Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

I got to see my beautiful family's faces this week! I love skyping :) I hope you all had an amazing Christmas! It's never too late to give Christ a gift this Christmas season :) I want to thank you all for the amazing gifts and cards I received for Christmas. I felt so spoiled and I really appreciate all that you do for me. I can feel your prayers and your love. One of the most touching things I heard while talking with my family was about my little nieces and family who pray for me each night. Thank you. I know the Lord hears your prayers and I can feel the strength each day. So Christmas was basically amazing. I got to play "And it Came to Pass", eat two breakfasts, play pool with an awesome family, and talk to my own friends and family. The rest of the week was equally as amazing. We had many lessons this week. Unfortunately we found out today that Chris, our investigator who was planning on baptism on January 8th, left for Virginia to visit for the holidays and won't be back for two weeks. We're not sure if he'll come back at all, honestly, and we have no way to contact him. Things happen... I just hope we're able to find him and continue to help him. He was progressing so much! And he was so much happier! But things do happen. Luckily we were able to contact a couple of people who want us to start teaching them! I'm so excited! These people referred themselves and have requested our visit, so I'm very hopeful for some new people to teach! 

We had our mission-wide Christmas party on Wednesday. I got to play my flute and practice for my performance on New Year's Eve at the D.C. Temple Visitors Center! It went pretty well and I'm excited for that event! I also got to help out a less-active who was desperate for some help for Christmas. I gave her a few skirts to give to her daughter for Christmas, so she'd have something to wear for church. Hopefully she enjoys them. Being able to give this Christmas was the best gift I was given. It's so much nicer to see the joy that comes into another's life when service is rendered. 

It's been 75 degrees here... and constant rain, but I'm still loving it! It's cooling down a little today, but it should heat right back up. If we just skip winter this year, I'll be SO happy ha-ha. I can have snow next year ;) I hope you're all enjoying it enough for me. 

I had the opportunity to speak in Sacrament meeting yesterday. My topic was "line upon line, precept upon precept". I think I did fairy well. I just hope the people who were listening listened to the impressions of the Spirit and had many take-a-ways from the meeting. All of the lessons at church went together so well, and it was a very uplifting day at church. I'd like to share with you a couple of quotes I used in my talk:

"It's never too early and it's never too late to begin this important process." -Elder Foster

"God will take you as you are at this very moment and begin to work with you. All you need is a willing heart, a desire to believe, and trust in the Lord." - Pres. Utchdorf

I talked a lot about growth and how the Gospel really is a process of growth. There is no end to our life and we can constantly progress. Of course, I related my talk to gymnastics (don't judge (; ). I talked about how, just like a coach didn't expect my 3 year old self to do back flips, God doesn't expect us to be any more than we are right now. He can see our potential, just like I could see potential in my athletes, and He wants us to improve, but He doesn't expect us to do it right away. Line upon line and precept upon precept (Isaiah 28:10). He'll take us as we are and work with us. The Gospel of Jesus Christ is like riding a bike uphill. You are either pedaling, working and pushing hard to progress, and you're moving forward, uphill, and towards our Father in Heaven, or you're relaxing. You're rolling backwards, downhill, and farther from our Father. It even takes work to stay where you are. We cannot be stagnant in the Gospel of Jesus Christ. That's not His plan. Just like I challenged the congregation on Sunday, I want to challenge you all to start now. Start where you are and work uphill. Pedal on. Little by little, you'll get closer to your Father in Heaven. Say your prayers; read your scriptures; go to church. It all starts at the basics. I love you all and I hope you have an AMAZING New Years! 2016 will be the best year yet! There's so much in store for each and every one of us! Live it up and change people's lives! <3 you! 

Quote of the Week: "Well done thou good and faithful servant." Quote #2: "As you submit your will to God, you are giving Him the only thing you can actually give Him that is yours to give."

Scripture of the Week: D&C 121:7-9

Love, 

Sister Humphrey

Pictures:

Santa came!

My planners I made.

We made breakfast casserole in our pjs.

And had Martinelli's.

I got to see Mary, the most adorable 60 year old with Down's syndrome.

And I got to pet a kitty after Christmas :) 

Merry Christmas to All!!!

Can you believe Christmas is only in 5 days? Yeah, I can't. We still have green grass and no snow. BUT I GET TO SKYPE MY FAMILY! YAY! If you can't tell, I'm just a little excited for that :) 

This week was fantastic! We got to teach our investigator, Chris, about the Word of Wisdom. As soon as we taught him, and an RM from the ward told him about a man who used to smoke 40 cigarettes a day and quick in two days, he gave up vaping! 5 days clean! Next lesson: the Law of Chastity. That will be fun! Sister Brown is not looking forward to it ha-ha. But the Gospel is great! He came to church again yesterday and Sister Brown and I got to sing in the ward choir for the Christmas program! 

Little snow flurries hit us a couple of days ago, but I think I scared them away when we slid our car a little bit on the rain... don't worry, no damage :) Just scared Sister Brown a little bit (I promise I'm a good driver!). 

An awesome less-active family brought over cinnamon rolls to a members home when they found out we were coming over... so that was pretty awesome. I'm still teaching children handstands and no one has gotten hurt yet. I got a couple new kitty shirts that I've been wearing non-stop. My companion really does think I'm a crazy cat lady (probably because I am), but I'm not as bad as this crazy lady we heard about who works at Macy's and licks her hand while "meowing;" I haven't gone that far.

I also got my flute here, so I've been playing and probably waking up the people in the apartment below me. I try my hardest to be quiet, but we haven't heard anyone complain yet :) 

I had to say goodbye for now to my favorite Sister Bench! I guess it's Alisa now, but I'm in denial. 

We taught lots and lots of less-actives this week :) And SO many came to church on Sunday! Miracles! We had Social Media Split day on Saturday! Look for the #socialmediasplit and #balitmoremission ! I've been helping a woman in the ward with Special Needs Personal Progress. Thank you Karli for helping me learn from you :) 

We checked out a couple of sketchy 7/11 gas stations for restrooms... don't go to 7/11 on the east coast… just saying. 

For the Christmas season, Sister Brown and I have been knocking on a lot of doors and giving copies of the Book of Mormon as a Christmas gift to all those who answer! It's the best gift to have this Christmas! It's what brought me closer to Christ than anything else, and I know that as you read it, the same will happen to you! What better gift could you give this Christmas to our Savior than learning of Him and growing closer to Him? Remember the true reason behind Christmas. It's because of our Savior, sent by our loving Heavenly Father, that we can all return to live with Him. It's because of Him and death has no sting and pain is not forever. It's because of Him that I've found true happiness, and I can get through the tough things in life. It's because of Him that my family can be together forever and I get to share that joy, and give that opportunity, to all those I talk with. Remember the reason why this Christmas holiday. #ASaviorIsBorn

I know it

I live it

I love it.

 Merry Christmas everyone! I love you all!

Scripture of the Week: D&C 76:22

Quote of the Week: "There is no more beautiful sight than a young woman who glows with the light of the Spirit who is confident and courageous because she is virtuous." - Elaine S. Dalton

P.s. That kitty shirt: THANKS MOM! Seriously, it's the best thing ever. 

Love, 

Sister Humphrey

The "Dirty-burg" Part 2

She is staying in Martinsburg in case you were wanting to send her a Christmas card.

Her address is:

1213 Grebe Ct

Martinsburg, WV

25401

As you can probably guess from my title, I'll be staying in Martinsburg with Sister Brown for Christmas! I'll be here until at least the end of January! And just in time to see miracles and baptisms! This week our investigator, Chris, committed to being baptized on January 8th, and he came to church yesterday! He told us of a very spiritual experience he had while he was sitting in Sacrament meeting and the overwhelming sense of joy that came with it; he then asked us if that was the Holy Ghost because he'd been praying to know if what we'd been teaching him was true. YES!!!! YES IT WAS!! I almost screamed that to him as I heard his story and it was amazing! You could see the light in his eyes when he found out that God had answered his prayers. He recognized for the first time an answer from his Father in Heaven. AH! Miracles :)

This week we also got to have a revelatory experience as we listened to Elder Teh, from the Quorum of the 70, and his wife speak to our mission. I got to shake his hand and talk with him for a little bit! SUCH A FUNNY GUY! I went in to that conference with only one question in mind regarding the Sabbath Day, and I came out with more answers than I ever expected! Personal Revelation is real, people. It's happened for me and I know it can happen for you if it hasn't already. Although my answer was not spoken out loud, the Spirit whispered it to me and the Holy Ghost gave me the most overwhelming feeling of confirmation as I heard it. I want you all to know that the Sabbath Day is the Lord's day. Missionaries rest from OUR labors every day of our lives on our mission. We don't do things for ourselves, but on Sundays, we get to take the sacrament for ourselves, then we get to go out and work for the Lord. We are resting from our labors, but never the Lord's. When confused about whether or not something should be done on the Sabbath, ask yourself that question: "Is this labor mine, or the Lord's?" and I can promise you it will change your perspective on how to observe the Sabbath better. SO amazing! I love the unique inspiration we can receive from the Spirit! He knows us! He knows what we need, and He will give it to us when we are willing, and ready. 

So, the rest of the week was pretty interesting. We had to give our investigator Tammy a "drop-talk" because she refuses to come to church. Then she prayed for us to visit her every week no matter what... #awkward... 

I met a nonreligious women who likes to call herself Faith. We got to make Oreo truffles #yum. We got to make a craft for the young women that involved a whole lot of glitter #myfavorite. Bishop has guessed the date of the Second Coming (I promise he's not apostate ha-ha). I've officially been out on my mission for 6 months, but I'm ignoring that. Sister Self, a sweet member in my ward, called us her angels one night when Sister Brown felt prompted to visit :) We had an awesome Christmas Party at the church with yummy food and LOTS of people. There were cinnamon pine cones all over the tables and I survived. I roped Sister Brown into speaking again at the Chazell's. We've been walking around outside in short sleeved shirts and flowy skirts because it's over 70 degrees outside... in the middle of December #notcomplaining! I got to meet Santa Claus the other day. And we got to talk to a whole bunch of amazing people that I just love #missionarylife. 

Shout-out to Tereasa Chugg for the "12 Days of Christmas" package! Love you! 

Okay, I think that's all for this week. I do have to add a quote from Sister Brown on here, though. "Oh my goodness, can you believe it! The whales fit in the ocean!!" Yes, family and friends, my companion is a bright one ;)

Quote of the Week: "Strength isn't something you have, it's something you find and sometimes it's one day at a time." - Emma Smith

Scripture of the Week: Romans 1:16

Love, 

Sister Humphrey

Miracles in Martinsburg Part 2

Another Miraculous week! 

On Tuesday we got to teach our investigator Tammy again. I ate deer meat at her house for the first time ever. So that's cool. Tammy flat out told us she knows the church is true... she just doesn't want to leave her church, so we're still working with her on that. I got to set up more Christmas trees this last week than I think I ever have in my entire life! I'm not complaining :) All that glitter makes me happy! And Sister Brown and I just bought our very own Christmas tree. Pictures will come next week ;) I got a handmade beaded Owl necklace (it's Hedwig from Harry Potter) from a famous lady in our ward :) I love her :) 

I got to meet three pet pigs on Wednesday. #OnlyInWestVirginia. A pile of kittens were huddled on the doorstep of a less-active member's home. The less-active member ran away from us, but I got to hold her kitties, so I wasn't upset at all :)

We had a New Missionary meeting for Sister Brown and I got to see Sister Bench again! That meeting was amazing :) 

So many miracles happened last Friday. Let me just start listing them for you:

Miracle #1 - We didn't have a dinner appointment, but we had an appointment with a Less-active we hadn't been able to meet with yet. Sister Gilbert felt inspired to ask her to feed us, even though she didn't know we already had an appointment set up. She said yes and dinner was AMAZING! 

Miracle #2 - I got to eat at Taco Bell with the Gilberts and Sister Bench and her companion! (I saw her twice this week! Crazy!)

Miracle #3 - We chose to eat at Wendy's one of the nights we didn't have a dinner appointment and a sweet member of our ward surprised us while we were standing in line! We got to sit down and eat dinner with her family!

Miracle #4 - We were visiting a sketchy area where a member lived, and I can't go into details, but the Lord answered our prayers! We got to see the member and we were asked to teach her nephew by her completely inactive brother, and the nephew agreed to meeting with us!

Miracle #5 - We actually taught the nephew, Chris, and he's now a new investigator!!! AND his inactive father totally helped us teach him! #NewInvestigator!

The cool thing about that whole situation was that I had a feeling during studies that day to put away what I was studying and study the Restoration. God told me we would be teaching it to someone that day, so I did. And it was true! The Spirit TOTALLY directs our planning! 

Yesterday we got to watch the Christmas Devotional! Perfect way to start off this Christmas season :)

And that's why this week is titled "Miracles in Martinsburg Part 2" because miracles just keep happening! 

Shout-out to my adoptive sister Leah! Happy 17th Birthday, you crazy girl!

God is good all the time, and all the time God is good! Never forget it :) I love you all and I can't wait to hear all of your miracles! 

Scripture of the week: Alma 7:7 (It's totally a Christmas scripture I read last week and didn't even realize it was a Christmas scripture the first few times I read it! So cool! )

Quote of the Week: "The things that matter most can endure both in time and eternity." - No idea.

P.S. We totally saw a guy mowing his perfectly green lawn yesterday... and it's December. I feel bad for all of you back in Utah with snow! Ha-ha. (Don't worry, that statement will catch up to me later in February when Maryland and West Virginia get hit with all the ice). 

P.S.S. Sister Brown and I bought matching skirts. Be jealous. 

Love, 

Sister Humphrey

Miracles in Martinsburg

So, technically my big miracle this week was in Harpers Ferry, not Martinsburg, but Miracles in Martinsburg sounds so much better than Miracles in the Ferry. But I'll get to that later :) 

This week I got to go on exchanges in Hagerstown again. It's been my third time there! Just wait, I'm going to serve there one day. I got to be with Sister Blanchard, who was in my District in Harpers Ferry and she's AWESOME! I love her :) And Sister Brown stayed in Martinsburg! She worked so hard and, seriously, as soon as I came back, she had so much strength and determination to be brave! She was trying new things without me telling her to and she was taking the initiative to do things. Oh, it's so good :) She's really progressing, and I love it! I love her! And I got to eat at Krumpy's Do-nuts in Hagerstown, which is the most famous donut place ever, so that was cool. 

A cute non-member family invited us in this week just to talk. Such a cute family. The little four year old girl kept grabbing my hand and asking me to play with her while I was talking with her parents, ha-ha. She was adorable :) And she had a little kitten, which made their home that much better. Hopefully one day I'll get to teach them :) 

Another one of those "I can feel God's love for you" moments happened again this week as we met with a less-active sister. She is trying SO HARD to come back to church and she really opened up about how each time she tries, she gets shot down by so many different things. BUT she just keeps trying. And she was really hurt in the past, but she's now turning to her scriptures and finding comfort there. Oh my goodness, I could feel God's love for her SO STRONGLY! I testified to her that He loves her. I simply knew He did. And that was all she needed to hear. And she came to church on Sunday :) And she stayed all three hours. And she loved it :) That's what the Spirit can do. When you feel God's love and know he's there, no matter what you've done or where you've been, nothing can stop you from following Him. When you have Him on your side, you CANNOT lose.  One of my favorite quotes, "You were not put on this earth to fail, but to succeed gloriously." (Name that general authority!) It’s so true! God is here with us and He does not want us to fail! He will not let us fail as long as we turn to Him. As long as we try. I have a testimony of trying. Of working hard and never giving up. I know God will be there for us if we just TRY. That's all we have to do. And He will do the rest :) I love this Gospel :) SO MUCH! And I love this Holiday season! 

For Thanksgiving this last week, we were blessed with two Thanksgiving meals, and these amazing members made me my very own desserts without cinnamon :) My own cinnamon-free pumpkin pie and candied yams. Because they wanted me to enjoy it just as much as they did :) They're awesome. And in the Spirit of Thanksgiving, I found that I have SO much to be Thankful for. For my life, and my family. For my experience and many other things. The list could go on. But this year, right now, I'm thankful for a Prophet on the earth. God loves us SO much so He gave us a prophet to guide us in this trying and troubled world. It's tough sometimes, all the time, actually, but because we have a prophet, we can know that God will never leave us. We know what we need to do, and I'm so grateful for that. For the Restoration of the Gospel and all that came with it. I love my God. I love my Savior. And I know my God is your God and my Savior is your Savior. I know it with all my heart, and that is my testimony to you. 

On a fun note, I got to play Turkey Bowl with some members and missionaries! I sent a picture of that earlier :) I even scored a touch-down, of which I'm pretty proud of ha-ha. It was awesome :) I also got to meet a cute green parrot that loved me, but squawked like crazy with Sister Brown ha-ha. I must be the animal whisperer. But he was cute. And Brother Chazell, a member in our ward, spoke on Keeping the Sabbath day holy in church on Sunday, which was a blast, because we had a huge discussion on it the day before during dinner. We talked and talked and he totally called me out in the middle of his talk. He said from the pulpit that I was going to come up and bear my testimony (no, I wasn't), but we ran out of time ha-ha. Good thing, too! He's a funny guy! #GoUtes! 

So, lastly, my miracle :) JEN GOT BAPTIZED!!!!!!!! I got to go to Harpers Ferry yesterday and witness my previous investigator and dear friend, Jen enter into the covenant of baptism :) I saw Sister Bench and a few others from Harpers Ferry that I've missed dearly. It was such an amazing day and I was so blessed to be there. I got to speak on the Gift of the Holy Ghost, and my talk didn't go anything like it was planned, but I still think it was good :) And..... DAVE baptized her! So, if you don't remember Dave, he was my first (unofficial) baptism while I was serving in Harpers Ferry. He's only been a member for about a month, but he received the priesthood and got to baptize Jen :) I'm so proud of him! It was such an amazing week. Seriously. We are still trying to find more people to teach, but I'm so blessed to be a part of this work. I'm so happy right now and my heart is full. Thank you all so much for all you do for me. I can feel your prayers and your strength. I love you all so much, and I KNOW THIS CHURCH IS TRUE! And I encourage you all to build on that testimony you already have. Stay strong. Follow the Prophet. And have a great week :) So long November! Next step: December :)

I love you all :) 

P.S. in the pictures attached, you'll see that we got a whole bunch of clothes... some of them are now my new favorites ha-ha. Feel free to laugh ;) And we put up Christmas lights :)

Quote of the Week: “Faith and Fear cannot coexist in our hearts at the same time." - Neil L. Anderson

Scripture of the Week: Alma 13:29 

Turkey Bowl 2015 with some of the Martinsburg Stake! I scored a touchdown!!! Woot Woot! 

Love, 

Sister Humphrey

"Dare To Be A Mormon"

Oh goodness! This week was CRAZY! I feel like all the mission weeks are crazy, but each week they seem to get even crazier ha-ha. I don't know what that's all about, but let me tell y'all about this week! First, I want to give my little niece Elise a shout out! Happy 3rd Birthday! And I'd say Happy Birthday to my little sister, but I'm in denial about the fact that she's 18.... so I'm ignoring it. But I still love her ;) 

I get to use my Sign Language knowledge here! We have a deaf sister in the ward, and she's AMAZING! We get to go over every Monday and I get to practice my signing! She says I'm better than her husband, ha-ha, so that's great! She's awesome. We had a lot of changes this last week as we had Zone Conference! Many rules have changed; we now have to be inside planning by 9pm. Many of the things we used to report will not be reported anymore. And a whole bunch of other stuff. The load of stress I didn't even know was there has been lifted! Now we get to truly focus on our purpose as missionaries! Bringing people to Christ! Rather than on numbers. We know what we need to do, and how we need to do it, so now our job is just to get it done! And our Mission President has promised us that if we do all we can and follow his inspired counsel, we will be baptizing once every other month! That will DOUBLE the baptisms in this mission! And as a little bit of evidence of that, and the Lord's amazing preparation, my friend Jen is getting baptized on Sunday!!! My heart is so full of joy right now, I can't even express it! 

And just an hour after our Zone Conference, Sister Brown and I had 4 return appointments, and we FOUND A NEW INVESTIGATOR! Many things are looking up here in Martinsburg. Many things. Jesus is a God of miracles. 

I also got to eat my favorite meal (pizza and ice cream drumsticks, for those of you who don't know), so that basically made my night. We did a lot of service this week helping people move, too. Shout out to my Dad for teaching me how to take apart and put up a trampoline all those years... I was able to help a family do that this week! Oh, and I thought my family might laugh at this: you know how I always seem to rip my jeans because of my gymnast thighs? Missions don't change that fact at all. Yeah, awkward. 

Just some random things this week: A creepy guy decided to ask me out to dinner in Downtown Martinsburg... then he said he'd be looking for me at church. That happened. Luckily he wasn't there (is it bad I was hoping someone WOULDN'T come to church? Probably). It's getting drier here, so my nose hasn't been happy and I've had to use a lot of spray-n-wash. I got to flip around a little bit while doing service :) And Bishop's wife got a video ha-ha. Members are bringing friends to church and we're seeing MIRACLES! That has basically been my week this week. Thanksgiving is this Thursday, so I'd like to challenge you all to stop and think. Think about what you have. Think about what you've been given. Rather than thinking about all you need and all you need to do, think about all that's been accomplished. All that you've been able to do, because of our Savior, Jesus Christ. You have knowledge! You have opportunity! Many of you have the fullness of the Gospel in your lives. How amazing is that? You know there is a Prophet on the Earth today. God guides His children through His prophet. We have all we need RIGHT NOW to live with God again. Everything. We might not have the fanciest car, or the biggest house. We might not have straight A's in school or a bunch of money to buy Christmas presents, but we have knowledge. And we have family. And that's all we need. So while you're stuffing your faces this Thanksgiving (because I know I'll be doing that, too), remember why you have what you have. Remember God and Jesus Christ. They love you. They LOVE you. Remember it, reflect on it, and never, please, never forget it.

Quote of the Week: "Dare to be a Mormon. Dare to stand alone. Dare to have a purpose firm, and dare to make it known." 

Scripture of the Week: Alma 13:28

Love, 

Sister Humphrey