November 30, 2009

"what the world needs now .. " [11.30.09]


".. IS LOVE, SWEET LOVE. ITS THE ONLY THING THAT THERES JUST TO LITTLE OF."

i was reading President Uchtdorfs talk .. THE LOVE OF GOD .. and this song got stuck into my head and it is SO true !

what the world needs and what we ALL need is LOVE. that is why one of Jesus Christ attributes is LOVE & CHARITY.

when we have that love there is peace and where there is peace the Spirit of the Lord guides and when He guides we are following doing our best to follow Heavenly Fathers will for us.

"Love is the measure of our faith, the inspiration for our obedience, and the true altitude of our discipleship." - President Uchtdorf

i have realized how much more i need to focus on LOVE FOR ALL. that is what i am working on. i know and have seen that when unconditional love is present the Lord not only blesses us but we see His hand and His miracles in all places.

i LOVE what President Uchtdorf had to say just 2 months ago .. his counsel is blessing me and will everyone !

"Is there a constant compass that can help us prioritize our lives, thoughts, and actions?"

"Once again the Savior revealed the way. When asked to name the greatest commandment, He did not hesitate. “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind,” He said. “This is the first and great commandment.” Coupled with the second great commandment—to love our neighbor as ourselves—we have a compass that provides direction not only for our lives but also for the Lord’s Church on both sides of the veil."

"Because love is the great commandment, it ought to be at the center of all and everything we do in our own family, in our Church callings, and in our livelihood. Love is the healing balm that repairs rifts in personal and family relationships. It is the bond that unites families, communities, and nations. Love is the power that initiates friendship, tolerance, civility, and respect. It is the source that overcomes divisiveness and hate. Love is the fire that warms our lives with unparalleled joy and divine hope. Love should be our walk and our talk."

"When we truly understand what it means to love as Jesus Christ loves us, the confusion clears and our priorities align. Our walk as disciples of Christ becomes more joyful. Our lives take on new meaning. Our relationship with our Heavenly Father becomes more profound. Obedience becomes a joy rather than a burden." - President Uchtdorf

I LOVE HIM and am so grateful the windows of heaven are open to us and those that have been called as our stewards !

THE LORD BLESSES US !

we had a wonderful FHE at the MISSION HOME ! we talked about General Conference and guesses who said what ! our lovely SARA and HEATHER both came ! sara almost didnt come b.c. she was sick and going to GB the next day for break but SHE CAME ! she amazes me at times .. she loves the YSA and i know she feels at home with them. we wished her a happy turkey day in GB and we are excited to talk about her time with her mom .. it was a crutial visit .. keep her in your prayers !

on tuesday i was not well at all. my lil s.pluim let me rest and get better so we could go on exchanges later that night. i love my companion. she is the cutest and sweetest. the exchanges that night were good. we went out with the auxilaries from the Muskego Lakes .. i went with s. Kozlosky b.c. the YW Pres couldnt go .. it was sister k's first time going .. we live with her we should take her more ! and she loved it ! it opened her eyes to other people and what we really do !

THANKSGIVING WAS AMAZING ! WE PLAYED IN THE FAMOUS GREENDALE TURKEY BOWL ! and of course we rocked the house ! then we went to the RISSE HOME .. vals family is so fun ! they made a delicious meal of the turkey, stuffing and mashed potatoes ! MMMMMMM good ! i know marmie and the memmotts probably cooked up a storm ! you still win to me on the best ! we also had another meal with the KOZLOSKY/ORNE crew ! it was hard to continue to eat but we did ! we were very thankful ! it was a good day and we got to talk to lots of people ! brother k invited his friend AL [short for aladin] over later and he actually knew us from dropping the other sisters car off to get a oil change once. al is muslim and he taught us a lot about his faith and we taught him our beliefs and knowledge. it was a really good night !

THE LORDS HAND IS IN EVERYTHING ! this is why ..

on friday we had a tentative dinner appt with the MILEYS [they just moved here from snowflake, az .. H&B they know holbrook .. i think they know some hatchs too !] THEY ARE SO COOL ! so we call us s. miley to check and she acts real cool and says "oh yea be here at 5p !" so we pull up at 5p .. on time i would like to point out ! and she has boxes of pizza in her hand and just kinda laughs and says i really FORGOT you were coming so i am glad you called and we are having pizza ! we all just laughed .. there 5 children are so cute and cleaning the house away ! as we are all greating each other in comes another guest ! SHANTALL .. she is 16 and babysits for them .. s. miley FORGOT she was doing her hair that night too !

SHANTALL is the coolest 16 year old ! she is an amazing dancer .. she knows every style .. even KRUMPING ! she is doing a battle in 3 weeks ! SO COOL ! but she also told us she has been trying to find a faith .. shes gone to everything but LDS practically. while s.miley was doing her hair and s.pluim was playing/distracting the kids i got to teach her about Heavenly Father and who we really are and the happiness of the Restored Gospel of Jesus Christ ! it was so cool ! we are hoping to see her again this coming week ! THE LORDS MIRACLES !

the rest of the week was good .. we are searching for Heavenly Fathers prepared .. loving all we see and opening our mouths to share the joy of the restroration and eternal families.

thank you for your prayers and support. please continue to keep the wisconsinities in your prayers. our area needs lots of love, service and support ! we are trying to light the fire of missionary work within them ! i know LOVE, combined with FAITH and HOPE it changes EVERYTHING !

i will be like Nephi ALWAYS ..

Helaman 10:4-5
“Blessed art thou, Nephi, for those things which thou hast done; for I have beheld how thou hast with unwearyingness declared the word, which I have given unto thee, unto this people. And thou hast not feared them, and hast not sought thine own life, but hast sought my will, and to keep my commandments.”

“And now, because thou hast done this with such unwearyingness, behold, I will bless thee forever; and I will make thee mighty in word and in deed, in faith and in works; yea, even that all things shall be done unto thee according to thy word, for thou shalt not ask that which is contrary to my will.”

i love this work. i love being a sister missionary. i love wisconsin. [there is no snow on the ground in milwaukee yet but i want there to be !] i love the restored gospel of Jesus Christ.

I LOVE YOU.
sister warner

November 23, 2009

FULL OF THANKSGIVING ! [11.23.09]

Mosiah 24:22
"And they gave thanks to God, yea, all their men and all their women and all their children that could speak lifted their voices in the praises of their God."

i am FULL OF THANKSGIVING !

the Lord has provided me and my family and all of us with SO many things to lift up our voices and praise Him !

with thanksgiving being this week i have been thinking about what i am THANKFUL for ! there are so MANY things .. each of these people or places have brought some kind of JOY, HAPPINESS & LEARNING into my life ..

* ALL OF YOU. meaning my family, friends, and anyone who reads my emails and continually supports and strengthens me !

* TERRI LYNN WARNER, LAURA ANNA-MARIE WARNER, HEATHER KATHLEEN HATCH

* MY MEMMOTTS.

* WISCONSIN and everything related to the cheese land .. THE BARRETTS .. my companions and their families .. Wisconsinite saints .. the accent .. cheese and change of seasons and every child of God who stops to hear us !

* BFFL jose romo jr. you are a pretty great guy.

* my talents Heavenly Father gave me.

* my BFA Degree

* the KOZLOSKY HOUSE !

* being able to email once a week !

* SNAIL MAIL FROM ALL OF YOU !

* herbal peppermint tea !

* the ability to see, hear, touch, taste, smell !

* history

* THE BOOK OF MORMON

the list could go on and on BUT something i am so very grateful for is ..

THE RESTORED GOSPEL OF JESUS CHRIST !

we are the family of God and we are blessed to have the fulness of the gospel right at our fingertips .. it is amazing ! i love it !

we are in for a week full of joy and thanksgiving !

this last week was a grand one ..

we went to the SPRECHERS ROOTBEER FACORY with all the missionaries and our SARA came as well ! we got to try all the rootbeer ! it was tasty !

we also made KOZLOSKY HOUSE TIE DIE TSHIRTS ! it was an extravaganza ! marmie got to go to DISNEYLAND ! i am glad you had fun !

sometimes i wish s.pluim and i could video record ourselves and our days .. its way fun and funny ! we had a dinner appt with RACHEL and KRYSTAL from the YSA and we could not stop laughing .. pure joy and happiness .. s.pluim told me as we left that i could fit in with the weirdness of her family ! i was pretty weird/funny that eve !

we had interviews with our papa barr .. oh how i love that man ! he always warms my cold hands when he shakes my hands ! we had a good talk and we have a lot of work to do and we are gonna do it !

our YSA are the bomb ! they always have someone at dinner that is just great for us to be there ! either its a friend of theirs or someone who hasnt been to church in awhile .. they are just on top of the game and we are grateful for that !

on 11.18 we ended up being at the mission home till 11:30p .. WOW ! we went to say goodbye to the alders at 9:10p .. our senior office couple but they were just finishing dinner and were still going to do a testimony meeting ! president had e.carter[ap] and me s.warner bear our testimonies and then the alders and then both the barretts and before you know it the time is far spent ! but i love the alders and miss them already ! we are getting 2 senior sisters coming in the office this week !

we had an AMAZING lesson with SARA about JACOB 5 .. she learned about it at UWM institute and loved it .. she knew she was a branch getting grafted into the tree where the roots are good ! PRAY FOR HER ! she goes home to green bay this week for thanksgiving and is going to talk to her mom about baptism !

pang kou yang had us over with a bunch of her HMONG friends for a PHO PARTY ! pho is almost like top ramen but on steroids ! it is SO good ! we had a lot of good talking with them too .. especially about Christianity b.c. most Hmong people are Shamanism .. it was really good !

rebecca lynn kozlosky turned 14 and we got her a coloring book ! haha that is what she wanted ! i love her as my little sister !

we had a wonderful sabbath .. lots of spirituallity ! we got invited to the SED [sunday evening discussion] as "OLDER YOUTH" to explain what we went through in High School and what they are going through and how to become the children of God that Heavenly Father knows and wants you to become. it was fun ! i am a WAY older youth !

wow. good times. good week. more to come next week ! remember :

Alma 7:23
"And now I would that ye should be humble, and be submissive and gentle; easy to be entreated; full of patience and long-suffering; being temperate in all things; being diligent in keeping the commandments of God at all times; asking for whatsoever things ye stand in need, both spiritual and temporal; always returning thanks unto God for whatsoever things ye do receive."

2 Nephi 9:52
"Behold, my beloved brethren, remember the words of your God; pray unto him continually by day, and give thanks unto his holy name by night. Let your hearts rejoice."

again THANK YOU for everything. i am so grateful for my life and the experiences that have made me who i am and to be here now.

I LOVE YOU.
sister warner

November 16, 2009

o be wise ! [11.16.09]


FIRST AND FOREMOST ..

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MY MARMIE !
THE BEAUTIFUL TERRI LYNN WARNER !

she is the greatest marmie a girl can ask for. thank you for everything marmie. thank you for supporting me here in wisconsin ! they love you for it !

so many blessings all the time are found here in milwaukee, wisconsin with sister pluim and i ..

11.09 .. we had a ZONE PDAY last monday .. i got to see my girls .. black and little j ! and of course my russian j but now she is gone in russia ..

we went down to KENOSHA and played FUTBOL and FOOTBALL ! it sure was fun ! its a little chilly outside but once you start running around it is all good !

our sweet KATIE WENZEL came to YSA FHE later that night .. she is good at jepordy .. let me tell you !

oh and we got a NEW CAR ! its a 2010 corolla .. i am still learning to drive it .. its just a little diff then the mailbus .. it smells like new car though ! it is fun !

11.10 .. THE MENTERS .. we have been working with them for a while yet and they have kinda fallen off the band wagon .. we commited them to pray specifically about the restoration .. if it is true like they say it is .. THEY MUST ACT .. we are waiting for the action .. i love KIM, ZAK AND SAMI .. i want them to taste of the sweet fruit and Heavenly Father wants them too as well ..

11.11 .. by the time i am done with my mission i will know how to take care of a yard so good ! MARMIE .. I AM ENLISTING MYSELF TO HELP WITH YARD WORK :) we helped sweet sister heck get her yard all prepared for the winter that is soon to come .. she is the only member in her family .. she joined when she was 17 and has been going since .. she tells everyone in her path the JOY of the restored gospel !

SARA .. how i love that girl. we love teaching her at UWM .. she is enthusiastic and really is trying to nourish that seed of faith .. she will be baptized before the new year !

UWM BOOTHS = TONS OF FUN ! especially this week .. EVERYONE WANTED TO BASH WITH US. it was s.pluims first experience with this and she was not too fond. it was ok for me .. i knew how to handle it b.c. of MHS and getting bashed with during lunch time !

AMANDA .. AMANDA .. AMANDA ! oh how i love her. she is an answer to my prayer this week. she is val risse [RC] best friend. her husband is over fighting in Afghanistan right now and she has little CADEN who is 20months old. we had a beautiful lesson with her this week about ENOS and PRAYER .. durning the lesson she told us she was quiting smoking .. THAT NIGHT .. on her own ! then towards the end of the lesson she asked a question that was specific to me and the experiences of who i am today and as tears came to my eyes i boldly told her, "i am a living example of bad things happening to good people." the spirit filled the room with Heavenly Fathers love for each of us individually and the understanding of agency was the answer.

i am grateful to know that Heavenly Father loves me. even in the hard and bad times. i KNOW He is there and that all is made right through the Atonement of Jesus Christ. i know that my lifes experiences have helped me to be the women i am today, the missionary i am and why i am here in wisconsin. i love this gospel. i love all of you who have stood by me and lifted me up and helped me to become who i am today.

11.12 .. i love amanda .. she came to institute on thursday night and received a blessing from President Orne in helping her to quit smoking ! she is a wonderful women !

HEATHER B. is so cute. she is a YSA and s.boschi from the muskego lakes ward referred her. we had such an awesome lesson about the restoration. s.pluims analogys are EXACTLY what she needs to learn and grow in the gospel. she said she now felt confused b.c. she was raised knowing something else but that she was going to ask b.c. only H.F. can give us the answers through the power of the Holy Ghost. we love her and of course i love that name !

11.13 .. just a little side note .. ALWAYS UPDATE YOUR AREA BOOK [if your on a mission or going of course .. if not update your journal !] .. remember me asking you papa, "whats an area book ?" papa: "its a book that stays in your area." WELL I DEF UNDERSTAND AN AREA BOOK .. lets just say ours needed a lot of updating and it got it and it is good.

11.14 .. we went and saw SUSAN ! her daughter [is the only LDS] just got married in the temple and we got to teach her more about it all .. she went out west to help them move and got to go to temple square and loved it ! we are seeing her again this week !

11.15 .. oh sundays ! how i love them .. we are there a very long time but it is fulfilling and refreshing !

SISTER AND ELDER ALDER LEAVE THIS WEEK. they are our senior office couple and i love them so much and sad to see them have to go .. there was a little piano concert put on by sister alder [she is amazing] last night in honor of their service her in WI.

i love this gospel. i love this work.

I LOVE THIS SCRIPTURE ..

Jacob 6:12
"O be wise; what can I say more?"

that is what we need to remember. O BE WISE !

i also found this to be interesting this week and found it a good motto for us all to "O be wise" and live by ..

Jarom 1:11
"Wherefore, the prophets, and the priests, and the teachers, did labor diligently, exhorting with all long-suffering the people to diligence; teaching the law of Moses, and the intent for which it was given; persuading them to look forward unto the Messiah, and believe in him to come as though he already was. And after this manner did they teach them."

as we live our lives as if the Messiah is already here how much better will we all be ?

have an amazing week ! remember .."o be wise" .. "believe in him[Christ] to come as though he already was"

I LOVE YOU !
sister warner

November 09, 2009

ETERNAL BLESSINGS ! [11.09.09]


i have been thinking a lot about what the restored gospel of Jesus Christ means ..

it means ..

ETERNAL BLESSINGS !

today is dads, Mark Richard Warners birthday .. thinking about him passing away when i was just a little over 2 years old draws a blank. i do not remember anything about dad .. i look at pictures and hear fun stories but for me i cant remember anything ..

BUT ..

b.c. marmie, laura, heather and i accepted the restored gospel we have received the blessings of an ETERNAL FAMILY.

through the restoration we have the authority of the priesthood brought back to us and we have the blessings of having TEMPLES on the earth just like back in the bible times.

i am so grateful e.pittard and e.bills came to our house when i was just 10 years old. i was young but i knew it felt right .. it was peace and happiness and fulness ..

ETERNAL BLESSINGS come from living and partaking of the restored gospel .. i feel so blessed to be telling all around me of the true happiness they can have !

my sweet family .. i love you so very much. i would not be here without you and marmie we would not have these eternal blessings without you partaking of the fruit of the restored gospel. THANK YOU. i feel so blessed and happy.

my faith has been renewed by the inspiration of others and the Lord has many miracles in our path .. we saw some just this very week !

the Lord opened the hearts of TONY, PETER, SHERRI AND CHERYL this past week ..

we went to west allis to find a member who hasnt come to church in a long time and while she was not there the Lord led us to tony, peter, sherri and cheryl .. we are going back this week to teach them what the restored gospel means !

there is opposition in all things and even though everyone we were trying to see in the afternoon was not there the Lord opened the doors in west allis !

the blessings are endless .. i truly love this work and feel so honored and blessed to be a part of it ..

i am running out of time .. we have to go switch our car b.c. it is getting retired and we get a brand NEW car ! so exciting !

a funny story from this week .. i learned a lesson about LEAVES ! there are A LOT of them with the fall ending that have well you guessed it fallen .. EVERYONE HAS PILES OF RAKED LEAVES EVERYWHERE ..

so my thoughts were .. why even rake them ? the snow is gonna come and then no one will see them .. well BISHOP FANNON enlightened me on the matter .. it ruins the grass if you leave them there and the snow comes .. how would i know that ?! haha

so we got to help the MENTERS rake their HUGE lawn this weekend BUT the weather was PERFECT !

it felt like california this weekend .. well the winter in SO*CAL ! oh i loved it !

many more blessings are on its way ..

THANK YOU ALL FOR EVERYTHING YOU DO FOR ME.

i know this restored gospel is true. if you dont believe me .. TRY IT FOR YOURSELF !

go to mormon.org and read, then ask, then act and you will know too ! i get to do it all the time and again and again ! just try it ! i promise you will want the ETERNAL BLESSINGS !

I LOVE YOU !
sister warner

November 02, 2009

not a 'MINI' thanks .. thats for sure ! [11.02.09]


OH MY FAMILY ! you never cease to amaze me !

i got treats and a cute little trick from you !

HALLOWEEN is our mission deep clean day .. we stay in for safety and CLEAN ! so s.pluim and i were cleaning away and all of a sudden brother kozlosky comes in with a HUGE package for s.pluim and i !

it was from of course the famous WARNERS ! i got notes from all of you and even the infamous a [alex .. who i have not met yet!] and the theme .. DUN DUN !

MINI ! so my thanks is a GREAT BIG HUGE THANKS ! not a 'mini' thanks ! BUT i sure do love all the mini candies and treats ! the bobby pins are so cute ! i love mini things and s.pluim loved it all too ! you are so good to this little missionary !

you, my sweet family, are so amazing ! it sure did brighten our day being stuck inside ! we got a feast of treats ! I LOVE THE MINI SOY SAUCE .. laura you are a theme women ! [and to L .. shoutout to the amazing earings you sent me from mexico ! so down !]

this week was full of more fun and spiritual upliftment and experiences ! here is the adventures of the mama warner and pluiminator !

mon 10.26 .. MUD FOOTBALL ! i made a touchdown too ! s.pluim is such a god sport and just plays with all she has ! we couldnt go into the church and it was raining so the elders said lets play in the mud ! it turned out to be a lot of fun to get dirty and just run ! it was a great photo opp too and so the elders decided to slide around in more mud ! oh what we do in wisconsin as missionaries !

tues 10.27 .. TRANSFER DAY ! this week was kinda crazy with changes and mission tour .. so we all changed early and some of the missionaries had to "babysit" the departing missionaries b.c. they werent going home till saturday. s.pluim and i had tall s.johnson with us for a couple of days ! we had fun !

that night we went to the Catholic Campus Ministry with VAL [she is a RC and was raised catholic and her friend invited her to this night where they would be speaking about the Popes and val invited us and we went ! it was really cool to understand more about the Catholic Church .. it helped me understand more about the RESTORATION and how Heavenly Father sets up everything to work out .. the history of the Catholic Church brought about the reformations and then that is what brought about the restoration .. i am SO grateful for a RESTORATION OF ALL TRUTHS ! it is amazing .. Heavenly Father loves us ! we got to talk to Father Mike about the LDS church and a lot of the students there ... it was a really inspirational time where my testimony of the LDS church grew firmer.

wed 10.28 .. UWM .. I LOVE COLLEGE CAMPUS' ! each week we get more recognized and get to talk to more people about the LDS church and they get to FEEL THE LIGHT ! this week we met another one of SARA's friends .. JAMES .. he was cool .. he practices a form of hinduism and that was really interesting. we got to talk to him about this restoration that we hold so dear. i got to speak more to sara's other friend who we are teaching .. RICHARD .. he is an amazing young kid who has gone through some hard times and with the gospel he can be healed.

I LOVE THE KOZLOSKY HOUSE ! living with the K's is so nice .. we are apart of thier family and it feels great .. i am DEF being taken care of ! we decided to make them dinner this week .. i was craving marmies home made mac n cheese and i attempted to make it without her help and i think it turned out pretty good ! thank you marmie for your sweet cooking skills !

also on the 10.28 was my sweet little niece evelyns birthday ! 1 year old ! i cant wait to meet her !

and my mama HAILEY HOOD IS NOW HAILEY JONES ! weird but exciting. i love you.

the big day was thur 10.29 ..

MISSION TOUR !

ELDER BRUCE C. HAFEN from the quorum of the seventy came to speak to the WMM ! it was amazing ..

he spoke deeply about the ATONEMENT .. my level of gratitude for what happened so long ago is magnified so much .. b.c. i understand the atonement more i want to share it more .. it was truly an uplifting time. the revelation that was received greatly blessed us individually as His representatives and as a mission !

THE WMM IS THE BEST !

also i got asked yet again to be the choirster for mission tour .. i had to do it last year too .. this year i felt a little more confident b.c. the pianist sister alder [the senior office couple] taught me how to follow the beat !

at the end of mission tour elder and sister hafen were having dinner at the mission home with the stake presidents, bishops and wives ! sister pluim and i were invited as well and as we were about to leave the stake center to help sister barrett with dinner .. president barrett pulled me aside and asked us to drive sister hafen to the mission home b.c. he had to go to the mission office with elder hafen ! we agreed and i prayed really hard that i would drive as safe as i could ! haha

we had dinner at the mission home and then elder and sister hafen did a YSA Fireside for the Milwaukee 3rd YSA Ward and it was amazing as well ! we had our investigator SARA there and she got to talk to him and it was wonderful !

it truly was a day of revelation and rejuvination !

fri 10.30
had to get some planning done ! then KATIE WENZEL came out with us that night ! first we had to go and help prepare the departing missionaries dinner for sister barrett and then katie came out to teach with us and take us to a former investigator of 2 years ago .. THE WINKLERS .. funniest people i have ever met ! it was a good night .. i love love love being so close to the mission home !

10.31.09 HALLOWEEN !
no crazy costumes this year ! we just cleaned ! earlier in the day we helped the city of greendale preserve the forest and then later in the afternoon we helped brother K chop wood ! SISTER PLUIM AND I HAVE TURNED INTO REAL LUMBERJACKS HERE IN WISCONSIN ! it is so much fun. i love being outside and working !

we helped them pass out some candy in muskego ! here there is a specific time you trick or treat and everyone sits in the driveway with a fire going to stay warm ! it was fun !

the most glorious part was that it was fall back and we got an extra hour of sleep !!! so nice !

AND NOW IT IS NOVEMBER ! i cannot believe it .. where does the time go !? i have officially been in wisconsin for 14months now .. that is insane ! it does not feel like it at all !

btw .. you should all watch President Uchtdorfs CES talk last night .. AMAZING !

i feel uplifted and ready to work hard .. we are in the search of new and more investigators with a focus on finding families ! please pray for us !

our theme this transfer is ..

Moroni 7:46-48
"Wherefore, my beloved brethren, if ye have not charity, ye are nothing, for charity never faileth. Wherefore, cleave unto charity, which is the greatest of all, for all things must fail—"

"But charity is the pure love of Christ, and it endureth forever; and whoso is found possessed of it at the last day, it shall be well with him."

"Wherefore, my beloved brethren, pray unto the Father with all the energy of heart, that ye may be filled with this love, which he hath bestowed upon all who are true followers of his Son, Jesus Christ; that ye may become the sons of God; that when he shall appear we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is; that we may have this hope; that we may be purified even as he is pure. Amen."

charity is the greatest thing we can posses. i know i need to continually pray and seek for it. it is amazing what it does for us and those around us.

that charity makes us pure in heart which brings us closer to our Heavenly Father which in turn heals us and brings His love upon us.

Jacob 3:1-2
"But behold, I, Jacob, would speak unto you that are pure in heart. Look unto God with firmness of mind, and pray unto him with exceeding faith, and he will console you in your afflictions, and he will plead your cause, and send down justice upon those who seek your destruction."

"O all ye that are pure in heart, lift up your heads and receive the pleasing word of God, and feast upon his love; for ye may, if your minds are firm, forever."

what Jacob said really struck me this morning in my studies .. we must be pure in heart and have faith and the atonement and charity makes that all possible. i love feeling the arms of God around me .. His love upon me .. that is what keeps me going.

i love you my sweet family. you keep me going. i want to be better b.c. i know you are there supporting me. THANK YOU.

I LOVE YOU.

sister warner

October 26, 2009

the light .. [10.26.09]


i know i say this A LOT .. but everything points back to the RESTORATION ! i love it.

we are in the day that EVERYTHING is brought back and we are in THE LIGHT !

THE FULNESS OF THE GOSPEL IS ON THE EARTH !

it is contained in The Book of Mormon and through our living prophet, Thomas S. Monson.

2 Nephi 27:29
"And in that day shall the deaf hear the words of the book, and the eyes of the blind shall see out of obscurity and out of darkness."

it is here ! now ! how amazing ! we must give everyone the light ! the LDS church is still a thing of obscurity here in WI but that is why sister pluim and i get up every morning ! b.c. we know we were sent here by the Lord to help people receive this light .. how wonderful an opprotunity this is for us sisters and elders and EVERYONE !

GIVE 'EM THE LIGHT !

we arent all going to know it right now but the Lord tells us ..

2 Nephi 28:30
"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."

let us take in this light and continue to learn ! Heavenly Father and the Savior Jesus Christ love us so much .. They are always there ..

2 Nephi 28:32
"For notwithstanding I shall lengthen out mine arm unto them from day to day, they will deny me; nevertheless, I will be merciful unto them, saith the Lord God, if they will repent and come unto me; for mine arm is lengthened out all the day long, saith the Lord God of Hosts."

He continues to reach out to us in love and mercy wanting us to accept and reaccept His light. that is something i am truly grateful for this week ..

THE LIGHT OF THE GOSPEL !

this week was fun and full of light ..

last monday was BEAUTIFUL ! the weather was perfect .. the racine sisters [a trio of my black, little johson and russian, visa sister johnson] came up to milwaukee to play ! we had a little custard and giant burgers from KOPPS and then played in the leaves at Whitnall Park = breathtaking ! the elders kept asking where we were all day and we wanted to play outside ! they staying inside for some reason !

TUESDAY OCTOBER 20th = our dear PAPA BARR [President Barrett] BIRTHDAY ! we went to the mission home and had an amazing dinner of homemade pizza and cheesecake with love from mama barr [Sister Barrett !] sister pluim and i made him a card with a bear on it .. it was sweet !

I LOVE VAL RISSE ! she joined the church just about 3 months ago and she is amazing ! she does so much with UWM and teaches with us whenever and whereever ! we had a great lesson with her and SARA at UWM and she set aside a time with sara to study the scriptures together on there own to help sara read the book of mormon and come unto christ !

UWM ! we had a booth on campus on 10.21 and it was fabulous ! i love talking to college kids about the gospel .. to some of them they see the light and to others they do not but it is ok .. they will all get the light sometime !

the WENZEL family .. oh how i love katie wenzel .. we had dinner with them on 10.21 and katie is coming back to church and getting her mom too and wanting her dad to learn and come to it as well ! katie is a beautiful young single adult and plays the piano magically ! we sat around and sang hymns to her family ! it was so fun !

FRIDAY 10.23.09 was AMAZING ! we had a YSA missionary activity and it was a CHAPEL LESSON TOUR .. where we set up the church building in a way to teach the Restoration while using the classrooms and chapel ! we had a good turnout .. val brought her mom and friend amanda and then lauren squires brought her mom and it was really powerful ! it was all about the LIGHT OF THE RESTORATION ! we use the lights and pictures and music to have them feel the power of the spirit. it was great and AMANDA was so drawn and she wants to learn more !

Saturday was a day of GENEOLOGY and HOMECOMING PARTY ! we helped at the geneology workshop that was held our building .. a TON of people came to learn more and continue their work in geneology and we were able to teach them more about what we do and why !

Zak Kier served his mission in mesa, AZ and has been home for about 2 months and had a HUGE homecoming party and of course invited the missionaries ! we were able to talk to a lot of his friends about what the "mormons" believe and why and what zak did in AZ and what we are doing here in WI ! it was so fun .. zaks dad isnt a member of the church so like usual WI style there was a lot of beer there and we left right when we should b.c. they were getting more and more typsy .. but it was good !

and then oh how i love the saabath day and covering two wards ! i said the opening prayer in the Muskego Lakes Ward and then sister pluim stayed there and i went off to a meeting for the Milwaukee 3rd YSA Ward and then at the end of the day sister pluim and i were reunited and it felt so good ! sundays are crazy but then again really good ! we are working hard to get people at chruch so they can feel the amazing spirit that resides in the chapel !

THIS WEEK IS GOING TO BE FULL OF ADVENTURES AND FUN !

we have MISSION TOUR and ELDER BRUCE C. HAFEN of the seventy is coming out to speak to us and sister pluim and i got invited to dinner with him and the Barretts at the mission home ! SO EXCITING ! i love serving in milwaukee !

i love life .. i love this gospel ..

and transfers are happening this week ..

SISTER PLUIM AND SISTER WARNER WILL LIVE ON IN THE MILWAUKEE AREA !

so write me here :

5651 broad st. #1
greendale, wi. 53129

THANK YOU AND I LOVE YOU ALL.

p.s. HAPPY HALLOWEEN and HAPPY MARRIAGE TO MY MAMA HOOD [soon to be JONES] on 10.28.09

I LOVE YOU.
sister warner

October 19, 2009

SHORTY WHAT IT IS ! [10.19.09]


THE MIRACLES ARE ENDLESS !

this gospel is for everyone and it is amazing. no matter what stage in life we are in, what our weakness or challenges are, or our strengths and happiness is .. the message of the RESTORED GOSPEL can and will better each and everyone of our lives if we act on faith and APPLY it !

2 Nephi 26:13
"And that he [Jesus Christ] manifesteth himself unto all those who believe in him, by the power of the Holy Ghost; yea, unto every nation, kindred, tongue, and people, working mighty miracles, signs, and wonders, among the children of men according to their faith."

2 Nephi 26:33
"For none of these iniquities come of the Lord; for he doeth that which is good among the children of men; and he doeth nothing save it be plain unto the children of men; and he inviteth them all to come unto him and partake of his goodness; and he denieth none that come unto him, black and white, bond and free, male and female; and he remembereth the heathen; and all are alike unto God, both Jew and Gentile."

i love knowing that. we can all be better and this restored gospel makes us better ! that is why i want and continue to share it with everyone .. not only Heavenly Fathers children in Wisconsin but with my family and friends. JUST DO IT. that is mine and sister pluims motto ! we have to share this b.c. we KNOW how happy it makes us and i want you all to know TOO ! it is b.c. i love you and Heavenly Father loves you that he makes this good news available in many forms and one of that being His Representatives !

this week was good .. we can always do better but it was good ..

being on UWM campus was a highlight .. we taught SARA HASKEL .. she brought a friend .. RICHARD with her and NATE our amazing member missionary was there too ! sara has been going to church with her friend dani since she was 7yrs and still hasnt taken the plunge but she is making HUGE steps .. us teaching her is one of them. i love teaching on campus .. and now INSTITUTE is on campus and we are going to redouble our efforts to get it hoppin !

I GOT A HAIRCUT ! [sorry no picture included .. next week!] after i chopped my hair into a bob last year ive been wanting it to grow out but it has been growing funny and i needed a fix on the mullet i felt i was growing .. so now i have a slight a line haircut and it feel fabulous ! thank you to anneliese high .. natalyas sister !

funny story: we knocked on a door over by UWM and this older man opened the door and said, "hello i am not interested" .. i said, "hello, i am sister warner" .. then he said, "i am jon and i am a happy atheist." at least he opened the door !

we had an amazing lesson with HEATHER [i like that name b.c. of you H] the spirit was so strong. she has a learning disorder and she expresses herself through writting and she wrote this heartfelt poem about the pain she has had growing up and while sister pluim and i were both sitting there the spirit whispered ever so softly but clearly, "tell her I love her." i looked at Heather with tears forming in my eyes and said, "Heavenly Father wants YOU to know He loves you." sister pluim confirmed the prompting by saying the same thing. it was beautiful. she felt so much better and as sister pluim and i drove away we both smiled and said we felt the same thing. it was simple but it was what Heather needed.

KATIE WENZEL. oh how i love her. she FINALLY called us. she is less active and has been avoiding our calls and she said she was so sorry and i just hugged her forever when she came to talk to us. the healing power of the atonement it for everyone. i want everyone to have it and WE ALL NEED IT.

saturday was an ADVENTURE ! we went to 2353 north 10th st in MILWAUKEE .. i felt like i was home in LA ! we helped with a service project the YSA were doing .. helping fix a home for teen mothers .. it was and still is a pretty damaged house but the women who bought it has good intentions. it was really fun .. i learned how to rebuild a stair with e. carter ! or we should say i enlisted him to do it ! the best part was melvin .. 17year old african american boy who was helping and he walked by me and said, "e'cuse me shorty." i felt right back at home ! that prompted me to say to ari and you, "SHORTY WHAT IT IS !" it was a good time in the ghetto of milwaukee !

I LOVE THE FORMELLA / HELLE FAMILY ! and of course NATE RADER ! he just got baptized about 3 months ago ! there family is just amazing ! kirsten is my girl !

i love this gospel. it makes me happier and better each day ! i love sharing what i find and do with you.

THANK YOU FOR EVERYTHING.

I LOVE YOU.
sister warner

*WISCONSIN FALL is AMAZING !*

October 12, 2009

THE BOOK OF MORMON ! [10.12.09]

THE BOOK OF MORMON !

i cant get over how powerful Elder Jeffrey R. Hollands talk on the book of mormon was ! [Safety for the Soul] i have thought a lot more about the book of mormon this week and what it truly means. the book of mormon are the words of Christ. i know this b.c. i have asked and received a confirmation that the words teach us how to do good ! that is exactly what the Savior taught us isnt it ? the book of mormon goes in depth about how to follow in His path and i know if we were all to follow in His path and continue to strive in Christlike attributes we would all be happier, healthier and better people !

2 Nephi 33:10
"And now, my beloved brethren, and also Jew, and all ye ends of the earth, hearken unto these words and believe in Christ; and if ye believe not in these words believe in Christ. And if ye shall believe in Christ ye will believe in these words, for they are the words of Christ, and he hath given them unto me; and they teach all men that they should do good."

i love being a representative of Jesus Christ here in Wisconsin because this is what i get to do each and everyday and it brings me the greatest fullfilment and joy ..

2 Nephi 25:26
"And we talk of Christ, we rejoice in Christ, we preach of Christ, we prophesy of Christ, and we write according to our prophecies, that our children may know to what source they may look for a remission of their sins."

this is the greatest work of all time .. TO INVITE OTHERS TO COME UNTO CHRIST !

this week was a good one .. it could have been better but i was sick and my mind was fuzzy for a couple of days straight. i finally forced myself to take some nyquil and just sleep. s. pluim and i planned it out on 10.07 that when we got home i would go straight to sleep and then just sleep in the morning till i wake up [nyquil makes me the drosiest person ever ! i cant function early in the morning !] s. pluim had lots of study and working on the area book time and i woke up at about 9am and felt SO much better ! it was amazing ! i could actually think straight and life was good ! sleep is a miracle sometimes ! so now this week i feel great and am ready to work hard !

[sidenote about the GREEN BAY PACKERS this last week ! they played the MINNESOTA VIKINGS .. biggest rivals and the state was pretty crazy about it ! especially b.c. FAVRE is on the vikings now ! in WI you either are a PACKERS FAN OR A FAVRE FAN ! its insane all the talk about it that week ! sad to say that my packers lost though !]

we are working a lot with the MENTERS ! KAYLA is so wonderful. i love teaching her. she is so simple and so humble. she is very shy but she is coming around. sami and zak are doing good. we have lots to work on this week to really see where they are at and there desires.

ANGIE has such a solid testimony ! she has truly found her way back home ! we are continuing to teach her and she gets very happy when she feels the spirit ! her work schedule is kinda crazy so we are trying to see her at every opprotunity we can !

WE FOUND SERVICE ! we went with the Muskego Elders [e.vogan & e.stevens] to the New Berlin Food Pantry and they were SO EXCITED to have SISTERS come ! i guess sisters use to volunteer there years ago and they just love sisters ! [sorry elders !] it was a really good time and very fun ! i love doing service and this is the first one we got in this area !

UWM.UWM.UWM
we have institute on campus now ! we are trying to get more people there now ! s.pluim and i did have an interesting run in with RJ & AJ at UWM campus .. we were just walking down some steps and these 2 guys [lookin like they were going clubbin] just say to us "what are you doing on thursday night ?" we both turn around and i look at them and say, "we are representatives of Jesus Christ." i was a little out of it b.c. i was sick and on medicine but it was quite amussing to see there reaction. for a moment i felt as if they were mocking our standards b.c. we were teaching about the word of wisdom and such but we left them with a pass along card and our testimonies. s. pluim and i just laughed and thought, "who are you ? and maybe you should practice better pick up lines." at least i didnt say i was a nun this time !

JESSICA PACK .. now THIMMESCH joined the church exactly 1 year ago and just got married in the temple ! jessica and eli are so amazing ! we are going to start working with jessicas mom more ! 3 RM from this area came back for it as well and that was really cool !

the weather sure has changed to VERY COLD ! we need to get sister pluim a coat ! the poor girl ! besides the weather changing the work is constintly changing and getting better ! i love this gospel ! i love s. pluims sweetness and energy ! life is good ! WISCONSIN IS THE BEST !

I LOVE YOU.
sister warner

BIRTHDAY SHOUTOUTS !

* MY PAPA ! MONTE MEMMOTT IS THE TOP DOG !
* KAY FIGAWHAT ! she is the best !

[if i have forgotten to mention anyones celebrated day i apologize and blame it on being a missionary. i love you all yet.]

October 05, 2009

the windows of heaven are open ! [10.05.09]




WHAT A GOOD WEEK / END !

the windows of heaven are truly open !

General Conference is such a spiritual uplifting time. those who spoke were inspired and received revelation directly to help our individual lives. i am SO grateful for personal revelation and that we have someone who is called of God to lead and guide us today. it is amazing ! i am so grateful to know that we have a prophet on the earth today !

Jacob 4:6
"Wherefore, we search the prophets, and we have many revelations and the spirit of prophecy; and having all these witnesses we obtain a hope, and our faith becometh unshaken, insomuch that we truly can command in the name of Jesus and the very trees obey us, or the mountains, or the waves of the sea."

Amos 3:7
"Surely the Lord God will do nothing, but he revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets."

General Conference not only strengthen my errand as a full time servant of the Lord but it helped me to know that my Heavenly Father knows me, Melanie Elizabeth Warner, personally and individually. i really enjoyed Jeffrey R. Holland ! what a powerful testimony of The Book of Mormon ! it is our keystone and contains the fullness of the gospel of Jesus Christ ! the theme of love, personal revelation / the Holy Ghost and keeping the commandments brings blessings is what i noticed the most during the conference ! it was exactly what i needed !

Conference has given me the confidence to be more bold and announce the truth and bear solid testimony of it ! for now and always !

this week had some great highlights leading up to the greatly needed General Conference !

we found out Monday [09.28] after emailing that sister TALL johnson would be going BACK to madison .. that meant sister pluim and i would be in a normal companionship ! how grateful was i ! being in a trio is fun but difficult at the same time ! that eve we also found out that there would be ANOTHER VISA SISTER AND ELDER coming to the WMM ! they are both on their way to diff parts of Russia and the new visa sister is SISTER JOHNSON ! [what a great name !] we call her russian sister johnson .. president put her down with my sister black and sister little johnson in racine ! so now they are in a trio and training a new visa sister ! so fun !

on Tuesday [09.29] SOUER EARL boarded a plane from milwaukee, wisconsin to atlanta, georgia to paris, france and then finally to the island on reunion off the coast of madagascar ! President B let me go say goodbye to her at the airport ! it was so great getting to say goodbye to her ! and then sister johnson drove back to madison with sister bishop and sister pluim and i stayed in our home of milwaukee !

sister pluim and i are starting to work more with UWM and it is so exciting ! i LOVE teaching on campus and having college people stare at my tag and what it means ! there are SO many people that go to UWM !

we also both got a little sick this week .. i still am .. i think it happens with the weather changes .. FALL IS HERE AND WINTER IS DEF COMING REAL QUICK ! man i forgot how chilly wisconsin is !

we set 3 baptismal dates this week ! 1 is with ANGELINA ! she is go cool. she is 22 and her mom has been a less active member all her life but now is coming back and her daughter is on her way to the gate ! she is getting baptized on 10.17.09 and then we have the MENTERS ! KAYLA is the oldest [20] and has a diff dad then SAMI and ZAK and all 3 kids are going to be baptized on 10.24.09 if everything goes well from talking to their dad. I HAVE FAITH that it will all work out !

btw .. my lil' sister pluim got her HMONG NAME ! i love taking my comps to get HMONG NAMES ! its is .. HNUB CI .. which means .. BRIGHT SUN ! [hai hai hood you will be proud .. she already has a similar hmong name to you .. she might be the one to walk in your footsteps like me .. we will have to see !] sister pluim really is bright and shiny happy as the sun and i am the beautiful moon ! we just fit so nicely !

what miracles this week and fun !

more are going to happen this week .. i can just feel it ! this is the Lords work and when we do what He says He is bound to bring forth the miracles and blessings !

i love you. i am so grateful for the restored gospel that gives us such peace, hope, answers and direction. it blesses everyones life no matter what they are going through or what stage of life they are in. it makes everything better. it makes me want to be a better person ! i cant wait for the conference talks to come out .. go to lds.org in a week and they should be there !

i love this :
We Thank Thee, O God, for a Prophet
1. We thank thee, O God, for a prophet
To guide us in these latter days.
We thank thee for sending the gospel
To lighten our minds with its rays.
We thank thee for every blessing
Bestowed by thy bounteous hand.
We feel it a pleasure to serve thee
And love to obey thy command.

2. When dark clouds of trouble hang o’er us
And threaten our peace to destroy,
There is hope smiling brightly before us,
And we know that deliv’rance is nigh.
We doubt not the Lord nor his goodness.
We’ve proved him in days that are past.
The wicked who fight against Zion
Will surely be smitten at last.

3. We’ll sing of his goodness and mercy.
We’ll praise him by day and by night,
Rejoice in his glorious gospel,
And bask in its life-giving light.
Thus on to eternal perfection
The honest and faithful will go,
While they who reject this glad message
Shall never such happiness know.

P.S. SHOUT OUT TO MY TWINS .. LAURA & HEATHER .. i will be thinking about you on 10.10 .. you both are so amazing. thank you for being such great examples to me. have fun and be safe ! I LOVE YOU !

I LOVE YOU.
sister warner

September 28, 2009

the power .. [09.28.09]




THE POWER OF COVENANTS ! it is so uplifting. having a 2 way promise with God is a beautiful strength. when we do what we promise to do for him He is bound to bless us ! this scripture makes me so happy !

Mosiah 5:7,15

"And now, because of the covenant which ye have made ye shall be called the children of Christ, his sons, and his daughters; for behold, this day he hath spiritually begotten you; for ye say that your hearts are changed through faith on his name; therefore, ye are born of him and have become his sons and his daughters."

"Therefore, I would that ye should be steadfast and immovable, always abounding in good works, that Christ, the Lord God Omnipotent, may seal you his, that you may be brought to heaven, that ye may have everlasting salvation and eternal life, through the wisdom, and power, and justice, and mercy of him who created all things, in heaven and in earth, who is God above all. Amen."

NOW WHO DOESNT WANT ALL THAT ! eternal life and salvation ! we can become SPIRITUALLY REBORN through baptism and the gift of the Holy Ghost ! it truly is amazing. Heavenly Father wants to bless us but we must first ACT of our FAITH and show him we are willing to receive these blessings he so desires to give us.

each day i know i can do better so i can live up to my Heavenly Fathers promised blessings. each day i can pray to Him and ask for help and strength and each day i do that while being obedient is another step of progression ! I LOVE THIS RESTORED GOSPEL. I LOVE BEING SO CLOSE TO THE SPIRIT. I LOVE TEACHING HIS WISCONSIN CHILDREN ABOUT THIS MARVELOUS PLAN !

this last week was really good ! we are seeing the Lords miracles upon His children. we have so many that are at the edge of acting upon their faith ! this week is a big one in getting H.F. children to Come Unto Christ.

SAMI .. KAYLA .. ZAK .. SARAH .. ANGELINA .. AMALIA .. SANDRA and the many others that the Lord has prepared !

we worked a lot with UWM this last week ! we had a booth and we have such solid YSA down here ! I LOVE IT ! i love working on campus !

ZONE CONFERENCE WAS AMAZING like always ! its such a faith promoting time ! gives me the extra energy to keep me going through the transfer !

and then we had the RELIEF SOCIETY GENERAL BROADCAST ! [i def missed you memmott ladies !] that was so good too ! i love being a women and sharing with others all of our divine nature given from God !

now we are preparing for GENERAL CONFERENCE ! this is golden for missionaries ! at least i feel so. all of us can receive answers to questions if we prayerfully consider them before ! i am so stoked !

i can already feel the miracles coming for this week ! THE LORD ALWAYS PROVIDES A WAY !

p.s. I LOVE MY LITTLE DAUGTHER SISTER PLUIM. she is just the cutest ! she has such a solid testimony and her analogies are the best. i love hearing and watching her teach !

p.s.s. its good being back with TALL JOHNSON ! she is so fun to just laugh with !

being in a trio is always interesting and the fun NEVER ends !

and about my MADAGASCARIAN GIRL .. she is leaving tomorrow afternoon for her island in madagascar ! president b said i could go say goodbye to her at the airport ! i will miss her. she is so stellar !

the FALL is here and it came FAST ! the wind is blowing and the chill is being felt.

i love seeing my baby girl black and my little johnson serving together .. they love it ! now i just need one of my girls to train !

I LOVE YOU SO VERY MUCH. THANK YOU FOR EVERYTHING.
sister warner