whenever, they'd love to come to church and also to hear a message!

WHAT?!

I am so grateful for Heavenly Father for leading us to them! I know that He has prepared the hearts of people here and I am SO happy and excited to teach and come to know and love them. =) We're teaching a woman named Mary tonight, who we met very briefly on Saturday. She was coming home from one of her two nursing jobs, and we caught her at that EXACT moment she had any spare time at all. We set up and appointment. She was willing to listen! I am so happy!

I love this work, and I love this gospel. I love all of you! Thank you for your prayers! I pray for you as well!

Much love,

Sister Megan Moore

June 8, 2015- Singin' on Someon's Steps

So this week has been amazing.

On Friday we had zone meeting, where we met with all the missionaries in the surrounding areas. We were taught about a new/old way of teaching the missionary lessons simply and clearly. We, after a lot of practice, will be able to teach the entire Plan of Salvation in less than 15 minutes. The goal is to be able to teach it in 7!

WOW!

And the coolest thing is, that it works! People are more willing to listen and have you teach if it's only going to take 14 minutes, not a whole hour. People are also more willing to have you back, too!

So we barely learned about this on Friday morning, and then we went on exchanges. Sister Boatright, my sister training leader when I was in Kempsville, is now my sister training leader here too! She and I were in Kinston, and we saw tons of miracles.

We met a sweet little old member lady named Clarence and taught her the plan of salvation in about 15 minutes. She found comfort and peace in it because the day before her daughter had had a heart attack. She expressed her faith in Jesus Christ and His plan.

We tracted into a woman named Jeneen. She is a missionary for another church, and at first we didn't think she would even talk to us. But after talking for a few minutes on her doorstep, we invited her to listen to our 14-minute message. She let us in!

As part of this new method/pilot program our mission is doing, we are going around introducing ourselves in a new way as well. Instead of the old "Hello, we're missionaries from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints..." we say "Hi! We're you're missionaries! We're just going around introducing ourselves today. We're the missionaries for this area and we love to serve. The most important thing we do is share a 14-minute message about Christ." It works! People don't feel as off-putted. We're your missionaries, here to help and serve you! To help you to increase your faith in Christ. =) I love it!

We saw Sue Ellen on exchanges. She's a recent convert (November) and is on FIRE! She got called to be a family history consultant and is loving it. She's helping her neighbor, Jerry, who is not a member of our faith, to start on his too!

Saturday was amazing! Saturday morning we contacted a referral named Denise and made a return appointment for Sunday.

Then we taught two people on a park bench the whole Restoration. Then we taught another lady and her four grandchildren. Their names are Pauline, Destiny, Kedaja, Kadaysha, and Kanistasia.

Kedaja really loved what we were sharing. When we committed them to be baptized, she responded with an immediate yes, and then proceeded to ask all her family members if they would be, too! Unfortunately, Pauline, the grandmother, was not really as interested and didn't make a return appointment. =( Maybe someday! Even the little ones got involved in reading and answering questions toward the end. I'm excited for them. They will remember this and the good feelings they had and one day seek it out again! =)

We swapped companions in Havelock and returned for an appointment. However, that appointment fell through, and we ended up dropping by Jeneen's again, since she was right there. She wasn't home, but her daughter, Shezari, was. (The only way we can remember her name is by saying "Safari, Shezari") Shezari is so cool! She's a great kid - she also has great faith. We had a great lesson with her. Jeneen, her mom, walked in part way through and was like "ya'll are back?" haha and then she ran out to do some more errands. We committed Shezari to read and pray. We think she really liked our visit, and she invited us back on Tuesday!

Sunday was MIRACULOUS!

Church was great, as always. Lots of wonderful testimonies were shared. After church, we went out to Dover to an appointment with a lady named Ernestine! Brother McCarlie from the Greenville ward works with her and has been sharing family history with her for the past year. He finally invited her to have us over!

Ernestine is great! She is really smart and kind of quiet. We started out with sharing the Plan of Salvation, and then she asked "Okay, so I am going to point out the elephant in the room. Do you mind if I ask, what makes your church different?" So we shared the Restoration, too!

We spent a long long time at her house. It's hard when you have a member with you. But she liked what she heard and said she'd read and pray. She is very busy. She's working on her PHD! But we're coming back next Sunday to share a hopefully shorter message, hopefully only 15 minutes. Because she literally does homework all day every day.

Then we had a return appointment with Jennifer, who we met on Saturday. She invited us over and was even waiting outside for us yesterday afternoon with her cute dog named Lily. We shared the Restoration with her. As we were talking about the first vision, she said. "Wait." With a concerned look on her face she said, "Why did he see two people, when Jesus Christ and God are the same person?"

I've actually never gotten that question before, that I can remember. But somehow the Spirit gave us the words to say. I don't even really know how we said it, but we invited her to pray. "We have some bold claims. We teach that Heavenly Father, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Ghost are separate and distinct beings. We don't expect you to believe it just because we say it. We invite you to pray and to ask. Would you be willing to do that?"

She paused and said, "This goes against my beliefs...." awkward scary silence. She looks up and determinedly says, "But I will pray about it."

Wow.

So from that point we were able to keep teaching, instead of just stopping or leaving from there. We taught her the rest of the restoration and invited her to pray. She said we could call her in a few days to see how it is going.

Wow!

I am amazed at the power of the Spirit. He really does give us the words to say!

Singin' on Someone's Steps

So Sunday night we had our return appointment with Denise. When we pulled up there were a whole lot of people sitting on her steps and I was worried we were at the wrong house.

But it turns out that it was Denise's house! Every Sunday her family comes together to visit. Her mother, aunt, cousin, and other aunt were visiting. We also got to meet her three kids. =) The only person's name I remember is Deviyon, the three year old boy. He's so cute!

We shared the plan of Salvation with all of them! Sitting on folding chairs as the sun went down and fireflies came out. It was SO FUN! They loved it. We love them! At the end, the shyest one, one of Denise's kids, sang a solo for us, and then everyone else joined in! =D Wow!!! They invited us back next Sunday night!

"Can we come back every Sunday night, forever?" Sister Allred asked, since we were just talking about the Celestial kingdom. "Sure!" They said. We gave them all big hugs.

Wow! It was unbelievable. As they sang it was one of the most exciting and amazing moments of my mission so far. I love them all so much! I am SO EXCITED to go back next Sunday and share even more with them. I love being the friendly neighborhood missionaries! I love talking about faith and Jesus Christ and the plan. I love this work! I  know that this gospel is true. Because it brings so much happiness to me, my family, and my family I am finding here too. I love you all!

have an amazing week! pray for opportunities to share the gospel! they are out there!

love

Sister Moore

June 1, 2015- Uneventful

This week we visited with a lot of members who we haven't seen for a while. We got to meet with Sue Ellen, a recent convert. She has such a strong testimony and is such a sweet lady.

We taught Shaneka, Steven, and Shanaia the Plan of Salvation. They are so sweet! They are going to be baptized on June 27th if all goes well! =D

We met a woman named Lillian who just moved into our ward. She's had a really really hard life, and is now going through cancer treatments. We just love her dearly already, because of her faith. "I know Heavenly Father is teaching me something, I just don't know what," she said.

On Thursday we helped make barbeque plates to sell for a fundraiser for scouts. It was SO fun. We spent two hours making the plates (I ladled potatos into the trays) and delivering them with the Bishop's mom. So fun!

Saturday we helped the ward at the soup kitchen. That was really fun too! Not too many people came besides the missionaries, but it was still fun! We got to make PB&J sandwhiches and soup, and then give it out to those in need. I loved it! We had so much fun.

On Sunday we got to teach third hour and all the youth in the ward about missionary work. We made the lesson into a mini MTC. =) We had them state the missionary purpose:

"Our purpose is to invite others to come unto Christ by helping them receive the restored gospel through faith in Jesus Christ and His Atonement, repentance, baptism, receiving the Holy Ghost, and enduring to the end."

Then we had them practice giving away a Book of Mormon to their friends. It was so fun. At the very end we had a young man in the ward, who just got his mission call, testify to everyone about why he decided to go on a mission. The Spirit was really strong and he got a little emotional. It was powerful for the youth to see. I loved it!

Then Shea taught us about the Plan of Salvation. She did a GREAT job. She really knows her stuff. She wants to go on a mission too! She is amazing!

I love you all!

Have a great week!

Sister Moore

May 25, 2015- Shea got Baptized!

Hi everyone! This past week has been CRAZY!

Last Sunday, we had that whole adventure with getting Shea's record from our house and running back while she was in her baptismal interview. That was fun. =D

We've worked with a few less-active members this week. We got to have dinner at a member's house, she lives in a really old (1890's) two story house by the railroad tracks. Super cool! She has two super cute little girls.

Tuesday we had our first appointment with Shaneka! She has taken lessons from the missionaries before and when she saw the Greenville sisters she stopped them and talked with them! The lesson went really well. She told us how much she wanted to change, and wanted her life to change. She gave the closing prayer and cried during it. Wow!

We taught Shea her last few lessons and coordinated her baptism. That took a crazy ton of work!

On Wednesday, Raven went out with us for 5 hours! Raven is 16 and is an amazing missionary. Her four friends come to church with her all the time. Shea is her best friend. She was so excited to come out with us all day, and even suggested going tracting! She's a rockstar.

Some garbage exploded in our trunk, so we took a little while to figure that situation out. Translation: scrubbing down our rug in the dollar tree parking lot in the hot hot sun. Whoo hoo!

But now it doesnt' smell any more!

Thursday we had another lesson with Shaneka. This time we taught her and her 8-year-old son Steven. He is so cute!!! We asked them if they wanted to be baptized, and they said yes! We asked Steven why he wanted to be baptized. "So I can be closer to Jesus!" he replied.

"Can we come back?" "Yes!" He said. "When?" we asked. "Anytime. Every day!" he responded enthusiastically, pointing to us with both hands. He's amazing. =)

Also on Wednesday, we called Sister W, someone Sister Allred has been working with for a while, and we were informed that she had passed away. We couldn't believe it. So on Friday we went to her funeral. It was so sad. Her family aren't members, and they don't understand or know about the Plan of Salvation. We saw how sad they were and were crushed. =( I am so grateful for my knowledge of Heavenly Father's plan for us. He loves us so much. He loves Sister W so much.

Saturday was the BAPTISM! I couldn't quite believe it! We spent all day running around preparing. Then we got to the church and set up and then took pictures. It all went so fast! (but so slow!) Everything went well. Shea came in her pretty new dress, and was so excited! She had been so worried about going under the water and stuff, but she was fine. =) Then on Sunday she was confirmed! I just wanted to get up and dance and shout! Shea is a member now! I love her so much! She has a strong testimony, and she shared it at her baptism! Everyone was very moved by her testimony of God's love, and I am so so happy to see her so happy. She glows! =) I love Shea, even though I barely met her two weeks ago.

This week was full of miracles, more than I probably even know. I love Kinston. The people here are so friendly. I love this work. Heavenly Father answers prayers. I know that is true with all my heart. He answers them, and is willing to grant to you any and all blessings He sees fit. He is our loving Father in Heaven. =)

I love you all! Thank you for your prayers!

Sister Moore

May 18, 2015- Welcome to Kinston!

Hi everybody! This last week was crazy! It was transfers week, so on Wednesday I came up and met my new companion, Sister Allred!

I said goodbye to my last area, Mount Olive. I really really love the people there and I am already planning to come back and visit!

I already knew Sister Allred, as we had gone to quite a few Sister's Preperation Days in Virginia Beach. She's served in Kempsville, my first area! =D She is SO fun. She makes everything fun. She instantly can befriend anybody. =) We're going to have a lot of fun.

Kinston is amazing! It's a lot bigger than my last area. It's really green, and the wards are so so so nice. We go to two wards! All the people I have met so far are really nice.

We have an investigator named Shea who is getting baptized on Saturday! Whoa!!!! She has been investigating for a while and now finally is getting baptized. She is amazing. I love her already. She has a strong testimony.

Things have been crazy. We've been run, run, running since I've gotten here with no time to stop! I actually kind of like that though. Being busy is really good.

I know that this transfer will be amazing! There is so much to look forward to! Thank you all for your prayers and your love. I sure appreciate it and feel it! =D

Love,

Sister Moore

May 11, 2015- Farewell Mount of Olives

So we received a transfer call Saturday afternoon, and I was informed that it was time for me to go somewhere else and serve the people there.

My new area is called Kinston! I've heard that it is beautiful. Many of the people here have relatives in Kinston, so it will be like staying in the same ward family! =) Just a different building. Jim Walker was even visiting our ward this Sunday, so I got to meet him. He attends the Kinston ward.

My companion's name is Sister Allred. She and I will be responsible for two wards, Kinston 1st and 2nd wards. So that will be new! I am excited for that!

We had a really powerful experience this weekend. We went out to Warsaw, 30 minutes and 13 miles away, on Saturday and encountered a wonderful little family. The father used to come to church while he was growing up, but made some bad decisions and also stopped attending church. He married Jamie, and they have two cute kids.

While we talked, he often bore heart-felt testimony of the church. He knows it is true. He knows that the church is what his family needs and what will help them most. He was a little tearful as he talked about how much he knew and how much he wished he had shared with his family. It was an amazing experience to hear him testify of the Book of Mormon and the truth of this gospel.

I know that this is the Church of Jesus Christ. It is the very organization He set up while He was on the earth. I know that Jesus Christ lives, and that He sacrificed Himself for us in Gethsemane. I know that I have received strength in my own life because of that sacrifice. Because of what He did for us, we can all have strength beyond our own in trial. Our weaknesses can be made into strengths (Ether 12:27), our best can be good enough. Heavenly Father will use all that we have, our time, talents, and abilities, to bless others if only we offer it. I am grateful that I have this opportunity to give all my strengths to the Lord to be able to help others. I am excited to meet the people in Kinston and to be able to learn and grow with them.

I love you all so much!

Sister Moore

April 13, 2015- Hello Everyone!

First and foremost, AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!

This week was really challenging. There is a lot of good work going on in Mount Olive, and a LOT of potential. Something Heavenly Father is teaching me right now is that I need to "step it up"!

Change is totally not easy. It is SO PAINFUL. It is HARD. I wanted to give up a few times this week. But though I thought those thoughts, I didn't mean it.

I'm not giving up, ya'll!

On Monday we taught Erich, our new investigator. He's been investigating the church a long time, and is married to a member. He decided that he wanted to be baptized a couple of weeks ago, and now we are teaching him. We had the first discussion at his in-laws with the whole family and a friend there. We sat around a big table. "I feel like this is an intervention," Erich joked.

We had a great discussion, and Sister Jacobsen taught powerfully about the Book of Mormon. We challenged him to read, pray, and attend church. He would then receive his answer.

During the middle of the week, everything fell through. We struggled a lot. I prayed a lot a lot. I know that there is great comfort in the scriptures. Even if I read and pray every day, I can still do more. So that's what I'm doing now. I'm trying to read and pray more. I have already seen that bless me and help me to change.

I began this week with a mindset of "just be humble" I ended this week with a mindset "just be assertive." I'm going to try and do my best to make decisions, to overcome weakness, and to come out on top by "Pray[ing] always, that [I] may come off conqueror; yea, that [I] may conquer Satan."

My companion is AMAZING. She is a fantastic, uber-brilliant, AMAZING missionary. I have SO much to learn from her. I am excited to learn from her. I'm excited to change. I'm excited to see Mount Olive EXPLODE and grow so much.

This transfer the entire mission is going to have a Miracle May. President Baker has recieved inspiration that as we work hard and do various things, that each companionship in the mission will see a baptism in May. Can that really happen????

FOR YES IT CAN!

Especially with Sister Jacobsen. She makes things happen. I am really really really excited for Miracle May. We're going to set everyone with baptismal dates this week. Ya'll up for the challenge?

I'm trying my best. I still worry sometimes ( a lot ) I still doubt sometimes. I worry that I'm too weak, you know? But have ya'll read the Ensign for this month yet? There is a great article on the difference between weakness and sin. I'd recommend to read that! It's really good.

I know that there will be lots of growth and change this transfer. I'm going to do my best! Please pray for me, and please pray for Sister Jacobsen, and please pray for our investigators. We need all the help we can get!

Much love,

Sister M Moore

May 4, 2015- Missionary Miracle May Fast!

This week we've been searching high and low for people to teach. We've had several good experiences - we were able to teach a girl named Kelsey the whole Restoration on her doorstep. Beth, a former investigator, let us know that she had questions after we watched Finding Faith in Christ with her. She's now investigating the church again!

We also got to teach Ellen. We took the Walkers with us. Her biggest concern was just getting over the things she has heard about what we believe and replacing that with the truth. It was amazing to have the Walkers there, because they've experienced the same hurdle. It was an amazing lesson.

On Tuesday we got to go over and help the Walkers outside. It was a gorgeous Spring day, sunny with a breeze. We laid out pine straw and then raked up "swe'gum" balls, the spiky pokey things that come off of trees sometimes. It was so much fun. I really love yard work!

We received a lot of referrals from them, and were directed to see a few people. We've been able to drop by those people this week, and we're hopeful that things will go well!

We went and saw a lady named Pamela. She doesn't come to church any more, and we went to meet her. We didn't have her house number though, so we had to go searching through the trailer park to find her. We didn't go very far when we found her house. Miracles! She seems really sweet and made an appointment for us to come back. We're excited! Her daughter is really interested in religion, so we're pretty hopeful for them, too.

We taught Jean on Thursday. One of the first things she said was "I don't want to be baptized anymore." That was kind of super horribly crushing. I felt like all the wind went out of me. We challenged her to try it and see if it was true, and to make her decision after she'd tried coming to church, reading, and praying.

All and all ya'll, this week I've learned a lot about the power of charity. Love changes things. Love changes people. It's the solution to most problems. It's something Heavenly Father gives you - it's a gift from Him. Because of Jesus Christ, we can do all things, conquer all things, and endure many things. (13th Article of Faith)

I love you all! thank you for all of your prayers. I know that they are heard and that they are answered!

Sister Moore

April 27, 2015- Aloha!

This week we're talking a lot about miracles. Why? Because of Miracle May!

Like I've mentioned previously, we have received a promise from Heavenly Father through our mission president, that as we all work as hard as we possibly can that each companionship in the mission (92) will have a baptism in May. That is a promise.

Wow!

As a mission, we are all fasting this Sunday with a prayer that this miracle will come to pass. I know it can!

This week we had the blessed opportunity to contact a few referrals and also go street contacting at the North Carolina Pickle Festival! Every year, since this is pickle plant country, the town of Mount Olive throws a big to-do on Center Street. Complete with festival rides, fair food, and even camels! And of course, lots and lots of pickle paraphernalia.

It was so fun getting to walk around and talk to lots and lots of people. We met this gal named Traci who is just so sweet. She seemed familiar to both Sister Jacobsen and I, but we have never met her before. She was walking back and forth in front of us in between her booth and her work so we decided that Heavenly Father had definitely put her in our path. So we talked with her. She is just so sweet and I am excited to share the gospel with her!

We also met this really happy woman named Brandi who was selling homemade shea butter lotion. She called us over to her to try it out and we shared the gospel with her. =D She says she's been looking for a church. She lives in Goldsboro. I'm really excited for her too! Heavenly Father works in mysterious ways - she wanted to sell us lotion, and could very likely end up finding the truth of life! =D

We are seeing a lot of miracles here in Mount Olive. Our investigators are finally calling us back and making appointments. We're meeting with Ellen this Saturday, and with Erich in the coming weeks. We know that the message we have to share will bless and change their lives forever, and we are excited to share it. 

I love all of you! Thank you for the many prayers on the behalf of myself, my companion, and my investigators. I know that prayers are real, miracles are real, and that God hears and answers prayers. I know that the power of faith is real, and that because of faith miracles are brought to pass.

I have faith that we will see a miracle this May and will have a baptism.

I love you all!

Have a blessed week!

Sister Moore

April 20, 2015- Hello Everybody!

Thought for the day from the fifth verse of "How Firm a Foundation"

5. When through fiery trials thy pathway shall lie,
My grace, all sufficient, shall be thy supply.
The flame shall not hurt thee; I only design
Thy dross to consume, thy dross to consume,
Thy dross to consume and thy gold to refine.

So true.

Well this week has been interesting. We went to visit Sister S. She doesn't come to church, and hasn't for about 15 years. Her 10 year old daughter, Jean, has not been baptized and I don't think she has ever come to church. We taught Jean, and invited her to be baptized. She accepted! Then as we talked some more, she asked "Well, when am I getting baptized?" So we set her for May 30th! =D

We are so excited!

I really love teaching with Sister Jacobsen. She is an amazing teacher. She is bold. She knows the truth. She testifies powerfully! She's not nervous at all to commit someone to do something that is good! =D She's amazing. I love her.

We also had this experience where our appointment fell through with Kristen, and we had a member all ready to come out with us. So we took the member with us to go see some potential investigators. The first person we went to visit was Mr. Powell. He let us in and we got to talking. He is Baptist and is very firm in his beliefs. For the first few minutes we really were just arguing with him. I didn't like that one bit. So instead, we started testifying. We opened with a prayer. We started teaching. We read from the scriptures, and the Spirit of the Lord was able to be there. He wasn't convinced of anything we had to say. He had already decided that he wasn't going to even consider what we had to say. But he was nice and cordial and we had a good discussion. We committed him to pray and ask God about Joseph Smith and see if it were true. He said he would.

The member who came with us was really excited she'd actually gotten to teach someone with us! She was really great, too. She testified and taught and was a powerful witness to what we had to say. She's great! Sister Jacobsen told me that I taught really well under pressure. *blush* =-)

Then we had this WONDERFUL experience with a family in our ward who also is out of the habit of coming to church. Missionaries have taught the daughters for many years. We went over to teach about the Restoration, and invited their mother to join us. We all sat down in the living room and watched the DVD. As we started to discuss it, the daughters started fighting. We kept trying to discuss, until finally Sister Jacobsen said "Sandra. The Spirit cannot be here if there is contention. Would it be alright if we offered another prayer to invite the Spirit back?"

WHOA.

So we did, and it was amazing. The Spirit came so quickly and so powerfully, even more powerfully than before. We testified of the Restoration and talked with them. We invited them as a family to pray and read and come to church. Their mother said "yes. we will do that." She still has to work on Sundays a lot, but I KNOW that as they start this habit, that their desires will change and they will pray so that she can be there, and Heavenly Father will help her schedule change so that she can. Wow! I am so excited for them as a family. There is a little 6-year-old daughter who this will help so much as she prepares to be baptized. Wow!

That was our week, I hope ya'll's' week was good. I know you're pretty busy with all the things you are up to, but never forget that the Atonement is real. That the Savior loves you. That forgiveness is real and change is possible.

You

are

amazing!

I know it!

I love you all very much,

Sister Moore

April 6, 2015- Yea Yea, Nay Nay!

Aloha everybody. This has been transfers week. Sister Kunzler and I committed to "work harder than ever before" and really hit it the last few days. And we did! We saw a lot a lot of people and uplifted them. A very kind, sweet, and talented member gave us some of her paintings! Wow! I have it hanging on the wall by my desk.

While we were waiting for that member to get home, we went next door and talked to her neighbor Mike. We shared the Easter video with him. He liked it! We made a return appointment. Wow!

Then we went and saw the McCullens.We shared the Restoration with them and committed them to pray to know if the Book of Mormon is true. They are the sweetest family.

On Wednesday we stuffed all of Sister K's stuff in Emily's car and drove to Goldsboro. There we dropped her off to begin her quest as a Sister Training Leader. She went into it bravely! She's actually really really excited. I know that she will do amazing. From the first day I met her, I just knew that she'd be a Sister Training Leader. She's obedient, a problem solver, and such a great missionary. I have learned so much from her. I am glad that I was able to be her companion. I love ya! *fist bump* I'm glad she's still so nearby! I'll get to see her at meetings and such. Yay! What a tender mercy.

I saw Sister Petrie and Sister Allred at the transfers van, which is another tender mercy! I gave them big 'ol hugs and welcomed them back to North Carolina.

then I met Sister Jacobsen! She's really sweet. This is her second area. Her first area was Little Washington in North Carolina. She is a powerhouse missionary! She is so dedicated and so committed to this work. I love that about her!

Sister Jacobsen and I, the first day, were able to teach Vonnie about prophets and invite her to come to conference. When we said she could get guidance from the prophets, her eyes widened and she said, "I sure need that! I'll be there!"

We have so many appointments and so many good things ahead, like the Mt Olive Pickle Festival. There are lots of opportunities for work, just now! Opportunities right in our waaaa-aaay. Do not let them pass by, saying sometime I'll try, but go and do something today!

We had a funny experience at the Jonathan's - we went to our appointment, but when we got there, Amy said that Rob's girlfriend was over and she believes in some strange things. Amy said she did not want us to be disrespected in her house, and said we should come back a different time. Weird!

Then we sanded some chairs at the Brock's. That was fun! My palm was vibrating for a while afterward. =)

But anyway, General Conference!!!!!!!!!! What did you like most? What talks stood out to you? I LOVED the Sunday Morning session. Sister Wixom's talk was amazing. I also loved Elder Causse's! Do we still marvel? Is the gospel still wonderful to us? Or is it common place? What can I do to open my eyes to the wonder that it is? I loved that! I encourage all of you to continually study the conference talks and really gain and grow from them. =)

Between sessions on Saturday we visited the Hooks. The whole time we were there we just felt the Spirit and felt so good. They are the kindest people. She's interested in doing family history. We shared the Easter video Because He Lives with them. They said "I agree!" after it finished.

"I wouldn't share this with Billy Ingram, but I would share this with you. I just feel so comfortable around you," Sister Hooks said. Then she proceeded to tell us about miracles she's witnessed in her life, special experiences. Wow! We love them so much! We're excited to come back and teach them about the Restoration.

I love you all so much! My friends and family! I pray for you all. I pray that you all have an amazing week.

Much love,

Sister Moore

March 30, 2015- "Noooooooooo Missy Noooooooooooo!"

Well everybody, Sister Kunzler is heading out into the wild blue yonder and is becoming a sister training leader in Goldsboro. I called it the first day I was her companion. =D I love Sister Kunzler so much, and I'm excited that she is going to be so nearby!

Monday was miraculous! At our appointment for dinner a nonmember husband of a sweet sister in our ward expressed his desire to be baptized. We did our best to be calm and composed, but as soon as we were home with danced around with joy. The Lord works miracles in the hearts of men and women!

We also were prompted to go and see a less-active member named Diana. She let us in and we felt something was wrong. About 20 minutes into our message, she stopped us and said:

"Now don't take this the wrong way, but I don't know why you're here."

We stopped, breath caught in my lungs.

"I don't know how you got my address or my name. But...The past few days I've been praying for the first time in a long time. And then you show up."

WHOA.

She softened and expressed that she would like to hold family home evening. We gave her two girls their own copies of the Book of Mormon. We are so excited for her and her family. Plus! she came to the women's session of general conference! Wow!

Miracles happen! (all the time!) Follow those prompting!

We ran into a lot of talkers this week who tried to teach us. Many sweet people whose hearts were softened by the message of family history.

Have ya'll seen the new Easter video??

https://youtu.be/BZqTRSVA1YA

We had a wonderful experience because of this video! We went up to a door and offered to share an Easter message with them. They let us in because it was bitter cold out and we watched it together. They really liked it. We shared the first vision with them and invited them to pray about it. We made a return appointment. They are excited for us to come! Their names are Lauren and Lauren. XD We're excited to go back and teach them some more! This video really is inspired and brings the Spirit so quick!

We had a really funny experience on Friday. We went to see a former and she opened the door and her big dog was crazy excited so she fought it to keep the door closed and she was shouting at it to stop being so crazy and it wasn't funny but it kind of was to she the door moving back and forth and just her hand with a paintbrush in it in the doorjam.

"Noooooo Missy Noooooo!" She sounded pretty distressed. The dog was all happy and bouncy.

She eventually talked to us through the door and then we went on our way with a smile. =)

On Sunday, at a members house, a chair wasn't quite so heavy as I thought and suddenly I was tipping over backwards. Somehow I caught myself before I crashed through the window! We all had a big laugh about it. Phew. What a way to break the ice!

I love you all! Will you continue to pray for our investigators, especially Kristen? She didn't come to church again. =(

Southernism:

"You want some Yankee cornbread?"

Love,

Sister Moore

March, 23, 2015- "We're just talking about God."

This week has been amazing. We've had the opportunity to tract a lot - which is a good thing!

Monday we acted out Book of Mormon stories with the Wood family - they had a lot of fun! Sister Kunzler drew out the first three chapters, and we had a lot of fun and laughs as the kids pretended to be the people in the stories.They loved it.

On Tuesday we discovered a SNAKE in our tree out front! It was scary-looking, too! So obviously we steered clear! We went tracting down the street as we walked to go see a member. We stopped to talk to a bunch of people who were out enjoying the weather. We talked to a man sitting on his porch. He recently has moved home. He has a church we was raised in, so didn't seem willing to attend ours. So I brought up family history. He said he'd worked on it in high school, and hadn't since. He'd be willing to get back into it again! We shared a family history card with him and had a really great chat. He admonished us to be careful on such a busy road. "We will!"

It was getting dark, but we stopped to knock at an open screen door. Rose came out. She was grilling in the backyard and invited us to come round back. We did. Her sister came over after work and said "are you selling something?" and Rose said "No, we're just talking about God." Her sister's name is Vonnie. We shared the Restoration and the first vision with them, and they felt the Spirit. We invited them to attend church and set up appointments to go see them.

Vonnie's appointment has fallen through twice now, sadly. =( We went back to see Rose on Thursday, and it had literally been the worst day of her life. A huge tragedy had occured that day and everything seemed to be collapsing around her. We shared a message of peace about the Atonement with her, and she said, "You know what? The tension headache I've had all day is lessening. I've felt better ever since you walked in my door."

I am so happy we were able to share the peace we find in the restored gospel of Jesus Christ! I know that His Atonement is real, and that it is for everyone! I have had much peace given me through His Atonement and through prayer.

After we got home, we through pecans at the snake in the tree to see if it was real. It's not. Haha it sure scared us though. And we left it there...just in case.........

Wednesday we went tracting and ran into Toni and Jasmin! We were trying to find  a place to park to go tracting, and Jasmin runs up to us to say hi! I crack open my door and asked her if we could park where we were. She said sure!

The first trailer we went to knock at was her home, so she rushed inside after us. Her grandmother was there, and her great-uncle. They were very receptive to our message and wanted to come to church and hear more! We don't have her number though, so it's hard to coordinate things with her. We have an appointment on Tuesday and we're excited to go see her! Please pray that she will still be interested and want to continue to learn. =D Jasmin is the cutest! She wanted to look at my scripture case, and she loved the pictures of Jesus Christ on the outside.

On Friday we got to go to the temple! Wow! The Raleigh temple is beautiful. =) It was a very wonderful trip. We learned about family history in the conference afterward. I contemplated a lot on Friday, and the thought I came up with was "Follow Him". The entirety of the gospel is doing our best to be like Jesus Christ, and do what He has asked us to do. In that way, we will be able to come unto the Father. I love this gospel. I love the truth!

Saturday was CRAZY. We went to appointment after appointment. We had so many, we had to have an actual split! Sister Kunzler went with Sister T and I went with Sister H and we went to two different appointments! Mine cancelled on us, but we were able to visit with a less-active sister and really talk about her concerns in coming to church. Sister Kunzler had an AMAZING lesson with Kristen. Kristen has a lot of worries about coming to church, but she and Sister T hit it off instantly and they have so much in common that they just built each other up so much. Sister T bore her testimony powerfully and the three of them really felt the Spirit. We're so excited for Kristen!

We had an appointment with a potential named Ellen. The sisters have been trying to have an appointment with her for a very long time. We met her while tracting and walking around, and set up this appointment! She was there, though she was sick =(, and we shared the Restoration. She is very very intelligent and is excited to read the Book of Mormon. She really understands that it is all the same gospel, all the same church, as what Jesus Christ established while He was on earth. We are very excited for her to continue to learn! Her husband is super nice. While we were talking, he went out and bought us some chicken dinner plates from the church down the road.

"Would you like a plate? [of supper]" he asked. We hesitated. "Because I already have some for you, anyway."

Wow! He's so nice! =D

So please pray for Ellen that she can read and feel the Spirit testify that it is truth! =D

Sunday was crazy, I was SO exhausted.

I know that this church is true. I am so excited for conference!

I love you all!

Sister Moore

March 16, 2015- Friday the 13th is my DAY

Hello everybody! I hope ya'll have been having a blessed week! I know mine sure has been!

The highlight of last Monday was finally being able to see 17 Miracles for a Sister's Preparation day. Boy is that movie sad! The pioneers sure witnessed a lot of miracles.

On Tuesday we went tracting in the sunlight, under a blue sky with green green fields. It was the best. We parked in front of a house that had 40+ cows in the front yard. Moo! We saw a little brown cow. =D

Later, we helped the Brock family prepare to watch General Conference. Are ya'll excited? Because I am!

Wednesday was really stressful. We had a few appointments set up at conflicting times. We prayed and prayed about it, and it worked out. Phew. There was no way we could have done that alone!

We headed out to Seven Springs for an appointment to tract a little beforehand. We went to one house and a sweet little old lady opened the door. We shared the Restoration and she believed it could be true. We invited her to pray about it. She wants her grandson to take her to church! Her name is Lena, and she is so prepared! She soaked the message in and wanted to know more.

Then we finally got to meet Sister Pence. We talked to her about general conference too. She's pretty excited about it. =)

Then we rushed to the church and Sister Kunzler taught the Young Women how to do manicures. It was really fun! Then we rushed to a member's house to teach them about Family History. They were really excited about it. We only got them accounts and just barely going with the time that we had available, but the Spirit of Elijah is real - I can testify to you of that!

Thursday was great! We had lots of time to go invite others, so we walked around for a few hours in the sunlight, talking to everyone we saw. We talked to many people! We talked to an older lady who was really sad, so I felt the distinct impression "This is my sisters, and the message we have to share with her will help her be happy!" I told her as much, and pulled out the Book of Mormon. I didn't know what to have her read! The Spirit whispered to me to open to Alma 11. As I opened up to it and read the chapter summary, I smiled. It was exactly what she'd been needing comfort on. I love the Spirit! It is truly a gift!

On the way back we ran into another little old lady who chatted and chatted and chatted ( the third in a row ) and we were really really late to a dinner appointment with Patsy Kelly. We felt so so so so bad. But you know what? It worked out. Because she hadn't changed the time on her clocks! So we got there twenty minutes "early" even though we were 40 minutes late and we were right on time for dinner! What blessings the Lord sends us for doing His work and taking time to talk to all of His children! =D

Then we had an AMAZING lesson at Jenny and Sandra's. Their friend Timmy was over. We invited each one of them to share their favorite scripture story. It was amazing! They are teenagers and pretty focused on teenager things, but as we read from the scriptures together, everything changed. They calmed and focused and helped one another. Jenny helped her little sister read from the story of Noah's ark. It was amazing. It was truly a blessing from the scriptures. I love reading the scriptures! I know they are true events.

Then we had an appointment at the Cruze's! Wow! We shared the message of the Restoration with them and invited them to think of names. We presented it, telling them at each point what we did with our investigators, and invited them to come to church, to read and pray, just like we would with our investigators. At the end, we asked them if anyone had come to mind. And one by one, each and every family member, even the littlest, had thought of one or two people! Wow!!! What power there is in personal revelation! We gave each of them a pass a long card to give out to the friends they thought of. Please pray for them that they will have the chance to do so! =D

Friday the 13th was amazing! I love Friday the 13th. For me, it's always the best day of the month! It always has been. And this one was no exception!

I gave a training at district meeting, with the zone leaders there, and it actually went well! =)

Then we went out to see our investigators Jonathan and Amy. LOVE THEM! Their hearts are softening so much! We introduced them to the gospel library and they were so excited. I am so excited for them!!! =D

Then we went tracting and met lots of interesting people. We met some of our neighbors, as they sat out on their porch in the sun. At first they did not seem interested at all, but as we shared some of the Restoration, something changed. "We have a modern-day prophet today..." Sister Kunzler said. "Say that again." The lady said. We explained it again, and told her about General Conference that was coming up. 'I want to watch that," she said. "When is it?" We told her. "I want to see for myself."

WHOA!

Her name is Lee and her husband's name is Rodney. We are so so so excited for them! =D I love General conference!!! There are so many blessings from it! I love studying general conference. I know that we have living prophets today.

On Saturday we went tracting in pouring rain. But when things are the hardest, they are the most worth doing! We had lots of good experiences. We talked to a lady in a flower shop, and I was distracted waving to someone else so I walked into a huge puddle. =D We were soaked for our lesson with Kristen.

She stood us up last week for a lesson so we were really worried. And as we thought, some people had been discouraging her from learning! BUT she said, "I have prayed, and I know for myself. I know that this is my path." She stood up to what they said, even though it was hard, and she wants to continue! Our hearts were so full of gratitude to the Lord after that lesson - they still are! Please pray for Kristen that she can continue to learn and grow in the knowledge of the truth, that she can know for herself!

We then came home, and walked and talked. We went up to this super sketch looking trailer and knocked and met Quita! It started out like most other contacts, but just like with Lee, then something changed. She invited us to come back, and is willing to meet with us and come to church. We have an appointment with her this week! Wow! I am so excited! Please pray for her, as well, and her daughter Amalia!

This week has been amazing. Yesterday we got to walk and talk and share Family History with people, and we had much success. I am so happy! I love serving a mission. I know this work is true, and that this gospel is true. I love you all!

I'm trying to do as my friend Sister Kayla Squire is doing and collect "Southernisms" so I here's yours for the week.

"Have a blessed day!"

March 9, 2015- "I Already Bouth Girl Scout Cookies."

This week has been so fun!

On Monday we took a day to completely relax. We opened all the windows and let in light and fresh air and it was wonderful! We had dinner at Brother and Sister B's house and read 1 Nephi 1 with them. They are the sweetest people who are less active because of their health. I really loved being with them and hearing their testimonies of the Book of Mormon. It can really change lives.

Tuesday it rained all day. We had a packed day, too. We finished deep cleaning a lot sooner than we thought and were left with an empty afternoon of grey, cold, rain. Both of us felt strongly that we needed to go to Seven Springs (a city in our area). We drove out there with our windshield wipers going and looking for people to teach. We met a single older man and made a return appointment. Then we headed out of Seven Springs again. I really wanted to go back, and the next name on our list took us back into town.

We stopped at a house, prayed, and went up to the door. She let us in because it was cold out. Her name is Jamie! Her husband is in the military and she's concerned about the world. She has 3 cute kids and is very intelligent. We told her that the message we had to share with her would bring her peace. She asked if we were selling anything. XD That's a first for me! She had lots of questions and comments. It was her birthday, and she felt that God sent us to her on her birthday for a reason. How sweet is that? She recognized us as His servants.

Wednesday was hot! It sure brought a lot of people out. We didn't think that many people lived here! People here don't like the cold!

Then, while we were home for dinner, our neighbor Sister T (who has Alzheimers) came to our door and knocked angrily. We snuck out the back and went around to greet her. "Hi Sister Turner," I said.

"I guess they're not here," she said, turning from the door. As we helped her down the steps, she asked, "Their car is here, they're just not answering. Is that your car?" "Yes," I said. "Oh, okay. Well, let's go back to my house and chat." So we helped her back and she had us come and sit down so we shared a message with her. She is so funny!

Kristen called on Thursday and told us that she and her son had come down with the flu on Sunday, and that's why they were not at church! So we set up an appointment to bring them some gatorade on Friday!

Friday was a crazy day! We had zone meeting, and then a meeting with an investigator family an hour away right afterward! So we brought our lunch with us! Zone meeting was great, but we ran out right afterward to eat, and then jump in the car. We had negative two minutes to eat! Haha! =)

We went down to the bottom of our area to see Jonathan and Amy. They are great! They hadn't read, so we read the Book of Mormon with them. We are so happy that they are changing their lives and we are so happy to bring them the gospel!

We went to a members house (after Jamie cancelled =( ). There was lots of negative comments being made, so I whipped out the Book of Mormon and we read with them too. Immediately, the tension lessened, and everyone was nicer to each other. There is real power in the scriptures and in reading them together as a family.

Saturday we went tracting in Faison, and then after that we went to Kristen's and helped her Lysol her house to kill all the flu germies! We listened to a Hillary Weeks CD as we cleaned and the spirit just filled her home. Her boyfriend Mi-Ken came in while we were cleaning and thanked us for helping out. As we left, later, we talked to him outside. He is so great! He's very intelligent and loves to learn. He asked us some questions about our beliefs. We know that he will also listen and learn and come into the gospel. We're excited!!!! He's a really great person!

While we were tracting that day, we went to a lady's house and she said "I already bought girl scout cookies". She couldn't hear to well, and eventually just closed the door on us. We laughed. "I love being a missionary," Sister Kunzler said.

We also saw a little Spanish family walking across the street, so we went up to them and simply gave them a Restoration DVD. The little girl translated for us. It was really fun. I love being a missionary too!

On Sunday, we also had a chance to go tracting! It was a beautiful day to do so! We realized yesterday just how much the adversary tries to keep us from proselyting on Sundays! We made an especial effort to get out as early as possible to go and invite others! In the beautiful sunshine and warm day we were able to meet so many different people! And so many of them are prepared! We're going back on Wednesday to talk with a woman who is expecting a child, and also possibly help her to paint her trailer. Yay!

People are prepared!

I love you all! Pray hard, study the scriptures!

Sister Moore

8 Months!

March 2, 2015- Hello Everybody!

This week we've seen a lot of miracles with our investigators. Nancy, who we've been working with since last transfer, started reading the Book of Mormon! We're now meeting with her weekly to help her increase her testimony that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints is the church that Christ established while He was on the earth. I know that that is true. I am so excited to help her find strength and joy from living the gospel!

We also helped a less-active sister begin reading the Book of Mormon. We go over and read with her. We began in 1 Nephi 1, and she said, "let's keep reading!" So we read four chapters in one lesson! It was great! She loves the scriptures. And I love her! The Book of Mormon changes lives and changes people! "A study of the Book of Mormon changes behavior more than a study of behavior will change behavior." - President Packer It is TRUE. 1 Nephi 1 applies to anyone and everyone ever!

On Tuesday, it snowed!!! WHAT? I opened the window during personal study and there were flurries. Like, real snow. Not sleet or rain that froze. SNOW!

On Thursday we had a sweet experience with two less-active sisters we teach. It was one of their's birthday Thursday. She was at soccer practice when we came for our lesson. So instead of teaching, we took the time to cut out hearts with her little sisters to surprise her for her birthday. Their mother, who usually doesn't say much to us, seemed to soften because we did that, and even gave us a hug! Wow! The power of taking the time to do something for someone else is immense!

Then we visited Sister G and helped her wrangle a chicken back into the pen. It had escaped earlier, so to help her out we chased it down and back in. That was really fun. It was like playing a game! I love these experiences I'm having on my mission! =)

Friday we had a great district meeting and then drove 30 minutes down to the very bottom of our area. We taught two potentials with lots and lots of questions. Wow! She is really prepared, but her husband is working on it. =D Wow! It was a great lesson and they want us to come back. We're excited! They totally stood us up for a church tour, but they weren't too solid on coming anyway. Poor Brother H and Sister H came to help us with the tour, but no one showed. That was really disappointing. =(

We also went to see a less-active family that same day who live REALLY far away in the other direction. But we felt so strongly that's where we needed to be. There were some chickens hanging around as we walked up to the front door. When we went inside we felt like that was exactly where we needed to be. She was so happy to see us and related her happy experiences with previous missionaries a long time ago. I don't think too many people go visit her because she lives so far away. =( We shared a lesson with her. THEN, they came to CHURCH Sunday!!!!!!!!! What??!?! The whole family! It was so powerful and happy to me that revelation is REAL! We went and hugged them and shook their hands and welcomed them all. We were so happy to see them!!!! (AND we have dinner with them tonight!!!!! YAY!!!!!!!!!!!)

We had another lesson with Kristen on Saturday, and taught her the Plan of Salvation. Sister Kunzler said "she's on the top of the golden (investigators) pile". She taught us about some of the commandments. She reads and understands the Book of Mormon. Sometimes I think, "Okay, when am I going to wake up? Is this real?" Please continue to pray for her, everybody. She needs encouragement to get to church and work through some things. She was commited to come yesterday, but didn't show for the tour at 8 or church. She really needs to come and feel the Spirit there. Thank you for the prayers!!!

I also felt kind of weird this weekend, in a drained, unfocused, headachey way. I hope I'm not getting sick! We don't have time for that.

I love you all! Have an amazing week! Keep praying, keep reading, because something you read will apply directly to you and give you the guidance you have been seeking.

Much love,

Sister M Moore

 

February 23, 2015- Ice is Nice...Not Really

On Tuesday it "snowed". But really that just meant that it rained and then the water froze. On Tuesday morning, everything was encased in ice. The trees, the ground, our car, and there were icicles everywhere. It was beautiful! Unfortunately, that meant that we couldn't go anywhere, because the roads were iced over.

On Wednesday, the ice melted all day and we were allowed to go out. All day we were able to hear cracking and shattering noises as the rain that was paused mid-fall came crashing down. It was so surreal.

Sister Kunzler was impressed to pull over at a particular house, so we did. The lady who lived there let us right on in, much to our surprise! We talked to her for a while, and had a wonderful chat. We're not sure if she's prepared right now, but maybe she will be later. It was a neat experience, though!

On Thursday we had weekly planning, and then a wonderful experience with sharing Family History with a member. We shared a story from the February ensign, and then invited her to get started. We were worried she'd say she was too busy, but she readily accepted! So we're excited to get her started! =D

Friday was a wonderful day. We had an appointment with a potential investigator that we really wanted a member to come with us to. We finally found someone who was able to go, and she was willing to drive us, too! So we took the 25 minute trip down to Warsaw, and the person stood us up! =( So we stopped by Kristen's and left her a note reminding her about our appointment on Saturday.

Later in the day, we stopped by a potential investigator. She let us in! She apologized for not being home the last time we came, and we had a great talk with her! She's the mother of a member of our ward and has been a particular religion her whole life. She has lots of questions about the church that "no one has ever been able to answer for her". She's talked to missionaries before, but nothing much came of it. Her grandson, Connor, was over, and he chatted with us too. He said "yes ma'am" and "no ma'am" and reminded me a lot of Brian in that he loves getting to his church meetings early. =D So that was a fun experience. We're planning to go back and read the Book of Mormon with her, since that is the BEST way to get rid of contention.

Then as we were driving back from someplace, I noticed two ladies emptying garbage cans at the gas station, and commented about how miserable they must be in the cold. Sister Kunzler then said, "Let's go talk to them!" So we pulled over and it turns out that one of them has lived next to a member for 30 years, and the other one is engaged to a member in Goldsboro! (what...?!?!) They were so happy to talk with us and so nice! I'm excited to talk to them more! I LOVE inspired pulling over.

Then we had a WONDERFUL lesson with some members who are returning to church. As we talked about family history with them, they were excited to start! The Spirit was so strong in that lesson! The promise in Malachi is real!

On Saturday, we had our regular mission-wide conference call, and President announced that for a special trip, we were going to be able to leave the mission to attend the Raleigh temple!!!!!

I AM SO EXCITED!

Also on Saturday, we had a lesson with Kristen! Part way into the lesson, I felt like something was wrong. I realized that we still needed to follow up! We asked her, "Did you get a chance to pray about what we talked about last time?"

"Yes," she said. "I am still interested. I feel it's true."

WHAT?!?!

We are SO STOKED. She ended up pretty much talking to us for a few hours. She has a lot of questions about the Plan of Salvation, which we were planning to teach but didn't get a chance to. We'll do some How to Begin Teaching next time with her and establish that we only have 45 minutes to spend with her, and we do have something to share with her. Namely the Lord's truth and His Plan! =D Yay! I love being a missionary!

Sunday was crazy. There was a baby blessing and a returning missionary talk, so the chapel was PACKED. Every seat was taken. The talks were amazing.

That night, we had a lesson with our recent convert family, and we had no one to bring! We couldn't go if we couldn't find a third female!

We desperately, for hours, called everyone we could, but everyone was busy!!! So eventually we ended up calling a less-active youth to ask her if she could come.

She could!

We went into the lesson planning to just read from the Book of Mormon with them, because, as I said earlier, it is the antidote to contention. As we began the lesson, I felt the same wrong feeling I'd had at Kristen's. We needed to follow up!

So we followed up on something and had a wonderful conversation that lead perfectly into reading with them! The lesson was so fun! All the little kids helped each other figure out the big words, as we read 1 Nephi 1 together. It took a long time, but was a great experience! The sister we brought with us got to hear Brother W's amazing testimony. As a surprise to us, Brother W's brother in law, Randy (who we want to teach) was there too! So he came and participated in the lesson with us. It was truely miracluous, amazing, and a wonderful experience. I love this gospel! We all uplift and edify one another! Teaching and bearing testimony is SO important. I love you all and I hope you all have a chance to share what you know this week.

Love,

Sister Megan Moore