Ruby is Baptized!!

How are y'all! First to start with exciting news!!!!!!!!!!! RUBY is BAPTIZED~!!!!! Amazing! She is the one I started teaching in DA ward in the trio. We knew we were meant to teach her but had a lot of challenges, like needing her to actually move into the ward from Alamogordo, um... Throwing a wedding!  and then me getting transferred out of the ward :( but we were able to go to the baptism and I was asked to give the talk on Baptism. I love them and there little family sooooo much! So many miracles happened here!

Hiking with part of the zone was sooo much fun last week! Of course, the elders decided we should go off the trail for a "short cut" When we got lost just driving to the mountain, we should have taken it for a sign. Our shortcut ended up being going up the mountain, through the dry ravines and then coming straight down again, all without sliding into the millions of cactus plants and other pointy things. haha, it was a lot of fun, and fortunately we are all safe and good.

This week we taught 15 lessons! And that is a miracle! We also had many ward members with us and have really started to gain there trust. one is a man we taught at least 4 times this week who is retired and has a curiosity, but does not like the answers we give him. He asks how we know that this is the true church and we talk about the spirit and knowing through prayer and the scriptures, but he comes back saying we are not answering his question, how do we know that it is true. its interesting, because in our last lesson with him, you could really feel that he was not listening and not believing the answer. We know based on individually asking God in faith. He is an interesting one, but I love him anyways.

Yesterday, we had 4 investigators come to church! 2 of which were a family! And that was a hue blessing. They had texted us saying that they wanted to wait to keep meeting with us until they had attended a service. We had promised them in the past that the church is exactly what they were looking for, and even more that they would get along perfectly in the ward with the members, and they did! We barely had a chance to talk with them because everyone in the ward was talking with them, teaching them, showing them around and everything. It was a miracle they way everything fell into place!

Our fast for rain has been answered! And amazingly enough, we have had several flash flood warnings and storms. the lightning is amazing! we stand on our balcony at night to watch it, and then to get pelted with hail as the cars try to make it down our street, driving in the middle of the road. reminds me of home! love it!

We also taught a lesson on keeping the Sabbath Day holy by playing a charades game on what you can and wouldn't do. It was awesome. We played with 3 investigator kids, and 2 member kids and they loved it. It was like teaching an FHE lesson again. They had fun and we saw the girls at church the next day. They are bright!

Well, I am happy and loving the work. I am never happier out here than when I am able to teach a lesson and focus everything on helping someone else come unto Christ. Time keeps flying and flying until I ask where did it go, but days without lessons are the slowest yet. I love y'all and I'm happy everything is going good! the pictures are great! and I'm happy to know y'all are good and keeping the missionaries on there toes with pancakes and so forth! I love you.

No Transfer!

Hey Family! How are y'all doing today? We are very excited because at last min. our zone decided to go to the Organ mountains to go hiking! And I get to wear JEANS! Sister McBride told me it was weird seeing me in jeans. HA! We will have a lot of fun. We sadly found out that about half of our zone is leaving and no one wants to go. Many were really surprised, including our district leader who is also a trainer. Its sad to see so many leave, but its also exciting to see who will come in. Oh, and that means I am staying in Picacho Ward. And I'm actually really excited about it. I get to finish Sister McBride's training and we know we will be together another 6 weeks too. We are seeing many miracles in the ward and can see things that we still need to do here

One miracle of the week is named Tiffany. She was a less active referral from a member who thought that missionaries really needed to go out and see her. Last night, we were trying to figure out exactly where Heavenly Father wanted us. Sister McBride felt like maybe we should see an investigator on the other side of town. So we pray about it, felt good, and drove over. But he wasn't home. So what was next. We knew we needed to be in this area, but where and why. Then, Tiffany pops into Sister McBride's head and it feels right to both of us. We go over and find her outside with her husband. Not only open and ready to talk, but excited that we had come over. She has been going through a lot, but through little timely miracles (no coincidences) she had started having a desire to come back to church, reading the Book of Mormon and so forth. She had even looked up when church was and asked for Sundays off of work. She is a miracle. As we were with her, I just knew that she is part of the reason why Sister McBride and I BOTH needed to be in the area for a bit longer. Heavenly Father certainly works in mysterious ways.

Another Miracle is with a part member less active family, in which the kids are not members. I have been working with them for a few months now, and I have loved getting to see the children's faces as they learn about Tea in the Word of Wisdom, and about God's love for them. Although the children have been so excited and interested, the parents have not been as interested. However, this is another family that I know I am meant to be here to teach. We were able to teach the kids a lesson, and then just talk with the mom. Who opened up and shared what was going on in her life and what she knew she needed to do. She is a miracle. I am so thankful that I have the chance to continue teaching and loving her.

I am so thankful that y'all get to associate more with the missionaries. And  I bet they would love to hear how much they have helped with Ron and with Dad's blessing. You'd think missionaries hear that all of the time or that they just know it, but they don't yet they keep pressing on. I admire all of the missionaries I get to serve with and remember a lot more now.

And ya, ya, I've just been waiting to hear when the wicked show is. Although I cant believe dads not going to see it bc he'd LOVE IT I think.

It is weird to think y'all have lived in the house for a year now! That is awesome. I cant believe y'all put holes in it to light up the house for Christmas. How did y'all ever convince Dad for that one? Did it include a deal in which Dad did not have to get on top of the house? Just curious... I'm thankful that y'all are able to enjoy it and feel the peace of the spirit within.

Well, family I love you and I'm really sad I didn't get to talk to many of  you today, and thankful I got to talk with Trent for a bit! I love y'all so much and think of y'all and pray for y'all often! Ya ll are the best!

Love Sister Elizabeth McShane

Great Birthday!

I had a great birthday, but the highlight was all of the birthday wishes from ya'll. The messages were amazing, and of course I was crying through all of them. They were each soo sweet and special and showed off your personality, although Trent.... I'll tell you later... :P haha. And the videos and pictures from the year were amazing as well. Y'all have seemed to describe things perfectly and of course, my companion and district have loved watching and listening in on parts too :) Although, on the pictures CD, the mute button was on quite often :P  HA I loved everything! The Cards (that will be so hard to give away, but ill do it!), the TX flag, the Gospel Art book, the key chain now on my purse, the letters throughout the week, the fun Happy Birthday Banner, and just all of it. The Mission Stories were also very precious and read within 24 hours of receiving.

We had a lot of fun on my birthday starting with the package that arrived at lunch time. We had most of my district over and the Dona Ana Sisters brought over a peanut butter pie with candles and every thing. It was nice to be with them and then 2 young women brought over a cheesecake pie (that we ate with the other half of our district on Thursday). And then for dinner we had it with Sister Alred (I had to give her your number :P) who said she'd talked with Mom and that she'd made mom cry. We had very new Mexican enchiladas meaning served flat not rolled) and with green chili. It was all a princess birthday theme, and it went perfectly into our message which was about Disney World :) of course! It was about how people would just run to the castle, and asking ourselves where are we running to? Do we have our direction and purpose focused on God?

Facebook message: I loved receiving all of the messages from facebook! Thank you sooo much everyone! I love all of you! I love being a missionary, but I can't wait to get to talk to each of you! Thank you!

Wow, that was weird. But I loved the messages. It was soo odd, because Ive been sooo focused that thinking about each of those people and FB and idk. its just weird, even if it shouldn't be.

So this week, our district decided to have a competition to see how many people we can contact as potential new investigators this week (Fri to Fri) but they didn't know that we had a secret. You see, we are now asked to contact 20 people a day as a companionship and you wouldn't believe how hard this is. We see so many people, but at the same time, sometimes we just don't. However, a few weeks ago we had gotten permission from our zone leaders to try and contact people at the farmers market. In 1 day we had about 29 contacts. It was amazing. It was really hard at first, you know to just walk up to people and start a conversation without being a robot. We really only have a few min. to help these people understand that we love them and want the best for them. But by setting the goal and just deciding to do it made it soo much easier. I hope that One day I am the person who gives out pass a long cards to everyone I buy things from or whoever. People are just people. And it is fun.  This week, I contacted a custodian by asking him if he knew what a Water Mickey was and then explaining it to him.  It was just fun. I then committed him to looking at mormon.org and youtubing :water mickey" :) haha. Another man was a Texas Cowboy fan (sorry Trent) We are already seeing miracles coming out of this starting with ourselves, and then continuing in the people that we teach. After all, everything we teach will be used now and in the hereafter. It is all important.

Sister McBride and I are doing great, but we are way nervous about Transfers. you never know what will happen now with all the new missionaries.  You use to be able to guess. HA.

PS I hope  you like all of the FB posts on birthdays for me!

I'm going to try to write you all short personal messages today and get them in the mail soon to reply about all of your gifts and messages, that's why I'm not now, but know that they are just all so special and loved by me! I love all of you!

I LOVE YOU MOM DAD EYN TRENT AMBERLY AND KENZIE!!!!!!

Birthday Week!

First off, yep! its my birthday! Mom said that there is something coming for me in the mail that I can open AS SOON AS I GET IT! Isn't that awesome! Wow, I might get a birthday on Tuesday :) But Dad still asked me what I wanted so..... 2 Birthdays? :P Id have to tell dad I'd want DVDs I could watch (Like the  newer Testament Gospel study ones and the Broadcast on Missionary work) ummmm something that is special to each of you (as you remember, that's what y'all asked for for Christmas, so its just coming around) and Pictures and Stickers. and uhhhhh happiness :)

 

We had a fun week with Meeting President and Sister Miller2, 4th of July, Interviews with President, and other things as well. To begin, 4th of July was awesome! We were able to talk to many random people about how there 4th is/was and what there plans were. We also saw a few families doing fireworks from our apartment. But the best part was where we live! So in Las Cruces, they set off fireworks near the university which is on the Left side of our corner apt. So at 9:45 we were standing on the corner of our balcony watching the show. It was sooo good and I kept thinking about everywhere I've been and who I've been with to see many different fireworks. It was a lot of fun and I am so thankful that we had a great view, and was able to be at home, and was able to be in bed at the right time. It was a huge blessing.

 

Meeting the new president was awesome too. He is completely different from the previous president and I am so excited for that. He has already given us something called Ponder time 2 times a day as well as increasing our goals of finding new investigators to teach. He even said that if our zone gets an average of 5 new investigators a week, for a month,  he would come and play or do something with us on any day of the week. He seems really fun and cool and you could instantly feel his love for each one of us. Interviews with him were great as well. Its exciting to see the work hasten even more and more.

 

Yesterday, we had a stake fast for missionary work and rain, and then A mission fast for something personal, self confidence, and the members faith in missionary work. Already, we have received some rain, and had a dinner with a nonmember and will have another dinner with a nonmember on my birthday! How exciting! 

With the work being a bit slower than I like, I've decided I'm going insane and must change that (with the Lords help) So we have set up several active member lessons with the women in the RS as well as we already have a few lessons set up for the week. We are so excited and thrilled about all of it!

 

A miracle this week came on July 5th when we tried to see a less active family with an active member present. They weren't home, but we saw a few people out and talked to them instead and found a family and another woman to teach! Well, for another ward to teach but it was still great! I love talking to people that are  friendly and see us as people. It is true that everything relates to the gospel, you just have to see how.

 

I love you sooo much and feel your prayers, and I especially will on the 10th. I love you and miss you soooo much. ''

 

Love Elizabeth

July 1st, 2013

How have y'all been today? This week has been good, but training again always seems to make the time go slower again. But that's okay. We are still working on trying to find new investigators, having more lessons, and having more involvement from the ward. Missionary work is a never ending work!

 

A few highlights of our week begins with one of our investigators who wants change so badly! She has loved us coming over and sharing short messages with her and she is earnestly seeking for the truth. Yesterday, a lady in our ward had an extra bouquet of flowers that we dropped by our  investigators home. It is amazing to see the way that people can truly change there lives.

 

We have been trying to give cards away to absolutely everyone that we meet. And this morning, we received a text from a man who has questions, looked at the website, and wants to learn more! Wow! That is a great miracle! We are so excited to meet with him. He already told us that he wants to get baptized and all of this is through text messages. People really are all around us. That is why it is sooo important to invite everyone to learn more or go tot activities.

 

And of course the best thing ever happened yesterday called RAIN! tons of it! We had planning and even studies this morning outside! sooo nice and sooo missed. We all loved it. Everyone in our complex was coming out and looking at it. At one point, the wind changed direction and I screamed just a bit as I got poured on. But it was nice, because the other people saw we are normal people and one nice lady even came up to us and started talking. It was a lot of fun for everyone. There was even lightening and a bit of thunder. We are all expecting rain on the 4th :)

 

After the broadcast, our stake president announced a stake wide fast for rain and missionary work. We are all expecting miracles and have even seen a few as the plan is being put into motion.

 

We have something else that has been amazing going on in our area. So we have a large, classic, missionary map on our wall that is color coded into areas. And as we have been trying to find new people to teach, we have been guided as to what area we need to work in. For example, week 1, it was the blue area, and we went to many different streets in the area until we found him! Then in the yellow and we found 2 people! next I'm thinking Orange, but not yet sure.. its been miraculous to recognize some sort of direction as to where we need to go.

 

Safety- Trying to be safe always, even gave an iffy man over to the Elders to teach just to be careful!

 

I love you all thank you for  your prayers!

 

Mom: I am sooo excited for you to get to teach RS! That will be so great! and a lot of fun for you  to do. Of course, I think I'll pass on that opportunity personally, but the way our WardMissionLeader is talking, we will see. I miss you so much! having a trunky companion does not help, but its nice to think that I really don't have much longer here, and hopefully enough time as well. Your notes are the best, and always make me smile. hey, you could get me stationary or card set or something for my bday! that's it!

 

Sister McShane and Sister McBride - The Mc Sisters!

 

Sister McShane and Sister Tompkins with a family in their ward