Temples and Why I Love Them

As a missionary, there were days where I would think, "I really. need. to go to the temple!" You can imagine my delight when after returning home to good ol' Gilbert I was able to attend the brand new temple just a few miles from my house.

You may wonder, why does she love temples? Temples are the House of the Lord. In them, the Spirit abounds. The world waits outside as I bask in my Father's love and the Spirit that attends each sacred ordinance. I love that I have the opportunity to serve those who did not have the opportunity to receive the blessings of the Gospel of Jesus Christ that I enjoy in my life. In the temple, families can be sealed for eternity.

I have been so blessed recently to be able to participate in and witness many happy, sacred ordinances. On Halloween I was able to take my youngest brother to the temple for the first time to do baptisms on behalf of those who are dead. It was really special to see the names of the people for whom he was baptized. The individuals lived over three hundred years ago in France. I could not help but think that they had been waiting those long centuries for their work to be done and how grateful they were to Griffin for being worthy and willing to serve in the temple. The first weekend of November, I was able to witness the sealing of my youngest cousin to my aunt and uncle. Her adoption had been finalized just a few days before. I loved watching the ceremony and knowing that she is 100% part of our family--for now and for ever. She is a Hunt! A week later, my mom's cousin went through the temple for her own endowment. I loved being with my family at the end of the session and feeling a little bit of what it will be like when we have all lived according to God's commandments and get to be together in Heaven. And last, but certainly not least, today was the dedication of the Phoenix Arizona temple. I felt so close to my Father in Heaven as well as early Saints who made sacrifices to attend the temple, those who dedicated time and means to the church in order for it to be built, my fellow temple-goers and to my Savior.

I am grateful for that little piece of Heaven on Earth.

Grandma Hunt and her oldest and youngest grandchildren.

Griffin's first time at the Gilbert Arizona Temple.

What a WEMderful 18 Months!!!--Sister Turley

Dear Family and Friends,

Well, the excitement of the week is that I wrecked on my bike. After extensive investigation, we still have not figured out why. I wasn't touching the brakes, it wasn't more than a 1% downhill grade, there were no cars around. I just hit the ground. We have determined that it was either Satan or an angel that pushed me over. Thankfully, I was not injured too bad. I got some good road rash on my hands and a little on my elbows and chin. And my foot was bruised, but thankfully I am healing! Sister Cunningham had to drive for a few days because I couldn't grip the steering wheel well enough without being in a ton of pain. We are back to normal as of last night, though! Yay!

We found a really exciting new investigator this week. His name is Logan and he is ten, almost eleven. His dad and mother are less active members, but I guess Logan has been begging them to be baptized since he was eight years old. He loved, loved, loved the first lesson and is really excited to have more! I think a lot of the process for Logan will be to help his dad, Jason come back to church. I am hopeful though, that having Jason relearn the lessons (which he is planning to do) and Logan's excitement will be a good motivator. I am excited for them! They have so much potential and the Gospel of Jesus Christ will bless them so much.

I am happy to report that Jennifer and Jaime are still progressing. I love when we start a lesson and they say how much they enjoyed reading the pamphlet again, or the peace that the Book of Mormon has brought to their lives. 

My favorite General Conference Talk this weekend was President Monson's address on Sunday morning. I loved the reminder to just be good like the Savior. That is really what it comes down to.

I can't believe that my time in the Washington Everett Mission is so close to the end. I am torn between wanting a small break and never wanting to leave. I am grateful that the Lord has trusted me to share with his children in Everett who were and are willing to hear the Gospel. I know that it is true and the only true source of joy and peace. I always think of the last line in "We Thank Thee, O God, for a Prophet" (Hymn 19). It says, "While they that reject this glad message, shall never such happiness know." I am saddened for those who do not embrace the good word of God and rejoice with those who make it part of their lives. It is absolutely true and I know it! 

See you on Monday!

Thanks again and again! 

Love,

Sister Turley

Still Swimming in the WEM--S. Turley

Dear Family and Friends,

This last week was a good one. We were so close to achieving standards, but our investigators were sick. Next time. We found two new investigators and the investigators that we are currently teaching are doing well. Also, since the weather has been rather Christmasy this week, Sister Cunningham and I decided to celebrate Christmas. We put up decorations and filled stockings and gave each other Christmas cards. For dinner we made mashed potatoes, chicken and rolls. We topped it off with peppermint ice cream and pumpkins cookies :) It was so much fun!!!!

Best idea ever.

Jennifer and Jaime are progressing rapidly towards their baptism date on the 18th of October. They love the lessons and have been keeping all their commitments to the best of their ability. 

We have been tracting a lot lately, and for the first time in my mission it has not been very fruitful. Sad.  However, we have seen blessings from laboring with our might. We have seen the following trend: We tract a street and then a week or two later we receive a referral from another missionary or member who has found a potential that lives on that very street that we just tracted. I am so grateful! It has happened over and over again and I am grateful that the Lord acknowledges our efforts and helps us out.

This week in my studies, I focused a lot on the question that we seem to be encountering frequently about "earning salvation" rather than being "saved by grace." The truth is, that we ARE saved by grace, however, we cannot just walk up to the pearly gates and walk in because we said one time in the middle of our lives that we believed in Jesus. Without the Savior's Atoning sacrifice, repentance and forgiveness would not be possible. But in return, God expects us to acknowledge the Savior and show our gratitude in return. As I was pondering, I thought of this analogy. Not an exact metaphor, but it is good enough to get the idea across. When a criminal is imprisoned for breaking the laws of the land (we are like the criminal when we break the laws of God), he cannot just walk out of his cell because he says that he is sorry and he wants to leave now. He has to live up to certain standards or requirements of behavior, convince the people in charge that he is changed and is often asked to spend some time on probation. Just like the criminal has certain standards to live up to in order to improve his standard of living, we must do the same to improve from our fallen, mortal state to a celestial glory. We are imprisoned by our sins and short comings, and the Savior satisfies the justice system, assuming we similarly meet certain standards of behavior. We in ourselves cannot earn our freedom. The Savior pleads our cause, did our time, and we can often skip the probationary step through the Atonement. Without some expectation on my part, I don't think salvation would be so meaningful. Repentance would be less attractive and there would be no incentive to follow the Savior. I am grateful that God gives us commandments so we can learn this lesson and enjoy the blessings of redemption.

This link is for an article in the Ensign this month. I served in this ward/building about a year or so after it was rebuilt. The Stake President's promise is so true! As missionaries we were blessed to get a lot of publicity because of the fire and held a relatively successful church tour of the new building. It definitely blessed the work there! 

https://www.lds.org/ensign/2014/09/strengthened-by-fire?lang=eng

Love you lots!

Sister Turley

Minus One--S. Turley

Dear Family and Friends,

Well, we were reduced back to two in our companionship on Thursday. Sister Glancy was moved to the Harbour Pointe ward. My companions just didn't want to share me. I am just too awesome.

This week was the slowest we have had in a while. It was just weird. Almost all of our appointments cancelled, and we had a crazy schedule for exchanges and interviews and then moving Sister Glancy out. I am looking forward to working really hard this week with fewer distractions. 

Sorry nothing to share :/

Have a good week! I love you all!

Love,

Sister Turley

Surprise, Surprise--S. Turley

Dear Family and Friends,

Well, we ended up at transfers even though neither of us got transferred. About twenty minutes before, we got a text from the Assistants saying that we needed to come to the mission office and pick up our third companion. So I am three-packing again. Our new companion is Sister Glancy. She is my grandbaby (I trained her trainer, Sister Slade). Three packs are hard and we had some major drama this week, but I think the worst is over and we should be able to be happy and successful now. We got over the selfish so now we can be selfless.

We found two awesome new investigators. They are part of a Part-Member Family. The husband and mother-in-law are less active members. The husband does not have any interest to return, but the grandmother has been trying to find the church again for a long time. She somehow got lost in a move across the country. The two investigators are Shawna and her son, James. We taught the first lesson to them on Tuesday, and they said that they already believed everything we taught was true. James has even read the Book of Mormon and remembers almost all of it. It is pretty amazing. They both set goals yesterday in our lesson to read the Book of Mormon daily. I am hopeful that they will be able to be baptized soon and enjoy the blessings of the Gospel more fully in their lives.

We are trying to think of creative finding methods for three people, because tracting with three can get intimidating pretty quick. We have used the "triangle" tracting method a few times, where two knock on the door and the other street contacts in front of the house, but there are not too many people on the streets in the quiet neighborhood areas. 

This week I have really enjoyed the missionary instructions from the example of the sons of Mosiah. I have also been reading in chapter 1 of Preach My Gospel, "My Purpose." What really stood out to me is that everyone has spiritual needs. I have really tried to make an effort to understand the spiritual needs of those that we are teaching and come in contact with. Everyone has them and a lot of people do not even recognize that those needs exist and they need to be met. I really liked reading Alma 22 in this light. To help discern the needs of King Lamoni's father, Aaron asked all sorts of questions and instructed him accordingly. It is also interesting that while Lamoni lay for three days under the influence of the Spirit, Aaron raised his father almost immediately so he could testify and help meet the specific needs of the other people in the area. I also found it interesting and slightly amusing in chapter 20 where Ammon and the father of King Lamoni duel, because that was also meeting the King's spiritual needs. He needed to have his life threatened in order to receive the Gospel in his life. Odd, but God knows what he is doing and how we can help all of His children here on earth.

Yesterday, Mike Guzman spoke at cottage meeting and he did so well! The Spirit was so strong as he shared his experience coming into the church and I know he touched many as he did so. I was so proud!

Everet and Darlene attended the temple for the first time last week in Snowflake, AZ. I am so grateful that my good grandparents were able to go and support some of my best friends and represent me on this special occasion :) Thanks for doing that!

Love you lots!

Sister Turley

Transfer Week in the WEM--Sister Turley

Dear Family and Friends, 

Drumroll...Tomorrow is transfers.....

AND I GET TO STAY WITH SISTER CUNNINGHAM IN EVERETT!!!!

And both my district leader and his companion are getting transferred, so I am hoping against hope that Elder Bloomfield will be in my District!

I am so excited to be with Sister Cunningham for transfer number three! I love her. We were talking this weekend about what may or may not happen at transfers and we were really hoping that we would get to stay together. We really feel like the investigators that we have right now have been hand-picked for us. We are grateful to both get to stay with them and help them progress in the Gospel.

Our investigator pool right now is pretty small, but in the words of Sister Cunningham, "it's legit." Our investigators truly have a desire to learn and we have been pretty good and discerning who wants to learn and others that we have been "making" learn. I am grateful that we have been blessed with that added measure of the Spirit to help us use our time most wisely. I have been praying regularly for that gift.

We have three investigators on date for baptism in October. We are really excited for that! Terri is on date for the 11th. She asks such great questions I almost wanted to cry. It really shows that she is taking the Gospel seriously and thinking about what it means for her. Jaime and Jennifer are on date for the 18th and are progressing as well.

We are really hoping to take our investigators to the "Come See For Yourself" fireside this month. I have also am looking forward to inviting our next door neighbor as well. His name is Louie, and he is probably the best neighbor I have ever had, ever. We share a backyard so we say "hello" to him often and he always has a friendly smile and something nice to say to us. He has also done countless acts of service for us and the members that live on the other side of our duplex. He even helped to install a new door that we got about a month ago per request of the housing coordinators. I think that he would enjoy the fireside, and hope he will say "yes." I guess I have another something to pray about. 

This week I have spent a lot of time on the essays and I am grateful for the experience. I have remembered things that I had forgotten about and had additional insights that I didn't realize would come from various experience I have had. Sister Cunningham and I also finished the Pearl of Great Price this morning with the Joseph Smith History. I am grateful for all the efforts Joseph Smith put in and all the trials and persecutions that he went through to follow God so that the rest of us could be blessed by the fullness of the Everlasting Gospel. While we do not worship Joseph Smith, we are all eternally indebted to him for all the work he did.

Love,

Sister Turley

                          Sometimes I really love tracting.

Good lookin' in the WEM--S. Turley

Dear Family and Friends,

Funny that Sister Turley took a picture of her feet, because I did too, haha! Almost a year ago, Lari referenced a scripture from Isaiah "How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings" (Isaiah 57:2) and asked how my feet were doing. I was going to send this picture in response.

Gotta love white toes...

This week was a successful finding week. We found four new investigators and many promising potentials. We also received a referral from a stake member, which was really exciting (most of our referrals have been from non-members)! We are grateful that our schedule is filling up again with lessons and not just knocking. 

We had some miracles with our investigator, Terry. She is often in pain and not feeling well so it is hard for her to keep all of her appointments and sometimes focus on the things that she is learning over the pain. But we talked about earth life with her in our lesson this week and she got it! We shared a brief scripture about this life being a "probationary state"  (Abraham 3: 25) and she said, "I've been thinking--and reading. And I think that we have this test and all our experiences in life so we can prepare to be with God. I think without knowing good and evil and having experiences and trials we would not be able to appreciate the blessings and the life that will come after this." The Spirit was so strong as our investigator testified to US of the purpose and blessings of earth life and the challenges and experiences that we face every day. Sister Cunningham and I were discussing after the lesson and we both said that we almost cried because we were so happy that she was understanding and the power of the Spirit that attended us. 

I finished my studies of the Plan of Salvation this week and I am grateful to know that there is a plan. I am grateful that God loves us and sent His Only Begotten Son and willingly offered him as a sacrifice for our imperfections. We cannot do it alone and Heavenly Father does not want to let us. We just have to remember not to make it harder for ourselves and to turn to the Savior. 

I also found something interesting this morning in Alma chapter 12. In verse 5, he refers to Satan as "thine adversary." It scared me a little bit to realize that he is really our personal adversary. He works against each of us individually in addition to collectively. We have to be aware of that and recognize the personal battles that we are fighting against evil. But, even though it is scary, it is good. We are learning what we each need to learn and we are becoming more like our Heavenly Father. I am thankful for the opportunity to fight those battles.

Love you lots!

Sister Turley

I Didn't Know That My Mission Assignment Was Actually To Africa--S. Turley

Dear Family and Friends,

I really do not have too much to report this week.

We had another great lesson with Aaron and Rachel and their mom. They started reading the Book of Mormon on their own and praying about it. Rachel says that she has gotten her answer that it is true. Aaron said that he feels God when he reads, but he has not gotten a for sure answer yet. They have great faith and really great questions! I know that Aaron will get his answers. We also talked a little bit about the Priesthood and Rachel (8)  was tickled that her big, 13 year old brother could receive the Priesthood. There were out of town yesterday, so they were not able to attend church.

Terry had a bit of a rough week this week, but we were able to get in touch with her again and start sharing some more with her.

We tracted a lot this week. I almost cried because we talked to literally every person on two solid streets and they all stopped us before we could even introduce ourselves. It just gets old after a while...

This week I have been studying the fall of Adam and Eve. We seem to have gotten a lot of questions about that, and everyone's favorite retort, "So you are saying Adam and Eve sinning was good and God wanted them to sin?" Which is true, but not true. There is more to it. I still don't fully understand why Adam and Eve's why our mortal existence had to be inaugurated this way, but I trust that God's plan is perfect. It has stood out to me a lot this week that God made it very clear that they had the choice to choose to obey God or not. And He also made the consequences very clear. I do know that it was essential for Adam and Eve to eat the fruit and I am grateful that they did so we can have life on this earth, joy and the opportunity to learn. Even though I sometimes don't get it, God does and that is all that matters.

On Saturday night, Janet invited us over for a real African dinner, and she taught us a little bit of Swahili. It was really fun! And the food was super delicious :)

Oh and my babies are companions! Sister Smith and Sister Slade are serving in the Silver Lake YSA ward in Everett. It was fun to see them and take a family picture a Zone Meeting this week.

Love you lots! Have a great week!
Sister Turley

Doorbell Ditching--S. Turley

 Dear Family and Friends,

Yesterday was a miracle day at church. We had three investigators come and one of the less active families in the ward that we have been working with. Everybody came! Even a Muslim man that we contacted on the street over a month ago showed up for Sunday school.

We have been teaching a less active family with five kids recently. The oldest is baptized, but has no interest in the Church and the others have never really been active in the Church. However, the parents have been to Church a  few times recently, and the youngest two kids have taken an interest. We started teaching the youngest, and 8 year old girl about a month ago, and her 13 year old brother, Aaron decided this week that he would like to take the lessons. We were able to connect them with another family in the ward that has children all about the same age. It was really exciting to see that and how excited the active member was to be able to contribute to their growth in the Gospel. Both parents and the two kids that we have been teaching attended church yesterday.

Our new investigator, Terry is preparing to be baptized in September. She attended church as well for the first time yesterday, and she loved it. Zeke was confirmed (yay!--we were discussing afterwards that it may have been divine intervention to have him confirmed yesterday rather than before) and Terry leaned over to me and asked, "I have already been confirmed i the Lutheran Church. Can I still be confirmed in this church?" When I answered "yes," she responded by saying, "Oh, good! I am so glad!" We talked to the woman who gave her a ride to church afterwards and she said that Terry was really feeling the Spirit and was really happy and upbeat. I am excited to continue to help her grow and discover the fullness of the Gospel.

I am rekindling my love for tracting or as the other Sister Turley would put it, "My passion for finding." Sister Cunningham would love to be able to knock on every door in our area. And we are finding people to teach from it. I love it.

In my studies this week I revisited chapter 1 in Preach My Gospel and spent some time in the "Success as a Missionary" section on page 10. I realized that I am becoming more confident and happy as a missionary because I am understanding the role of agency more. I am less discouraged in myself for others' choices not to listen or to accept the Gospel. I am learning that my efforts do not necessarily yield the results of others making correct decisions. I am grateful that my role is to give others' the opportunity to accept the Gospel and that many have.

On Thursday, while Sister Cunningham were taking a quick nap at lunchtime, the doorbell rang, but we were too lazy to get up and check the door. Thank goodness, because I probably would have cried! Emmett and Maren and Megan Armstrong doorbell-ditched us! My brother was thirty feet away from me! We loved the cupcakes and chocolate. :) Thanks for thinking of us! What do you think of Everett?

Love you lots and have a great week!
Sister Turley

Miracles in WA--S. Turley

Dear Family and Friends,

This week was a week of finding. We don't even need a full hand to count all of our investigators right now. We tracted and tracted and tracted some more. And we have found more potentials this week than we have had in the last two transfers that we have been here. We also have discussed that we have faith that if we go out and put forth our best efforts in finding, it will pan out even if it is not US who find the people. Our District Leader gave us a referral that turned into a new investigator on Saturday and also he found a section in their area book that actually belongs to us. And I have been amazed that we have been able to set up appointments with so many people. Most individuals have a hard time committing to a time or a specific day when we come back, but we have had more than one occasion where the person on the other side of the door has said, "Does this day work at this time?" Yes! It does! I think one of the main differences is that we have really been trying to show people the picture of the Savior on the front of the pamplets and sharing what "The Restoration of the Gospel of Jesus Christ" means. That we have the same church organization and same teachings that Jesus established and taught. And people are interested in that!

Yesterday, Janet came to all three hours of church and she really loved it.  She even bore her testimony in Sacrament meeting. It was so pure and powerful. She bore her testimony that she knows the Book of Mormon is true and that Joseph Smith is a prophet of God and did a lot for us to have the Gospel. Many people were touched by her simple, but convincing testimony. She has made so much progress. It is incredible.

Sister Cunningham and I have set some transfer goals and they can all basically be boiled down to one overall goal: Do our BEST! We are excited and determined to do so.

This week I have continued my studies in chapter three of Preach My Gospel, Lesson 1. I have been deeply impressed by truly how important the RESTORED Gospel and Priesthood really are. Without the Priesthood and revelation to know the Gospel of Jesus Christ, we would be just like any other church. I am grateful to know that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is led by God. I am grateful that the authority to perform ordinances for salvation is real and we have access to it. I am grateful that God loves us enough to help us out and to help us know even when we are not always deserving of it. I know that God loves us because of this. Because He allows us to make covenants and work to return to His presence. I am grateful for that knowledge and that my testimony is continually strengthened as I study and put the principles into practice.

Miracle of all miracles: This will not start off sounding too great, but it will by the end. Last week, a woman that I taught in Oak Harbor and was recently baptized passed away. Sometimes I feel like death follows me around and it is getting kind of exhausting. However, this time, it was accompanied with the recognition of a miracle. The weekend before Sister Cromar got transferred, we were out tracting. Before we started knocking, we said a prayer and it was my turn. As I was praying I felt a really strong prompting to pray to find someone to teach on that street. We commenced our efforts and ended not finding really anyone who was interested. A few days later, Sister Slade and I continued our search. That day we found two potential investigators, and one was Tiffany. She was in her early twenties, had a husband and two little girls and was of the Wiccan belief system. We later began teaching her and she started attending church. She was baptized in May. As I was reflecting on my experiences with Tiffany, I remembered something that was very poignant to me. One of her biggest questions that caused her a lot of grief was "what happens when we die?" We talked about this part of the Plan of Salvation over and over again, until she got it an ultimately gained her own testimony that it was true. Little did we know (or she, probably) that she was starting the final year of her mortal life. I am so incredibly grateful that the Lord was able to use me in this way. That we were led by the Spirit to find her when the time was of the essence, and that we were able to share with her our Father's plan to ease her mind, so she had no fears at the time of her passing. It is truly a miracle. I think my Mom is probably teaching her the new members lessons. I had that thought the other day and prayed for it to happen. I am SO grateful to have been an instrument in God's hands to help Tiffany.

Thanks for all you do!
Love,
Sister Turley

 Rucker's tomb, one of the biggest tombs in North America

The Old "Sistrict"--we had an ice cream party at the last district meeting of the transfer in our "igloo." The Stake Center has some movable partitions in the gym, so we put three of them together and had district meeting inside.

 From left to right: BACK--Sis. Ah-Chong, Sis. Turley, Sis. Lavata't. Eld. Pymm, FRONT: Sis. Cunningham, Adams, Sinclair, E. Jasperson

Good Stuff--S. Turley

Dear Family and Friends,

This week was a good one. We had a baptism--unfortunately no confirmation, which was a bummer--and some real growth with our investigators. And we had three investigators at church yesterday, and a less active family that we have been working with!

Probably one of the best improvements this week was with Janet. She has taken the lessons many times and with many missionaries in the past. We have mostly been reading the Book of Mormon with her in the Children's book lately. She has really grown to love the Book of Mormon. We read about Enos and King Benjamin and afterwards she told us how those stories applied to her without us even asking. At the end of our lesson, she shared that she used to run away from her missionaries when they would come and even when we first started to meet she would come up with some excuse of why she couldn't do it that day. But now, since she has been reading the Book of Mormon, she wants to keep her appointments and she said that she is "feeling a change" in herself. That is so exciting for us! Her prayers have also changed too. Instead of asking if Joseph Smith saw God and if the Book of Mormon is true, she has been saying, "We believe the Book of Mormon is true and we just need to know for sure." Janet attended Sacrament Meeting yesterday and said that she wants to come for all three meetings next week. YAAAYYYY!

We found two new investigators yesterday, Richard and Tammy. They are a couple that both have bipolar disorder. I am really excited to work with them. I just feel that they are going to be open to the truth and the Spirit as we teach them the Restored Gospel of Jesus Christ. I am excited to work with some people who are more humble that others and willing to listen and have an honest desire to do and be good.

But the BEST news is that Sister Cunningham and I are staying together for another transfer!!!!!!
I love Sister Cunningham. She makes me laugh and reminds me of Sister Cami Turley a lot. It is like having my sister on my mission with me. We have some great plans for next transfer to tear it up in Everett.

Love ya lots!
Sister Turley

More from Everett--S. Turley

Dear Family and Friends,

Missions are so interesting. They have a way of putting things in perspective for you. Last week, we were tracting in an apartment complex. Most of the tenants there are political refugees and really poor immigrants from other countries. Building four was filled almost entirely with people from Ukraine. On Sunday, we went to an appointment with Janet (the one from Uganda) and all of building four had been gutted by a fire. It was so sad to think of these people who had so little, losing everything again. It is only the Gospel that can truly help us repair our lives in a way that cannot be destroyed by fire, flood or persecution.

Mike Guzman received the Priesthood yesterday, which is really exciting for their family. They are really progressing. It makes me really happy to see those that I have taught active and progressing in the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We took Mike to a lesson with us this last week and it was so cool! He bore a powerful and fervent testimony of baptism and the Holy and Ghost and reading the scriptures regularly. The Spirit was SO strong!

We have mostly been tracting lately. Sadly, most of our investigators are at the point where we cannot justify teaching them much longer if they are not more serious about keeping commitments. But, that is ok. When we let investigators go that are not progressing, we always get new ones in return. Sometimes it is even a 1-3 ratio. For every one investigator we drop, we get three in return. We are getting good practice using the pamphlets at the doorstep so we can more effectively "Teach While We Find."

This week I have been studying the five lessons again. I have been trying to take it one principle at a time. I have been reading the section, then writing a three sentence summary. Then I have been reading the scriptures and really trying to find something new in them. I sometimes feel that I have read all of the scriptures a million times and know what they are trying to say, so I do not put as much effort in. But as I have really striven to learn something new, the scriptures light up! And then I have been writing a one sentence testimony as an example of something that I could say when we are teaching with the pamphlets. Something that is not too long, but invites the Spirit. I have enjoyed thinking of my testimony in one sentence because it helps me focus on what is the most important thing to me in each principle. A single sentence does not go into a lot of detail, but it is the most distilled and purified version of what I know to be true, so it brings the most power. I know the Gospel is true, and it brings me a lot of joy to know that. These are testimonies that I have written so far:
-I know that God loves us and wants us to be happy and sent His Son to make that possible.
-I know the Gospel of Jesus Christ blesses families by bringing peace and happiness now and in eternity.

Love ya lots! Have a great week :)
Sister Turley

WEM Once Again--S. Turley

Dear Family and Friends,

I was a little bit sick this week with a cold. Don't ask me how I got a cold in the middle of the summer, I don't know. Thankfully, Sister Cunningham did not get it. It didn't stop us from doing any of our missionary tasks, but I was feeling pretty crummy. We helped out at a church tour for a new ward building in our stake on Saturday so I asked the Elders for a blessing while I was there. I was grateful that I did! It was a really great blessing and I was reminded about things that I need to work on and not to worry about other things. I am grateful that I heeded the prompting. I really needed it. We had already gotten in the car to leave when I decided that I needed to go back and ask.

On Sunday, our "family" sang at cottage meeting. Sister Cromar and all us babies (the Sisters she trained) sang "Be Still My Soul." It was really fun to all be together before she leaves in two weeks.

The Guzmans are still progressing and doing well. They have such wonderful member friends! The Paynes came with us to their second lesson and were immediate friends to them. The Paynes had actually shown up early and went on in without waiting for us. When we got inside, they were already chatting and laughing and had offered the Guzmans a ride to church (they do not have transportation). They invited all of us over for FHE tonight. I am grateful for the Paynes example of diligently doing all they can to help another family feel comfortable and welcome in the church and also making sure they are continually nourished by the good word of God. They are such a great example!

I feel like I don't really have much to say. I am doing well and having fun and love my companion. Some of our goals are to be more diligent and EXACTLY obedient. Now is our time to shine!

 I really loved in my studies in Alma this week about Zeniff. I noticed a lot of different things about him that I never had before. I love that he admits in his record that he was prideful, yet also he bears a testimony that I never recognized him having. He is kind of like me. Sometimes a little prideful, but can recognize and change it. I also loved his explanation to his followers about why the Lamanites hated the Nephites. In Mosiah 10:13 he says "Nephi was more faithful...therefore he was favored of the Lord." I looked up the definition of "favored" and it means "enjoying special advantages." Some of the special advantages that Nephi enjoyed because of his faithfulness and willingness to follow the commandments were blessings, guidance, dominion over many things, protection, communion with the Lord, etc. The Lamanites were jealous of those many advantages (which was their fault that they did not receive), and so they hated their brethren and fought for a thousand years against them. I need to keeping working hard and work harder to exercise faith and obedience like Nephi's so I can enjoy those advantages, especially in this the Lord's work. I am grateful that I can try again every day.

Thanks for your prayers and love!
Sister Turley

In the WEM Summer starts the 5th of July--S. Turley

Dear Friends and Family,

We found three new investigators and a less active family that is interested in progressing and returning to church! It is exciting to have people (and families) that are excited to learn and change their lives for the better.

One of our new investigators is a member of a part-member family. The wife and kids are members, but the husband is not. His name is JT and he has taken the lessons for a long time in the past. He has trouble with faith. Like the rest of us, he would prefer to SEE clear evidence of the Gospel. Facts to prove that it is true. It may take a while for him to desire to be baptized, but I am hopeful from his comments that he is willing to listen and do his best to figure it out.

Another investigator came to the bishop last week wanting to be baptized. Unfortunately, I believe that he is a professional investigator. He has taken the lessons with many sets of missionaries in the past. He was going to the singles' ward for a little while, but didn't really enjoy it. I guess he has a record of falling off track, but he seemed determined this time. He does not have a phone, so that makes it hard to stay in contact with him. And sadly, he did not come to church yesterday. We have a lesson with him tonight so we can encourage him to do more and help him progress towards his baptism date.

We have an investigator named Janet, who is from Congo/Uganda. She is leaning more and more towards getting baptized, but it has been a long time coming with her and many other missionaries. We ask her about baptism often and this last time she said that it was becoming more of a reality for her. She speaks Swahili originally. As we were thinking about what we could do to help her feel the Spirit, we had the idea that we would write our testimonies and have her help us translate them into Swahili. We feel that helping her have a Spiritual experience in her native language may help her own testimony to grow. English is hard for her and a lot of the time she is concentrating more on communicating than on answers that she is receiving. Maybe I will bear my testimony in Swahili during my non-homecoming talk...

We have been riding up and down the hills of Everett all week. Sister Cunningham is crazy good at riding bikes. She says that the wind is her kryptonite, because it is the only thing that keeps her from being faster than her companions. Thank goodness the wind blows every time the tide changes. We had a good Forth of July. The fireworks were crazy! They started right at 10:30 pm when we were supposed to be going to bed and it was a constant rumble. I can understand now that people in war would get PTSD. It was wild. There were a billion shows all at once. We contacted most of the day at a park which was interesting how we were received. There were some really mad people and then some really kind people. This morning for district P-day we played blacklight/glow-in-the-dark volleyball. Our bishop allowed us to use some of his blacklights that he uses when he is DJ-ing.

I had somewhat of an epiphany when I was reading in Mosiah chapter 2 the other day. It reads: "I say unto you that if ye should serve him who has created you from the beginning, and is preserving you from day to day, by lending you breath, that ye may live and move and do according to your own will, and even supporting you from one moment to another—I say, if ye should serve him with all your whole souls yet ye would be unprofitable servants." I felt like I understood more the nature of our Father in Heaven. In the verse, it says that he is "preserving" us every day. By our Father's power alone, we are alive and we continue to live. What a giant blessing and favor! He even gives us life every minute! And then on top of that, he allows us to do whatever we want. Favor on top of huge favor, on top of huger favor. And he doesn't have to do any of it! Our Father truly loves us!

Love you lots!
Sister Turley

WEM Weekly--S. Turley

Dear President Bonham,

That is exciting that Megan got her mission call to Washington! But... Everett is the best. Sorry.

Mike got baptized on Saturday! It was an awesome service. It was a Wedding/Baptism/Party. The Spirit was so strong and I know that the Guzman family will continue to grow in the Gospel and be strong in the faith. Mike felt the Spirit really strong after the baptism, and when he was asked how he felt, he said, "Happier. And, I don't know how to explain it." And then he cried. It was so tender and I know he will remember that exerience.

We will definitely be trying to talk to as many people as possible this next week to try and replenish our teaching pool. Our elevator is still skinny. We are really trying to separate those who have a desire to progress and those who are just along for the ride. It is easy to end up with ten non-progressing investigators if you do not keep up with them on their commitments and church attendance. We are trying to rekindle some flames, and if not, move on to others that we can spark into a roaring fire.

One of our new contacting techniques is to ask people to take our picture. It is a great tool! Most people are more than willing to take a picture and then it allows us to start a conversation with them. We have had some really cool experiences where we have been able to talk with people that normally would have ignored us. I like this method because it shows more that we are still normal-ish people even though we wear a scary black tag. We have been able to have longer conversations with these people and although some are still not interested, most of them have said something to the effect of, "Oh, I didn't know that! That is nice to know!"

We will be hitting the pavement to find new investigators and reach standards this week. We are doing well, and I love Sister Cunningham. She kind of reminds me of the other Sister Turley. We constantly talk about ways to improve and find more people and help our investigators have more spiritually uplifting experiences. Also, last night we built a fort in our living room.

In my study this week I have reflected a lot on diligence. I studied Jacob chapter five and Enos and finished the book of John in the new testament. I have learned that true joy comes from acting diligently on the things you have been commanded to do and consistently seeking for other things you can do to remember and serve the Lord. From Jacob I learned that we need to work hard in the more "physical/temporal" part of missionary work--finding, teaching, baptizing. From Enos, I learned that we need to work more diligently in pleading for the Lord's assistance. And from John, The Acts and Jarom, I have learned that we need to work hard to have faith and be humble to really listen to the Holy Ghost to obtain power and revelation for ourselves and others. "After that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me" (Acts 1:8). Which is my ultimate goal.

Love you all lots!
Sister Turley

Guzman Family

Picture of the Day from Sunday :)

           

New Transfer in the WEM--S. Turley

Dear Family and Friends,

My new companion is Sister Cunningham. She is from Alabama and does not have an accent. She has been out as long as Elder Bloomfield and is definitely one of the best missionaries I know. We are having WAY too much fun together. We laugh all the time and work hard all the time, too. I have high hopes for great things this transfer! We have been riding our bikes all over the town this week. And there are lots and lots of hills and I am super sore. Also, we have been dubbed the "running sisters" in the mission and we are training to participate in our ward's 5K this Saturday. We ran two miles last Saturday, which is probably more than I have run at one time on my whole mission. It felt so good!

It was sad and also a relief to hear about Grandma Payne's passing. I saw Elder Bloomfield at transfers on Tuesday (he is now in Arlington) and we talked about the family situation for a little while. And we decided that hard things happen, but it's ok, and we will make it. I am grateful to know that we are an eternal family!

We were able to find two new investigators and quite a few potentials. Unfortunately, I think most of them might be YSA. But, it is their hard time of year to find, so I guess that is ok. We will share.

The Guzmans are preparing to be married and baptized on Saturday, June 28th. They are really excited! One thing that really impresses me is that they have already been making changes in their lives to bring their lives into closer harmony with the teachings of the Savior, before we even came into the picture. They are so prepared. Sister Cunningham and I can't get over the fact. They have also made some great friends in the ward, so we know that they will not get lost. I am so grateful for the ward's efforts on their part.

We had a great stake cottage meeting last night. It was very spirit-filled and the testimonies were so sincere. I loved it, and our investigator, Randi loved it as well. She is getting so close to baptism. She is 71 years old and her late husband was a member. She just has some concerns with the word of wisdom (she uses coffee for it's medicinal purposes) and one of her friends thinks that Randi will not go to heaven if she is Mormon and she wants Randi there with her. But, I think those concerns will resolve themselves as she continues to learn more and gets a strong testimony of Joseph Smith and the Restoration. I am not too worried. She loves the church and loves what she is learning. :)

I have been studying chapter 2 in Preach My Gospel this week and I am learning how important it is to learn by the spirit and also use the spirit in finding. That is one of our companionship goals, especially while we are tracting. We have to have the divine spirit to do this divine work.

Love ya lots!
Have a great week!
Sister Turley

Baptisms!--S. Turley in the WEM

Dear Family and Friends,

I can't believe that I forgot to put this in my letter last week: DOMINICK GOT BAPTIZED!!!!! On June 7th, to be exact. I was able to go back to Mt. Vernon for the occasion, since it was within six weeks of my being transferred. Janette was also baptized and Vickie is being baptized on June 21st. It is SOOOOO good to see it all pay off! Especially after working so closely with this awesome family for six months. Dominick has made so many great and really hard changes in his life. He and Alejandra are huge examples to me of trusting in the Lord and moving forward with faith, even when it seems impossible. I am so excited to come back to Washington next year for their sealing! It is going to be so special!

Also, this week is transfers and I am staying in the View Ridge Ward. However, both of my companions are being transferred which should be interesting. It will be rather quiet around these parts. I wonder if it will still be a three-pack or if we will go back down to two.

This week was a rather interesting week. We did not spend a whole lot of time in our area with doctors appointments and other appointments, but the Lord definitely magnified our time and we were able to reach standards again this week. Round 2 reaching standards!!!

Also, four our of five Aguirres got baptized and confirmed this weekend. It was definitely a battle getting them there, but they did it! A few hours before they were scheduled to have the interview, the mom left a message saying that she needed to cancel the baptism and then would not answer the phone. So, we promptly went over to her house and tried to talk to her. She would not let us in and wouldn't talk to us either. Shortly afterward, the dad showed up with the kids. He ended up bringing them to the interview and signing their permission slips. He had previously told us that he needed more time to prepare to be baptized, so it meant a lot that he was willing to help his kids progress in the Gospel. The mom showed up to the baptism and wanted to be baptized again, so our district leader hurried in to do her interview. It all worked out, thankfully, in the midst of constant pressure from the adversary. He will not leave us alone. Their confirmations in Sacrament meeting yesterday were truly inspiring. I think it was beneficial to open our eyes to see the potential that they have and how much our Heavenly Father really loves them. It has been a lot of stress getting them to this point, but it is just because they have wonderful things in store for them. They won this battle!

The Guzman family is still progressing rapidly. They are as hungry as ever for the word of God and they love the Gospel. They went ring shopping yesterday and they are planning to get married in the next few weeks! We are thinking of moving the baptism up to the 28th of June, because no one will be in town July 5th. They are ready. And, the bishop really wants to throw a big party. We have decided that the Lord keeps sending us people that need to be married because the Bishop has a talent for throwing parties and they will be more than taken care of in his hands.

In my studies this week, I read a really great chapter for the Aguirres. It was 2 Nephi 32. It was great instruction on HOW to endure to the end. This is my paraphrase: "I feel like you still have questions about what to do after you are baptized. Well...you should read the scriptures, listen to the Holy Ghost and pray. Keep these commandments, and you will know what to do." I had never noticed that this chapter was instructions on what to do post-baptism. I am grateful that we continue to learn as we study the scriptures and can gain more insights on how to live our lives.

Love you lots!
Sister Turley

Dominick and Janette baptism

The Aguirre kids

Everthing in Everett-S. Turley

Dear Family and Friends,

This week was pretty good. A little slow in the finding area, unfortunately, but you can't win them all.

The Guzman family is really progressing. They are just eating up everything we share with them. We invited the husband to be baptized and he accepted! Last time we met with them, we asked them about reading in the Book of Mormon. And the wife said, "Well...we are only on chapter nine..." We were elated! They have been studying and praying together, which is wonderful. They also do all the questions in the back of the pamphlets (without us even inviting them to do so) and write down tons of questions for us to answer in the next lessons. It is so fun to teach them! Now we just need to help them get married. That is our next order of business.

We let a few investigators go this week because they were not showing any desire to learn or progress. It's hard when that happens, but at the same time, it is kind of relieving. Then we have more time to work with those (like the Guzmans) who desire to improve their lives and come unto Christ.

We were able to do some good service for some members of the ward and that was really good for me. It's really good for me to work with my hands. It relieves stress. I think that is why I picked Medical Lab Science to study because I will get to work with my hands all the time! Last Monday, our mission president referred us to a recent convert who was moving into our ward and asked us to help her out. We didn't understand that it was that day,though... and by the time we were able to get out of lessons and things, she was already done moving. However, she sent us a text message this morning that said that her mother would like to learn more about the church!

The New Testament is just choc-full of gems that help me in my every situation. I love the scriptures! I was reading in John chapter 15 this week, and I read verse two and it really rang true. It reads: "and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit." I love that when we bear fruit (righteousness) we continue to be purged (cleaned, refined--maybe in the refiner's fire) in order to produce more and become better. I had the thought that when we have trials, it is often a sign that we are doing the right thing.

Have a great week!
Love,
Sister Turley

PS--Forever thank you to everyone who helped to make Sister Connor's bday special. I appreciate it!!!!!!!!!!!

On the Road Again in the WEM--S. Turley

Dear Family and Friends,

Sometimes we break the handbook rules and sing the Willie Nelson version of the Subject Line when we mount our bikes...

Things are going SOOOOO much better in our companionship! I am so grateful. Sister Sorensen and I fasted on the day that Sister Connor came to Everett and I can see the blessings of our sacrifice. Because it was a sacrifice to fast and still ride all over town on our bikes! We are smiling and laughing now and I am endlessly grateful that the Savior has helped us on this front. I know it is the result of many prayers. Thanks to everyone that has helped in every way!

Thomas dropped us and then picked us up again. We "bore down in pure testimony" in our lesson with him yesterday. It was pretty amazing. I don't think I have ever been as bold as I was in that lesson in truly sharing "pure testimony." I felt the Spirit so strong. It was thrilling! I hope that he was open to it and will contemplate the truths that we shared with him. 

We found two new investigators this week (and I met standards for the first time in my mission!--4 member friend present lessons, 2 on-date for baptism, 2 at sacrament meeting, 2 new investigators). We are really excited about the Guzman family. They are a part member family and they are really excited about learning. I am not sure that the wife has ever really been active, but she just soaks up everything that we say. The husband has also been really humbled and this is going to be the perfect time for him to accept the Gospel. It makes me think of Alma's experience in Alma 32 where realized that there were humbled, prepared people for him to teach. This is what we have been looking for! I am also grateful that they are not coming to the church looking for financial aid. That seems to be a plague in our area. Two sets of missionaries gave us their names to go visit them, so we saw how ready they are to hear the Gospel. 

Funny Story--so in the last little while, I have had two dreams about getting transferred to the San Juan islands and another about getting transferred to a little part of Hawaii that was sectioned out to our mission. The best part of the Hawaii dream was when I asked President about meetings and conferences and such, and he said that the mission would fly us back for Zone Conferences and General Authorities, but for district meetings, we would probably just have to skype. Is there something happening in the islands that I need to know about? :)

This week in my studies I really enjoyed reading in the New Testament about the story of Lazarus. The timing was perfect as I was pondering on the Plan of Salvation and Maria's recent passing. My most favorite observation was the fact that Jesus really loved Mary, Martha and Lazarus. He had a real, human relationship with them outside of being their Savior. What stood out most with that knowledge was that he allowed Lazarus to die. Granted, Christ raised him from the dead, but he still let him pass away. I was grateful for that assurance that even (and I might say, especially) those he loves have to suffer death and it's consequences. I also loved that the passing of Lazarus was for a purpose. For the purpose of building the kingdom of God. No righteous person leaves just because. It is for the purpose of building the kingdom of God--to strengthen testimony here, to share the Gospel on the other side, etc. I am thankful for that.

Thanks for all you do!

Love,

Sister Turley

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times...

Dear Family and Friends,

My little brother is going on a mission! TO BOSTON!!!!!!!!!!! Yay! Yay! Yay! Yay! Yay! It is going to be so perfect for him. My mission president lived there for a few years, and he even attended church in the same building where Emmett's mission office will be. He was describing the neighborhood and it sounds awesome (He called me and told me on Friday morning when he was checking up on me). Lot's of history! I can imagine that my dad was super excited about that call. Are you planning to go pick Emmett up from his mission??

 It's funny because I was thinking earlier last week that it was just too easy to be Sister Sorensen's companion.  And earlier on Wednesday, I was thinking how much I would love to never be in a three-pack. God always has other plans, I guess. On Wednesday night, we got a call from the Assistants that we were getting a new companion on Thursday night. We met her and she was in hysterics and the last few days have been really hard. Pardon my language, but she has been pretty "butt hurt" as Sister Cromar would put it, about the emergency transfer. Things are slowly getting more managable. It is frustrating and sometimes hurts, but I have learned in my life not to question God's will. It doesn't do you any good, and often, we do not need to know. It is not important for us right now.

Not much to report. The Aguirre family got married on Saturday, so that was a big step. I just hope that they will be committed to keep their appointments. We decided that we cannot reschedule with them anymore. We have too many other things to do. So they will have to just keep their appointments. We are really working with Thomas to get him a baptismal date. He says he wants to go to Vegas before he gets baptized (it's on his bucket list), so we are trying to talk him out of it. We found a really wonderful new investigator this week who we hope will take off. She felt the Spirit really strong in our lesson and is really open.

It was really hard to hear about Maria's passing. President Bonham called me on Thursday night to let me know and gave me Elder Bloomfield's number so that I could call him. It was a really good call. It hurt my heart to hear him cry. However, he seems to be in good Spirits and knows he is where is needs to be. I will help him as much as I can from where we are, and he could not have asked for a better mission president and wife to help. They are angels. I know he is in good hands. A few weeks ago, Sister Wright and I went to mutual on Wednesday to meet more people in the ward (and the youth and bringing tons of non-members to activities!) and they were doing a Personal Progress/Girls Camp activity about your "Super-hero" and how they display integrity. I actually wrote mine about Maria. Here it is:

MY SUPERHERO
by Sister Turley

My Superhero is: Auntie M (aka Maria Hancock)

What qualities do they have?: Patient even in hard times, full of faith, looks to the future with hope, never complains, serves others

How do they show integrity?: Her favorite saying is: "Our family's faith is centered in Christ regardless of the outcome." Not matter what happens, Maria turns to Christ, even when it is easier to be depressed or turn away from the faith. She believes what she says, and she acts in accordance to her faith.

Why are they a superhero to you?: Maria is a superhero to me because she is always positive and encourages everyone to follow Christ and do the right thing. She smiles through chemo. My favorite thing is that even though the outcome of all the treatments is unknown, she encouraged and invited Elder Bloomfield to go on a mission, to dedicate his life to serving God for 2 years, and to bless the lives of God's children with the truth and blessings she knows are of eternal value.

I am grateful for the good examples I have in my life. Thanks for all you do!
Have a great week!
Love,
Sister Turley

More from the South End--S. Turley

Dear Family and Friends,

It is so much fun to be busy! On Tuesday evening, we had to go on splits because we were double booked. It was great! We were able to meet with some of the Elders' former investigators that are now in our area and we are hopeful that they will continue to progress in the Gospel.

I realized that I didn't really say anything about my new area last week. My new companion is Sister Sorensen. She is from Fallon, Nevada and she is thirty years old. She was actually called to the WEM 9 years ago, but got sick and decided that it was time to come back! We are working in central-south Everett in the View Ridge ward. We drove into the area and I just kept thinking, "There are so many people!" I have gotten used to rural WA so this will be a change. Exciting though!

This last week was the anniversary of my Mom's passing, so it was a little rough. Five years! I can and can't believe that it has been that long! My heart hurt a little bit this week because of that. I know Sister Sorensen was struggling too. I hope I do not wear her out! She is good to just keep smiling and keep going, though. I am grateful for that. Sister Sorensen's mom also passed away two years ago, so it was interesting (but no coincidence) that we were put together for Mother's Day.

Our investigator, Thomas (or Stan) really enjoyed Cottage Meeting. He really felt the Spirit and he was talking more about baptism as a reality for him than he ever has. It was really exciting!

This week in my study I came across a verse that Sister Sorensen and I have deemed as the "happy verse." It is 2 Nephi 8:11 and it reads, "Therefore, the redeemed of the Lord shall return, and come with singing unto Zion; and everlasting joy and holiness shall be upon their heads; and they shall obtain gladness and joy; sorrow and mourning shall flee away." I don't feel like I really have to add anything to this verse. It is just going to be wonderful. We have enjoyed sharing this with members this week at our dinner appointments and it is fun to hear people say, "I know why you call that the happy verse!" or "Isn't that wonderful!" or "Read it again!" or "Oooh! Let me write that one down!" It seems that the world has just needed that little reminder lately, and we are grateful that we were blessed to find that verse to lift us and lift others.

We went bowling this morning with our district and had breakfast at the alley. They had a breakfast and three game special for $8 and we had a lot of fun. Our district leader was calling the event "Bowling and Hashbrowns." It has been a while since I have had a district activity because the Sisters in my last district lived 15 miles away, and we didn't have miles to spare. It is always fun to be able to do things with other missionaries, because we are all going through similar things and have the same calling. It's just nice to have friends. Someone coined the term "Sistrict" for our district this transfer because there are six sisters and two elders. Thankfully our zone leaders live nearby and like to come hang out with us. Oh, speaking of miles. Sister Sorensen and I got bikes this week! We have about 150 miles left for the month so we will be bikin' it! We spent a little time on our bikes on Saturday and it felt SOOOOO good! It was nice outside and it felt good to move! Yay! Hopefully the weather will be nice to us this week as well. This was our President's weekly forecast: "Weather Report: There will be weather this week. Dunno what, though . . ." His wife always says, "what rain?"

I hope you have a great week. I am jealous of the annual Memorial Day movie marathon. It sounds like fun!

Love ya lots!
Sister Turley

Coming to you from Everett!--S. Turley

Dear Family and Friends,

I am excited to be in the new area. I am now in Everett! It is a different world from the rural Washignton where I have been for the last six months! We have some good work in front of us we inherited half of the ward from a set of Elders that were transferred out on Tuesday. We are still trying to find a good balance between working with the investigators that we have from the south part of the area and trying to work the north area as well. Unfortunately, the Elders did not set many appointments with the investigators that they had, so I am afraid that some of them have taken advantage of the opportunity of switching missionaries and are trying to hide :( This ward has the best ward missionaries that I have ever seen. They are ALWAYS more than willing to come to lessons with us and fellowship investigators. And they participate and invite! Yay! I am grateful for that! It means so much more to the investigators when a "real person" (at least someone without a nametag) shares why the Gospel is important. The Ward Mission Leader also has it all together and is super organized, so that is a blessing as well.

We have a few individuals that are on date to be baptized, but they all seem to be struggling with coming to church and keeping commitments. We plan to "get serious" with many of them this week and help them understand the importance of attending church and keeping commitments. I feel like most of them are sincere in their intent, so I believe that they will understand if we just help them a little more to know the "why" behind what we do to live the Gospel.

In my study this past week, I have really enjoyed 2 Nephi. I am starting to get it! Twenty-two years later, haha. Better late than never! I loved in chapters 6 and 7 the insights that Isaiah had concerning the coming of Christ and the nature of his followers. I love that he states over and again "they shall not be ashamed that wait for me." Because we serve him whom we cannot see, or know inside and out, some people may think that our efforts to follow him are silly or for naught. However, we are blessed to see the better side of the coin. We receive blessings for following Christ and we will be able to live with the King of Kings when he comes if we are faithful. We will not be ashamed because as Peter said to Christ, "to who shall we go? Thou hast the words of eternal life" (John 6:67). Jesus Christ is our Savior and Redeemer and makes everything good and righteous and true possible. I am so grateful for his Atonement and his perfect life lived for us.

Have a great week!
Love ya lots!
Sister Turley

WA Everett Weekly--S. Turley

Dear Friends & Family,

This week was a great week. We taught nine member present/member friend lessons! We found a new investigator who contacted us, and I believe will be baptized soon. And we had a great Stake Conference :) Bennett Harris and Everet Seeley were on a panel about missionary work and it was fun to hear from them and talk with them after the meeting. I also got to see Darlene Seeley :) And I heard from the Oak Harbor Sisters that Tiffany (remember from forever ago? she was Wiccan...) was baptized on Saturday! So great!

Our new investigator this week is named Margaret. Her son was baptized in the Mt. Vernon YSA ward a few weeks ago. And she has had more positive interaction with the church than I have ever heard of. The Elders had given us her name prior to that event, but told us that she was not interested yet. A few weeks ago, we decided that we were just going to go knock on her door and use a tracting approach and see what happened. We did and she was very kind, but not interested. On Tuesday, she sent us a text message and said that she would like to learn more and asked us when we were available to have a lesson. We set up an appointment for that night. She came with a desire to learn and come unto Christ. It is so exciting when you see people that are truly prepared! She attended both the evening and Sunday sessions of Stake Conference and loved the talks, especially from the visiting seventy.

Dominick and Janette are still as excited as ever to be baptized on June 7th. Vickie is still trying to decide if she wants to be baptized then, or later. But, she will get baptized one of these days. I can tell that she believes the Gospel is true and she has a hunger to learn more. But, she just wants to know more before she makes a commitment. Which is perfect. The Gospel is a commitment and it is serious.

Well, I have spent 7/9 transfers in the Mt. Vernon Zone and I am getting transferred tomorrow. Kinda sad. I will miss the wonderful friends that I have made here. But, here's to meeting more friends!
A verse that really touched my heart this week as I studied, was 1 Nephi 22:28. It reads, "But, behold, all nations, kindreds, tongues, and people shall dwell safely in the Holy One of Israel if it so be that they will repent." I love the idea of "dwelling safely" in Christ if we repent. Nothing physically, emotionally, spiritually, can hurt us when we dwell in Christ. And I can't wait until the Second coming so we can dwell in person with him. And it is open to all people to receive these blessings.

Thanks for all you do!
Love,
Sister Turley

Moving Forward in "Washyourhandsington"--S. Turley

Dear Family and Friends,

I'm sorry this will be another shorty. We spent two days in our apartment this week because I had a migraine on Saturday and then Sister Wright had one on Sunday. We think it may be some freak virus because other people have been telling us that they have been getting bad headaches this week too. Hopefully the worst is over. Despite that, we had our best numbers all transfer!

We put Dominick on date this week.We are praying so hard that all will work out! We are so excited for him and he is soooooooo ready.It needs to just happen. We also put Janette (Alejandra's niece) and Vickie (Alejandra's sister) on date for June 7th as well. So we have three on date! And it is going to be a family affair :) Vickie is just taking off! She loves what she is learning and bought a dress especially for church and attended yesterday. I honestly think that she moved to Mt. Vernon to hear the Gospel. It is so fun to be in those lessons, especially when Alejandra's other sister, Gaby comes over. Gaby is also a recent covert, and they all just build off of each other and get so excited about the Gospel. They answer each other's questions and ask more and are so hungry for the truth. We hope to have Dominick, Vickie and Janette attend a baptism that the Elders in our district are having this Saturday. Things are looking up.

In my study this week I really enjoyed the account given in John about how some of the disciples came to follow Jesus. I loved in chapter 1 that the apostles gained a testimony of Christ and then went to tell their friends that they had found Him! From there, others were brought to Christ and became his apostles. Not only did they tell their friends that they found the Savior, they also invited them to "come, and see." It's important not only to tell our friends that we have something good, but also to invite them to come and see. Invite them to partake with you (like the Apostles--they found Christ, and followed Christ, and brought others with them), so they can see the Savior and experience the blessings of this Atonement and his Gospel. I have been finding all sorts of great member missionary stories in my studies lately. I am going to start recording them to share with others.

Love you lots! Have a good week!
Sister Turley

Exciting week in Washington--S. Turley

Dear Family and Friends,

We made a little poster for Easter for a new proselyting attempt this week. We are going back to the old Dan Jones soapboxing method for finding. It had information on it from mormon.org and assembled Easter eggs with 3 Nephi 11:11 and piece of candy in it to hand out to people. We tried to put a mormon.org card in it as well, but they got too crunched up inside the eggs.  We were bummed when the weather did not cooperate for us to spend too much time sitting outside, but when we got to use it, it went better than we expected! There were people that walked by and said "That's beautiful!" and the Easter eggs were good for drawing in people with kids. Creeper Status? Oh well. We think that a lemonade stand would work really well. When we were out on Sunday, someone even asked us if we were selling lemonade.

We had the opportunity to go down to Darrington-Oso where the mudslide occurred about a month or so ago. We didn't work in the actual slide site, but we cleaned a few houses of people that were affected and spent a few hours working in the food pantry that had been opened up by some of the members in the area. One of the houses we cleaned was the house of a woman who had lost her ten year old son in the mudslide. It was only the two of them that lived there, so she picked up and left because she couldn't stand to be in the house. Someone else had come and hastily moved out all of her belongings. So we went in and cleaned the house so if she wanted to move back in or just sell the house, it would be already to go. I was kind of poking around the house before we started cleaning to see what needed to be done and I came across a penny collection that the little boy had in his room that had been left behind in the packing. It was horrifying, actually. It really put it into perspective for me to think that I have an eleven year old brother who I can see having a collection similar to that. And the thought of losing him a mudslide would be awful. Just awful. My heart just ached for the mother and I offered many prayers for her and for her to find the peace of the Gospel. I SO am grateful that we had the opportunity to serve there. We had lots of fun too!

Dan dropped us yesterday. Maybe we will have an Easter miracle and he will resurrect as an investigator soon?

We are anxious to get Dominick a baptism date. We started teaching another of the Magaña-Mendoza-Benitez clan this week. Alejandra's niece, Janette. She is eight years old, and she really wants to be baptized. She has such great aunties for examples! I know from my personal experience that aunts can do a lot to help you progress. Janette and her sister, Destiny, and Alejandra's sister, Vickie, from California are living with the Benitez family now. We taught the Restoration with Janette and then as soon as we were finished with the pamphlet, she piped up "So now what about this baptism thing!?" So we talked a little bit about it and asked her if she wanted to be baptized and she got a huge grin on her face and started nodding her head really fast. We would love if she and Dominick could be baptized on the same day. That would be so cool for their family. We have taught Dominick all the lessons at least three times since I have been here, so we decided that we will have Dominick teach us. We let him pick the topic and then invited him to read a little about it in Preach My Gospel so he could teach us. He was really excited about it!

We also had a wildlife adventure in our apartment this week, but I am sending a video so you can more fully enjoy it :)

Yesterday, Sister Wright and I had a really good chat about improving as missionaries. She and I are learning. But I love that I am not the person I was before I came on my mission. And I am so grateful! I never want to be that person again! The Gospel of Jesus Christ is a part of me know, as is a desire to fully serve Him. We are making baby steps at being better missionaries in our companionship, but it's a step in the right direction, nonetheless!

I loved reading the last chapters of Luke this week in my study in preparation for Easter. As I was reading I especially loved the account of the discussion between the "malefactors" who hung on the cross on either side of the Jesus Christ.

"39 ¶And one of the malefactors which were hanged arailed on him, saying, If thou be Christ, save thyself and us.

40 But the other answering rebuked him, saying, Dost not thou fear God, seeing thou art in the same condemnation?

 41 And we indeed justly; for we receive the due areward of our deeds: but this man hath done nothing amiss.

 42 And he said unto Jesus, Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom.

 43 And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, To day shalt thou be with me in aparadise".


The experience came to my mind so vividly as if I was almost there. I loved that the one criminal turned to Christ and that Christ accepted him and told him that he would be in paradise with him that day. It it yet another illustration of the love and mercy that our Savior has towards us. Even when it seems nearly to late to change, He invites us to. And even when Christ himself was about to die at the hands of evil men, he was still about His Father's business, inviting others to partake of salvation.

Have a great week!
Love,
Sister Turley

Wearing a "Mormon Helping Hands" Vest! I have always wanted to do that!

Good times during weekly planning :) There was a bird in our laundry room on Friday. It crawled down the tubing for our dryer and was trying to get out. Then it pecked it's way out and was flying around our laundry room for a couple of hours until our manager helped us get it out. Sister Wright: "I thought a Jurassic Park episode was about to start!!"

More Adventures--S. Turley, WEM

Dear Family and Friends,

We had interviews with our Mission President on Friday and it was so wonderful and much needed! I just really love President Bonham! He is truly inspired and wants the best for all of us. And I know that he loves me, which helps me understand how my Savior feels about me. We had a great talk and he gave me a much needed blessing. I have felt a lot more at peace the last few days and I can feel the Lord taking my burdens away and/or making me stronger. I am grateful for the power of the priesthood and the blessing that it is in my life.

I had my mission birthday this Thursday! One year. Crazy.

Our investigator, Dan is preparing to be baptized on May 17th. He has had some trials that everyone has to face when they are preparing to follow God and make covenants, but he is staying strong. He said, "Nothing is going to change. I am still going to be baptized."

Dominick finished up his community service on Saturday and is now looking for a job. Yay! He also loved Cottage Meeting yesterday. He said that it was his favorite Cottage Meeting thus far. He told us on the drive down that he was really excited for Church yesterday and didn't even feel tired when he got up in the morning. He told us that he is excited to make some good changes in his life. :) We are hoping to set a baptismal date in the next two weeks after he meets with his attorney to see where he is in the legal process and if he is good to go!

This week in my study, I was studying Lehi's dream. I love how I get new revelation every time I read in the Book of Mormon!  The thing that stood out to me the most, was in 1 Nephi 8:21. It said that Lehi saw "numberless concourses of people, many of whom were pressing forward, that they might obtain the path which led unto the tree by which I stood."  If "many" of "numberless" people want to get the the tree, that means there are LOTS of people that are looking to get on the path that leads to the tree. There are LOTS of people that want the Gospel of Jesus Christ! I also thought it was interesting that the people were "pressing forward that they might obtain the path." There are people that are prepared for us to teach that are SO close to the path. They are almost to the iron rod. All we have to do is hold on to the rod with one hand, and reach out like the Savior would to grab the other's hand and bridge the gap. That is what missionaries are for. Making that connection and helping God's children hold firmly to his word after we let go of them to help another. It is exciting that there really are many people who want the Gospel and who are so close.

Also, this may seem a little blunt, but I was grateful for this brief note from the Lord this morning as I studied. Luke 21:17-18 "And ye shall be hated of all men for my name’s sake. But there shall not an hair of your head perish." My thoughts: Sometimes people will hate you. But it's ok, you are getting eternal life.

Thanks for all you do!
Love ya lots!
Sister Turley

 Washington Wildlife

Trials and Tribulations for the Truth--S. Turley in the WEM

 Dear Family and Friends,

I loved Conference! It was exactly what I needed. Last week was a horrible, horrible, horrible week. I do not think that I have been the recipient of so many unkind words and feelings as I have this week. People told us that we were out of place for sharing the gospel, bad people for trying to help others change, told "Don't ever come back!" and had too many door slams to count. As Elder Holland was speaking, I just sat there and cried. Either Elder Holland knew what I was going to need to hear, or I had to have a terrible week to appreciate what he was going to say. We are being persecuted because what we share is TRUE!!!!!! I also cried when President Monson talked about the Gilbert Temple Dedication and Cultural Celebration because it made me miss my brother. The prophet was talking about my little brother!

Dominick is progressing so well! He attended the Priesthood Sesssion of General Conference of his own accord and he really liked it :) He really enjoyed President Eyring's address, so I look forward to listening to it in the car this week. He really wants to be baptized! Someday it WILL happen!

We have a new investigator and he is on date. His name is Dan and he is just jumping in the water! Before we even finished teaching, he was putting himself on date. He wanted to do it as soon as possible. So, we set the date for April 26th. So exciting!

This week I started the Book of Mormon again and have been reading in chapter one of Preach My Gospel. I have really learned a lot this week! I am starting to figure out power as well. I noticed something in Alma 17:3 that I never have before, that was really helpful. The words, "given themselves." The sons of Mosiah had "given themselves to much prayer and fasting." They had offered their whole selves to the Lord to be able to have the power and strength to act as His representatives. I do not know why I struggle to give my whole self to the Lord because I desperately want to! Oh, yeah, I am human. So frustrating. But I am going to do better this week than I did last week! And as I was pondering, I had an epiphany that I am doing better at having power and authority in my calling than I thought I was. I thought of two experiences that I had this week. (1) We were visiting with a less active and she told me that she envied my conviction and firm knowledge. She said that she recognized it and that it was inspiring to her and it made her want to do and be better. (2) I bore my testimony during Fast and Testimony Meeting last Sunday and one of the women sitting behind me leaned up afterwards and said, "You have such a great testimony. Every time you open your mouth,  this profound reverence comes over me and I feel the spirit so strong. It's very powerful. You have a great testimony." I was grateful to remember these experiences and recognize the success that I AM having.

Love you lots!
Sister Turley

Oh! Pictures! After a whole transfer, we finally got a computer that will let us send pics!
Fun stuff around Mt. Vernon.

New Transfer, New Mt. Vernon--S. Turley in the WEM

Dear Family and Friends,

This week has been a great week! I love Sister Wright. I can definitely see that she may be one that needs some help, but that will not be a problem. We do get along well and I am grateful to have her as my companion. She does not take herself too seriously, which is great. I need to be with someone like her so I can handle some of the trials that I find myself facing. Thank you!

We had a good heart-to-heart with Dominick on Saturday and he said that he really wants to get baptized and we asked him what we needed to do to help him be baptized sooner rather than later. We went over the interview questions with him again to help him do a self-inventory. He agreed to fast on Sunday and make a list and we will all work together to check off all the things on the list. We are thinking of a date in May to have him prepare for. He really wants a date to work towards because he said he was really motivated last time he had a date. We just want to make sure that he will feel confident with the date that we set and that it will REALLY REALLY happen this time.

We got a new investigator this week named Gwen. She is a funny, older, black lady that can sure talk your ear off. She is a joy though. She has been going to the family history center regularly for the last several weeks and calls us her "angels" for directing her how to get there and who to get in touch with. She attended the General Women's Broadcast on Saturday and just loved it. Now we just need to get to her to church. And watch General Conference!

This week in my studies I finished the Doctrine and Covenants!!!! Here are some of my favorite things that I learned: (1) You can tell the sections that are direct revelation from the Lord and those that are accounts of events or exhortations written by men. The wording of the Lord is clear and simple and easy to understand. The Lord delights in plainness! Whereas, the sections that are written by people are more difficult and take more than on read. (2) I loved a statement by Wilford Woodruff in Official  Declaration 1. It was something that I had been pondering as golden prospects keep seeming to get pushed off by a week, or two weeks, etc. He said: "The Lord had decreed the establishment of Zion. . . And Almighty God decreed that the Devil should not thwart it." I determined that Satan can sure slow down the work, but he will never stop it. That is a great comfort to me as we have faced some slow work lately. But it hasn't been stopped and it won't be stopped on the Lord's watch.

Love you lots!
Sister Turley