Transfer 11 Week 4

Holy night, guys. Can I just tell you what an AMAZING WEEK we've had???? We worked ourselves to the bone, literally collapsing in exhaustion at the end of the day, only to wake up, still tired, with a day full of lessons. We humbled ourselves before the Lord this past week, gave up some vices, and BAM we were blessed. We went from averaging 11-13 lessons a week to 18!!! We would've had 19, but one cancelled last minute. This next week we have 2 new potential people to teach and a possibility of having 20+ lessons!!!!! HARD WORK PAYS OFF!!! Speaking of work...

We were at a sweet less-active lady's house this week, reading Alma 34, and the concept of work just hit my brain. Jeffrey R Holland said that salvation was not a cheap experience for Christ. Why should it be for us?? We have to WORK for our salvation--and work hard!! We have to do the seemingly little things, which aren't little at ALL!!! One of my Zone Leader's father said that any two good people in the best of circumstances can fail by not attending church, praying, and reading their scriptures. HOW TRUE!!! Our sweet Jacqui told us on Wednesday that she was having serious doubts. I was prompted to ask her how her scripture study was going, to which she answered "uhh...." and I replied, "that's the only answer I need!" She said that she had been reading since she had the doubts, and I asked her if she reading leading up to the doubts. Again, she said no. I told her that she will have doubts as long as she doesn't do what she's supposed to. I was pretty bold as well--one of her fears is going inactive once she gets baptized. I straight up told her that if she didn't live the commandments, she would. But as long as we're doing what we're supposed to, Satan will have less power over us. He only has the power we give him, and we give it to him by not reading the Book of Mormon and not being in communication with our Father in heaven. MAN!!! What a simple thing we're supposed to follow. How much smoother our lives would be if we all took time to read out of the Book of Mormon so we can more fully have the companionship of the Holy Ghost with us!!

Jacqui is downright amazing, though. We have some hurdles with her to jump, but God puts them there not to make us trip, but to challenge our strength and faith in Him. We can leap over them. We're here to guide her and help her, along with the spirit. I'm just so in love with this work and what it does for me. I've never been more exhausted emotionally and physically at the end of every day, yet when my head hits the pillow I'm smiling, excited for what the day ahead of me has.

Today in District Meeting we focused on the Atonement and the parts that justice and mercy play in that. Justice is the fact that we must answer to every deed we do on this earth, good or bad. Mercy is the fact that Christ has already paid the price if we choose to accept it. The atonement covers all things. Nothing could shock the Lord in the degree of sins. I've had the humbling experience of meeting so many different people from different walks of lives--lives you couldn't even imagine. And it's amazing what the gospel can do to heal each one of them. Prime examples are those we've been teaching here in Reno. Each one of the people we're teaching have problems, some way more severe than others. And yet they each find comfort and peace in the Atonement. Partially because every time we sin we distance ourselves from God just a little more, weakening our spirit. Folks who don't know about the gospel may not recognize the weight of the burden, but we all carry it. What burdens are we bearing now, not realizing it? Through the Atonement, though, we can have those burdens of sin removed. It's completely possible. It's so refreshing, too. How amazing is our Savior? He's paid the price for EVERYTHING!!! That way our Heavenly Father can have justice whilst we get the mercy. We are so lucky to have a loving Father and Savior.

I also got amazing letters this week, probably my favorites ever. My mom sent me letters that my dad had written as a missionary and that my grandparents had written as missionaries in Hawaii. Being able to read their excitement though it happened 23 and 31 years ago was incredible. I am so thankful for the example of those who have gone before me. I treasure those letters just as much as I treasure the Book of Mormon.


Y'all, this church is true. I can promise you that YOU can know. For yourself. You really can. And even if you think you already know, I challenge you to know again. Gain a witness all over again. Read the Book of Mormon and pray about it with a sincere heart. That's all you have to do. Read it, and God will tell you. You may just feel peace in your heart. You may get tingles, or feel warm. You may just feel love, or comfort. But you will know. I promise you.

I love you, each and every one of you.

Love love love,
Sister Mack

some pictures!!!

1- Reno Zone at Lake Tahoe
2- Me wearing fur boots and holding Gracie, the 20 lbs cat in Virginia Highlands
3- Fourth of July Parade Leaders with...Uncle Sam?

1- Reno Zone on top of some mountain in Stead
2- Us on some random couches in the middle of nowhere!!

Transfer 11 Week 3

SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO many things to write, but not enough time to write them all!!! I'll do my best.

We had a great week this week. Can I just start off with Calvin's baptism and how grateful I am to be a part of the greatest work in the entire world???? Legit. I'm so thankful for everything. I was a little stressed about the baptism, seeing as we were expecting SO many people (70 showed up). We arrived with the font FULL of cold, gross water. So, I pulled up my skirt a tad and entered the font to pull the plug. It took 30 minutes to get it mostly drained, and then we filled it back up. The little complications of baptisms!!! But as soon as I saw Calvin and Tanner Chatterley in their whites I just wanted to lose it. We have all worked SO hard for so long for this!! Calvin really is my miracle boy. I'm so proud of him. During the opening prayer my heart was filled with gratitude for being a part of this work. I struggled with controlling the tears as Connor, one of Calvin's friends, gave an amazing talk on Baptism, sharing the experience he had when we all watched the Joseph Smith movie back in March. And then as Calvin and Tanner entered the water, I was done. Tanner got emotional and in a humble voice, said the prayer and baptized Calvin. It was beautiful. Calvin came up and said, "Well, that was easy!" While they were getting ready again some of the youth went and bore testimonies that just ROCKED THE HOUSE!!! Honestly, this was the most spiritual baptism I've ever been to. All of our Reno baptisms have been amazing. Ben, Elizabeth, Calvin, and soon Jacqui. Jacqui came to Calvin's baptism and told us how excited she was for hers now. I'm so excited for her. This is the greatest work in the world, guys. Even better, for me, than being on stage. I'm so thankful for Heavenly Father's patient persistance with me. I love Him and my Savior. I know they live more than anything else. I have a knowledge.

Jacqui is doing AMAZING. I am in awe of her every day. She eats up the gospel and just wants to learn more and apply it in her life. We taught her the first 1/2 of the 10 commandments and finished it up for Gospel Principles class with Jo and I asked Jacqui to explain in her own words what the first 2 commandments meant. She totally took that to heart and explained with PERFECTNESS!!! She laughed when she looked at me because I had my "dork smile" as she called it (the one that takes up my whole face). I just can't help it!!! I HAVE TO SMILE!!! THIS IS THE GREATEST GIFT ANYONE COULD EVER RECEIVE AND I'M HELPING TO DELIVER IT FOR A LIVING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! How could I NOT smile my "dork smile"????

On a more hilarious note, we met dear sweet Arthella this week. This 78 year old special lady is hilarious. We got a referral for her from our Zone Leaders, and on Tuesday we went and saw her. After meeting the "boys" (her 2 boy puppies), getting a tour of her house (should be on the TLC show "horders"), going through her backyard, hearing at least 17 times that she wanted to come to church, and renaming her dogs "Po" and "Jo" (for which she threw her arms around my neck and thanked me, because I came up with the silly names), we said we'd be back Thursday to help her get a ride to the Relief Society activity. Uh, little did we know that if you add sweet Arthella with about 25 beers, she ain't so sweet anymore. She left us a note at her house that was very difficult to read, we gave her a call to see what was going on. 13 minutes later I hung up the phone, laughing harder than I ever have in my entire life. She antied us and cussed us out, called us cowards, and I just can't even tell you the rest. This is definitely a mission story to be shared a laughed at. It's not nearly as funny without my drunk voice impression.

Anyway, I love this work. Oh, and I love Tahoe. We went there as a zone today and it was beautiful. I can't wait to come back next summer for some sealings and head up there, freezing cold water or not. I'll send some pictures.

I love you guys so much. So much. I love this work even more. I'm almost at 15 months, and time has just flown. I can't even believe it. Freaks me out. It's so great, though. This is the singlemost greatest decision that any young man or woman can ever receive. I love you guys. Feed a missionary.

love love love,
Sister Mack

Transfer 11 Week 2

Can I just start off with a little blurb about how amazing my dad is? Being that it was Father's day yesterday, I find it completely appropriate. My dad has always been a fine example to me. When the times got tough for my family, my dad got tougher. He prioritizes the gospel in his life and shares it with everyone. He truly takes to heart something that a member told us she said to an Elder in the MTC when he said he was worried about offending people. She said, "Why would they be offended?! I'm giving them the greatest gift they could ever have!!!" My dad has always been an example of scripture study and prayer. I'm thankful for him and glad that Heavenly Father allowed me to come down an be apart of my parents' family. They're both amazing.

This week was a little slower than normal, but still good. Our new District Leader was shocked when we read him our stats and I quickly followed them with "We had ~4 cancellations so we'll do better next week" and he was in shock. He said that we were doing amazing. Of course, you never let that go to your head because you're only doing as amazing as Heavenly Father blesses you to do. So I always have to keep that in mind. Always be humble because I'm not responsible for any of the work that's going on. Anyway, we got a couple new investigators and we're going to start having "group discussions" with all the teenagers we're teaching--so 4! They are all pretty excited and receptive to the idea of being taught together so it's "less awkward" to be taught on their own. Actually only one of them felt awkward, but we thought they'd all benefit from lessons taught together. We're super excited, too.

PAUL! Let me just tell you what a little miracle this guy is. When we met with him this past week he was a total GEM and you could see the change in his countenance!! So when he said, "oh, I've been reading the Book of Mormon" I KNEW it was true because the light in his eyes. Even though he has cancer and is struggling with being a single father, he STILL is sooooo eager to learn. I'm so thankful for little miracles like that. HE'S SOOO GREAT!! I'm so thankful for him. I wish I could show y'all a before and after picture. I also couldn't resist making the comment to him about how different he looked. He's just grown and changed and I'm so proud. He also said, "Please don't give up on me, ladies. I'm trying so hard and I really want to know." So we taught a lesson on faith by reading Ether 12 because he told us he wants nothing more than to know what we're teaching is true. He really felt a connection with Ether 12: 27 and was touched by that and decided to mark it right away. I'm so thrilled!!!!!!!!! AH I JUST LOVE RENO!!!!

Jo is also doing AMAZING!!! She is just so full of life and questions. Brian got sick this week, so we had to cancel. Jacqui also got really sick, so we went over there yesterday and made Morgan's dinner and cleaned her house for her while she was sitting on her couch wrapped up tight in a blanket. We got a couple members of the ward to come over and give her a beautiful blessing--and one of them happened to be a DOCTOR!! So he prescribed her medicine and called it in this morning. AND we got in contact with the relief society and they're going to bring her a couple meals today so she doesn't have to worry about it. Isn't our church just amazing? Me thinkest so.

I love absolutely everything I've learned this week. We had dinner with an older couple where we talked about the difference between knowing and believing. We just need to believe initially, and then we need to add faith to the mix. Belief + faith = knowledge. Our Heavenly Father will bless us for our determination to know. It just takes constant work. The "little" things. I also realized how important relationships are between parents and children in reading Elder Ballard's 2009 October General Conference talk. Read it, and apply. We can all improve. Heavenly Father put us in our specific families for a reason. We're here to strengthen each other ALL THE TIME!!! Family is the greatest!!!

I'm so thankful for this Gospel, for the joy it brings in my life. I'm thankful for my mission and how it's helped me recognize my potential and how I can achieve my salvation. I know God lives and He loves us. I know He's aware of what is going on in our lives DAILY. Everything is possible with God. He has a divine plan for each of us. Never forget that, and strive to share it with those around us who aren't as fortunate to know what we know.

I love you all so much. I hope you know that.

Love love love,
Sister Mack

Transfer 11 Week 1

BAM Transfer 11 is going to be the transfer of miracles.

First miracle? THAT I'M IN RENO AGAIN!!! 6 months at least will be spent here and I'm just plain ol' stoked. We got 3 new investigators this week, TONS of lessons, and just miracles happened left and right. GEEZ!!!

So our new investigators: Brian. We tracted into him on Thursday and he invited us back on Saturday morning. He asked us questions like, "why are there so many Christian churches?" "Did God give us free will for us to make our own choices?" "I don't think that our after life is just us sitting around...that's boring. What happens when we die?" etc etc. You can just imagine the excitement my comp and I were filled with as he asked each of these questions. We had another appt to get to, so I gave him the message of the restoration in 2 minutes, gave him a pamphlet, and scheduled a time next week where we can answer his questions. This is a grown man who has had these questions since he was 13!! How thankful I am that Heavenly Fater directed us to him.

Geneva: a 16-year-old girl who's super cute and a good friend of one of my favorite families, the Guthries. Yes, they are related to the pitcher for the baseball team the Oreals...or whatever. It's Bro Guthrie's younger brother. Anyway, back to Geneva. She played basketball with me once and we were on "team awesome" so we instantly became BFFs. That was like 2 transfers ago. And anyway, we were making cookies for service at the Guthries and Geneva was there and I was like, "Geneva, why don't you ever come to church?" and she looked at me and was like, "I don't know, but I want to come." And I was like, "BAM you're coming Sunday." And she was there. And then I asked her if we could teach her more (because she said she wanted to be a missionary and travel...haha) and she agreed!! There was a bit of confusion though and there were a TON of people there...but Geneva came up to me after and was like, "I wasn't nervous or anything with all those people, I just want you to know." She's such a sweet girl. I'm excited to see her grow.

Our other investigator is the son of a lady who hasn't been to church in YEARS. He's 9, and super precious, and his older brother (11) wants to learn too, but we didn't get to meet him because he was camping for the weekend when we went over. BAM.

Potentials for this next week? We have a couple--one being a child of an inactive couple who wants them to be baptized, so we are going to try to meet with them tonight or tomorrow. Hmm...yeah. Jo's doing amazing, Jacqui's great, Calvin's baptism got pushed back to the 25 and pushed back HOPEFULLY for the last time. One of our investigators has cancer again, bless his heart. So we're praying extra hard for him. Emily is sweet and came to a fireside last night. Geez, everyone is just doing amazing!!

Funnies of the week: So the Chatterleys' invited us over for lunch after church and we had quesadillas. Well, I decided I wanted hot salsa...don't ask me how it happened, but as I tried to open it (it was brand new) the thought came "I should just have Bro Chatt do it..." and then BAM I opened it, it bounced off the island I was standing at and shot across the kitchen before hitting a cupboard and then falling and shattering on the ground. Needless to say there was Salsa quite literally everywhere...even on Bro Chatt's white shirt, and he was sitting 3 feet behind me. I included a picture of the destruction.

I was also trying to share a spiritual thought after dinner by singing a song "How Can I be?" (youtube it). We happened to be outside and our Zone Leaders happened to be at the dinner as well...and as I was singing, quite literally a hawk got in a fight with two birds and they collided in the backyard , about 10 feet from where I was singing, before bolting away. So here I was, jamming, "How can I be forever? Like the promise to the three Nephites..I wanna be Samuel the Lama..what?" It was funny and awkward because I didn't know if I should continue or not. I just love this work. I love the ups and the downs. The ups remind you why you're here and the downs remind you who to rely on--the Lord. He knows what's going on. He knows how I work, how my comp works, and how everyone we're teaching works. He's just down right amazing.

I'm constantly in awe of the world and how it works, how people work. I'm thankful for the education I'm receiving here. I'm thankful for the righteous examples of missionaries that have gone before me--my dad, my grandpa, my friends. I'm thankful for the example of companions, of district leaders and zone leaders. Some of my favorite Elders have left this past transfer, and I'm so thankful for the opportunity I've had to know them, for their examples of diligence and working 'til the end.

I love this. I love y'all. This is the best work ever.

love love love,
Sister Mack

oh, and the other picture is of me with one of the Fisks' baby puppies!!!!