The Windows of Heaven Have Opened

   So, basically my companion and I have been very blessed this week. Let's just say, being a missionary is the best thing ever! As we've been studying, we've been thinking a lot about positive thinking, which I think I mentioned in one of my previous emails. Go read Alma 36 and ponder the effects of positive thinking as you read! It's so amazing! If that doesn't show you how much your thoughts affect your life, I don't know what would. 

     So, this week started with a lot of walking. On Monday our cars were grounded because it started snowing a little bit (seriously, there was barely an inch on the ground). So we walked in freezing rain all night, but we saw more miracles! As we were walking, we felt impressed to go visit one of our investigators Amethyst. She's just awesome and this week has been a crazy one with her. She lived a few miles away from us, though, so we knew it'd be a rough walk in the freezing cold. We said a prayer and kept walking. Shortly before we arrived to her home, a member family drove up to us. They'd seen us walking and offered a ride, then practically demanded that we call them when we're done so they could give us a ride home :) We had a miracle lesson with Amethyst and got to spend more time with her. #PrayerWorks.

On Tuesday we had a wonderful Zone Conference with President and Sister Christiansen. Sister Larsen and I got to "report" on our area and all of the miracles we've seen while focusing on spiritually planning! It was the best :) We've seen so many miracles here in Odenton, and it was amazing to just write it all down and see a glimpse of the work the Lord is doing with us. We are truly instruments in the Lord's hands, and I hope I can keep refining myself to be the best instrument I can be. We also watched a little ABC Lifetime documentary on "Mormon Sister Missionaries"... it was basically the funniest thing of my entire life. People really don't know much about us at all! Just FYI, Sister Missionaries aren't serving just to get the attention of men and manipulate them into believing this is true. That's just not our purpose ha-ha. 

     We also had many miraculous visits with some less-active sisters in our ward. We got to talk to one of them about serving a mission and her heart was totally softened to that idea! She'd be a great missionary :) We also got to teach Amethyst more about being a missionary, and she wants to be one someday! She had a very dramatic week and it's been really rough, but as we've been teaching her the Atonement and repentance, she's been changing. She could influence SO many. She already is. And I hope one day she accepts all of the blessings of Christ's atonement. That would be a glorious day.

     On Friday, I got to go on exchanges with the Hermanas! Hermana Tuttle came with me :) She's so funny! I love being able to learn from these Sisters as a Sister Training Leader. I know the Lord is able to work through me to truly help these sisters and I saw that on exchanges. Hermana Tuttle and I also saw miracles in Odenton! We picked up a new investigator, Crystal. She's a mother of 3 and so totally prepared :) We had an amazing lesson with Amethyst, and got to do some service for a less-active member in the ward who is really really struggling. As we were talking with her, she shared her experience with the Holy Ghost and how He's been able to help her stop smoking! She's been smoke free for a month now!! The light has started to come back into her eyes. After exchanges, Sister Larsen went over there again and even more light filled her countenance. We talked with her and found out she'd just barely forgiven this man who had repeatedly abused her. She'd talked with him and given it all to God. She forgave. And her burden was lifted. She had that light and happiness. It was visible and it was evident. I haven't seen many people change overnight, because change is gradual, but that action she took literally changed her. She's been working on it for a really long time, but she finally let the Atonement work in her life. She came to church yesterday for the first time in a really long time. The light is back in her life. And she's been changed!

     At that visit with the less-active member, we also got to teach her daughter (one of our investigators) the Restoration, and two of her friends were there! The friends LOVED the message and they came to church yesterday, too! We picked up two new investigators in that visit. 

     On Saturday, after exchanges, we had our Social Media Split Saturday, so maybe y'all will see me on Social Media! We also had lunch with a potential investigator, Natasha, and she is amazing! She has been looking for the right church for a while now and she truly wants to find it. She wants to have that personal revelation and guidance in her life. We taught her the Restoration and about the Book of Mormon and she LOVED it! She's been reading and studying it like crazy! She couldn't come to church yesterday, but she's coming next week! #NewInvestigator

That same Saturday, we found another new investigator! At dinner with a member family, a neighbor walked into their home obviously distraught. She's been grieving over the loss of her husband recently, and there was so much pain in her eyes. Over dinner, we and the family taught her about Christ. She was in SO much pain. She had no hope. Nothing. She didn't have the gospel. She didn't know Christ was there for her. She literally had no hope. I can't even imagine what that would feel like. But as we taught her, she kept looking at the picture of Christ this family had in her kitchen. She went from not believing in Christ, to yearning for the truth of His existence. She found a little ember of hope and clung to it. We'll be going back to teach her on Tuesday. 

So, basically this week was full of miracles. We found five new investigators, and we are currently teaching 10 prepared people. God is SO good. SO good. 

I love being a missionary and I never want this feeling to end. 

Scripture of the Week: D&C 58: 2-4

Quote of the Week: "Never stop striving for the best that is within you. Never stop hoping for all of the righteous desires of your heart. But don't close your eyes and hearts to the simple and elegant beauties of each day's ordinary moments that make up a rich, well-lived life." -Dieter F. Uchtdorf

Love, 

Sister Humphrey

P.S. I don't think I ever put my new address in my group email, so if any of y'all want to right me, I'd love to hear from you! Oh, and s'mores with caramel and chocolate are basically the best things ever. And with Reese's. Try it. 

448 Placid Ct. Apt. M

Odenton, MD 21113

The Greatest Act of Charity

I hope you all had an amazing Valentine’s Day yesterday! As I was studying charity and reflecting on the Love our Father in Heaven and Savior have for us, I was thinking a lot about the Atonement. The Atonement allows us to change. It allows us, not only to be saved, but to progress. God wants the best for us, just as any father would want for his child, so He provided a way for us to become our best selves and have eternal happiness. The only way that was possible was through the Atonement. And that sacrifice our Brother, Jesus Christ, made for us, was the greatest act of charity ever performed. He gave his whole life for you. For me. For all you have lived and will yet live on this earth. He not only died for us, but he suffered for us. Just as you and I suffer, He suffered infinitely more. And the only motivation He had for doing that was His love for me and you. There was no reward. No glory. Nothing. Only His love. Imagine that love for a moment. And I hope you smile and reflect in awe as you do so.

So, whether you felt alone this Valentine’s Day or you had someone by your side, remember, you always have your Savior and your Father. And that's a blessing I can't even describe. 

This week I hit my 8 month mark! That's pretty crazy! One of our investigators opened the door and let us in, walked away for a moment, and never came back... she decided then would be a good time to take a shower, I guess ha-ha. Another one of our investigators constantly tells her children when they are misbehaving, "Do you know what time it is? The hospital is...?" And they always reply, "CLOSED!" ha-ha, she has taught them well. I also met NSA retired spies. That's pretty cool ha-ha. I also got to see the Coach from "Meet the Mormons". He's in my Stake. So, basically I'm famous by association, right? 

We saw so many miracles again this week! We picked up a new investigator, a daughter of a less-active sister. She's 10 years old and super crazy, but hilarious. We were over and somehow (because of the Spirit) we were able to teach her about God and get her to open up. Sister Larsen and I knew exactly what to say and whatever she said, I was thinking and vice-versa. That's when you truly know the lesson is being led by the Spirit. The young girl opened up more than ever and asked us to continue to teach her! So we are! She went from being completely uninterested in the church to wanting to know more in one lesson! And she's been so excited to meet with us ever since ;) Miracles, I tell ya! Then we had a great miracle lesson with our investigator Amethyst. She has some things to work through, but she knows this gospel is true. Now she just has to do something about it :) She's awesome. I love her lots and I can't wait to see her progress in the gospel. #miracles - they happen. 

I got to make Tilapia for my companion this week. And she made me a cheeseburger for Valentine’s Day. We ate chocolate and had an indoor picnic to celebrate the holiday. I'd say we're good for each other :) She also said the FUNNIEST THING EVER and I have to quote her. So we were talking about dumb boys we've dated and she said, "The only things that helped me get over him were listening to general conference talks, going to the temple, and Jesus... I mean, Taylor Swift!" My response: "YOU JUST REPLACED JESUS WITH TAYLOR SWIFT!" Ha-ha, it was the funniest thing ever. 

We had Stake conference this weekend where I got to hear from many people including President and Sister Christiansen on Saturday (they're seriously the best). The topic for both days was making the Sabbath a delight, and it's been a pretty hot topic throughout my entire mission. As I was pondering why that would be so important (and it really is important) I was thinking about how Heavenly Father prepares His children. Well, I'm here to tell you, He's preparing us. The time we live in is rough. And it's just getting worse. But God gives us SO many promises and blessings as we dedicate the Sabbath to Him. He's asking us to keep that day holy, so He can protect us and strengthen us throughout the week. Everything He asks us to do is for our own benefit. He wants us Sin-resistant, and He knows that keeping the Sabbath day holy (AND delighting in it! You get to rest from your own labors, for goodness-sake) is an essential part of that. His counsel is perfect. And the leaders of this church, although human, have received Divine inspiration and revelation on what we need right now. Heed their counsel. They know what they're talking about. 

I hope you all have a great week! Stay strong and keep going. Remember, you are loved. 

Scripture of the Week: Alma 26:27

Quote of the Week: "I testify that bad days come to an end, that faith always triumphs, and that heavenly promises are always kept." - Jeffrey R. Holland

Love, 

Sister Humphrey

P.S. No pictures to send this week because my camera decided to have a low battery. I'll send some next week! 

O-town is the Best Town

So, this week was AMAZING! And full of miracles. My companion has been a little sick, so we had to stay in a bit this week, but God provides miracles for us when we go out and work! We had the amazing opportunity of finding FOUR new investigators this week! AND three of them are praying about being baptized in March! How cool is that? Unfortunately we haven't been able to meet with Amethyst, one of our investigators, this week, but hopefully next week. We're praying for her and we know she's ready to change and be baptized, but it might take some time. 

Sister Larsen and I have basically planned our future together as best friends. She's still trying to convince me go to school at BYUI. Still not sure if that would ever happen, but she is hoping! 

Oh, and we got to go to the Temple this week! That has been the HIGHLIGHT of my entire week. There's so much to learn there and I just want to learn it all! But there's also so much peace. And I love to see the temple. I'm grateful for the opportunity I have to go. There is strength and there is power within those walls. I encourage you all to go soon, even if you just sit on the temple grounds. There is peace.

We also have so many less-active who are progressing in the Gospel! They're starting to come back to church and we get to see their lives change! It's the best. Sister Larsen and I have been talking a lot about positive thinking, and about believing in God and we've had such enlightening conversations about it. Positive thinking can bring (some) people out of depression. I've seen it in my own life as well as the lives of others (no that does not mean all people should just talk positively. Some help may be necessary). But by changing our mindset, we can change our lives. It all starts with our thoughts. That's why living the Law of Chastity is about so much more than just staying physically clean. It's about thinking positively and keeping virtuous thoughts in your mind. And there are SO many blessings that come from that! As we've been talking about believing in God, we've discussed many atheist views that we've seen in our own lives and in the scriptures. I don't want to speak too much about this, but as we've studied the scriptures, every single person who tried to persuade others that there was no Christ or God has always admitted that they "always knew there was a God" (take Alma 30:30-52 for example). People get hurt. Life is hard. But there is SO MUCH EVIDENCE of there being a God. Why else would we be on this Earth? His plan is so perfect. And we can see Him everywhere. Unfortunately, some people are hurt so much that it can be hard to see clearly. Many tell me I follow a blind belief, but I know that I see more because I know there is a God; and I know there is a Savior. And that's where true happiness is found. 

If you haven't yet read "Believing Christ" I would encourage you to do so now. Gaining a testimony and letting wounds heal all starts with prayer. Try it out. There's no harm in asking, and I can promise you you'll get an answer. God is just waiting to let you know that He is there. It's no surprise that "ask and ye shall receive, knock and it shall be opened unto you" is repeated in the scriptures so many times. It's an invitation to act. And as we act on that invitation, we receive way more than we could ever ask for. 

There is hope. There is light. There is life. And it's all possible through our Heavenly Father's perfect plan and our Savior's great Atoning sacrifice. This life is amazing, and I hope each and every one of you can feel that love and enjoy those blessings our Father wants to give you. 

I love you all and I pray for you often. I know the greatest happiness can only be found in this Gospel. And I hope you all find that more and more each day.

Quote of the Week: "Have the courage to be a light for others to follow." -President Monson

Scripture of the Week: Matthew 5:16

Stay strong. God is with you. 

Love, 

Sister Humphrey

Oh, and the last two pictures: sister Larsen and I have been obsessed with funny birthday cards. This one was one of our favorites...

Whoop, there it is!

Oh boy. Hello family and friends! It's been a while! So, in case you haven't heard, there was this storm or something called Storm Jonah on the East Coast... let's just say I never want to see snow again. But we survived! Last week the blizzard started on Friday afternoon and it was continuously snowing until Sunday morning. SO MUCH SNOW! Martinsburg was also the hardest hit area in my mission and we got about 35-40" of snow. And I shoveled. Lots. But before the snow hit, we had a miracle and found a new investigator! Her name is Amber and she's so prepared for the gospel! It's been so great in Martinsburg. So many people have become dear friends. I feel like I've actually been able to be an instrument in the Lord's hands as I have worked with these wonderful people. SO many are being brought to the truth and I'm so lucky to be a part of this work. For the first time ever on my mission, a less-active member we were visiting told me about how she felt a difference every time we walked in her home. She described the Spirit to us as we asked her to expand on those feelings. We KNEW without a doubt that we were being instruments in the Lord's hands. We had the Spirit with us. Not because we're perfect. Not because we know everything, but because we were trying hard. We were working and trying to be exactly obedient. And it's because of that, that this sister was able to feel the Spirit in her home. It was so amazing :)

A couple weeks ago we were also blessed with the opportunity to listen to a world-wide missionary broadcast! The theme of this broadcast was "teaching repentance and baptizing converts". For me, teaching repentance used to be a scary thing. I felt like I was being judgmental. But it's not about that. It's about CHANGE! And HOPE. There's so much hope, all hope, because of the Atonement of Jesus Christ and it's because of that amazing gift that we can repent and CHANGE! CHANGE IS POSSIBLE! And that's what I'm declaring to people. And I feel like I'm actually fulfilling the revelation I received to come on a mission in D&C 15 and 16. It's changing me. And I love it. I've noticed the most change occurring in me as I forget about changing myself, but focus on those around me. That's how God works with us. That's how we become better. And it's so amazing.

Miracles are still happening each and every day. So, that was basically two weeks ago + a whole bunch of shoveling and pushing cars out of roads (They even cancelled Church on Sunday because it was so bad. That never happens in Utah). This last week we found out about transfers! Sister Brown and I both left Martinsburg. She's serving in Fort Meade, MD and I got called to serve in Odenton, MD as her Sister Training Leader! And, let me tell you, it's been a blast. Maryland is NOTHING like West Virginia, but it's great in its own way. My area isn't super sketchy at all (especially compared to Martinsburg) and my companion is amazing! We're besties ha-ha. It feels like I've known Sister Larsen forever. And I probably have. She's from Idaho and she's been out for almost 11 months. She only came in, I think, two transfers before me. We talk all night long... literally. I need more sleep. And serving as a Sister Training Leader has been so fun. I was scared when I first got the call, because I thought I wouldn't be enough or what these sisters needed, but I told Satan to go away and realized that it's so totally and completely not about me. I can't do anything without the Lord. Anything. But because of Him, and because of my faith in Him, that's all I need. And it's been the best. I'm seeing so many miracles in Odenton. We're teaching an 18 year old girl, among others, and she's so prepared! She's going to be baptized in February! SO AMAZING! I love this work. I love what I do. This plan is perfect and this gospel is perfect. Never forget that. The Church is true and God is real. That is my testimony.

Scripture of the Week: Moroni 7:33

Quote of the Week: "Some blessings come soon, some come late, and some don't come until heaven; but for those who embrace the gospel of Jesus Christ, they come." -Elder Holland

Love, 

Sister Humphrey

New address is:
448 Placid Ct. Apt M
Odenton, MD  21113

Here Comes the Snow...

So, I've been getting emails from people telling me they didn't get my email two weeks ago. My email says it sent, but here it is again. Lots of things have happened since then, and I wasn't able to email last week due to the snow, but I'll catch you up on everything this week in my group email! I hope this time it sends! I love you all!!

Love, 

Sister Humphrey

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Terilyn Humphrey <terilyn.humphrey@myldsmail.net>
Date: Tue, Jan 19, 2016 at 2:04 PM
Subject: Here Comes the Snow...
To:

In case y'all were wondering, this Friday and Saturday the east coast is expecting the biggest storm they've had in the last 13 years... and I'm going to be stuck right in it. And it's already started to snow. Not excited about that, but at least I have awesome people to freeze with! 

So, this week started off SO GREAT! Last Monday (the 11th), after emailing, Sister Brown and I went to get my watch a new battery and the person fixing it said it'd be about $10. Okay, not a big deal; well, random act of kindness! I'm about to pay and they person said, "No charge for today." What? I probably had the funniest look on my face because I was so confused, but he just said, "I got it." Uhh.... that was awesome! I mean, $10 really isn't that much, but that was a big deal! That man, for reasons unknown to me, served me. Whether he recognized the name on my name tag, or he just decided to be kind, he served me, and, thus, he served our Father in Heaven. That's pretty cool. And it totally started off my week with an attitude of service.

It was funny, that day we were also getting fed dinner and the members who were feeding us are the best :) They're so kind. And the Sister looked at me and said, "Sister Humphrey is looking too skinny right now, so she better eat up all on her plate. I'll be watching..." (which is totally NOT true), but she inspected my plate when we finished eating. I passed. The funny/sad part is, she decided to feed us KFC, and I LOVE KFC, but for some reason the fried chicken was making me feel sick to my stomach... and I had to eat ALL of it. Bad timing. So there's a funny story for ya. 

We had an amazing miracle this week! We found a new investigator! She was taught by missionaries before, but it was just bad timing for her, so now we're teaching her and she's loving it! We're going to answer some of her questions later today and hopefully commit her to baptism! Exciting! 

I also got to see my favorite family from West Virginia this week! The Haddox family came to feed Sister Brown and me at the new Panda Express last Saturday! They're the best. I miss them like crazy! We talked and it totally wasn't long enough! They gave me my very own Mint blue Christmas tree and homemade caramels! And Sister Haddox wore my favorite shoes. They're seriously the best family ever. 

We got to talk with our 12 year old friend we call Sissy! She's going to come to Mutual this Wednesday! And she's still reading the Book of Mormon! Yay! We just have to ask her mom if we can teach her! 

Saturday was #SocialMediaSplit Saturday, so you might see me on Facebook in a few pictures! And on this Social Media Split day, I got to talk with basically the perfect family. They're so awesome. They have all these traditions in their family that they do that allows them to learn the scriptures and grow closer with their Father in Heaven daily. I hope to raise my family like those parents raise theirs. My Mom gave me a pretty good example, too :) 

In a lesson this week I was talking with a certain Sister who felt like she didn't deserve God's love because she hadn't been coming to church. As we talked, she realized that although she felt she didn't deserve it, she still knew she was feeling it. And that just goes to show that God's love is UNCONDITIONAL! Whether you're always doing what you're supposed to or not, He will always love you. As you keep His commandments and follow Him, you receive even more blessings, but He WANTS to bless you and He will always love you as long as He lives (which will be forever, in case you were wondering). So there's that. God loves you. And I hope you can feel it. I encourage you to look for it. His love is evident in our daily lives. He's there. He knows you. And He wants to bless you. 

Lastly, we had a great day yesterday! We didn't get to email because the public library was closed for Martin Luther King Jr. Day, but we did get to go bowling with the Elders, and I got to make my favorite meal at the Martins! Chicken Pillows! So yummy. We might have butchered the recipe, but we did our best from my memory. And it was delicious. Oh, and then I got a perm. So there's that. I guess because we can't be crazy and get tattoos or anything, especially as a missionary, I wanted to be crazy with my hair. I'll attach a before and after picture. It's different! 

Some funny quotes from this week:

"I'd totally be a Mormon if I didn't have to quit coffee. They have attractive men." -from a former investigator who already acts Mormon except for her coffee addiction.

"Wolverine is so attractive..." "Uhh... you're not supposed to be hitting on the members in the ward..." "EW! NO! I said Wolverine from X-men!" "Uh.. who's that?" - A conversation between Sister Brown and me after leaving the house of a member who was watching Wolverine. Sister Brown thought I said the member's name rather than Wolverine. In her defense, I did say it under my breath so no one else would hear it ha-ha.

Oh, and shout out to my parents for having an Anniversary! I'm glad you changed your lives by marrying each other... or else you wouldn't have been blessed with me ;) 

I hope you all had an amazing week! Work hard and never lose hope! Love you! 

Love, 

Sister Humphrey

Winter Decided to Say Hi

It's cold. And I don't like it. But on a positive note, there's no snow yet, and I got funny pictures! So, that's a plus. 

It also just happened to be my 7 month mark yesterday. Weird. I ate a whole bunch of ice cream drumsticks in celebration! Oh, and, Alexis, I asked for them for a family home evening treat we taught last Monday... it's tradition ;) 

So, for the first week of the year, we picked up a new investigator! Linda requested that we meet with here! She's been attending church in Winchester with her boyfriend who works at the temple. They're planning on getting married and she already told us she wanted to be baptized! Golden! I'm super excited for her and the opportunity I have to teach her :) She's a cute grandma-like woman! 

Sissy, the 12 year old we are going to try to teach, has been reading the Book of Mormon before going to bed! She doesn't understand it, but she's reading it! And her Grandma told us why she doesn't come to church anymore. Long story, but basically forgiveness and love will solve the problem (just like it'd solve most problems). Hopefully we'll see her at church next week :) 

The highlight of this week was having interviews with President! He's awesome. I think we spent 90% of the interview talking about deep doctrine stuff and 10% talking about the area, ha-ha. I don't mind. He's awesome and he always knows what to say! I told him he didn't have to make me shotgun-train (which means going into an area with two new missionaries in the area, and one of those missionaries being brand new to the mission) anymore, though; I learned what I needed to learn ha-ha. Hopefully he'll agree with that statement. Training isn't the hard part. I love Sister Brown. But shot gunning is definitely something I never want to do again. I did get to be alone for the first time in forever, though. President gave me permission to just sit in the chapel and read my Book of Mormon and it was just awesome :) 

We saw many miracles about being in the right place at the right time this week, and inspired planning. One example: we were going to meet with a family, but they were about 10 minutes away from home, so we had enough time to walk around the area. Just across their street, a man was working on his car and we asked him if he knew anyone who'd like to learn more about Jesus Christ (which is a non-threatening way to start talking with people), and he just responded with, "Well, I would!" And we were able to talk to him about teaching his family! We'll be going back this week to teach him the Restoration and he seemed so excited! Even though the weeks can be tough sometimes, and it doesn't always seem to work out, The Lord is always watching out for us and preparing people for the message of the Restoration! Another example: we knocked on a door we thought was a member's (because that's his address), but it turned out to be this 24 year old's home and she welcomed us in, talked with us, and said we could come back to teach her about our church anytime! She's been looking for a new church for the last year and it was just perfect timing! So perfect. We'll also try to be teaching her this next week. The truth is mission life is hard, but it's so worth it! Even on the bad days.

So, for the rest of the week, we got to help out at a high school photo-shoot, which brought back lots of photo-shoot memories. Sister Brown tried the Whipped Cream challenge (where you try to flip a blob of whipped cream from your wrist into your mouth by hitting your arm)... and she failed. I got to hold pet rats and one of them peed on me. Men were walking around with no shirts on in 20 degree weather. I learned how to play the saxophone. Met a high security body guard. And drank more peanut butter hot chocolate. 

It was a good start to the year! I love you all and hope you have a great week! I'll be praying for you! 

Shout-out to my Grandma! Happy 86th birthday this Thursday! <3 you!

Shout-out to my friend Ken! Congrats on receiving your endowments! The Temple is the best!

Scripture of the Week: 2 Nephi 2:28

Quote of the Week: "The future is as bright as your faith." -President Monson

Love, 

Sister Humphrey

P.S. my camera ran out of space this week, so you only get a picture with me and a kitty... and a couple from Sister Brown. 

First Day of the Rest of My Mission

It's my mission year! For those of you who don't know, my mission got extended by a month, so 2016 will now be my full mission year!! YAY! And I've officially been out for over 200 days. Craziness. I hope you all had a great new year! Make those resolutions and STICK TO IT! It'll be great :)

This week we got to have Zone Training! President and Sister Christiansen came to feed our zone lunch because we won a contest at the Christmas party! SO MUCH FUN! I love our inspired leaders :) Then we went on exchanges! I went to Hagerstown for the fourth time, and got to be with Sister Blanchard for the second time! I guess Hagerstown really likes me, but not enough to actually have me serve there. Sister Brown and I have really been working on being purpose-focused missionaries, so on exchanges we got some new ideas on how to accomplish that :) We've been talking about the reason for each visit we have and we've been able to see miracles!! We found 7 new people that we will hopefully be able to start teaching this week!!! YAY! Miracles do happen. The work is finally progressing and we will be able to teach more people! Two of those people came to church with their family yesterday and LOVED it! So awesome. 

We got to see our former investigator Tammy again this week. She's now learning about the Plan of Salvation. She's taking things at her own pace, but hopefully she's feeling the Spirit more in her life as she continues to learn. We knocked on the door of a Baptist Pastor the other day and had an interesting conversation with him. He was able to point out the homes of all the Mormons who lived in his neighborhood; that just goes to show how much people watch our actions. But he was very friendly and he even said he'd check out Mormon.org. So, that was cool. We also had a miracle lesson at a less-active's home! We stopped in and her 12 year old granddaughter was there. We call her Sissy. She was asking us a whole bunch of questions about the temple and about what Mormons believe and she was just soaking it up! She wanted her very own Book of Mormon to read (which we gave her) and she wanted to learn more! Now we just have to talk to her mom (who we've met before and she actually likes us) to get permission to teach her. Maybe her mom would like to learn, too :) But Sissy was just amazing. She was so open to learning and by the time we left, we knew she had the Light of Christ in her eyes. I told her that I've been able to find true happiness in this gospel and she looks at me with sincere eyes and said, "This sounds like happiness. I want this." AAHHHH!! YES! Planting seeds and hopefully we'll be able to harvest :) She's awesome. I love that little girl.

For New Year’s Eve, I got to perform at the D.C. Visitors Center at the Festival of Lights! It was so much fun! It's like a miniature Temple Square ha-ha. We even got President Christiansen to take selfies with us! We didn't make it back until midnight, but as soon as we heard those fireworks popping, we opened up our Martinelli's, took a sip, and went to bed :) 

New Year’s day was not a normal proselyting day, but we did get to visit with a few members and enjoy the holiday with them as well as do some service. 

On Saturday we had a miracle lesson with a less-active and her family. I just love her and her family. Seriously, they're the best. We encouraged the girls to come to church on Sunday and help their mom out, because their mom has had to drag them to church, but we had such a good lesson with them and they came to church! And made new friends! The 6 year old twins made friends with a 6 year old named Alexis who came to church for the first time with her mom! So, now they both have even more reason to come back next week :) It's amazing how the Lord works in our lives. There are no coincidences. 

We also had a few amazing lessons with less-actives yesterday, including a couple who invited us to ride in their Camaro (I'll be taking them up on that offer) and in his flight simulator he's working on at work. So that's cool. The people we meet out here are pretty awesome :) That's basically been our week! I'm so excited for next week and what is in store for us and those we teach! Keep looking for those miracles because they're happening! I love you all lots! The Church is true; the Book is blue; God loves YOU! 

Quote of the Week: "When you feel somewhat desperate, when it seems like your prayers aren't answered and the winds still blow, take comfort in the knowledge that He is on the hillside watching. Remember, you might not know that He's watching as you struggle in the boat, but He is on the hillside watching, and He WILL come. But He generally comes after we have done all we can do." - S. Michael Wilcox "When your prayers seem unanswered"

Scripture of the Week: D&C 11:8

Love, 

Sister Humphrey