Leave a Little Sparkle Wherever You Go

I am IN LOVE with Baltimore. No joke. End of story. I'm in love and never leaving. 

A lot happened this week and I literally have no time to tell you all of it. I'm sorry. But I'm going to give you just a little run down. I said goodbye to all of my eternal friends in Odenton. Theresa and her family even bought cake and we had a party on my last night. I'm going to miss that place SO much, but I'll come visit. I promise :) 

I got to meet my new ward. Chesapeake is where it's at! My new companion, Sister Bindrup, is amazing. We're doing a lot of work here just trying to clean things up and find new people to teach! It's a HUGE ward with lots of potential! We even found a new investigator last Friday... speaking of last Friday... I've officially been a missionary for an entire YEAR now. 365 days (plus some). Wow. That's weird and a million things are going through my mind just thinking about it. Time flies by so fast. But, to celebrate, we went to downtown Baltimore, found a dirty and sketchy alley, and threw some glitter to leave some sparkle. Don't worry, I have lots of pictures for y'all this week. It'll be picture overload. Can't celebrate without any glitter! 

Then, on Saturday, it was, like, the best day of my life! AMETHYST GOT BAPTIZED!!! I got to go back to Odenton for her baptism and it was amazing!!! I'M JUST SO HAPPY FOR HER! I will be there the day she goes through the temple, and she'll be getting a mission call one day, I just know it! I'm pumped. I love it. Seeing lives change, especially hers, has been the most rewarding thing on my mission. It's a miracle. She is amazing. I love her. And I can't wait to hear more and more about her journey :)

Sunday was great! We had an awesome meeting with Bishop and his family. The work in this ward is HASTENING! Today we got to meet with our investigator Sandra (even though it's P-day), and got to teach her the Law of Chastity. She just got everything and she's already making those changes in her life to be baptized! I'm so excited for her, too! Oh, and fun fact, this ward is the most diverse ward EVER. There's Brazilians, Africans, Slovenians... just people from ALL over! It's great :) 

Another fun fact: my district leader, Elder Clark, totally went to high school with me... I didn't know him, though. So shout out to Weber High! 

Oh boy, Baltimore is amazing. I love it here. I just feel like I'm go go go all the time and that's the best! I love just working! And it's so much fun here! I'm always laughing. It's seriously the greatest! 

Well, enjoy all of these pictures this week. Life is amazing. People are changing their lives and Christ is changing their hearts. God is so good. 

Love, 

Sister Humphrey

Good Morning BALTIMORE 6/6/16

I have been waiting my entire mission to use that as my subject line. And now I get to :) So, we got the news yesterday that I'll be getting transferred to Baltimore!! I'm just a little excited. I'll be in the Chesapeake ward and I'll be able to go on exchanges with all the Sisters in Baltimore. I'm stoked. It's going to be a blast. We're going to make work happen and see many miracles :) My new companion is Sister Bindrup and she's hilarious. I'm so excited. It'll be her last transfer, so it's likely I'll get to spend at least two transfers in Chesapeake! Woot woot! Oh, and another fun fact, anyone remember Sister Nakata? The sister I went on exchanges with who started her mission in Odenton? So, she's coming BACK to Odenton to finish her mission!!! What?! That's, like, my dream! I pray I get to go back to Harpers Ferry one day. Oh, she's going to see so many miracles :) it's great. 

So, for the rest of the week, we got to have Zone Training. Sister Suda and I instructed on how to be guides as missionaries rather than "sheep herders" (Don't ask me, our Zone leaders gave us the topic). SO that was fun. I was able to relate missionary work back to being a coach and an athlete and that's the best :)  

On Wednesday I saw my first FIREFLY of the year!! Just one, but I flipped out! I can't wait to see more. I love those little creatures. Utah seriously needs them. They just make working in the evening that much better :) We also got to meet with Amethyst many times this last week. Oh, she's just awesome. And... SHE'S GETTING BAPTIZED ON SATURDAY!!! She had her interview with President on Friday and the devil worked really hard to make it not happen, and he's still working really hard on her, so please pray for her. But God is stronger and He made it all happen and she's getting baptized :) And I already got permission from President to go, so I'm stoked :) I just can't wait. She's truly one of those people I KNOW I had to meet. And I'm so grateful that I did. She's going to be a great missionary one day. I can't wait :) 

We also got to celebrate one of Theresa's daughter's birthday with her! She's 7 years old now and they waited for us to come before they sang and cut the cake :) I love that family. I'm truly going to miss them. But Theresa is trying so hard to get to where she knows she needs to be. She's truly changing and I know that Sister Nakata is going to make such an impact on her coming back. Sis. Nakata was the first sister to start teaching her, and I know Theresa will be getting baptized this next transfer. So, I'll definitely be coming back to Odenton for that :) So, another fun fact I found out this week. President and Sister Christiansen had a daughter serve in Jamaica a couple years ago. After talking with their daughter, I found out that she served with my cousin Matt Wilcox in Jamaica! Small world, right? 

So, that's been my week. Pretty fun and exciting! Here's to my first week in Baltimore! I love you all and I pray for you daily. I know that the gospel of Jesus Christ truly has been restored and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is truly HIS church. I know it. And there is so much peace because of it. Life can get hard. It's often times frustrating. But God has a plan. He's in charge. He knows what you need to learn and what you need to experience to become the best person you can be. Let Him guide your life and you will always be in Good Hands. I love Him. I love my Savior. And I'm eternally grateful for this opportunity I have to serve His children, my brothers and sisters. I love this work. There is nothing like it. God is changing hearts and lives. And I get to witness it. I promise this work is happening all around you. Keep looking for His miracles. I love you all!

Scripture of the Week: Moroni 7:41

Quote of the Week: "Each day is a day of decision and our decisions determine our destiny." Russell M. Nelson I want to comment on that quote briefly. I never truly realized how impactful my decisions were until I came out here and realized that it's my decisions, led by the Spirit, which could also change another person's destiny. When life gets hard and you don't know what to do, I'd invite you to look at the bigger picture. Look at the eternal scheme of things. Because this life isn't the end, our decisions don't just affect this life. Do what you need to do to ensure a celestial destiny because that's truly the happiest thing you could ever do.

Love, 

Sister Humphrey

It's a Privilege to Serve

This week has truly taught me that. Each day I get to work, each day I get to serve is truly a blessing and a privilege. My struggles this week have helped me see how privileged I truly am to be serving here in the Maryland Baltimore Mission. I wouldn't have asked for a better way to spend my last (almost) year. I've learned so much and grown so much, but the best part is, is that I've been able to help so much. In the simplest of ways, God has been able to use me, and I am forever grateful for that great privilege. I pray every day for the opportunity to continue to serve and continue to bless. I truly love being a missionary. I love it. There's nothing like it. And I will always remember the time that I've had to serve here. 

So, this week has definitely been a fun one. On Monday I got to do some "shots" full of apple juice or root beer with one of my favorite families here in Odenton. That was a blast. The videos are horrendous. I also got to practice my bowling skills; I scored 121 without bumpers! For those of you who know me well will know that that's an accomplishment. No judgment. 

We also street contacted this entire family (one by one) on separate occasions, and we finally got a number for one of them, so we can finally start teaching them. 'Bout time. I got to go on exchanges with the Spa Creek Hermanas, so I spent 24 hours in Annapolis speaking Spanish with Hermana Dahle. She's awesome. Seriously. I loved learning from her. She just wants to be the best missionary she can be and she's doing it! We also got to see the Blue Angels flying over Naptown for a practice for graduation at the Naval Academy, so that was a bonus. (Be jealous, Lu 😉 )

Then we had ZONE CONFERENCE on Thursday! It was so good :) The Lord blessed me with inspiration for all of our investigators here in O-town and they are truly progressing! Amethyst and Theresa both came to church last Sunday and they're truly changing :) It's been so amazing to work with them. Amethyst will be getting interviewed by President on Friday, and Theresa's still working on baptism. Her date got pushed back again because she wants to be baptized with her kids and due to dual-custody they haven't been able to come to church in a while. They just have to come two more times! But Zone Conference was seriously so good. I love hearing from President and Sister Christiansen. They are truly inspired people. I love them so much! President was also able to give me a blessing for some of my physical ailments, and I can't even describe the power that was in that room. I know God is aware of me. I know everything He does has a purpose. And blessings truly work! The power of God has been given to men to BLESS! To help and to uplift. I am grateful for those men who use that power worthily to bless. It changes lives and gives comfort to those who stand in need of comfort.

It's also been pretty cool this last week seeing so many youth come up and talk with me about serving a mission! I had three young women in my ward talk to me about their desires to serve. Those are amazing youth. And they will be amazing missionaries. Amethyst even expressed a desire to serve a mission!! It's the best decision I've ever made in my life thus far. I wish everyone could serve missions, whether as full-time missionaries or member missionaries, it's the best. 

We also got to go on exchanges with the Kent Island Sisters. I was with Sister Blosch for the third time, but this time we stayed in Odenton; you'd think she'd be sick of me by now, but she still smiles at me ha-ha. And we got trapped in the car with a bee, so let's just say exchanges were pretty interesting ha-ha. I learn so much from these Sisters. I truly do love them and I'm so lucky to be a Sister Training Leader because I learn so much more and I get to build relationships with these sisters in ways that I never would've been able to. For that, I am grateful. 

Oh, and I have to mention the fact that God takes care of not only our spiritual, but also our temporal needs. Sister Suda and I haven't been getting fed as much in this ward and because of that our funds have been pretty low. We have no money and we had no food in the fridge and no dinners for the week. We truly had no idea how we were going to eat this week, but God provided a way. A member called us up who was going out of town for a couple of weeks and practically gave us everything in her fridge. So now my tummy is happy and I've witnessed yet another miracle of God taking care of His missionaries. I love these miracles :) 

I hope you all had a happy Memorial Day yesterday. A whole bunch of us missionaries got to have a huge BBQ and play lots of sports all day. My face is red as a tomato, but I'm still smiling. It was so much fun ha-ha. I love being around all these amazing missionaries. Never in my life have I ever been surrounded by so many amazing young men and women. They are all truly inspiring servants. 

Have a fantastic week and stay cool. I love you all and I'm grateful for your prayers. I truly do feel them, so thank you. 

Quote of the Week: "We truly need Him every hour, whether they be hours of sunshine or rain." - President Monson

Scripture of the Week: D&C 19:23

P.s. Transfer calls are this Sunday. There's a high chance of me being transferred this next week, so, if you are planning on sending mail please either send it today, send it to the mission home (I'll put the address at the end), or wait for my new address. Thank you! 

Maryland Baltimore Mission Office

4785 Dorsey Hall Dr. Suite 105

Ellicott City, MD 21042

Oh, and Sister Suda and I like playing with glow sticks. Enjoy the pictures. 

Love, 

Sister Humphrey

"All This Time"

So, the Britt Nicole song, "All This Time" has been running through my brain for the last couple of days now. All this time God as truly been there and He will continue to be here, not only for me, but for you and for all the people I come in contact with. And the greatest comfort I receive when I feel down because of someone else's pain is that God loves that person much more than I do, so I don't have to worry. He's in charge and He's working in their lives. And that gives me so much hope.

And that's just what I love about the gospel. Hope. That's what I came out here to teach and to share and that's just what God is letting me do. It's truly a great thing. The highlight of the week: KAITLYN GOT BAPTIZED!!! Finally :) The day came; everything ran smoothly; the ward was phenomenal helping out; and she was confirmed yesterday :) God is good. I know the Gift of the Holy Ghost is truly going to help her. Kaitlyn has been through so much in her short little life. Much more than any 10 year old should ever have to go through, but now she has the Holy Ghost as her constant companion and that's going to be the greatest gift she could ever have :) Isn't it amazing!? Pictures will definitely be attached. 

Tree's been having a rough week this week. She's just been through so much, but she's a tough woman. Her heart is so broken and she's been so hurt, but the Atonement heals without a scar. It truly does. I know it because I've felt it. I just wish I could help her feel it more and more. Please pray for her. She needs it. Her baptismal date has to be pushed back because of some conflicting schedules and such, but she still wants it. And as long as she has a desire, she can do it! But she needs a lot of help; help that God can only give her. 

We also got to go on exchanges with the Broadneck sisters this week. I got to stay in Odenton with Sister Nakata. She started her mission in Odenton and she was one of the first missionaries to start teaching Theresa a year ago, so it was really neat to see how much she did as a missionary in Odenton after a year. She got to see so many miracles when she came and I loved being a part of it. You never really know the impact you make in people's lives, but sometimes you get a glimpse when you get to come back after time. It just makes me want to work harder and harder and just tell everyone about the gospel all the time! It's so cool :) 

This week we also had Missionary Leadership Counsel where we got to learn about new things we're doing as the Maryland Baltimore Mission to help the work progress. It's pretty cool because we get to see all these statistics, and the work is truly hastening! President received revelation that our mission could double the baptisms from previous years when he first became the President of the MBM. In order to do that, and baptize every other month, we, as a mission, have to find 2 new investigators per companionship per week. And our mission is getting better and better at doing that, and as a result, our baptisms are increasing and increasing! HOW COOL IS THAT!? Leadership meetings are always just my favorite; we get to visit with and learn from President and Sister Christiansen. And we get Cafe Rio for lunch, so there's that. That was basically my week. Exchange, leadership meeting, and baptism. It's been fun :) Oh, and I got bit by a parrot. Those birds are mean. Watch out. 

Just know that God is always aware of you. He truly is. And nothing that you could ever do would keep Him from loving you. If you already have a testimony of that, share it. You have no idea who is around you that needs to hear it. If you haven't yet gained that testimony, that's okay. Pray about it. Ask God if He's really there. I can promise you in His own timing, your answer will come. But you have to be willing. You have to be open. And you have to act on your answer you receive. He won't answer you until you're ready to listen and act. That's always been His pattern. I love you all and I know God loves you even more.

Shout out to my little sister who is graduating tomorrow!! And shout out to my oldest sister who is having a birthday tomorrow!

Love you!

Quote of the Week: "When you are on the Lord's errand, you are entitled to the Lord's help. The Lord shapes the back to bear the burdens placed upon them." -President Monson

Scripture of the Week: Ephesians 6:13

Love, 

Sister Humphrey

#GodIsGood

God is Good. That's basically my life right now. He's always good. But He's being extra special nice right now. 

We got to go on exchanges with the Fort Meade Sisters and I was lucky enough to have Sister Brown with me in Odenton! Oh, she and I have the best adventures! We got hit on by 3 men smoking weed... found some anti-Mormon material, took it (it was for the greater good; like how Nephi had to kill King Laban to save generations), and shred it (a member of the bishopric approved). Umm... we did our best to stay out of a street fight (we succeeded in avoiding it by hiding). We went dumpster-diving for Sister Suda's name tag (and found it). And we put two of Theresa's kids ON DATE for baptism on June 4th with their mom!!!! YAY! So, Theresa, Olivia and Destini (the two daughters) are all now on date for June 4th and they all came to church yesterday! Woot woot! That's what's up. Sister Brown is a miracle worker :) Adventure just follows her. 

I learned that an easy way to get a crazy household quiet is to recite the First Vision. I did that at Theresa's house, because Destini wanted me to share it with her mom and there was lots of noise and craziness before it, but before I could get halfway through it, everything was quiet, the Spirit was there, and everyone was listening. Whoa. There's no way that experience could NOT be true! 

Theresa, Olivia, and Destini all got to try on their "angel suits" for their baptism as well. Pictures will be attached :) They're adorable :) 

And my HUGE miracle for the week:

Do y'all remember Amethyst? I haven't mentioned her for a couple months because we lost contact with her... But we got a miracle text from her on Thursday! We immediately called her after I finished screaming for joy. We met with her and she has completely cleaned up her life. She's living the commandments! She's received the help that she needed and she's been so clean and good for about a month now! We met, retaught her the Restoration, and she accepted the invite to be baptized on June 4th as well!!!!!! SHE'S GETTING BAPTIZED!!!! I've been praying so hard for her and God has taken care of her. He will always take care of His children, especially His girls. She came to church for the first time yesterday and LOVED it! I just can't stop smiling.

Near the end of this week, I was just thinking about all the miracles I've been able to witness in just this short little time. And I thought to myself, "all the bad, all the disappointments, all the pain, it's ALL worth it. It's all worth it." I truly am amazed at how little God asks of us. There are really hard weeks. There are really hard days and hours and sometimes even months or years. Life is not easy. BUT IT'S ALL WORTH IT! Every pain, struggle and tear creates joys beyond comprehension. I would live my worst weeks over and over again just to see Amethyst, Kaitlyn, Theresa, Olivia, and Destini baptized this transfer. And I'm not just saying that. The hard days don't even compare to the depth of joy I have on the good days. That's what I'm learning out here. No matter how hard it is, the good days always make up for it. Every single time. They don't just make up for it, though. They overfill it. The joy far outweighs the pain. All because God, my very own Heavenly Father, your Heavenly Father, loves me. He loves you. And He is aware of each of His children, whether they want to be aware of Him or not. Oh, God is good.

Kaitlyn is getting baptized this Saturday. Four more souls will be getting baptized this transfer. Our other investigators' hearts are softening and they continue to grow as they learn. I think God gives us these days that are just amazing to help you know that it really is all worth it. No matter how much pain I'm in, stress I'm having, disappointments I receive, I am where I know I need to be. And I'm happy. I pray God lets me stay here longer. I'm grateful for each day I get to serve here, and I hope I never take it for granted. My days as a missionary are numbered, but the lessons I learn here will go on through eternity. And, thankfully, God magnifies our callings and exceeds our abilities as long as we just try. God is just SO good. 

Oh, and remember Patrick? The oil change guy? He's getting baptized on the 28th and he requested that Sister Larsen and I be there. #BaptismsEveryWeekend!!! 

Also, Sister Suda and I spent the day in Annapolis today. We totally did the 6lb shake challenge again with some other sisters. Enjoy the pictures :) Annapolis holds my heart. I seriously want to live here one day. Just sayin'. 

Quote of the Week: "Don't get discouraged. Things will work out." -Gordon B. Hinckley

Scripture of the Week: 3 Nephi 24:3

Love, 

Sister Humphrey

Sis. Brown and I shredding a book. Sister Brown. Olivia. Destini. Theresa. Kyra took my camera. Sis. Suda and Kiera, Amethyst and I. DTN Annapolis. Sister friends. That shake is bigger than my head. Sis. Sudan and I. Chuggin it. We did it! License plate for Alexis and Cameron (Sorry, I didn't buy them...).