April 27, 2009

REJOICE ! [04.27.09]

Doctrine & Covenants 50:22
"Wherefore, he that preacheth and he that receiveth, understand one another, and both are edified and rejoice together."

this week has been beautiful ! so many wonderful reasons to REJOICE !
1. spring is DEF here ! it got to 80 degrees this week and it was amazing ! we've been getting LOTS & LOTS of rain though this week .. april showers bring may flowers ! the grass is already neon green .. its wonderful !

2. we started DOUBLE DUTCHING with the YSA's ! i got the idea to start this YSA Double Dutch Nation out here in the WI b.c. of my great friends back in the Provo Nation ! e. heslop is by far the most skilled ! [pictures and video to come soon] we are gonna start doing it at a park and get a crowd of people to come and teach them all .. those are my thoughts !

3. the gospel is true and the work of the Lord is in FULL FORCE here in the Fox Cities .. here we go ..

* ALEX PINGEL = amazing ! we taught him the Plan of Salvation and committed him to baptism [with his sister there who joined the church 7 years ago !] HE WILL ENTER THE WATERS OF BAPTISM ON MAY 16, 2009 ! his change and countenance is wonderful. i love being the Lords instrument in teaching and knowing it is the Holy Spirit that reveals the truth of all things.

* our meetings with President Miller [YSA Branch President] and the Appleton Stake Bishops and Branch Presidents are going wonderful ! we are meeting with all of them to help them encourage their YSA and graduating seniors to attend the Winnebago YSA Branch ! we are getting a lot of support and it feels good !
* PANG KOU YANG taught us this week about the importance of the temple. it was beautiful. we are going to try and plan a YSA temple trip b.c. we have so many recent converts and the goal of all of them is the temple. it doesn't end at baptism .. the goal = the temple, the house of the Lord !

* GARY LEDOUX = our Branch Mission Leader & he is 6'9" .. i need to get a picture next to him ! haha we have been having really good meetings and dinner with his family .. they love sports and i get the sports updates on the brewers and the cubbies [just for you papa !] from him ! also we talk about lots of good missionary work going on ! haha

* DISC GOLF = SO FUN ! we played with alex pingel, shane, and sam ! i can even play in a skirt .. i just need to get better at throwing the disc far ! its also a great place to meet lots of people and have gospel centered discussions !
* lunch @ CULVERS with our Missy Bloom and fresh RM Ben Slade from the Green Bay area ! he served his mission in Long Beach California ! we had a good talk about our love for CALI ! it was also crazy to see him home and you could tell it was awkward .. i might be like that people so have patience with me .. BUT I STILL GOTS A LONG WAY AND I AM GRATEFUL FOR THAT !

* Friday Night Volleyball = so so so fun .. Pang Kou brought Moua and Hmong people are just AMAZING at Vball ! Randell Hess came and hung out b.c. his finger was injured ! it was a fun time .. s. v. johnson is so cute and so little .. her skills are slowly improving ! :) i love her.

THE MAIN REASON TO REJOICE THIS WEEK :

Moroni 8:25-26
"And the first fruits of repentance is baptism; and baptism cometh by faith unto the fulfilling the commandments; and the fulfilling the commandments bringeth remission of sins;
And the remission of sins bringeth meekness, and lowliness of heart; and because of meekness and lowliness of heart cometh the visitation of the Holy Ghost, which Comforter filleth with hope and perfect love, which love endureth by diligence unto prayer, until the end shall come, when all the saints shall dwell with God."

* MALISSA AMBER LYNN BLOOM entering the waters of baptism on APRIL 25, 2009 ! her WHOLE family came .. she was so happy and glowing ! the program and baptism was beautiful. there were 6 SISTER MISSIONARIES THERE ! that is more then half the sisters in our mission ! my old s.johnson came up from Madison with her compy s.nichols and my s.black and s.bryner [gb sisters] were there and of course me .. s.warner and my girl s. v.johnson ! Missy asked us sisters if we could sing a special musical number at her baptism and we sang Hymn 116 "Come, Follow Me" ! the spirit was so strong and Missy couldn't stop smiling !

* April 26, 2009 = MISSY"S CONFIRMATION ! her confirmation and blessing was given by Ben Slade and it was amazing and beautiful. the spirit spoke through Ben and it was exactly what Missy needed. i love being present for the gift of the Holy Ghost being given. it is a testimony to me of how important baptism is .. without baptism you cannot recieve the gift of the Holy Ghost, the Holy Ghost is the sanctifier and completes the baptism, it is the way back to our Father in Heaven.

3 Nephi 27:20
"Now this is the commandment: Repent, all ye ends of the earth, and come unto me and be baptized in my name, that ye may be sanctified by the reception of the Holy Ghost, that ye may stand spotless before me at the last day."
* YSA Fireside with the GB Stake President Krehbiel ! we brought up our YSA from the APL and Missy was there ! it was about .. "how to make life's difficult decisions" and it was exactly what they needed for their station in life right now ! JEREMIAH JAMES came and after he talked with President Krehbiel about the gospel and Jeremiah said it was very good .. s.johnson and i were having a discussion with Jeremiah and our sweet Missy came and joined and told him she was just baptized and she had just recieved the gift of the Holy Ghost that day .. i asked her to share with Jeremiah WHY she decided to be baptized and she told him, "when i stood on Temple Square in SLC the Holy Spirit told me it was all true, the spirit was so strong there and i knew that this is what my Heavenly Father wanted me to do so i can return to him." Her testimony was beautiful and Jeremiah could only nod his head. THE POWER OF TESTIMONY IS EVERYTHING.

i have been blessed to see and feel Heavenly Fathers love for His children and i continue to on a daily basis. the miracles are endless but it is according to our FAITH .. the Lord strengthens my faith daily and weekly. i am so grateful for the fulness of the gospel of Jesus Christ. i know he is the Savior and that he is our example in all aspects of our lives.

i LOVE LOVE LOVE you all. thank you for your faith and support in me.
sister warner

[sad part about this week = JENNIFER RIBBENS aka JRIB LEFT ! she went back out west to school at BYUi .. i will miss her but she is still one of my best friends from WISCONSIN !]

April 20, 2009

small & simple .. [04.20.09]


Alma 37:6-7
"Now ye may suppose that this is foolishness in me; but behold I say unto you, that by small and simple things are great things brought to pass; and small means in many instances doth confound the wise."
"And the Lord God doth work by means to bring about his great and eternal purposes; and by very small means the Lord doth confound the wise and bringeth about the salvation of many souls."


this week was amazing ! the Lord really works in small and simple means to bring about great experiences ! i know it requires our faith though b.c FAITH PRECEDES MIRACLES ! my faith has been strengthened in all aspects of the gospel.

THE GREAT EXPERIENCES ON THE WEEK :

* FHE = lesson on faith and trust in the Lord by doing the trust fall and the scriptures ! we then had an INTENSE game of pictionary. i didnt know pictionary could be so competitive [i would think it would be if p. hailey hood was there but she was nowhere to be found in Oshkosh :)] get a couple YSA together and draw Disney topics and it gets crazy !

* teaching ALEX PINGEL with President Barrett ! Alex is brandy [one of our amazing YSA's brother] from Chilton and he is amazing ! President B always knows exactly what to say, he is so in tune with the spirit. i love President B !

* institute in Oshkosh and Culver's Custard after with all our YSA is a weekly treat !

* having a SWEET lesson with our NEW INVESTIGATOR BRITTNIE ! the ZL's talked with her @ The Building For Kids [a children's art museum we do service at] and she said she wanted to learn more ! we taught her about the BofM this week and she loved it ! we are seeing her this week again. she is 20 and is going to school at Fox Valley Tech ! she is great !

* the weather last week warmed up into the 70's ! [ now its rainy and chilly :( ] but the 70's was GLORIOUS ! so we played a little disc golf with GEORGE [our investigator] and SAM BRUMMOND [a YSA who is from WI but moved to SLC and is back visiting .. she is the best little missionary !] disc golf and a lesson with george was so good !

* dinner with MISSY BLOOM ! we prepped her for her baptismal interview that was going to take place the next day and we talked with her about the HOLY GHOST .. what an amazing gift that is. her baptismal interview went amazing and she is GOLDEN ! she is getting BAPTIZED ON APRIL 25, 2009 @ 3pm in GREEN BAY ! i love her. she loves this gospel and the light of Christ radiates from her. sister v.j. and i made her a little scripture a day that she can open to help her during this week before her baptism. i love the scriptures. the principles are eternal and Missy has found that !

* FRIDAY NIGHT VOLLEYBALL = AMAZING !!! we had 3 non members there and the game was SO fun and the BEST EXPERIENCE HAPPENED AFTER ..

ALEX PINGEL. he likes to know EVERYTHING ! he asks tons and tons of questions. President B told him to pray about the BofM with a sincere heart. he told me after volleyball he KNEW the BofM was a TRUE BOOK ! that was amazing. we started talking of FAITH and he is scared of faith. he told me he wanted the LITTLEST SIGN that this was all true. i recounted with him some of the little answers to that prayer that i have been present for. we didnt recognize them fully as signs. we started playing HORSE and talking of faith and signs. i then told him, "i have faith that you will make the next shot." alex starts backing up past half court .. he shoots and it SWISHES in the net. he told me the next day that he aimed way to the left on purpose and it still swished. after the ball swished in the net we both just looked at each other and i told him, "well the Lord just answered your prayer." all he could say was, "that was odd."

the Lord works by small and simple means to bring salvation unto His children ! we are going to extend a baptismal date to him this week .. he is AWESOME. he came to church and loved it. he isnt asking tons and tons of questions anymore. he is feeling the spirit work in him and his faith is growing ! the Lord is blessing him. we also watched THE TESTAMENTS with him the night after the basketball hoop answer and it is all about faith and it was so good.

i love meeting people and knowing the Lord sent me here to the WMM to teach ALEX PINGEL and so many other people i have met. IT IS AMAZING !

* WINNEBAGO YSA BRANCH = GLORIOUS ! we had abuot 40 people @ church. it was a beautiful sea of YSA !

* going to hear BROOKE & BRADY POPPINGA speak about Dating and Relationships ! we were there to support our YSA, we did not come for the advice ! haha

* spending the night with my GREEN BAY SISTERS ! being back at my ye olde pheasant run was odd but SO good. we spent the night b.c. of the Poppinga fireside and today is pday and tonight is COMBINED FHE here in the GB ! i heart gb. i heart ysa. i heart winnebago.

we have been blessed this week and i am so thankful for my Heavenly Father who watches over me and knows me. i love knowing this is His church and this is His work. i love being His instrument and i am so grateful for Him increasing my faith everyday.

one hard part of this week was getting a phone call from President Barrett on 04.16 letting me know my marmie called my mission to inform me my grandpa alley passed aways. when he told me of the news i was just quite. it brought me back to the reality that life is still happening back at home. it also made me realize how very real and important the message of the plan of salvation is that i am teaching to these wisconsinites. i am so grateful for my family and that it can and is eternal. i am grateful my grandpa is learning beyond the veil. i am grateful i can help othere find this plan of happines. my heart and prayers go to my grandma jane and my family. i love you all so dearly.

thank you all for everything you have done and are now doing so i can be here in wisconsin.

I LOVE YOU.
sister warner

April 13, 2009

defining moments .. [04.013.09]


8 months ago was a HUGE defining moment in my life. 8 months ago i had a lot of "lasts" from the world but A LOT of "firsts" on this incredible journey of being the Lord's full time servant.

i continue to be humbled and stretched on this journey .. i continue to learn more and more each day .. not just for myself but how to help others find this everlasting happiness.

the journey and defining moments is different for each one of us but we are taught :

"For behold, thus saith the Lord God: I will give unto the children of men line upon line, precept upon precept, here a little and there a little; and blessed are those who hearken unto my precepts, and lend an ear unto my counsel, for they shall learn wisdom; for unto him that receiveth I will give more; and from them that shall say, We have enough, from them shall be taken away even that which they have." [2 Nephi 28:30]

this journey is line upon line, precept upon precept [i just want you to know i am singing SATURDAYS WARRIOR for my marmie right now ! hehe ] and we will continue to learn dependant on our perspective, humility, obedience and diligence .. i am learning each day how important those attributes are to our happiness and receiving more wisdom that our Heavenly Father wants us to have.

this week has been filled with learning moments !

*UWO Hmong Week ! we got to see XAI LOR .. her sisters are members of the church but she is not BUT she is helping with the LDSSA @ UWO ! she taught people how to make Hmong Spring Rolls .. SO GOOD !

* ZONE CONFERENCE @ wisconsin rapids was amazing ! i heart zc. it is so uplifting and the trainings are always what we need. it was Sister Barrett who talked about defining moments ! i love her SO much ! she is amazing .. her and President Barrett are the best people !

*GOOD FRIDAY = DEEP CLEAN DAY ! my sister v.j. and i cleaned our little room and bathroom SO good ! i love deep cleaning day .. i love clean ! haha

*meeting with MICHAEL UPCHURCH to give him ALL the UWO LDSSA info .. he is going to turn it in THIS WEEK ! the Lord is blessing us and that campus ! we just got a new stake institute teacher for the Appleton Stake .. Brother Hales and he is SO excited about trying to get institute on UWO Campus !

*friday night VOLLEYBALL with the YSA .. PANG KOU is so good at volleyball .. its def a Hmong fav ! we had such a good turnout of YSA ! i love ysa and volleyball !

*face painting little Easter bunny kids for service ! the elders "let" us give them bunny faces ! haha !
*STAKE CONFERENCE ! saturday eve was SO good .. our SARAH YANEZ who is the best branch missionary came and SAM BRUMMOND .. who use to be in the Winnebago branch is visiting and she just brings an amazing spirit ! love them !

*EASTER ! thank you to my amazing marmie who sent me and my girl sister v.j. Easter baskets ! we LOVE you ! i love Easter not just b.c. of candy but b.c. of THE SAVIOR JESUS CHRIST and his RESURRECTION ! i love in the book of mormon where Christ comes to the americas after He is resurrected .. the ATONEMENT and the RESURRECTION are the 2 most important principles in the gospel and for our lives ..

"Behold my Beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased, in whom I have glorified my name—hear ye him."

"And it came to pass, as they understood they cast their eyes up again towards heaven; and behold, they saw a Man descending out of heaven; and he was clothed in a white robe; and he came down and stood in the midst of them; and the eyes of the whole multitude were turned upon him, and they durst not open their mouths, even one to another, and wist not what it meant, for they thought it was an angel that had appeared unto them."

"And it came to pass that he stretched forth his hand and spake unto the people, saying:"

"Behold, I am Jesus Christ, whom the prophets testified shall come into the world."

"And behold, I am the light and the life of the world; and I have drunk out of that bitter cup which the Father hath given me, and have glorified the Father in taking upon me the sins of the world, in the which I have suffered the dwill of the Father in all things from the beginning."

"And it came to pass that when Jesus had spoken these words the whole multitude fell to the earth; for they remembered that it had been prophesied among them that Christ should show himself unto them after his ascension into heaven."

"And it came to pass that the Lord spake unto them saying:"

"Arise and come forth unto me, that ye may thrust your hands into my side, and also that ye may feel the prints of the nails in my hands and in my feet, that ye may know that I am the God of Israel, and the God of the whole earth, and have been slain for the sins of the world."

"And it came to pass that the multitude went forth, and thrust their hands into his side, and did feel the prints of the nails in his hands and in his feet; and this they did do, going forth one by one until they had all gone forth, and did see with their eyes and did feel with their hands, and did know of a surety and did bear record, that it was he, of whom it was written by the prophets, that should come." [3 Nephi 11:7-15]

i am so grateful for the atonement .. i cannot express in words what a wonderful sacrifice it was and that the savior specifically knows me .. the Resurrection is beautiful and i am so grateful that we can overcome death b.c. of the Savior Jesus Christ.

*another EASTER HIGHLIGHT was SUNDAY STAKE CONFERENCE .. it was the MIDWEST REGIONAL STAKE CONFERENCE .. it was broad casted to all the buildings in the Midwest and we had the privilege of hearing from DALLIN H. OAKS and PRESIDENT THOMAS S. MONSON .. we also heard from elder snow and sister lifferth ! it was amazing and beautiful !

i love being a missionary. i love learning each and everyday. i love the people i continue to meet. I LOVE WISCONSIN !

I LOVE YOU !
sister warner

April 06, 2009

uplifted and edified .. [04.06.09]

i feel renewed .. i feel strengthened .. i feel full of faith and hope .. i feel uplifted and edified !

how amazing was it that we had the opportunity to listen to our beloved prophet, apostles and leaders of this wonderful church ! i cant express my gratitude enough for a living prophet on the earth today, to lead and guide us on our path towards eternal life. i am grateful to know the heavens are still open and that the counsel and guidance we received this weekend was from our loving Heavenly Father. i cant wait to study more fully the words spoken this last weekend. the counsel from all the leaders who spoke was indeed inspired and needed for all of us !

i love going into conference with questions written down .. i had different things on my mind that i needed help and guidance with .. and i received all the answers i needed from my Heavenly Father this weekend .. it was amazing and i pray i can go forth with more strength, faith and boldness in what i know to be true !

not only was GENERAL CONFERENCE a highlight of my week BUT ending a transfer with my Sister Kristin Johnson .. who is now in Madison ! that wasnt so much a highlight leaving each other BUT going to Milwaukee and meeting my new girl DEF was a highlight !

my new girl and comp is :
SISTER JOHNSON ! haha [i know 2 johnsons in a row .. kinda funny :)]

my girl : SISTER VIRGINIA MAY JOHNSON
from : Orem, Utah
age : 21 .. just turned right before the MTC !
school : Utah State .. my 1st aggie companion !
studying : was international business BUT NOW is illustration !

we are both artists and have very similar personalities and style .. its great ! she is so fun and very funny ! she is an amazing missionary and her knowledge of the scriptures is amazing ! her faith and excitement is wonderful. she has jumped straight into missionary work with full heart and force and I LOVE IT !
THE LORD CONTINUES TO BLESS ME WITH AMAZING COMPANIONS !

the last week was so fun !

we had a big goodbye FHE last monday 03.30 for my old sister j and it was so fun ! the Winnebago YSA love her and she has done so much for the branch .. they were sad to see her go but excited for a new missionary !

on 04.01 NO april fools jokes were played BUT it we did get up at 4:45a that morning .. NO JOKE ! we had to be in Milwaukee for trainers training and get my girl ! it was a long but wonderful day ! after a wonderful training with Pres B and the assistants .. my girl johnson and i headed back to the APL and went straight to work .. no time to even unpack !

we met with PANG KOU and watched Legacy and talked about the pioneers faith and look at the church NOW ~ she had tears in her eye when she bore to us her testimony of the gospel.

then we had a branch coordination meeting with GARY LEDOUX and the faith and excitement s. johnson brings is exactly what the Winnebago YSA's need ! it was a LONG but very productive day !

the best part of the week was DEF General Conference and inviting all to hear the prophets voice !

we had a little YSA get together with with GB YSA and JEREMIAH JAMES came ! D. Todd Christoferson spoke specifically to Jeremiah ! it was wonderful ! it was also fun b.c. my s.black and s.johnson got to meet ! s.black now has a sister in the mission and they LOVE eachother !

sunday sessions were also TOPS ! after the sessions we went to POOH SAANS .. a hmong resturant that PANG KUO's brother SEETHONG owns ! we attended SEETHONG and MAI CHOU's baby shower ! it was wonderful .. they joined the church a little over 1 year ago and they are amazing ! we had the best hmong food .. i on accident [i thought it was the sweet and sour sauce !] ate the WORLDS HOTTEST PEPPER SAUCE ! the hmong elders said i took it like a man .. after my face went SUPER RED ! it was funny .. but good times .. i bet my papa would be proud ! haha

life is amazing ! i love being a missionary .. i am realizing how much the Lord helps us grow in ways we didnt even think we could !

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MY ONE AND ONLY DEAREST WARNER COUSIN .. HANNAH ! HAPPY BIRTHDAY ! I LOVE YOU !

oh and transfers brought a lot of changes but good ones .. our new APL Zone Leaders are e. pulley [he has always been ! but new new is e. heslop ! its great !

i love you all and am truly grateful for this opportunity and all your support !
sister warner