Bring Them Home

Oh my goodness where to begin! This week has been amazing! So, I've officially been out on my mission for three months now. That's weird. I feel like I've always been a missionary, but I'm never going home. I've accepted it haha. And, I had the opportunity to watch all the "12 Steps to Recovery" videos on mormonchannel.org CHECK THEM OUT! Oh my gosh, they are amazing. They are new videos about the Addiction Recovery Program and I can't stress to you enough about how life-changing they are. Those videos and that program are going to help so many people. I can't even imagine! THERE IS HOPE! There's always hope, and that's what those videos and the ARP help people realize. So that was awesome. 

Unfortunately at the beginning of the week, Sister Bench and I got a nasty phone call from a random number cussing us out and telling us we need to practice what we preach. It was pretty bad. But all I felt for this guy was sorrow. Not for myself, because deep down I know he wasn't yelling at me, but at who I represent, but I felt so sad for him! Sad that he'd been hurt so badly that he felt the need to yell at two young girls. Sad that he doesn't have the peace in his life that is available to him. It really put things into perspective. People are hurting. They see our examples and they watch how we, as Latter-day Saints, act. If we aren't acting as Latter-Day Saints, many people will blame the entire religion and then they miss out on all this truth and happiness! Now, I'm not saying we need to be perfect people, because that's just not possible. And I'm not saying that it was any person's fault for the actions and pain of this man or any others that might discriminate those in the church, but it does show how far our simple daily actions go. I hope we can all be a little kinder and serve a little more after hearing about this experience. I hope I can better represent my Savior in my actions every day of my life for the rest of my life, so that when people look at me and how I live, they will see the Savior reflected in my life. And I hope that through me, people will come to know Him. 

So, I ate Lobster for the first time ever at a ward activity. That was interesting. The preparation it takes to eat one burns more calories than the lobster is actually giving us haha. But it's been fun. And Sister Bench and I washed over 200 potatoes for this activity. No joke. My hand was cramping, but it was totally worth it! This is how we serve haha. And I met this lady while street contacting whose father has President Gordon B. Hinkley's signature in his Bible! How cool is that!? 

Breakfast in Annapolis (we got to Annapolis two hours early...)! So, we had the AMAZING opportunity of hearing from an APOSTLE OF THE LORD! Elder Quentin L. Cook came to Annapolis and requested to speak to all of us missionaries in the Maryland Baltimore Mission :) SUCH AN AMAZING EXPERIENCE! We welcomed him, his wife, and Elder Gerard of the 70 into the room by standing and singing "Called to Serve" with our mission song in the 3rd verse. So cool :) He tried to sing along to our third verse, but, obviously, he didn't know it because it's specific to our mission haha. He laughed at his efforts, though. Then, something amazing happened. Elder Cook requested to shake the hands of every single missionary! Elder Cook and Elder Gerard stood at the front and I got to go up and shake their hands and hear some words of encouragement. What an amazing opportunity. And I never knew how funny Elder Cook really was until I met him! Ha, he's hilarious :)

Elder Cook left a blessing on our mission, which was exactly what I needed to hear. AND we got to witness the Spirit working on an Apostle. After he shared his message with us, he sat down and we sang the closing song. Right before the person was about to say the closing prayer, he stood back up and told us that the Spirit kept prompting him to share a quick story and he specifically told us that we need to focus on ages 17-25... If an apostle is telling you to focus specifically on something (especially after he already gave his talk) you better listen to it! So, Sister Bench and I are on the lookout for some prime investigators! We're pretty excited! He also told us that "we are the message." We, as Latter-Day Saints, not just the missionaries, are the message of life and happiness and love to all those who will listen. Our actions and our light will be what people will notice and want. We have to live it to share it and we have to share it to live it. Remember people, YOU are the message. YOU have the power to change lives. The Lord will help you in your efforts. BRING THEM HOME! These people all around you are your brothers and sisters. They lived with you before this life. They are your family and they're just waiting for the way back home. You know how to get there. You know what they need. Help bring our brothers and sisters home. That is the greatest work anyone could ever do in this life. I know this to be true. I know it with all my heart and soul. Nothing is more important than bringing families, including your own, back home to our Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. I can't stress that enough. Please, help bring them home to the safety, comfort, and love of our God and Savior. "The time will come when you will recognize how significant your contribution really is." -Elder Cook. 

So, aside from the Spiritual High that I'm on right now, we had some fun in Annapolis, too :) I hope I get to serve there some day :) We went to Chick and Ruth's (the famous place on Meet the Mormons) after the meeting and I got to meet the owner and twelve pounds of ice cream later, we had nine fat missionaries haha. The Charles town sisters, Spanish elders, and Sister Bench and I ordered two "6 Pound Shakes," chocolate and Cookies and cream, and we ate it all within 30 minutes! WE ATE 12 POUNDS OF ICE CREAM. Yes, pictures will be attached. Oh it was so good. 

So, that was some of my week. SO great. I love being a missionary. I hope all of you, one day, will have the opportunity to serve a mission. If I've learned only one thing so far, I learned that this mission is far from a sacrifice. It's a blessing 100%. I love it. 

I hope you have a great week! Email me some miracles and different missionary opportunities you've had! This is my last week in this transfer, so I'll let you know next week if I get to stay in Harpers Ferry!  

Picture #1 this is what happens when two young adult girls go grocery shopping. 

Love, 

Sister Humphrey

The Power of Prayer

Another great week flying by! I don't have much time today, so bear with me. I'll be jumping around a bit. 

So, this week talked with a lady that's been hiking the Appalachian Trail that runs through Harpers Ferry for the last 4 1/2 months now: Life goal. I'm totally doing that one day. You in, Lu? Super cool. 

So, you know you're a missionary when you get excited over making cute planner covers and getting return appointments with random strangers and talking with as many people as possible. #IDon'tNeedaBoyfriend #IjustNeedaBaptism haha. And because of PRAYER and FASTING, WE HAVE TWO NEW INVESTIGATORS!!!! Yes! They're solid :) So solid. I'm so excited. They have so many questions and they're just awesome. Talk about a miracle. 

And a recent convert we've been working with, whom we love oh so much, told us that she loves having us over more than other missionaries because she feels like she actually learns something every time we meet with her. #JustDoingOurJob. It feels nice to know that our efforts are paying off. AND Sister Bench and I have set some pretty crazy goals for the month of September in prayer and faith. We are striving for 3 baptisms this month! And one baptismal invite each day, as well as 2 new investigators each week! SO FAR SO GOOD! The Lord is blessing us immensely. We have much to learn each day. 

Another highlight of the week. A recent convert family just had their youngest daughter's baptism last Saturday! They asked me to speak on the Holy Ghost and I think it went well... I mean, I haven't heard otherwise, so hopefully. She's so cute :) I got pictures! Such a great family! And we got to do a whole bunch of service fixing up this old home for a family in the ward (whose children I'm in love with. Seriously, they're my best friends). I wouldn't be surprised if, come the end of my mission, I find out that I'm on my mission for these kids here. For the youth. I mean, I'm sure there are other reasons and I'll likely never know all of them, but one of them is definitely for the youth. I love them. This next generation will have to face SO many challenges, and I commend all those parents out there who are trying their very best; those kids are special. 

Oh, so one of my investigators just got a brand new kitten.... I am IN LOVE with her! We named her Sarah and all we did during our lesson (aside from teach) was play with that kitten. She's adorable. Just love her. Yes, I took a picture. 

Last miracle for the week. MICHAELA! My best friend Michaela came to visit me at church this Sunday! She seriously made my day. And she's just amazing!  She's my favorite. Seriously, I love this missionary thing. It's such a privilege. In ways I just can't describe.

Quote of the week: "Fight all your battles on your knees and you will win every time."

Ha, so Sister Blanchard, a sister in my district, said this and I'm totally quoting her. If you are/were a missionary, you'll laugh at this. She said, "Do you ever just look around you and think 'these are my friends?'" HA, yes. These missionaries are my friends. I don't know how I should feel about that.

Other quotes from this week:

"Heavenly Father will guide us when we are on the journey." -Bishop

"I looked at the stars and despite all the advancements by men, scientists haven't been able to make a star. That's when I know there had to be a God." - The Ensign

"In order to stay active in the church after your mission, you have to look for the miracles in your life EVERY day!" - Bro. Miller

"Even if you're not willing to be there for Me, let me be there for you." -My impression from the Holy Ghost

"When you are afraid, the Lord will take you by the hand and lift you up." -Sis. Hoffman.

"Get out of the way and let the Lord take care of you." -Bro. Lassen

"Agency is God's Greatest gift to man." and that's what Satan is always trying to take away; that's what he continues to try to take on Earth today-that's why there are so many addictions and other problems. We can choose our actions, but we can't choose our consequences and some consequences take away our agency.

"Agency is the impelling [driving] source of the soul's progress. It is the purpose of the Lord that man become like Him. In order for man to achieve this, it was necessary for the Creator first to make him free." -David O. McKay

P.S. Another miracle I just found out about: We get to listen to Elder Quinton L. Cook this Saturday in Annapolis! I get to go to Annapolis and listen to an Apostle!!!! WOOT WOOT! 

So, the pictures; I got to stick my feet in the river (which is the backyard of some members' home. So totally not fair. It's my dream backyard. They go boating all the time.) and there's a pet pig that came and snotted on me. 

I love you all! I'd love to hear from you :) 

Love, 

Sister Humphrey

Another Great Week in Harpers Ferry!

We've had a couple miracles this week! We're going through our potential and former investigators list and contacting as many as we can; so, this week we were able to get two solid return appointments with some potentials and they both seemed genuinely interested, so hopefully we'll have at least two more investigators next week! Last week we were in downtown Harpers Ferry during our preparation day, so that was fun! We had some yummy chocolate éclair ice cream and it was amazing! And there's this store full of "old" candy and it's just amazing! I'm totally going back and buying everything. Seriously. 

There was this teaching opportunity we had last Tuesday with one of the members and we watched the "Lift" video (if you haven't watched it yet, do it!) and we could feel the Spirit SO strong! The Holy Ghost was really giving me some guidance and He helped me understand why our Heavenly Father wants us to serve so much. He wants us to serve because when we serve, our hearts are opened up to more of God's children and we are then able to feel bits and pieces of God's love for them. God wants us to serve, so we can become more like Him, by loving His children as He does. I know that probably makes no sense at all, but it was such a great experience. I love these people here, and I know that's just been a blessing from God.

So, thanks to my awesome little sister Alexis, I was able to listen to Al Fox Carraway and Hank Smith speak on Friday and Saturday last week! We went to the Frederick Maryland Stake Center on Friday and the D.C. Visitors Center on Saturday with some amazing people! The H's came with us on Saturday and we had a fantastic time with them! They fed me pizza :) Haha, and the Spirit was so strong during those presentations! And their daughter drew me this thank you card that is absolutely adorable and I'm keeping it forever. 

Some highlights and quotes from this week:

"Pray to Heavenly Father like it all depends on Him; works as though it all depends on you."

"A personal testimony of the Gospel and the Church is the most important thing you can EARN in this life." - Dieter F. Utchdorf (Testimonies don't come for free!)

"God will speak to you in dreams, visions, thoughts and feelings. He will speak in a way that transcends human experience." -Dieter F. Utchdorf

Some things I've learned from Al this week: If you just "really try," you will find yourself in places you never could have imagined. God will help make you who He knows you can be. Just by trying, I can be an influence in someone's life that could change it for eternity, and so can you. Just keep going. Just keep trying. Hard times will always be there, but so will Christ. "Embrace the unexpected knowing that He is guiding you." 

GO READ Alma 56:46! SO AWESOME!

Some things I've learned from Hank Smith this week: 1-He was in Roy, Utah Thursday (That's just a fun fact haha). 2- There's apparently 9 different descriptions of Joseph Smith's First vision, 4 of which come from Joseph and 5 by people who listened to Joseph describe it- All of which tell the same thing: The Father and The Son came to earn and called Joseph Smith to be the first prophet of the Restored Church. 

3- A testimony has to be earned. One cannot simply get a testimony. It's earned by reflection, church attendance, scripture reading, scripture pondering, prayer, overcoming opposition, and time. Light comes gradually, just as the sun rises. 

I know that God has given me too much- I am not going to give up on Him now. 

A person with an EXPERIENCE is NEVER at the mercy of a person with an opinion.

Defend your experiences. Defend your testimony. One person's opinion cannot shake what you know to be true and what you've experienced for yourself. I encourage you all to have your own Sacred Grove experience. Find out for yourself if Joseph Smith was a prophet. Ask Heavenly Father. We must obtain from God that which man cannot give; or take away. Work for the day when you can say, "I cannot be shaken." I know you all can do it. I know Heavenly Father will answer all your prayers. Life is hard, and Satan attacks even harder when you're about to make a difference. Don't let Him stop you. Don't let him win. You can work miracles in your own life as well as the lives of those around you. I know that to be true. I know the Book of Mormon is true. 

THIS CHURCH IS TRUE! Now go and tell somebody ;)

I love you all and I'm so grateful for all the love and prayers that I'm receiving from you. You are all truly children of God and He is looking out for you. I hope you have a great week! Send me some miracles this week from home! 

S/O to little Ali Hovey for having a birthday! I miss you cute girl!

S/O to Uncle Jim for also having a birthday! 

S/O to Alexis for telling me about Al Fox and Hank Smith- they made my week! 

Love, 

Sister Humphrey

O's Game!!!

SO MUCH TO TELL! There's just so much amazing things this week and I have such little time to share it all! Not fair. So, the beginning of our week started with ZONE CONFERENCE! It was my first one yet and it was super amazing! President and Sister Christiansen came to talk with us and we set up some amazing goals as a zone for the month of September! We're going to try to reach 24 baptisms! That's SO much for this little area, but we know that this is what the Lord is looking for. This is His work and this is what He wants, so we are going to do all we can to reach this goal. Sister Bench and I have set a goal for 3 baptisms in the month of September, and we're working like crazy to achieve it! One of our investigators is almost on date! Such a good discussion yesterday and he told us he could feel the Spirit and he KNEW he was going to be baptized; it's just a matter of when now. So basically Zone Conference was amazing and I can't wait for more. Some quotes from Zone conference: "We made a promise when we accepted our call to give it 100%. There is no other calling so consecrated as being a missionary. We give it all to God and He will bless us for that." 

"Our lives are patterned by our faith in Jesus Christ."

"If we have more faith, we will have more success!"

"Proceed in faith and do your best, knowing that He will help you." 

Always remember to "doubt your doubts before you doubt your faith" (-Dieter F. Utchdorf). 

So cool. Basically this week was just so fun. We did have some pretty sad news about one of our potential investigators and her family, but we just keep praying that their hearts will be softened and one day other missionaries will find them and they'll be able to enter the waters of baptism like they expressed they wanted. One day. But other than that we had lots of good lessons and so much FOOD! Has anyone ever tried Lychee? It’s this Chinese fruit and it’s super weird! I ate it and it tasted like a really juicy carrot and it just freaked me out! I'll post a picture of it later... it looked like an eyeball. Gross. But we did have a yummy authentic Chinese meal with one of our amazing members! So good! I love Chinese food! And we had another awesome lesson with the H family! One of my favorites, yet again! They took us out to eat at Brother's Pizza after the lesson. SO good. My belly was super happy. I love pizza. And I love that family. They are my kind of people! haha. Oh, and I watched this Youth Mormon Message the other day called "Strive". I encourage ALL of you to watch it! So awesome! I think it's my new motivational video haha. 

ORIOLES! So, this last Friday, all of the missionaries got to go to an Orioles Baseball game for Mormon Night! SO COOL! They lost by one point, but, let's be real, none of the missionaries were actually paying much attention to the game. We were all too busy talking with all the other missionaries, our mission President and his Wife, and eating junk food. We were out until about 1 in the morning and it was just a blast! I got to sit with my dear Sister Hart and Sister Bench the entire game and we just had so much fun! Pictures will be posted ;) We even had a couple girls we didn't even know ask to take their picture with us just because we were missionaries. So, if you see a picture of Sister Hart and I on Facebook with two cute girls, you'll know where it came from. I love being a missionary :) And it's all because of the person I represent, the One I wear on my name tag, my Brother and Savior, Jesus Christ. He's the reason why all this work happens. He's the reason why my job, though exhausting, is so much fun and so important. He is the one who keeps me going when things get tough. I love my Best Friend. 

After the Orioles game we had a quickly planned exchange with our Sister Training Leaders! I went to Hagerstown, Maryland on Saturday and Sunday with Sister Moore while Sister Bench stayed in Harpers Ferry with Sister Sirrine. So fun. Completely unexpected, but we both learned so much. I got to go to the Temple Visitors center yet again while I was on this exchange and it was just an amazing time full of learning. I think that's all I have to report on this week, so I'll wrap it all up.

I just want all of you to know how much I love you. You're great people and I can see your example in the lives of those around you. People watch who you are and how you act. I encourage you all to help those people who are watching see Jesus Christ in your actions. Help them know which direction you face. I know that as you strive to be better each and every day and as you simply try your best, through the grace of God, He will make you who you are destined to be. He has so much in store for each and every one of you who read this email/blog. He loves you more than you can ever imagine, even if you don't feel as if He's there. He's always reaching out for you; sometimes all you have to do is turn to face Him. I love you SO MUCH! You're awesome. I know these things are true. I bear you that testimony in the name of Jesus Christ, our Brother and Savior, Amen.

"Most of life is Plan B." -former-President Richards

"Get on your knees and plead with the Lord to guide you by the Spirit. You will see a difference."

"He that findeth his life shall lose it: and he that loseth his life for My sake shall find it."

"You were not sent to this Earth to play small; to shrink; to fail; you were destined to make a difference." 

Love, 

Sister Humphrey

Ps. Sorry for the picture overload. Hope you enjoy anyway ;) My companion is just too cute not to share. 

Transfer #2

Second transfer! Wow! This mission is just flying by! Sisters get a total of 13 transfers, and I'm already on #2! And I'm still in Harpers Ferry, which is such a great blessing! I love it here. The people are so nice and this ward is just amazing! LOVE IT! 

So, this week was crazy busy. We had another lesson with my favorite family (Other than you, mom) The H's and we did trust fall exercises with their daughter to teach her about having faith in Jesus Christ. Super fun :) I have three quotes from her this week! Ready? Okay, "I'm so excited to learn the Gospel, so that I can accept it and then live in the Celestial Kingdom forever!" and "So, Sister Bench... Is she like a bench? Literally? Like, can we sit on her?" (By the way, Sister Bench is my new companion and I LOVE HER!) And, lastly, "Is Satan part of my family?" 

"Yes."

"Oh.... Great... *sarcasm included*"

I LOVE THAT GIRL! She cracks me up every day! Hahah, I don't know what I'd do without her. After our lesson, the H's took us out to Sweet Frog for frozen yogurt! Am I spoiled or what? Seriously. I couldn't have asked for friendlier people. 

Then, on Tuesday, we went out for Ice Cream at Nutters, this old Ice cream shop where a giant "kiddie" ice cream cone is less than $2 and super huge. It was delicious and I think it's my favorite ice cream place ever. You'll have to go sometime! So good! And we all know how much I love my ice cream. We also had our Open House farewell party for Sister Lawrence. My Bestie Michaela came and we had such a fun party. More ice cream and fruit and good company.

Transfer meeting was this Wednesday! We had SO many missionaries leaving! Which made it possible for about 4 (I think) of the Elders that came out with me to train some new missionaries, even though they haven't finished their 12 week training themselves! Good luck to them. But I got to meet my new companion and let me tell you, she's the bomb. I couldn't have asked for a better follow-up trainer. She's sarcastic like me, and I don't have to worry about being myself at all. She's just awesome. This transfer is going to be amazing and I bet we'll be together for at least another transfer. She only has 3 transfers left (including this one) so she'll probably "die" in Harpers Ferry, which is the best place to "die" because everyone is so supportive. Oh, and get this, she's an Athletic training major just like me, but she's doing it at BYU. You never know... she just might convert me to that crazy blue school. It'd be so much fun to go to BYU with her, though. We'll see. 

This last Saturday was #SocialMediaSplit Saturday! So look for me under the hashtag #socialmediasplit #Baltimoremission We got a total of SEVEN social media splits! YAY! And to end the week, we had TEN less-actives at Sacrament meeting! WHAT! That's unheard of! The Lord is definitely watching out for Harpers Ferry. I just love this area and I love my mission. I'm learning so much about other people, and about myself. Although times can be hard, this is definitely such a blessing. A mission is NOT a sacrifice; it's a blessing on so many different levels. My family is receiving Miracles; I'm seeing miracles every day, and the people in Harpers Ferry are being blessed continually, despite their struggles. I love this Gospel. I know it's true with every fiber of my being. There's no way I could doubt this. I want to encourage you all to look up the Mormon Message "Testimony of the Book of Mormon" by Elder Holland. SUPER GOOD! It just shows how completely true the Book of Mormon is. It's not some made-up book by some man who wanted to get rich or famous. It's the Word of God, end of question. Remember to doubt your doubts before you doubt your faith and always hold fast to the truth that you know. Heavenly Father answers your prayers. I've been able to find several answers this past week just as I've been studying the Book of Mormon. Often times those answers aren't easily recognizable, but they're always there. I know this Church is True and I can't wait to share this knowledge with everyone I meet. I hope you all have a great week and work hard to bring some happiness and truth to the lives of all those you come in contact with! Love you all!

"A laugh together unites us. A moment of sharing refreshes our souls. We cannot always lift the burden of one who is troubled, but we can lift her so she can bear it well." -Elaine L Jack.

Love, 

Sister Humphrey

My District. Arabic Book of Mormon we gave to someone who spoke Arabic. Giant Spider at Holly's. My Beautiful companion. And Slurpees, because what else would we eat for dinner?