April 22, 2013

April 22

Hello Family! 

Thank you so much for all the letters and the package. I loved everything. You are all so wonderful to me. When Sister Garcia got your text back she showed me and then gave me a big hug just like you said. It was a good day. We went out for lunch as a district and then before the night ended Sister Garcia took us out for ice cream. I had a great day, but it was weird not spending it with you all. 

I am glad to hear that Chelle's farewell went well. I am so proud of you Chelle. I can't wait to hear all your amazing experiences. You will be great, don't you worry one bit. I can't wait to read what you spoke about.

Oh before I forget. Dad, the tax guy will ask you for the real copy of the first page of my taxes. He said that the picture will work for now, but he will need the real copy soon. He said that he would contact you about that. 

Korean is coming along slowly, but surely. This week Sister Yoon taught me how to say "I am a missionary of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. I will try to send the video of it. We recorded me saying it because I was so proud of myself. I also know how to say I love you mom and dad. :) Pretty exciting. I know that with my faith and diligence that the Lord will bless me with strength to keep learning Korean. Learning Korean if fun and hard work, but I love it and I always like the challenges that come with it. haha.

So this week was a little bit rough for us. We had lots of appointments this week, but they are cancelled on us. It was a little discouraging, but I didn't let myself get down. I knew that If I kept going forward with faith that the Lord would bless us with greater things. On Monday we were able to teach a family home evening with a family whose son is turning eight years old. They wanted us to come over and give a lesson on baptism and the Holy Ghost. It was fun to see him so excited to be baptized and to hear his testimony of why it is so important to be baptized. He wants to follow the example of Jesus Christ so that he can be cleansed of his sins. It is amazing how much you can learn from little children. He has a strong testimony of baptism already and I am excited for him to be baptized.

We were able to teach Lee again this week. We taught him English first. He is doing so well and getting better and better each week that we see him. After we were able to teach him about the Restoration of the Gospel. The spirit was so strong there. We taught him about the Book of Mormon and how it is a key part of our religion. We talked about prayer and we were both able to bear our testimonies about how we come to know of the truth. We invited him to read and to pray about the Book of Mormon. At first he was hesitant to say yes. He thought that we said to pray about it right then and now and he didn't want to. Sister Yoon then said that he can do it on his  own. I think it would have been good to have him do it right then and now. I know if he would have done it, he would have gotten an answer. I hope that he will do this on his own time. We will be meeting with him again this week and we will see how he felt.

Kimmie also cancelled on us this week and now is in Korea for vacation. She will be there til June. So sad. I was looking forward to teaching her again this last week. I hope that she will still have the desire when she comes back. She is a neat lady and as so much potential. I will be praying for her.

We are passing out flyers and putting flyers in the Korean Markets for English classes. The next day we got a phone call from a couple of ladies who want to learn English and are semi interested in learning about the gospel. We were able to meet with them and to teach them the first English lesson about how to introduce yourself to others. It was a lot of fun. They liked it when I said the words in English. They liked how I pronounced the words and were able to understand what I was saying. It was so cool. We were going to give them a church tour, but we all ran out of time. We plan on doing that this week because they are interested in what we do in the church. It is exciting.

We were able to see Brother Runner again this week. I like meeting with him and seeing him progress. We had a great lesson with him about prayer and the Holy Ghost. We were talking about the feelings that we get when we read, pray, and keep the commandments. He has been keeping the word of wisdom which is so amazing. He hasn't had a cup of coffee for a couple of weeks now. I know that because he is keeping this commandment that the Lord is truly blessing him and helping him become more aware of the spirit and the promptings that he gets. He even said that he has noticed a change in himself as well. We were also talking about how when we are trying our hardest to keep the commandments that Satan tries even harder to keep us from succeeding and at that very moment the spirit was super strong and guess what happened? My cup of water spilled on the ground and disrupted the spirit that was there. I was so frustrated at that moment. Things were going so well. After we cleaned everything up we sat back down and talked about that. Satan is so real and he will do anything to distract or keep us from feeling the spirit. I mentioned to Brother Runner how I was feeling and that I knew the spirit was there with us. I asked him how he was feeling and he said that he had felt the spirit as well and that he was aware that Satan was trying hard to disrupt that.  We were able to bring the spirit back and finish the lesson. It was so amazing to see him feel the spirit and to know that what we were saying is true. I look forward to our lesson this week.

We meet with the Nauman's again this week. They are a part member family. This was also another great lesson where the spirit was so strong. We taught them about the Plan of Salvation. This lesson really hit home to them. Sister Nauman really liked the lesson and was even touched by the spirit that was there. She knows that she needs to be baptized. We asked her if she has a desire to be baptized and she said she does. I was so happy to hear that. Now we need to get Brother Nauman on board. The spirit was defiantly speaking to him. He knows what he needs to do to help his family and to become an eternal family. There was a point in the lesson where both Sister Yoon and I just sad quiet. We both felt that we shouldn't say anything and let the spirit take over for a min. It was so amazing to see that. I know that Brother Nauman felt the spirit and he thanked us for coming and sharing the lesson with him and his wife. We invited them to come to church and they said that they would try to make it. They, however, did not come yesterday which was sad, but we are not going to give up on them.

Sister Yoon and I are are working hard and trying to find those that the Lord has prepared for us. I know that if I continue to go forward with faith and do everything that I can, then I will see the miracles that the Lord has for me. I know without a shadow of a doubt that this is the only true gospel. I know that Joesph Smith was a called a prophet of God and that the he restored the truth. I know that the scriptures are true and that we can find answers to our question when we read them. I am so grateful for my Savior Jesus Christ and for his atoning sacrifice. I know that it is through him that we can be cleansed of our sins and that we can return with our Heavenly Father again. I am forever grateful for this plan and for the promises that we make it the temple to be tied together as a family forever. I love this gospel with all my heart and I am glad to be here helping other have this same blessing in their lives. 

I love you all so much and I am so grateful for all that you have done for me. I hope you have a wonderful week and good luck with everything that you will be doing. Remember to always smile.

Love Sister Ackley

 Pictures: my cute new outfit, District lunch, sisters out for ice cream

April 16, 2013

April 16

Hello family!! 

Thank you for all of the Birthday wishes. My birthday week as had a great start by being able to go to the temple. The temple was so amazing! I love it there so much. Going to the temple is so special to me and every time I go I feel my Heavenly Father's love for me. I felt the spirit so strongly today and I knew that everything is going to be okay and everything is going to work out. I love the peaceful feeling that I feel everything that I am there. It was so cute. We went with my Bishop and his wife (Arnold's) and they were the cutest thing every. They have been married for 37 years and are so in LOVE still. They were so cute in the Celestial room and Sister George (one of my favorite sister missionaries who we are sharing a ward with) and I said how cute they were and how we want to be so in LOVE with our spouses just as they are. It made me think of you, mom and dad. I love you two very much and miss you both. You two are the greatest examples to me about what I marriage should be like. Thanks for all that you do. 

We are doing a lot of finding in this area. As I mentioned before, we don't have that many investigators right now. We were able to find four new investigators this passed week with our diligence and faith knowing that the Lord will show us who are prepared.  Two of our investigators are Korean and we have found them because they want to learn English. Kimmie is one. I mentioned her last week. She said that she would like to learn more about our religion. Last week we talked about two points of the Restoration. God is our loving Heavenly Father and God blesses families. She really enjoyed that and felt the spirit. It was really neat to see her smile when we talked about how much Heavenly Father loves each of His children and wants to help us all so that we can live with Him again. I really like her and we will be seeing her again this week. Brother Lee(don't remember his first name) has met with the missionaries before and then stopped learning from them. We were able to meet with him to teach him English and after we asked him if he would be interested in learning from us again and he said that he would like that. We taught him a little about the plan of Salvation and that really touched him. Family means a lot to him and he wants to know more of how his family can be eternal. We plan on seeing him tonight and will be talking more about families and the restoration. These two are great people and I know that they are searching for something more in their life.

Out of the blue. We got a phone call from a former investigator named Choe. He had met with the missionaries years ago and then just felt to call us. He wants to know more of what we believe and wants to come to church. He had some questions for us and we were able to answer them for him. He is a seventh day Adventist and their beliefs are pretty similar to ours. It was a great experience for all of us. He didn't have that much time, but wanted to talk with us and set up a time to meet with him again. We are going to call him later this week and meet with him and we plan on giving him a church tour. That is another thing that he said that he would be interested in. Exciting things are starting to happen here in this area. 

We were also able to meet with a girl named Adrianna. She is 13 years old and lives with her grandma. She has been taken the missionary lessons for a little while now is getting close to being baptized. We taught her the 10 commandments, prophets, and obeying the laws of the land. She really enjoyed the 10 commandments. We taught her how to remember them with her fingers. Her younger brother was there and really enjoyed it too. They both are super excited to be baptized. Adrianna's baptism is set for the 27th of April, but we will have to push it back because her dad isn't on board with this whole thing yet. I guess he wants her to look at other churches before just chooses one. I think she is a little sad about this and knows that our church is the true church. She is a great girl and I know that the Lord will help Adrianna and will soften her father's heart. I pray everyday that he will let her get baptized.

A miracle that we saw this week was when we were contacting a referral that came from one of the ward members. This 19 year girl named Samantha was going to seminary last year with one of our members. She loved going to seminary and really loved learning form the bible and what we believed about the bible. She then graduated from High School and nothing really happened after that. Well we stopped by to see her the other day and she was so nice and welcomed us right in. She said that she was wanting to meet with us again. We were able to teach her and her friend Victoria that was there a little about the Restoration and was able to make a return appointment. She seems really interested and wants to learn more of our beliefs. I was really surprised at how happy she was to see us and how eager she seems to want to know more. I have hope and faith that the spirit will testify to her that this is the true gospel and the only way to have everlasting happiness.

We were able to meet with Brother Runner again this week. We had a super great lesson with him and the spirit was really strong. He even mentioned that he could feel something different there. We were reading with him in 3 Nephi 11  and talking about when Christ comes again. We really got into his heart and we bore testimony that Jesus Christ will come again and that because of his atonement we are able to overcome any challenges that come in our way and that we are here on this earth for a reason and things will happen to us and we don't understand why, but we just need to trust the Lord that they are for our benefit and will help us to become that great person Heavenly Father wants us to become. Brother Runner still hasn't had coffee for a week now and looks great. I know that because he is doing this and trying to be a better person, the Lord is strengthening him each day. He has progressed so much already and even came to church on Sunday.

I love this gospel with all my heart. I have felt so much love and strength from the Lord this past week. I know that I can conquer anything that comes into my path. I know that this is the only true gospel and that this is the only way that we can live with our Heavenly Father again. I love the scriptures so much and find comforting words every time that I read them. Here are two scriptures that have touched me this week. Mosiah 23:10, 21-22. The Lord truly knows each one of us and knows what we need better what we think we need. This life is full of patience and faith building. I am grateful for the challenges that I am facing and that I will face because I know that the Lord will be there with me every step of the way and that what I am going through is going to help build me to be that wonderful daughter that he needs to me to be. 

I love you all so much and I hope you all have a wonderful week. Big hugs from me to YOU!!!

Love Sister Ackley

Pictures: The four Sisters at the temple, Sister Yoon, Me, Sister George, and Sister Chambers. 2. Sister George and Me, Sister Yoon and me.

April 8, 2013

April 8

Hello Family, 

It was good to hear from you. Thank you for your emails. Sounds like you are all having a wonderful time. How is the weather? Is it getting warmer and starting to be spring there? Yay I am so excited to be an aunt again. I am glad that everything worked out okay for Will and Kallie. I know that I have asked this before, but does anyone have their address or email? I would love to write them sometime. If not, then I will just have to talk with them when I get back. I can't wait til I get to see Quincy. If you see them, give them my congratulations for me. 

Conference was great. One of my favorites was also President Monson's on Obedience. Mom, that same thing stuck out to me as well. I think that obedience is the greatest test of life. Jesus Christ even showed obedience when He was here on the earth. Even though he was perfect, he still followed the commandments of Heavenly Father and was baptized. I have greatly learned about obedience and how important it is to obey all the commandments and other guidelines that we have been asked to follow in the church. Being obedient shows our love that we have for Heavenly Father and when we are obedient we will be able to receive the great blessings that the Lord has promised us. Conference went by way too fast and I really enjoyed hearing from everyone. Another thing I loved about conference is how many of them talked about Love and how everyone needs to feel loved. I instantly thought about everyone that I am serving with and my investigators. They all are children of God and deserve to know how much I and their Heavenly Father loves them!! I am glad to be a part of God's work and helping people to feel His love for them. I also LOVE all of you and I am grateful for all that you do for me. 

This transfer is going to be challenging, but I am ready for whatever comes in my path. I woke up on morning this past week freaking out. Sister Yoon leaves to go back to temple square in three weeks. So for two weeks I will be over the Korean Branch, with no one who knows Korean and can help translate. I called President and told him how I was feeling and asked for permission to have an extra 30 mins of Language study. He said that I could and that I shouldn't worry because I will  have a new companion who will speak Korean. So in few words, he pretty much told me that I will be training the new Korean Sister next transfer. I have been trying to learn Korean ever since and it is hard. I am really relying on the Lord for help. There is no way that I can do this on my own. I don't expect to be fluent in Korean in three weeks, but hope to know some of the basics so that I can some what communicate with the ward members and find new people to teach. Sister Yoon is great and so patient with me. I love her and will miss her greatly. Other than that, Rowland Heights is great. I am getting to know lots of the members here and they are great. I think I will grow to love this area. 

The area is kind of slow right now, but we had a great week. We have awesome plans for this week and hopefully will have new people to teach. I have faith that the Lord will lead us to the right people and those that are ready to hear this great message that we have. We were able to visit a lot of the less actives in the RH ward. We working with a family right now and helping them go to the temple. Brother Runner hasn't been active for 11 years now and has been feeling that he needs to come back to church. From what Sister Yoon has said he has been coming to church for a couple of weeks now. We had a great lesson with him on obedience and the word of wisdom. We shared with him the importance of obedience and that sometimes we don't know we are asked to do something, but If we obey we will see the blessings from the Lord. We committed him to stop drinking coffee for four days. He said that he would try. We promised blessings and that the Lord would help him as he strives do this willingly. Brother Runner is a great person and his heart is being soften.

We taught some English classes this week. That was a lot of fun. I have enjoyed doing that. We are teaching a lady named Kimmie. She is Korean and is a potential investigator. She doesn't really want to talk about religion, but she will let us read the Book of Mormon with her. She is great and is learning English so well and fast. She has been in the US for about 30 years now. Something about the Koreans. They are all so nice and welcoming. They love to hear that I am trying to speak their language. We also taught English and a senior community place and taught some Spanish speaking people. They really enjoyed the class and said that they were excited to come back again.

We are doing FHE with a part member family in the ward. The Nauman's. Brother Nauman hasn't been active since he was 18 years old. His wife is interested and loves when we come by. On Saturday we taught them the Gospel of Jesus Christ and they really enjoyed the message that we shared. We invited them to watch conference with us on Sunday, but they weren't able too. They are an amazing family and I will enjoy getting to know them better and to hopefully help to become an eternal family.

This is all about what happened this week. Before I go I just want to let you know how much I love this gospel. I love being a member of it and to be a missionary at this time. I know that Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ loves each and one of us. I know that we each have a purpose her on this earth and that Heavenly Father is always at our sides, never leaving us alone. I have know that no matter what happens, we can ask for forgiveness for our short comings and we can healed. I am forever grateful for the Atonement in my life. I have faith and I trust in the Lord with all my heart that I will be able to do all things that the Lord has in store for me. 

I love you all and I hope that you have a wonderful week!!

Love Sister Ackley

April 1, 2013

April 1

Hey Family, 

I hope you all had a wonderful Easter. Sounds like great things are happening there in Utah. The ward sounds like it is changing a lot. Easter here was really good. We watched the same bible video as you all. I thought it was really good. Easter has a new meaning to me now that I have been on a mission. My understanding about Jesus Christ and the Atonement has grown so much. I am so grateful for his atoning sacrifice and that he paid the price for all of us so that we could be cleansed from our sins and to return to our loving Heavenly Father again. I don't know what I would do with out the Atonement in my life. It is because of Jesus Christ that I can face any challenges that come my way and that I can repent of my short comings. Having the atonement in my life has helped me in so many different ways and I am forever grateful for him and his sacrifice.

Well, I got that dreaded phone call on Saturday night. I have been transferred to Rowland Heights. It is kind of by my first area (Glendora) I am over the English ward and the Korean Branch. My companion is Sister Yoon and she is Korean. She is a Temple Square missionary and has been here for almost 3 months. She returns back to SLC in 6 weeks. I will probably stay in Rowland Heights for about two transfers and will mostly likely train the new Korean sister that is coming in next transfer. I am really sad to leave La Canada. This was my second home. I have been here for seven months and have grown so attached to all the people here. I am truly going to miss everyone, but I know that I will be able to see them again soon. I will let you know more about my new area next week. Change is always hard, but I am keeping a positive attitude about it and trusting in the Lord that He has called me to this new area for a reason.

Some things that happened this week:

We met with Leslie again this week. What a great lesson that was. We had dinner with a member (Sister Frandsen) right before and as we were talking she asked if we had an appointment after this and we said yes. I then had a thought to ask her if she could come with us. She was excited that we had asked her and said yes. I really feel like Sister Frandsen was suppose to be present in that lesson with us. We followed  up with her about her reading and praying. She said that she still wasn't getting an answer, but was still trying and reading. We explained to her that if she prayers with sincere heart and a real desire to know, that God will answer her prayers. We shared lots of scriptures, ones that I cannot remember now. The spirit was the one teaching that lesson that night. The spirit was so powerful and I know Leslie felt the spirit because she started to cry. She was touched. We told her that God is watching over her and wants to help her. She just needs to let Him in. I think that she is afraid and is holding back a little bit. We told her not to quite and to keep going with a strong desire to know. Sister Frandsen's thoughts were just what Leslie needed. We invited to come too church, but she never came. I was sad, but I know that the Lord will bless her and will soften her heart. I will miss Leslie very much. I will always remember her.

Saturday we took Jan to the Temple Visitors Center. She really enjoyed it a lot and really liked the feeling that was there. She liked how peaceful it was and calming. We had a great time and answered a lot of her questions. We also took her to look at the family history center as well. She really enjoyed that and seemed interested in doing some of her family history. I really hope that taking her to the temple was a touching experience for her and that her heart may be soften. Jan is an incredible lady. She is almost there, but her childhood stands in the way. We, however, were not able to invite her to be baptized, but baptism did come up and we talked about it. She said that she was already baptized. We tried to explain the authority to her. She has a hard time with religion and was starting to shut down a little bit. I hope and pray for Jan everyday, that she will one day realize that if she wants everlasting happiness that she will come to the gospel of Jesus Christ. Jan is one that I will also never forget. I love her and she has meant the world to me. I truly feel that I have touched her heart and that she has been changed for the better.

On Wednesday we were able meet with the Baisley's again. We shared with them a cute little book that I made about the Book of Mormon and about church. They liked it and were touched by the book. The Book of Mormon is so important and they need to be reading it and coming to church. I hope that that book was able to touch them and that they felt the spirit as were were talking about it and about church. I love the Baisley's and I hope and pray for them as well.

We knocked a street this last week. We had great contacts and even made a return appointment to meet with the Mackenzie's again. We talked to them about a lot of things. They know a lot of Mormons and have a positive outlook on us. They mentioned that they had been to the a temple open house  for one of the temples and really enjoyed it and enjoyed the feeling that was there inside. They are very sweet and seem really open to listening to us. We also contacted this lady named Lisa. She was very nice as well. We ended up teaching the Restoration to her. It was great. She isn't interested, but was really nice to us. 

It has been another great week and I am so excited to see what the Lord has in store for me in Rowland Heights. I know that no matter where I will be going that it is because someone needs the gospel and they need my help finding the peace and happiness. I love this gospel and so glad to be a part of helping find those lost sheep. Until next time. 

I love you all so much have a wonderful week. 

Love Sister Ackley

PICTURES: All of us and Jan at the Visitors center, Me and Jan

March 25, 2013

March 25

Hello Family, 

Can you believe it is almost April?! Time is going by way to fast. I was thinking about you all and Chelle yesterday and how in exactly one month she will be entering into the MTC. I can't believe that. Chelle, I can't wait to hear all of your exciting adventures and miracles. I can't believe that I have almost hit a year! I am with you mom, it does seem just like yesterday. I am so glad that I have been able to be here in California. There is nothing else that I would love doing right now then serving the Lord. It is the best thing for me.

To start off, I have been put into a trio for about a week until transfers. It has been so much fun. I love the companions that I am with. Sister Fogavai is so funny and makes us laugh all the time. We work so well today and have gotten along. Trio's can be hard, but this one isn't too bad. We love each other and are willing to help each other when we our down and discouraged. We are in perfect unity and that is always the best and keeps the spirit with us. I am going to be sad when transfers come this week. I want to be with Sister Fogavai again soon. She is incredible and has a powerful testimony. Sister Allan is doing wonderful and it has been so exciting to see her grow so much since the day that I picked her up. She is also incredible and is such a loving person. (I am back covering the other ward that I was in before)

Some things that happened this week:

 We were able to do some service for Jan this week. It has been a lot of fun to serve her. As we show our love for her by serving in softens her heart and we are able to teach her at the end and we always have a great lesson and I truly feel that she is starting to change. It still is going to take lots of time, but I know that someday she will want this gospel in her life. For now we are just taking baby steps with her. She is amazing. We were able to teach her about faith and how we need to have faith and hope for things. She has been having us pray with her. She needs to make a decision and she doesn't know what to do about her car and so the other day she asked us to pray with her. That is what lead us to talk about faith. She said the faith is something that she struggles the most with, but will work on it and will pray to know what she should do. That lesson went really well and we are excited to teach her again this week. We are going to be taking her the LA temple visitor center this week and are very excited about that. When we asked her if she wanted to go with us she was so excited. This made me happy! :)

We were also able to teach the Cotten family. They are doing super well and coming along great. They are preparing to get their Patriarchal Blessings and that is very exciting. We were able to teach the how to prepare for that and a little bit about what a Patriarchal Blessing is. Sister Cotten is excited to get hers and thinks that she will get hers before Brother Cotten. Brother Cotten is doing well and still taking the Priesthood classes and is coming along. He said that he is starting to recognized the promptings of the spirit and to follow those promptings. I thought this was amazing and it touched me so much to see him so excited about that and really started to understand how the spirit works. I love this family and I can't wait for that day when they can be sealed together as a family.

We saw the Baisley's again this week and they are doing wonderful. We were all able to say our favorite scriptures and then our conversation turned into the Atonement and that was powerful. The spirit was so strong there and I could tell that Sister Baisley was feeling the spirit. I hope that if we continue to come by that they will want to always have that spirit with them and come back to church. It hurts me to see them not come and they know that they should be coming, but just have found that they like staying home on Sundays. They are wonderful people and I have hope and faith that they will one day return again.

We met with Leslie this past week and also taught her about the Atonement. The lesson started a little rough, but it got better. We all prayed in our hearts that the spirit would be there with us and would give us the right words for Leslie to her. We talked about Mosiah 4 and bore our testimonies of the Atonement and how the Atonement can pick us up when we fall and make mistakes and how we can be comforted in any trial or challenge that we are facing. Leslie has had a lot of challenges and she was touched by this. The spirit was so strong and we had a great and powerful lesson with her. She really thought a lot about what we were saying. We challenged her to really read with a desire and a real intent to know if the Book of Mormon is true and if she finds out that it is true then will she be baptized. She said YES! I love Leslie so much and I want this so much for her. I know that if she really reads and prays that she will get an answer and that she will find that peace and happiness that she is longing for. I am excited to teach her again this week. 

We also met with Mark yesterday. We talked more about his baptism and for the final date he will be baptized on April 20. He came to church today so excited and was fun to see. He was glowing. He is so ready and I love his excitement and eagerness to learn more and read and pray to know if it is true. We followed up on his commitments and he is still reading and praying everyday and is keeping the Law of Chasity. We were able to teach him the Plan of Salvation and that lesson went really well. I was actually quite surprised at how well he knew everything. It was also powerful. We brought a young women with us on the lesson and at the end she bore her testimony on the Atonement and that was super powerful and with that we committed him to repent of his sins so that he could have the Atonement in his life and to be able to use the Atonement. He said he would. He is doing  so well and I can't wait for his special day. I thank Heavenly Father every night for letting us teach Mark and to help him grow in the gospel.

I know as I have studied about the Atonement that my understanding is growing and that I am able to use the Atonement in my life. If it weren't for Jesus Christ I don't know what I would do. I am so grateful that He was so willing to come down to this earth, to set an example for all of us and to atone for all of our sins. It is because of the Atonement that I am able to get through my trails and hardships. I know that I can also count on prayer and that Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ are always there for me. My faith as also grown from this and I can see a change in myself which is helping with the work that I am doing here. I have been thinking more about my investigators and the ward members so much more and am always thinking of how the Lord wants me to serve them. I love everyone that I am working with and love seeing them progress. I know that this is the only true gospel and that we need to be cleansed of our sins and receive the Holy Ghost to return to our Heavenly Father. 

I love you all and hope that you have a wonderful week! You are in my prayers everyday. Good luck with everything!!

Love Sister Ackley

Pictures: Sister Fogavai, me Sister Turner. (dropping her off to go back to SLC), Sister Turner and I, Three musketeers Sister Fogavai, Me and Sister Allan

Robin(investigator) and Me at dinner for her birthday

Fun on the tramp Sister Fogavai and me

The three of us being silly 

Our Zone hike this morning 

March 18, 2013

March 18

Dear Family, 

I am so glad to hear that spring is around the corner from you all and that you are going to have some warm weather. That is exciting news. Sounds like you all are staying busy with school and your activities. Steven, I am very excited to hear that you are driving now. That is so crazy for me to think that you are old enough to drive. Congrates on your permit. Justin I am glad that you are having fun roller balding. Sounds like you have been enjoying that and your time outside. Jeremy glad you are still liking work. Keep up the hard work. Tyson I am glad that you are having fun with your friends. Keep being the great example that I know that you can be to them. Chelle, I love you and I am so proud of you. Mom and dad, I love you and I love all of YOU!!!

Sister Allan and I had some great things happen to us this week. This week has been a huge testimony builder for me and I have truly felt the love that my Heavenly Father has for me. I do believe that we go through hard times, so that we can be prepared for the miracles that the Lord will bless us with. On Tuesday we knocked a street. We knocked for about 45 mins. We weren't having any success and I felt that it was time for us to leave and walk back up to out car. Sister Allan, said "no lets keep knocking." Being the great companion that I am I continued to knock with her. When we had knocked the entire street, we got to our car just in enough time for us to get to our dinner appointment on time. Sister Allan was looking for her keys and as I looked inside the car window guess what I saw? I saw the keys laying on the back seat in the car. I actually starting laughing because this isn't the first time that this has happened to me. Sister Allan felt bad and I reassured her that is wasn't a big deal and that we could call a member to come help us. The Lord still blessed us and we were able to get the keys and still make it to our dinner appointment with enough time to eat with them before they had to take off for the evening. It wasn't till after that, that Sister Allan said that she should have listened to me. She had mentioned something cool to me that if she would have just said okay lets go after I mentioned that we should go, that she wouldn't have been able to know that, that was a prompting of the spirit. I believe that this was suppose to happen for a reason so that she could learn and recognize the promptings of the spirit and that she could trust me when I say that we should go. It was a cool experience and I know that the Lord is truly looking out for us.

Another great thing that happened to us was that when we were planning Tuesday night for our day on Wednesday and I felt that we needed to walk for most of the day. I didn't know why, but I did get this really strong feeling that there was going to  be someone who needed us. I told Sister Allan what I was feeling and she said, "alight, lets do it." I am so grateful for Sister Allan and how hard she wants to work. It helps me out so much and we do work hard together and do come home very exhausted at the end of the day, but that is good and means we did our best. Anyways so we went walking and we were coming up to the library and I suggested that we go in and see if there is any volunteer work that we could do.  The lady said that we needed to get finger printed and have an interview before. We decided that this wouldn't work out because we aren't in an area long enough for the finger printing and that it is a lot of work for the new sisters that get transferred in. We did talk to the lady for quite a while and showed interested in her and she asked what we do as missionaries and we were able to tell you. She is all about nature and we were able to share a little bit about how it is God's creation and that we should be thanking Him for all that we have here. Our conversation got interrupted by this guy named Damien. He needed help with his computer. We said our good byes and left.  We didn't get to far out the door when Damien called out to us and apologized for interrupting. We told him not to worry and that it was actually good timing. He commented on my water bottle and said that he had just bought one for himself. That started the conversation. He asked who we were and we told him that we were missionaries for our church. He commented on how while we were inside that we had this strong energy and light around us and that he felt something. He wanted to talk to us and said that he is going through a difficult time and because of this trial he feels like he needs to have God in his life again. We were able to hear what was going on and to give me comfort and hope. As he was telling us what was going on a scripture popped into my head and I knew that it was the spirit telling me that I needed to share it. The scripture was Alma 36:3 talking about if we have trust in the Lord we will be able to get through those difficult times. He really enjoyed it and it lead into talking about the Book of Mormon and Joesph Smith. While we were telling him the first vision he was so glued to us and was so interested. He told us that he felt that same feeling that he felt at the library. We explained that it was the Holy Ghost and that we really wanted to know more about the church. We gave him a Book of Mormon and he said that he would read it. Yesterday he even sent us a text saying that he went to the temple visitors center in LA. That was so amazing for us to hear.

Damien us the highlight of the week and I know that he was the ONE person that we were suppose to see that day and to lift him up and to say the gospel with him. I know that the spirit was there guiding me and filling me up with the words that Damien needed to hear. The spirit was so powerful and I know that Damien felt something and the Holy Ghost was testifying to him of the truth.

We had a lesson with Mark again on Tuesday and we taught him the Law of Chasity. The lesson went to well and was so powerful. The spirit was there and It was the Holy Ghost that was definitely the teacher there that night. I was a little nervous about this lesson, but I had faith that if I opened up my mouth than I would be filled with the right words to say. When we committed him to keep the Law of Chasity we explained that we wanted to eliminate any temptation and to stay somewhere else until he gets married. That was hard for him to hear, but he said that we would. We are actually going to push back his baptism date to April 28. He plans on getting married April 20 and I feel that this is best and that he needs to get married first. Things are still going great with him and he is progressing.

I just want to let you all know that I know that God lives and that He has a great and marvelous plan for all of us. Sometimes things don't go as planned, but if we put our trust in Him everything will turn out for the better. I am so grateful for the spirit and for the guidance that I have been able to have and to meet the people that the Lord has put in my path. I am grateful for hard times so that my faith can grow strong and that I can prepare myself for great things to come. I know that if I live righteously that the Spirit will always dwell with me and lead me the right way and be a comfort of me when I need a friend.  I love this gospel so much and I love being able to share my experiences and to share how much I grow and learn each week.

I love you all and hope that you have a wonder week. 

Sister Ackley

Pictures: Sister Fogavai and I at lunch, my district at lunch, Sister Allan and me

March 11, 2013

March 11

Hello Family!

How are you all doing? I hope that you all have had a wonderful weekend. It sounds like it is finally starting to warm up for you all. I bet you are enjoying that very much. I am grateful for you all and want to let you know how much I love and appreciate all that you have done for me and for all of the wonder examples that you have been. You are all so amazing and I wanted you to know how much I love and care about each of you.

Oh some crazy news. In July they are opening up a new mission in Rancho Cuca Mongo. President Becerra has been asked to send over 14 of his BEST missionaries. When I heard this announcement  I had this feeling come over me that I maybe one of those missionaries. I don't know if it is just me thinking that or the spirit, but I did feel like I would be going over there. We will find out in a couple of months I guess. Sister Allan also told me that when she got to the field that Sister Becerra said that one of the four sisters that is training this transfer has been successful and has a love for people that no one else does and that she will be going over there. Well, only leaves two of us. Sister Carrell and me. Who knows maybe we will be in the new mission together. That would be fun. I won't know anything probably till right before July. Just thought you all might like to hear that exciting news.

Well this week has been a better week. We had some great things happen. We were able to visit with Leslie this past week. She hasn't been feeling very well and has been falling down a lot. We felt prompted to go and see her Monday night to see how she was doing and to share a message of comfort with her. She was really happy to see us and she told us that it had meant a lot to her to know that we were thinking of her. We shared a scripture with her. This scripture is found in Alma 37:6-7. It is one on my many favorite scriptures. It talks about small and simply things are made great in the eyes of the Lord. We told her that Heavenly Father loves her and that he is making something great out of her and explained that at times it may seem hard and we don't know why we are going through the trails that we are facing, but to trust in the Lord because He knows what we need to become that great person He needs us to become. I felt the spirit so strong as I was bearing my testimony of that and I know that Leslie felt it as well. She thanked us for sharing that scripture and that it had helped her out. We plan on seeing her tonight and reading with her  Mosiah 4 and talking about the Atonement and the blessing we can have from the atonement in our lives and also mentioning about how she can be together forever with her family especially her parents. Family is super important to her and we feel so strongly to teach her about that. 

We were also able to meet with Kelsey. It wasn't a long visit because she is super busy with school work and projects. We did however talk about the movie the "Testaments" that we left with her a couple of weeks ago. She said that she loved the movie and is excited to read about it in the Book of Mormon. We explained the movie and answered her questions that she had. She then started to ask us about prophets and we were able to bear testimony that there is a living prophet here on the earth again and that we will be able to hear from him in April. We explained what General Conference is and she said that she would love to watched it with us. That was really excited to hear from her and I hope and pray that she will be able to find time to do that. 

We were able to visit some less actives in the ward and they were super nice and welcomed us right in. Linda, joined the church when she was in college when her boyfriend was on a mission. When he returned back from his mission things didn't work out and they went their separate ways. She fell away from the church and married a non-member. She said that she would love to come back to church and that she misses the feeling that is there, but she doesn't want to be there with out her husband. Family is important to her and she said that she will only go if her husband will and right now he is not interested. It breaks my heart to see families like this. I pray for them and hope that her husband's heart may soften so that they can enjoy the blessings of the gospel together has a family. The Baisley's in our ward, our an older couple and the wife is also a convert. She said that she stopped going to church because she didn't want to get up a speak in front of everyone and that she didn't have a testimony when she got baptized. I guess the missionaries that were teaching her said that she didn't need to have a testimony before she got baptized and that it would just come to her. Well, she never gain one and didn't see the need to go to church. This made me sad to hear that those missionaries didn't care if she had a testimony or not. I think that it is so important that they know and feel the truth before anything happens. If they don't then they are not ready to be baptized. I hope that as we continue to visit them that we will be able to help Sister Baisley develop that testimony that she has never had. 

We were able to give a church tour to a guy named Mesbah on Thursday. We got a little worried because Mesbah was here with us and our member hadn't come yet. We were praying to know who to we could ask to come help us and there happened to be people in the building. We were able to grab a member from a different ward. Everything started to fall back into place. The tour went well. It didn't go as planned and Mesbah I don't think is all that interested in the gospel, but did want to know what we do. He asked a lot of questions and we were able to answer most of them. We talked a lot about the Book of Mormon and Joesph Smith. We sensed that he is made at God right now and that he doesn't want to give God any credit for anything such as sending us into his path. I honestly feel like we were lead to him that day at the park and to him that is hard for him to understand. We bore testimony of how much God loves him and is watching out for him. We also invited him to come to church, but her didn't come. I hope that his heart may be soften and that he will want to learn more about Jesus Christ and how he can have that peace and happiness in his life.

Our biggest highlight of the week is Mark! Mark is a new investigator that we picked up on Wednesday night. Mark is a wonderful man and is dating one of our ward members. Mark is so ready and knows a lot about the gospel. We had a really good lesson with him yesterday and taught him the Restoration. To much of our surprise he actually knew a lot and we did follow up on his reading and praying if the Book of Mormon is true and if Joesph Smith is a true prophet of God. He said that as he reads and prayers he feels so good and is happy. He stated that he wants to read all the time because he loves the Book of Mormon already and it just makes him so happy that he wants to continue reading. This makes me happy to hear. We asked him why he was wanting to meet with us so that we could discern if he was doing this for himself or for Kate. He told us that he wants to do this for himself and knows that it is true. He says that the more he reads and prayers the happier that he is and he likes that change and wants to continue to see the blessings from God. It is so neat to hear his testimony and to see it grow. Mark is an incredible person is has said yes to being baptized on March 30, 2013!! We are excited and know that Mark is a true blessing from the Lord. The Lord truly blesses His missionaries that work hard and diligent.

This is all about the exciting things that happened this past week. I look forward to another great week. I know that God lives. I know that I am turning into that great and powerful missionary that the Lord wants me to be. I can feel myself change as I am seeing my investigators change too. I know if we put our trust in the Lord he will truly guide us and help us to know what to say to his people. I am so glad that I am able to be out her serving the Lord and to be His spokes person. I know that I am not the one teaching and that it is the Holy Ghost that is teaching through me. I know that every time I open my mouth that I will be filled with the words that these people need to hear. I feel Heavenly Fathers love for all of his children and I want to help them all feel that love that He has for them.

I love you all and I hope you have another wonderful week. Keep those smiles on. I love you!

Sister Ackley

Pictures: Sister Fogavai and Me(sister allan didn't want to be in the picture with me), Sister Turner and Fogavai. We did a booth together on sat.

March 4, 2013

March 4

Dear Family, 

It is crazy to think that it is already March. Time is surely going by really fast. Congratulations Chelle on getting your Endowments. I bet the experience was amazing. I wish I could have gone with you. You will have to let me know how it went and how you felt. It sounds like things are finally starting to turn around with Will and Kallie. I am so excited to hear that they are having a girl. I cannot wait to see my little niece and my other little baby (chelsie's) I am glad to hear that Utah is starting to warm up and that you all are having a great time. 

Mom, I was thinking of you yesterday and about your lesson. I am sure that it went great. I am glad that you were able to get everything done that you needed to and although we were busy that you didn't feel so stressed out about it. I think that was God's way of showing you that maybe you needed a break and alone time with your Hubby! :) You are amazing and deserved that little break and relaxation.

Training has been fun. It is a little stressful and sometimes it does seem like a lot of pressure. I know that I can do this with the help from the Savior. I pray everyday for the help that I need to help Sister Allan become that great person that the Lord knows that she can be. It makes me feel good to know that Heavenly Father trusts me enough to leave one of his new missionaries in my care. I hope that I am a great example to her and that she is learning a lot. I am learning a lot from training about myself and I have been changed for the better has well. I have learned how to be patient with myself and to know that what I am doing is what I am suppose to do and to teach Sister Allan. I am growing have built a lot of confidence in myself and know that I can do hard things. 

This week has been kind of a challenging week. I think we are being prepared for great miracles that the Lord has for us. We have been having a hard time with the Erckenbrack family and I just haven't known what else we can do to help them progress. We asked President for some help and he said to have them come over to his house for a family night. We all thought this was a good idea and could help the family. Well, we went and invited them to come with us and they kindly declined the invitation. They stated that they are happy in the other church that they are attending and feel like that is where they need to be right now. I was having a hard time with this because I KNOW that Julie wanted this for her and her family. She has felt to the spirit testify to her that this is true, but she is staying along side her husband. Bryan stated to us that right now he is not seeking for any truth and doesn't know what the important thing is in life. They like the other church because it is easy and fun and they don't need to do anything. This was a hard decision to make, but we will no longer be teaching them for a little while. I am sad about this because I have built such a great relationship with them and really felt their hearts being soften. I know that I did play a huge role in their life and that they will never forget that feeling that we brought into the home. I am still praying for them and hope that they will one day realize what they are missing and want that peace and comfort and happiness that they have felt every time we have come by or that they have felt when they came to church.

On Saturday, Our stake did a "Mini Mission" Where the missionaries go on splits with the youth. That was another great experience for me. Sister Allan was a little nervous about this whole thing because she has only been out for two weeks and didn't know if she could do it by herself. I had faith in her and strongly felt like this is just what she needed to help her build her confidence with herself. I was on foot the whole day and I let her take the car. Being on foot was so amazing to me. I worked really hard that day with my little friend (Kristin) We walked and talked to everyone that we saw and even did some contacting in the park. It was a cool experience for her to see and to get a good look at what missionaries do when they are not teaching.  She was able to talk to some people that let us talk to them about our beliefs and she did amazing. She will be such a great missionary if she decides to serve a mission. We were able to talk to a guy about makes us different from everyone else and that we were able to get his contact info to give him a church tour. We will be contacting him this week. I am hope that he will be able to meet with us and to let the Holy Ghost testify to him that what we are teaching him is the truth.

Even though is has been a rough week, we have been able to see a lot of success in ourselves. We are getting more comfortable talking to people and sharing the gospel with them. Everyone that we have stopped to talk to have been really nice and have wanted to leave their info with us. I hope that we will be able to see these peoples lives change as we teach them about the gospel of Jesus Christ. We have been putting ourselves out their and showing the Lord how diligent we are and how dedicated we are. I want so badly to find those who I am suppose to meet here and to find those lost sheep. I pray everyday to find families and individuals. I know that if I put myself out there more each day that the Lord will bless me with miracles. Going through this tough time I have really exercised the Atonement. I am so grateful for Jesus Christ and for all that he did for me. I am forever grateful to be able to cast my burdens on Him and to know that I will be given the strength to get through anything. As I have prayed for comfort I am filled with the peace that I need to keep going strong. I know that the Lord is with me and that He will never leave my side. I want to be able to share the Atonement with everyone so that they can cast all of their troubles so that they can have that same peace, comfort and strength to keep going. I know that this is the one and only true gospel. I love being out here serving the people and love helping people who are wanting a change of heart.

Sorry this email isn't one of the best ones. I will have lots more to tell you this next week. I can tell that great things are about to come forth. I love you all so much and grateful for the love you all show me. I hope that you all have a great week and are safe in all your travels. I LOVE YOU. Big hugs and kisses!!!!

Love Sister Ackley 

Pictures: For Zone Conference we did Birthdays for all those who are having a birthday in the next couple of months and so here are pictures of me and my cupcake and companion Sister Allan.

February 25, 2013

February 25

Hello Family, 

I am so glad that to have gotten an email from you. I also enjoy reading what is happening back at home. Mom, I am glad that parent teacher conferences went well for you. You will do an awesome job with your lesson next week. I am excited to hear all about it. You are awesome and I know that you will be able to tie everything in that you are suppose too. Being convert to me is having a change of heart. It isn't just to have faith, but acting in your faith. You can't just become converted to the gospel, who have to be living it and to be willing to have a change of heart. I love this topic a lot because as missionaries we have to ask ourselves if we are truly converted. If we are not then we can't expect our investigators to be fully converted too. Sometimes have a change of heart has us to hard things, but if we put our trust in the Lord he will bless us and we will see the miracles in our lives. I feel like I have been truly converted. I am following the example of Jesus Christ and I have placed all of my trust in the Lord to lead and guide me to do what I am suppose to be doing. I have had a change of heart and I have acted on it. This is what being truly converted means to me. I hope this helps you out mom. I am glad that you asked for my input. I wish you luck and will be praying for you. You will do awesome.

My new companion is Sister Allan. She is from Illinois. She comes from a family of 7 and is number 2 of 5 kids. She has an older sister who served in the Mesa, Arizona Mission. Something cool is that Sister Allan and her 18 year old brother is serving at the same time. Sister Allan's brother is actually serving in the next mission to us. He is serving in the Riverside mission. Isn't that cool? Sister Allan is one of the first groups to do the two weeks in the MTC. She said that it was a little bit crazy and that is was cool to watch how they were going to transition everything. Sister Allan is great and is doing so well. I like training it is fun. Sometimes it can be a challenge, but I am keeping a positive attitude about it all. She is kind of struggling right now and thinks that she needs to know everything right now. She is being to hard on herself and that is making her a little frustrated and kind of miserable. I keep telling her not to get too stressed out. Everything will come and that she can't know everything at once. I also keep telling her only take it one day at a time and that EVERYTHING WILL WORK OUT. We just need to keep moving forward and keep have faith. She is doing so well other than that. I know how she feels because I was once there as well. We are getting a long great and are helping each other out. She is a hard worker and is doing whatever it takes. I like that and I am so glad that she wants to work as hard as me. We have seen some great things from the Lord. Here is just a few:

On Wednesday we were out contacting people and we went to stop by one of our investigators houses. They weren't there and so we got into the car to leave. As we were driving a long, Sister Allan had this thought that we needed to go back and knock on the door across from the Ereckenbrack's. We followed that prompting. We knocked on the door and no one answered. We didn't give up and thought that there was a reason why we felt to come back. I then felt prompted to knocked on another door. This lady named Yasaman answered the door. She was so kind and very sweet to us. We talked to her about religion and she said that she doesn't belong to a religion, but does have a faith. We were able to talk to her in a smooth and natural way and was able to teach her the Restoration at the door step. She really enjoyed it and thought it was very interesting. We offered a church tour as well and she said that she would love to do that. We have called her and she was busy so we could never set something up, but we are going to try to have one this week with her. I hope that she will remember that spirit we were able to bring at the door step and that she will want to come on the church tour. That was an amazing experience.

Another cool thing that happened was went went and visited a less active that our bishop wanted us to see. Well we got there and he wasn't all that interested and shewed us away. We saw this lady out in her yard and asked if we could help her. She said no, but was really nice and we were able to talk with her a little bit as well. She knows a lot of mormon's and loves the religion, but is happy where she is. As we were talking to her I had this thought come to my mind to the lady that Sister Allan is knew and needs some practice on the lessons. I said that I know you aren't interested, but would you be willing to have us practice on you. She said no. I knew that that was the spirit because I would have not done that. So we leave and then Sister Allan has a feeling that we have to go back to Brother Monson's house and tell him that God loves him  and wants him to come back to church. She was scared to death to do that, but was brave and went up to him and said that. It was so cool. I wish you would have been able to see it. The spirit was so powerful when she said those words. I hope that he was touched and that he will realized that his Heavenly Father really does love him. 

I am finding myself becoming more and more comfortable talking to people. I am finally coming out of my comfort zone. I am not perfect yet, but I do think that training has helped me to open up more and to do more hard things because I have someone that is counting on my and is watching my example. We have done a lot of walking and talking to people and have had a really fun time doing that. I am working Sister Allan hard and she does come home really tired. Coming home tired is always good. It means that we had a good day and worked really hard. I love being out talking to people and finding those that are prepared. We did a cool finding activity the other day with the other Sisters that are in our area with us. In Montrose there was a fair going on and so we decided to side walk chalk the Plan of Salvation. Two of  us drew and talked to people as they walked by and two of us went out talking to people and having them come look at the drawings. That was a neat experience and was a lot of fun. We had a lot of people ask us what we were drawing and we were able to talk about the Plan of Salvation with them. It was neat. 

This is about all of the great highlights of the week. I look forward to new miracles this week and to keep finding those lost sheep. I have a firm testimony on faith. Without faith finding people is impossible. I have really understood what faith is and that we need to stay strong in our trials. We get put through trials for a reason and that it is to help strengthen our faith. I know without a shadow of a doubt that if I put my whole trust in the Lord, He will bless me and give me strength to overcome those great challenges that get tossed into my path. I know that my Heavenly Father loves me and knows what kind of person I am. I know that He has trusted me with one of His precious daughters and is allowing me to train her in the work. I can see that strength from Heavenly Father that I need everyday to help Sister Allan feel loved and to have fun doing missionary work. I hope that I will continue to be a great example to her.

I love you all so much and hope that you have a wonderful week. Thanks for everything. 

Love Sister Ackley

Pictures: Sister Davidson and me. Dropping her off at the mission office. :( Sisters Harker, me and Turner on our hike this morning. and then Sisters fogavai, me, Allan, Turner

Sister Davidson and me being silly

My last transfer district

 Zone Picture from our hike. I am at the top