THE FIELD DEF IS WHITE ! [07.13.09]

there is SO much work to be done yet in WISCONSIN ! the field def is white and ready to harvest !

Doctrine and Covenants 4:4
"For behold the field is white already to harvest; and lo, he that thrusteth in his sickle with his might, the same layeth up in store that he perisheth not, but bringeth salvation to his soul"

Alma 26:4-8
"Behold, thousands of them do rejoice, and have been brought into the fold of God."
"Behold, the field was ripe, and blessed are ye, for ye did thrust in the sickle, and did reap with your might, yea, all the day long did ye labor; and behold the number of your sheaves! And they shall be gathered into the garners, that they are not wasted."
"Yea, they shall not be beaten down by the storm at the last day; yea, neither shall they be harrowed up by the whirlwinds; but when the storm cometh they shall be gathered together in their place, that the storm cannot penetrate to them; yea, neither shall they be driven with fierce winds whithersoever the enemy listeth to carry them."
"But behold, they are in the hands of the Lord of the harvest, and they are his; and he will raise them up at the last day."
"Blessed be the name of our God; let us sing to his praise, yea, let us give thanks to his holy name, for he doth work righteousness forever."

we had a wonderful week full of teaching the word of God ! the experiences are amazing .. feeling the spirit so strong is beautiful .. i truly love this work !

* FHE = lots of YSA running around ! we had a lesson centered on FREEDOM .. anything we were grateful for about freedom ! i know i am grateful to have the freedom to worship my Heavenly Father as i may ! what a blessing !

* DISTRICT MEETING + INTERVIEWS with PRESIDENT BARRETT & SISTER BARRETT = THE BEST !
district meeting was full of good training from our DL e. dunn but i kept going in and out for interviews ! this was my first time having s.barrett come with pres.b for interviews and she interviewed us too ! i LOVED it ! pres.b strengthens my faith and energy each time i talk with him ! i love that man !

* YSA FIRESIDE .. key speakers = PRESIDENT & SISTER BARRETT ! wednesday night there was a special YSA fireside from the Barretts .. it was an open forum of Q&A and they had 3 YSA recent converts [alex, dan, jeremiah] bear their testimonies and it was amazing ! i love being a part of their lives and seeing their eyes light up with the restored gospel of Jesus Christ !

* FREE LEMONADE ! we tried a finding technique down by UWO .. we had a free lemonade stand ! it was fun ! we worked with the oshkosh elders and had some success ! some people yelled things at us .. some people actually wanted free lemonade .. and some people talked with us ! it was fun and now we know how and what to do to make it better !

* FRIDAY = lots of fun .. we were teaching all day basically ! lots of unplanned opprotunities came about for us to share the message of the restoration ! the Lord works miracles according to our faith .. thats for sure !

* SATURDAY = MOVING DAY ! in the morning we went to the Appleton Farmers Market .. SO COOL ! [reminds me of the monrov and our little farmers market there ! we also got honey sticks just to make it feel like back home for me :)] we talked to a flower lady who asked where we were from and she told us her niece and nephew were in utah trying to convert people to their church but it wasnt going so well ! after the market we PACKED AND PACKED ! we had a couple brethren from the APL 2nd Ward to come and help us move out to DARBOY [south appleton area] we got it done surprisingly fast .. the only prob was we didnt have BEDS ! haha the office elders came up from milwaukee to bring us 2 twin beds ! thank you OE's ! we got settled in our new room which is a little less spacious then our last but it works ! we still live with a member ! we live with ROSE THIEL .. the THIELS sister in law ! love family !

* SUNDAY = missionary time ! sister johnson and i planned a sweet combined sunday school lesson for all our YSA about MISSIONARY WORK ! the spirit was SO strong and they loved it ! motivation is key ! i also gave a talk on following the savior in sacrament .. its crazy how i do not get nervous anymore to stand up and talk in front of people ! its a huge improvement ! i love being a misisonary !

this week is gonna be good .. lots of work to look forward too ! I LOVE WISCONSIN .. SO MUCH !

I LOVE YOU !
sister warner

FREEDOM ! [07.06.09]

Ether 2:12
"Behold, this is a choice land, and whatsoever nation shall possess it shall be free from bondage, and from captivity, and from all other nations under heaven, if they will but serve the God of the land, who is Jesus Christ, who hath been manifested by the things which we have written."

WE ARE FREE ! what an amazing blessing it is for us to be in America where we are free from bondage and we can worship God and Jesus Christ ! what also is amazing is that The Book of Mormon testifies and prophesies of this freedom ! ITS AMAZING !

i love this work .. SO MUCH ! this week was FANTABULOUS and FREEING !

here is the goods :

* YSA FHE = the hot spot in town ! GB hosted this week .. it was at amy browns apt .. it was so much fun and Dan [RC] gave an amazing lesson on friendships and he asked sister j & i to teach with him .. solid ! WINNEBAGO YSA DEF REPPED IN THE GB ! [ also sister j and i went thrift shopping and found real treasures ! so much fun ! ]

* OSHKOSH INSTITUTE was amazing too ! bro. hale is the best teacher for those YSA ! we were able to teach CRAIG before institute about recognizing the spirit .. i LOVE hearing the YSA [i.e. missy and jenna that night] bear THEIR TESTIMONIES on HOW THEY RECOGNIZE THE SPIRIT ! its so powerful !

* tuesday & wednesday WISCONSIN dropped back down to 59 degrees ! WHAT ? last week that time it was over 90 degrees and the humidity was killer ! JULY 1st in WISCONSIN = JACKET WEATHER ?! its true !

* the MIRACLES OF THE DAY are amazing ! i love them ! on wednesday i got the sudden impression to go visit a YSA BETH .. she is a recent convert of 2 years and just came back to her home in the APL .. so i pulled over to her house as quick as i could and sister j was WAY confused and i just said "we need to visit beth" .. so we park and we say a prayer .. as we are getting out of the car HERE COMES BETH WALKING UP TO HER HOUSE ! our miracle of the day. THE LORD BLESSES US !

* i heart zone conference ! sister j and i drove with the oshkosh trio of elders down to west bend ! it was an AMAZING ZONE CONFERENCE ! i learn so much from Pres and Sister Barrett ! and also from all the missionaries ! it left me with a renewed amount of FAITH and DILIGENCE to go forth ! [sister j and i also WON THE CLEAN CAR AWARD ! go us sistas !]

* after ZC we went and put to test the training we received @ ZC .. we were bold with RYAN [the sisters before met him at the sprint store] and we told him the Lord sent us here to teach him .. he is now letting us teach him ! its great ! Pres B is so inspired !

* i love when our YSA get together and have bonfires and just want to be with eachother .. i also love when they call up us sisters and see if we want to be part of the fun ! CRAIG was there so of course we wanted in ! i love that they love us and even more that they love each other !

* FRIDAY NIGHT YSA GAME TIME ! [it use to be volleyball every friday night but we are switching it up a little !] we played some ALL AMERICAN FOOTBALL ! TEAM USA vs. TEAM BRITIAN ! it was a good good game ! I, SISTER WARNER SCORED 2 TOUCHDOWNS ! each time i caught the ball in the end zone i was SO shocked ! then craig taught me how to do a victory dance ! needless to say .. 1 i suprise myself all the time and 2 the YSA know how to have fun !

* FOURTH OF JULY = INDEPENDENCE ! this 4th was awesome ! there is nothing like being a missionary on holidays ! we spent the afternoon in ONEIDA NATION for their annual POW WOW ! it was amazing ! we even got to go and dance in it ! BEN ANTON - one of our YSA is part of ONEIDA NATION and he danced in it ! [video on my blog !] it was so FUN ! then that night we went to the CHRISTENSENS house .. the mother joined the church a little over 1 year ago [in the apl 2nd ward] and we teach her daughter AMANDA ! we played some volleyball at her house along with a BBQ and OF COURSE a fireworks show put on by BROCK [dad] ! it was so much fun ! i love that family !

* HOLIDAY WEEKEND CHURCH = STILL GOOD ! we thought EVERYONE would be out of town for the holiday but we still had a SOLID turnout at church ! it was beautiful !

another amazing week is for sure to happen ! the Lord truly is blessing this area .. its remarkable !

i love this gospel. i love america. i love freedom.

I LOVE YOU. always.
sister warner

sacrifice + service = the Lords work ! [06.29.09]

i love this work. truly ! the theme of this week and MY 8th TRANSFER is SACRIFICE & SERVICE !

i read this talk .. Unselfish Service .. and then the WHOLE sabbath day was about this topic. it really made me think about my role as a representative of Jesus Christ, as a companion to sister johnson, as a missionary strenthening branches and wards .. I WANT AND NEED TO DO BETTER !

these are some scriptures that really hit home with me and my thoughts :

Matthew 16:24-25
"Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me."
"For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it."

Doctrine & Covenants 98:13
"And whoso layeth down his life in my cause, for my name’s sake, shall find it again, even life eternal."

Mosiah 2:17
"And behold, I tell you these things that ye may learn wisdom; that ye may learn that when ye are in the service of your fellow beings ye are only in the service of your God."

i LOVE making goals and that is what we did A LOT of this week ! goals upon goals for this transfer and this area !

i know this is short but apparently ALL the missionaries are waiting for me to finish .. there are 7 including my compy ! uh .. i just have a lot to say ok !

over all this week was good and this next week will be NOTHING SHORT OF BETTER AND AMAZING ! escpecially because its 4th of July ! we are gonna light up WISCONSIN !

i love you all .. thank you for everything .. the wmm is really the best !
sister warner

diligently seeketh .. [06.22.09]

1st order of buisness in the life of SISTER WARNER IN THE WMM is ..

TRANSFERS ! and she is STAYING ! i get to be with MY GIRL SISTER JOHNSON FOR ONE MORE TRANSFER [that means we are on our 3rd together !] and i get to be with my WINNEBAGO YSA ! life is good and PRESIDENT BARRETT is SO INSPIRED ! sister j and i have LOTS to do .. we are gonna get UWO off and running for real this time and the YSA are gonna teach all of wisconsin with us !

BUT with all this good news of staying comes other news .. we are moving from the THIEL HOME to another home in appleton in just about 2 weeks SO i am going to request you send ALL MAIL to the MISSION HOME .. just b.c. it will be easier for now .. [marmie if you send a package send it to the thiels home ok ?]

so the address is :

5651 Broad St. Ste #1
Greendale, WI 53129

THANK YOU !

another funny fact about WISCONSIN ! there are 4 season here .. let me explain ..

green bay packers football .. WINTER = 7 MONTHS .. road construction .. mosquitos !
i came to the WMM during the packers season .. i SURVIVED the 7 months of winter .. road construction has been CRAZY .. and the mosquitos are starting to come out and i am feelin it ! I LOVE WISCONSIN !

onto the miracles of the Lord !

1 Nephi 10:19
"For he that diligently seeketh shall find; and the mysteries of God shall be unfolded unto them, by the power of the Holy Ghost, as well in these times as in times of old, and as well in times of old as in times to come; wherefore, the course of the Lord is one eternal round."

i have seen this principle in action this week ! i know when we diligently seek Heavenly Father truly reveals unto us, His children, His mysteries .. just as in times before, it is so now and it is AMAZING !

the week was jammed packed with AMAZING lessons and opportunities to spread the good word of God ..

here are the HIGHLIGHTS :

* ZONE PDAY + INVESTIGATORS + MEMBERS = the funnest day !

* Jeremiah bringing friends to FHE .. namly CRAIG ! his knowledge about the Catholic faith is mind blowing .. he has been Catholic his whole life and very much practising .. we had a good conversation with him about both faiths !

* BRITTNIE is understanding the scriptures more and more each time we meet .. the hardest part is her how busy she is .. we are praying somehow it works out so that she can more fully come on His path.

* i heart oshkosh institute. we are getting it on campus at UWO in the fall .. its gonna go down !

* CRAIG calling US and asking US TO TEACH HIM ! WHAT ???!!! the best moment ever ! jer is an amazing missionary and this was even before he was baptized ! jer wants to convert all of wisconsin ! and of course we are all for that !

* our YSA getting together and supporting each other and always taking about how central Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ is in their lives is beautiful ! its so great that we can get them together each week to play and dicuss how blessed we are !

* JEREMIAH THOMAS JAMES ENTERED THE BAPTISMAL WATERS ON JUNE 20, 2009 ! it was PERFECT ! 3 recent converts gave talks and bore testimony and THEN RIGHT AFTER JEREMIAH WAS BAPTIZED HE BORE HIS TESTIMONY ! it was beautiful .. [mind you ben slade had to dunk him 3 times ! and say the prayer 4 times ! it was a good experience for our jer ! haha]

* after the baptism we went to the "BEACH" with our YSA ! uh .. their version of a beach is actually a lake and there is no sand .. it is grass ! haha oh how I LOVE WISCONSIN !

* SUNDAY = WE TURNED HMONG FOR THE AFTERNOON ! pang kou yang is moving this week to milwaukee for a job and she loves us so much and we are so part of their family that she wanted us to dress up with them to take some "family" pictures ! it was such a fun experience ! Hmong clothes are so cool ! dont you think ?!

* TODAY = PDAY ! it is also e. pulleys last pday ing the mission .. this is a sad fact for me b.c. e. pulley has been my 1st zone leader and has been my zone leader for my whole misison yet ! 10 months i've been around this kid ! he has become a good friend and I HAVE LEARNED SO MUCH FROM HIM ! so for pday for him we are having a PARK PDAY EXTRAVAGANZA ! to say see you later to him and pang kou and e. vialpando [our DL ] b.c. he is getting transfered ! its gonna be lots of fun !

* did i mention how HUMID it is here ! i havent felt like this since i lived in HAWAII ! its crazy !

this work is amazing. i know i am here in Wisconsin b.c. the Lord needed me here and i am SO grateful to be here.

I LOVE YOU !
sister warner

and if .. [06.15.09]

2 Nephi 2 :13
"And if ye shall say there is no law, ye shall also say there is no sin. If ye shall say there is no sin, ye shall also say there is no righteousness. And if there be no righteousness there be no happiness. And if there be no righteousness nor happiness there be no punishment nor misery. And if these things are not there is no God. And if there is no God we are not, neither the earth; for there could have been no creation of things, neither to act nor to be acted upon; wherefore, all things must have vanished away."

Lehi explains to us OUR existence .. how and why we are here on the earth and where we are going. everything builds upon that we are here .. we can look outside and see all the creations around us .. if we are here and there are creations around us there must be a God. there must be opposition in all things to create a choice. Lehi tells us further that correct choices .. following Gods commandments will bring us eternal life. i know that is my goal. that is the goal we teach others about. how to gain eternal life. this principle was the theme of my week !

i love LOVE love working with the YSA. their testimonies are SO solid and if they arent yet they are doing all they can to build that unshakeable foundation. they KNOW this is real. they see and feel the difference it has and is making in their life. its beautiful.

* FHE this past week was AMAZING ! so many YSA came .. about 30 .. there were 2 investigators and the lesson was given by ALEX PINGEL ! we sisters actually pawned it off to him .. he taught us how we can spread the word of the gospel by technology and he challenged all the YSA to use facebook, texting, and email to teach others about the gospel ! alex is so rock solid !

* tuesday was amazing b.c. institute in osh kosh is SO good ! the amount of time these YSA spend in driving to be with each other and to be uplifted spiritually is wonderful ! the other good part was the ADAMS-FRIENDSHIP SISTERS CAME ! this is why ..

my baby girl SISTER BLACK & I were invited to attend a MISSION LEADERSHIP TRAINING on wednesday 06.10.09 ! we did sister exchanges and it was so fun ! i got to spend the WHOLE DAY with my SISTER BLACK ! they slept over at our house .. sister black and i got NO sleep b.c. we LOVE to TALK ! and then we had to get up at 4:30am to get ready and drive an hour south to Fond Du Lac for the training at 8am !

* MISSION LEADERSHIP TRAINING was AMAZING ! brother bothell and brother mills from the missionary committee in SLC came out to train us .. along with President Barrett of course ! it was fun to be at this kind of training b.c. we got first hand advice on how to be better Representatives of the Lord and Savior ! it was amazing. i am so grateful President Barrett invited sister black and i to attend !

* my girl sister johnson worked our area of appleton with sister bishop and her mtc comp sister roth ! they had lots of fun and they are all amazing missionaries !

* BRITTNIE ! she is the coolest ! we taught her this week about 2 nephi 2 and the plan of salvation .. she has a hard time understanding scriptures so we taught her to pray before hand and we will take it one verse at a time .. as we started reading we would explain to her and then she started explaining to US what it meant. we told her we were sent here specifically for her and as she understood more and more about her purpose as a child of God tears formed in her eyes and she said, "this is beautiful." she is amazing !

* DAN FRANZ = a great. he is best friends with Jeremiah James and he entered the waters of baptism on June 13, 2009 [my 10month mark as a missionary :)] he sang at his own baptism and it was BEAUTIFUL ! sister j and i have been able to teach dan some and he is solid. he loves this gospel and him and jeremiah are so good in helping each other on this journey !

* JEREMIAH JAMES will enter the waters of baptism JUNE 20, 2009 ! this saturday ! i am SO excited. he is amazing. meeting him 4 months ago at UWGB and seeing who he is now is amazing ! he has found everything he was searching for. i am grateful i have been able to help him recognize the truth of all things !

* TODAY = June 15th = ZONE PDAY ! we are having a big BBQ and BASEBALL game in FOND DU LAC put on by one of the members down there ! its gonna be so fun ! some of our YSA are coming and that makes everything SO FUN !

i love this gospel. it strengthens me each and everyday. it heals our souls. it makes us know and understand our purpose. it brings us everlasting happiness !

i love you.
sister warner

the most joyous to the soul .. [06.08.09]

1 nephi 11:22-23
"...Yea, it is the love of God, which sheddeth itself abroad in the hearts of the children of men; wherefore, it is the most desirable above all things."
"And he spake unto me, saying: Yea, and the most joyous to the soul."

the most joyous and desirable thing is God's love. that is the first principle of the gospel we teach as missionaries. God is our loving Heavenly Father. it is our foundation. when we come to know God's love for us we come to know that Jesus Christ is truly His Son. all the other principles of the gospel build from that foundation. THE LOVE OF GOD IS THE MOST DESIRABLE AND JOYOUS TO THE SOUL. i know this because i have felt God's love in many different ways and it has made my soul beyond joyous. as His full time representative i feel His love as He uses me as an instrument in teaching His children in the land of Wisconsin. His love is amazing and we can see, hear and feel it around us each day. look, listen and feel Him around you as you go on in your days and weeks .. He will truly manifest His love unto you, i promise.

i have seen His love go forth this week in the FOX CITIES !

* we had a sweet dinner and FHE with one of the twins .. SELINA .. she was asking really good questions about the Book of Mormon and the purpose of the gospel. the purpose of this gospel is to get back to our Father. He loves us. He wants us home and He has shown us the path through the Bible and more fully through the Book of Mormon and Modern Day Prophets !

* the weather on june 2nd was AMAZING ! we went to a park and had a mini lesson about the scriptures [on the phone] with JEREMIAH JAMES ! it was fun .. s. johnson and i teetered-tottered for a bit ! i am not that great at it .. you should ask her ! haha on that day of june 2nd i have been in the beautiful WISCONSIN for EXACTLY 9 MONTHS ! crazy how time flies .. i am loving every minute of it !

* OSHKOSH INSTITUTE IS THE PLACE TO BE ! we had about 15 YSA there and 3 of them are investigators ! brother hale [apl 2nd ward] is and AWESOME teacher .. everyone loves it and is learning SO much about "The Power of the Word" !

* PANG KOU YANG is always amazing ! she taught us this week on coming to church using a Book of Mormon story .. it was great ! its fun helping her teach and become a missionary ! she is just wonderful !

* i have to admit one of my FAVORITE Mormon missionary movies we watch is THE TESTAMENTS ! haha the movie shows Jerusalem and Ancient America at the same time and the signs of Jesus Christ in both countries ! the acting is cheesy but i just love it ! ITS A MUST SEE ! Jeremiah approved !

* we also taught JEREMIAH about the Priesthood. i have such a respect and love for the power of the Priesthood. it is amazing. i have been blessed to have an AMAZING PAPA to show me how a Priesthood holder and Father should be. all of us as a nation are blessed to have the power of the Priesthood RESTORED to the earth !

* i learned HOW to GARDEN this weekend by doing service ! it was fun ! i also realized that if i mention MONROVIA to gardeners they ACTUALLY KNOW what/where i am talking about ! i get very excited and let them know that is where i am from ! oh how i heart the monrov !

* i LOVE our recent converts ! MISSY cooked us dinner this weekend when we were up in GB working with the YSA ! she loves this gospel and her testimony is SO powerful and strong ! she is beautiful !

* seeing VANESSA ALCORTA enter the waters of baptism was amazing ! s.black and i taught her when we worked the GB area ! she is SO smart, cute, quite, funny and really loves the Book of Mormon and the gospel of Jesus Christ. she really reminded me of myself 13 years ago as i was being taught about prayer and Heavenly Father. missionary work is amazing. i am so grateful to e.bills and e.pittard who knocked on our door to teach us. i am SO grateful my amazing mother let us listen and know for ourselves if this was all true. i know the fulness of the gospel of Jesus Christ is true. if it was not then i would not be in Wisconsin right now ! now VANESSA will bless the lives of her family .. who all came to support her !

* I CANT EXPLAIN HOW MUCH I LOVE FAST AND TESTIMONY MEETING ! i just love the sabbath day. ALEX blessed the sacrament for the 1st time and he received a calling to the sunday school presidency ! he is rock solid amazing ! he bore his testimony on how grateful he was for the restored gospel and it was beautiful ! THEN to top it off .. JEREMIAH JAMES got up and bore his testimony ! he KNOWS Joseph Smith saw God, our Heavenly Father and His Son Jesus Christ, he KNOWS the gospel was RESTORED and he KNOWS the Book of Mormon is TRUE. it was AMAZING !

the Lord loves His children of Wisconsin. i know this because i see it on a daily basis. it truly is amazing. His love truly is the most DESIRABLE and JOYOUS thing to our soul.

I LOVE YOU ! I THANK YOU ! YOU ARE AMAZING !
sister warner

the truth of all things .. [06.01.09]

Moroni 10:3-5

"Behold, I would exhort you that when ye shall read these things, if it be wisdom in God that ye should read them, that ye would remember how merciful the Lord hath been unto the children of men, from the creation of Adam even down until the time that ye shall receive these things, and ponder it in your hearts."

"And when ye shall receive these things, I would exhort you that ye would ask God, the Eternal Father, in the name of Christ, if these things are not true; and if ye shall ask with a sincere heart, with real intent, having faith in Christ, he will manifest the truth of it unto you, by the power of the Holy Ghost."

"And by the power of the Holy Ghost ye may know the truth of all things."

the truth of all things are made known by the Spirit. everyone we have worked with this week .. everywhere we have gone .. everything we have done to bring His children closer to His path is true. i know this because the Spirit has told me through His still and small voice .. i have felt it and i have seen it ! the Lords miracles are being poured out upon us !

this week was QUITE AMAZING !

* MEMORIAL DAY = LOTS OF PICNICS ! we had one with the APL 1st/YSA .. one with the APL 2nd and then for FHE we had a BONFIRE [ it DEF made me miss our Huntington Beach Bonfires ! ] the BEST part of all those activities was that our investigators were at EVERYTHING and the WARD/BRANCH did all the fellow shipping ! it was beautiful. [side note = i was sick that day .. it was a weird sick BUT e. pulley gave me a priesthood blessing that eve and i was better the next morning. i can truly testify that the power of the priesthood is REAL and i am grateful for it in my life.]

* i had an AMAZING interview with Pres. B .. he is SO inspiring and i am so grateful that he is my mission president. he helps and inspires me SO MUCH !

* OSHKOSH INSTITUTE WAS OFF THE HOOK ! we had DAN FRANZ and JEREMIAH JAMES there .. they came with our MISSY BLOOM too ! you know the gospel is true when you get about 15 - 20 YSA together on a night to talk about the scriptures and how they better our lives !

* wednesdays = strengthening recent convert and less actives day ! we spent most of our day teaching them and them teaching us .. its so great to see there faith increase ! we also went to YW/YM for the APL 2nd ward and had 2 investigators there ! SLYVIA [one of the twins] and LAZ [a yw's bf] they both had fun and loved being around so many youth who have the spirit abounding !

* MAY 28th = AMAZING ! we were able to have lunch with BRITTNIE .. our investigator who is crazy busy ! we taught her about having a living prophet and how much of a blessing it is in our lives TODAY !
THAT NIGHT WAS THE BEST ! we learned in ZC how to have lesson chapel tours and so we set one up for JEREMIAH JAMES ! we had 2 members with us [ gary and christie ] we planned out that day what we were going to talk about in each part of the church building ! we started with a song and the Spirit flooded the building ! [there were scouts there earlier that we DID NOT know about BUT the Lord blessed us and when we started the tour EVERYONE was gone !] we talked about the importance of the sacrament, the great apostasy, joseph smith and the first vision, the desirable fruit of baptism and the importance of the temple .. THE LESSON WENT AMAZING .. THE SPIRIT WAS SO STRONG and when we invited him to come unto Christ by being BAPTIZED .. HE ACCEPTED ! JEREMIAH JAMES IS GETTING BAPTIZED JUNE 20, 2009 ! the Lord loves him and is SO excited for his choice. after we committed him we asked him his experience finding out this was true and he said "i wanted to find a body of believers who believed what i did, i met the mormons but i was skeptical, i asked God and I FOUND THE TRUTH !" he came to church yesterday and LOVED it ! i have known Jeremiah from the start .. he is a UWGB student and his souls greatest questions have and continue to be answered !

* teaching Jeremiah THE GOSPEL OF JESUS CHRIST using Chutes and Ladders ! [ hey we did THE PLAN OF SALVATION using Candy Land ! it def works ! ]

* CHICAGO TEMPLE ON MAY 30, 2009 = the best blessing ! ALEX did his family history and came with 7 names ! HE WAS SO ECSTATIC ! HE IS AMAZING. i cant say it enough ! he loves this gospel and knows everything is TRUE b.c. of the Spirit ! it was such a blessing to be there with our YSA and also ALLAN who's it was his 1st time too ! s. johnson and i were able to help in the baptistry and that was SO COOL ! I LOVE THE TEMPLE !

* SUNDAY IS ALWAYS A BLESSING. i love the sabbath day and seeing our investigators / recent converts / members ALL there to worship and partake of the sacrament together ! ALEX ALSO PASSED THE SACRAMENT FOR THE 1st TIME ! i've been through the whole journey right next to alex and it is such a blessing and answer to all my prayers ! I LOVE THIS GOSPEL !

"The Spirit of God like a fire is burning! The latter-day glory begins to come forth; The visions and blessings of old are returning, And angels are coming to visit the earth."

the work i am doing here in wisconsin is true. i love being the Lords instrument. His work will continue to go forth b.c. THE TRUTH OF ALL THINGS will be made known to all those around us.

I LOVE YOU !
sister warner

believe .. [05.26.09]

Alma 32:16
"Therefore, blessed are they who humble themselves without being compelled to be humble; or rather, in other words, blessed is he that believeth in the word of God, and is baptized without stubbornness of heart, yea, without being brought to know the word, or even compelled to know, before they will believe."

this is our theme of the week ..

with Zone Conference and with our missionary work in general !

[sorry no email yesterday .. memorial day !]

today is going to be short .. REAL SHORT .. sorry ! [or you might like it b.c i know i can TALK/WRITE A LOT SOMETIMES !

zone conf was AMAZING .. like always ! we learned A LOT about how to use the church building to teach and how to interacte more with our investigators to help them learn for themselves !

we had many blessings this week ..

one in particular was ALEX RECEIVED THE ARONIC PRIESTHOOD ! it was amazing !

we are going to the Chicago Temple this weekend to take all our recent convert YSA ! I AM SO EXCITED !

i know this gospel is true and its complete fulness is found here. it is truly amazing the way it changes lives.

THANK YOU ALL AND I LOVE YOU ALL !
sister warner

this is my joy .. [05.18.09]

Alma 26:11-12, 16

"But Ammon said unto him: I do not boast in my own strength, nor in my own wisdom; but behold, my joy is full, yea, my heart is brim with joy, and I will rejoice in my God."

"Yea, I know that I am nothing; as to my strength I am weak; therefore I will not boast of myself, but I will boast of my God, for in his strength I can do all things; yea, behold, many mighty miracles we have wrought in this land, for which we will praise his name forever."

"Therefore, let us glory, yea, we will glory in the Lord; yea, we will rejoice, for our joy is full; yea, we will praise our God forever. Behold, who can glory too much in the Lord? Yea, who can say too much of his great power, and of his mercy, and of his long-suffering towards the children of men? Behold, I say unto you, I cannot say the smallest part which I feel."

Alma 26:35, 37

"Now have we not reason to rejoice? Yea, I say unto you, there never were men that had so great reason to rejoice as we, since the world began; yea, and my joy is carried away, even unto boasting in my God; for he has all power, all wisdom, and all understanding; he comprehendeth all things, and he is a merciful Being, even unto salvation, to those who will repent and believe on his name."

"Now my brethren, we see that God is mindful of every people, whatsoever land they may be in; yea, he numbereth his people, and his bowels of mercy are over all the earth. Now this is my joy, and my great thanksgiving; yea, and I will give thanks unto my God forever. Amen."


i feel just as Ammon did !

my joy is full and i have many reasons to rejoice ! i know it is only by the strength of God that i can be His instrument. i continue to see many mighty miracles in this land of Wisconsin. the Lord brings salvation unto His children when they repent and believe on His name. i have witnessed this great miracle just this weekend. Heavenly Father IS mindful of ALL His children, wherever they are ! i am SO thankful i get to see His love to His children here in Wisconsin !

ALEX JAMES PINGEL entered the waters of baptism on May 16, 2009 and he received the Gift of the Holy Ghost on May 17, 2009. IT WAS AMAZING ! he could NOT stop smiling. his faith has increased day by day and His love of the Book of Mormon is insane ! i have never met anyone quite like Alex. he taught with us right after his baptism and he is an AMAZING missionary. i am so grateful i have been able to meet him and see his journey onto the straight and narrow path back to our Heavenly Father. he knows it doesn't stop here at baptism .. he is excited for this path he has chosen .. whenever he prays he thanks Heavenly Father for this 'second chance' he has been given. His sister Brandie has and is an amazing example to him of the blessings the fullness of the gospel of Jesus Christ brings to our lives.

IT IS AMAZING ! i am so blessed to be a missionary and especially to be here in WISCONSIN ! it is beautiful here. i love it !

this week was SO full of the spirit and the Lord truly blessed us .. he does every moment of everyday ! i love finding the MIRACLE OF THE DAY !

i loved this last week ..

* PDAY & FHE was so fun ! we played a little baseball with the elders .. baseball is not my strong point but it was still fun ! FHE = making a game out of foam swords and a dodge ball .. it was intense ! i gave the lesson on last minute notice and i am so grateful for the Spirits guiding influence to have of say what needs to be said at the very moment it needs to be said ..

* teaching ALEX about the importance of the TEMPLE .. i love the temple so much and he is excited to get to go !

* taking a walk to the church building to plan ideas for the YSA and to street contact .. we met a couple people along the way and it was wonderful to bear testimony to them and invite them to learn more ! i also LOVE walking ! Appleton = beautiful !

* TRANSFERS ! s. v.johnson and i are staying in the Winnebago YSA Branch and Appleton 2nd Ward ! i love her and i love this area ! i know i was supposed to be here just like i felt when i was in Green Bay !

* VOLLEYBALL ! it is by far my new fav sport .. FOR SURE ! the YSA that come are so fun and make it amazing. s.v.johnson taught us how you can relate any verse of scripture to your daily life. it was amazing !

* SATURDAY MAY 16, 2009 = SO FULL OF THE SPIRIT ! the spirit at alex's baptism was AMAZING. everything was so beautiful. i cant express enough the joy alex had on his face and in his heart !

* alex teaching jeremiah james and dan franz about the book of mormon and coming to the knowledge of the truth fullness of this gospel ! IT WAS GREAT !

* WINNEBAGO YSA ROCKS ! alex's confirmation was preformed by President Miller and it was beautiful. specifically for alex !

* working with the appleton 2nd is so fun ! THE TWINS .. slyvia and selina came to church and we went to their house last night and they finally LIKE the girl missionaries ! haha it was an awkward missionary transition and they are 13 so it took them a bit longer to warm up to us ! they are amazing though !

* we also taught a YW's boyfriend from the APL 2nd .. LAZ = way down !

* 3 elders are extending their missions by 3 weeks .. e.jolley, e.tryon and e. oldham ! they are going around interviewing RECENT CONVERTS and their testimonies ! they interviewed our MISSY BLOOM and ALEX PINGEL .. they ROCK !

THIS UPCOMING WEEK IS GOING TO BE SO GOOD ..

because we have ZONE CONFERENCE. i heart zc.

i heart all my family and friends back home supporting me and loving me as i am here in wisconsin. THANK YOU.

this gospel is true. the Lord loves each of us individually and knows each one of us. it is amazing.

I LOVE YOU.
sister warner

i do not doubt my mother knew it .. [05.11.09]

Alma 56:47-48
"Now they never had fought, yet they did not fear death; and they did think more upon the liberty of their fathers than they did upon their lives; yea, they had been taught by their mothers, that if they did not doubt, God would deliver them.
"And they rehearsed unto me the words of their mothers, saying: We do not doubt our mothers knew it."

Alma 57 :21
"Yea, and they did obey and observe to perform every word of command with exactness; yea, and even according to their faith it was done unto them; and I did remember the words which they said unto me that their mothers had taught them."

HAPPY MOTHERS DAY .. yesterday !

it was an amazing day for me ! talking to MY MARMIE and SARAI !

MARMIE .. you are such a great example to me in my life and i wouldn't be who i am now without you. thank you.

SARAI .. thank you for your dedication to the YW and never giving up on us. you have taught me so much.

i have been blessed with amazing examples of women in my life. the women i know have survived many trials and have put their FAITH and TRUST IN HEAVENLY FATHER. from their example i have learned to give everything to my Heavenly Father. I DO NOT DOUBT THAT MY MOTHER AND THE WOMEN I KNOW KNEW IT .. THAT GOD WOULD DELIVER THEM AND BLESS THEM !

this last week was beautiful .. not just the GREEN of Wisconsin BUT the smiles and cheerful hearts of the Wisconsinites !

* Monday FHE we reenacted Book of Mormon battle stories with our home made [foam] swords ! of course mine said "LA" on it ! it was a good lesson about preparation and standing strong !

* Oshkosh Institute is so good ! Alex and our new investigator Matt came ! the class is called "the power of the word" and Brother Hale is an excellent teacher !

* ALEX PINGELS baptismal interview went AMAZING ! that guy is SO solid .. he continues to amaze me ! his baptism will be this Saturday MAY 16, 2009 @ 3p in Neenah ! we and he couldn't be more excited !

* GOING TO YW/YM for the Appleton 2nd ward ! i love the youth program ! they are so amazing ! almost EVERYONE of those youth brought a friend with them ! its fun serving in a family ward as well !

* teaching ADAM .. another new investigator .. he is friends with Jenna Benyo .. one of our YSA who is off track at BYUi right now .. we taught him about the restoration and the spirit was SO strong ! every time i teach the restoration the spirit floods the room .. the restoration is KEY to everything we believe and know to be true. know the proper authority was RESTORED or brought back new to the earth is an amazing blessing and THE BOOK OF MORMON is EVIDENCE of the truth of the restoration !

* BYU DANCE COMPANY came to APPLETON, WISCONSIN ! the missionaries were at the show to help pass out programs and seat people ! it was SO fun .. the dancing was WAY good AND one of the BYU dancers happened to be my s. blacks roommate back in provo ! we talked for a bit about how amazing s. black is and it was so good !

* YSA VOLLEYBALL = always amazing ! we have so much fun .. s. johnson has continued the tradition of getting hit in the face by the volleyball .. the poor girl .. she wears glasses too .. we are trying to stop the tradition so we will have to see how it goes this next week :) after playing we talked about ..
2 nephi 2:25
"Adam fell that men might be; and men are, that they might have joy."
our Heavenly Father sent us here to have joy and some ways our YSA said to have joy our :
go to church, read, pray, ponder, good friends, see the positive, and rely on the Lord. those primary answers are the most crucial and basic for us to have joy in this life !

* the twins = SELINA and SLYVIA .. they are 13 and we are working with them in the APL 2 .. they are very fun girls, very strong willed and need the gospel .. we all made our own title of liberty like captain moroni !

* i love the sabbath day ! its so nice to renew our covenants and receive spiritual strength to go on in the week ! i love the YSA branch ! its still small but yet its strong !

* DINNER AT THE BOYLES ! they are half Hawaiian and half white ! they are in the oshkosh ward and they are SO AMAZING ! we had a wonderful dinner with their family and the oshkosh elders ! they also gave us an amazing show of ukuleles and hula ! it DEF brought me back to the good times at BYUh for me ! oh how i miss Hawaii !

we have lots to look forward to this week .. ESPECIALLY ALEX'S BAPTISM !

i thank everyone for their support and love to me. i appreciate it SO MUCH.

have a beautiful week ! [we got to go take our car to the shop now and play an intense game of baseball for e.fergusons bday !]

I LOVE YOU.
sister warner