Sharing #HeIsTheGift on the Street 12.22.14

New Address:

3018 Knickerbocker Rd. #2104

San Angelo, TX 76904

Well, it's been a great week. Transfers were rough, due to the fact that I really didn't want to leave. But I do what the lord wants. Lol. It was way cool! I got to see Elder Higbee AND Nathan. We got a few pics. Lol!!!!

I am happy to be in San Angelo YSA. However, I am entering a 5 week break where NOBODY is at school, so we have had to figure out what to do with our time. On Thursday we were at a member’s house and I felt prompted to ask her if she knew where we could go to contact and be effective. She thought about it for a moment and said, “Well, I wonder if you could go to the mall and sit and help people make New Year’s resolutions. We thought about that, then an impression came that we should try that, but set up a projector and screen and show #He is the gift!!!! So, we go to the mall to ask permission. They say no … That doesn't stop us. So, we go to Wal-Mart. They say no too. That doesn't stop us... so we call an "emergency" meeting with all the missionaries in San Angelo. We all meet at the institute and this is what we come up with:

FRIDAY, SAT, SUN AND LATER THIS WEEK WE WILL GO TO "THE RIVER WALK. IT'S A HUGE COMMUNITY EVENT! HUGE! SET UP A PROJECTOR AND SCREEN AND GIVE AWAY FREE HOT CHOCOLATE!!! WE GOT A HEALTH PERMIT AND IN THE PAST 3 DAYS WE HAVE TALKED TO JUST ABOUT 700 PEOPLE!!!!!!!!!! It has been amazing. People pull up in their cars. We give them free hot cocoa and a card and they go on their way!! We pulled all of this together in 12 hours!!!!! It was amazing and totally by the Spirit! We have had hot coco donated from the members of the San Angelo ward. We have had cups donated… not enough… so I invested in it as well. We have given away about 50 gallons of hot chocolate, so we have had hot water boiling and sitting in 5 gal thermoses for a while!!! It's been an amazing miracle!!! I am so happy with it!!!! Pray people check out the website and want us to come over!!!!!!!

Anyway, I have been loving the 12 days of Christmas! My tree is looking good. However, yesterday I think mine and Derrick’s stories got messed up because my ornament was of feet and the story was of the $10 and today was $10 and the coat story again… So I'll send Derrick the repeat story :) It's been a cute story... Let's be honest… I hope the 11th gift is T’was The Night Before Christmas... I think I might be a day ahead.. I don't know :) But I love it!! I read the stories during studies and most of the time a little tear comes in my eye because all the stories are tender :)

Tomorrow is the Christmas party in Midland. I am so sad I am not in the north part of the mission because all of my friends are in the north and I am in the south... booo...

Um anything else... the church is true! it's amazing! Merry Christmas! And I hope y’all be happy and safe.

Oh! About my companion… MUCH BETTER THAN LAST TRANSFER! Me and Sister G laugh all the time. Like, all the time… there is very little silence. She came out with me, but has to go home a transfer early because of some law crap that happened before she came out. So, she has to see a lawyer before her release date… so I am killing her too :) She is super great!!! Love her a lot!!! Laughing is so good. And the branch sees that we get along super well and have been commenting on it! Oh! Also, my branch is a full 12 people... so the sacrament song takes longer to sing than the actual passing of it. Lol!!!!!!!!!!  So that is that!

Love ya!

Be safe and be smart!!   

Elder Higbee with Sister Dawes

Elder Thompson with Sister Dawes

Projecting #He Is The Gift

Sister Garcia by the projector

 Almost all of the San Angelo Missionaries

Setting Up:

Giving out Hot Cocoa and a Card to visit the website:

Branch President and His wife filling up hot cocoa

The BEST Senior Couple supporting the missionaries efforts.

Sister Garcia and Sister Dawes sitting by the cocoa table.

This kid handed out a lot of card to the passer-bys

Photogenic Elder advertising Hot Cocoa

Moving to San Angelo 12.15.14

12 Days of Christmas on a Clothesline

Me and Maegan

I don't know what/who this is...

Well, the unexpected.. lol!!!! I thought for sure I was going to be staying here to "die." However, the Lord does not seem to think so... There are 10 sisters going home and only one coming out... so that means a lot of sister areas are closing and will be elder areas. That is the case for me.

Elder Checkettes called at 10:37 and told me I would be moving down to San Angelo YSA ward, and I would be companions with Sister Garcia!! Few things about this: SISTER GARCIA IS AMAZING!!! I AM SOOOOO HAPPY TO BE HER COMP!! WE WILL LAUGH ALL OF THE TIME!! IT WILL BE GREAT. She came out with me, however, she has to go home a transfer early because of legal stuff and a lawyer or something has to talk with her before her release date. So I will be "killing" her this transfer.

I cried when I got the call on the phone and after. I'd never cried with a transfer call, but there is a first time for everything, right? So, I don't know when I will be calling for Christmas. I don' know. Lol. The reason I cried was because we have some great people we are teaching. They are so amazing, and I just don' want to leave them.... (That… and I won't get to see Sister Christofferson before I go home-- actually I didn't realize that till later that night). Elder Carlson is coming to take over the area. He will be great, and he is training, so luckily he is in our ward. So tomorrow we are going to sit down and let him know what is going on.

Oh! Also, mom and dad, the Weaver’s, in the ward, are bringing home a box and a suitcase. They are going to take it to Grandma’s and Grandpa’s on the 22^nd, I believe. In the box is my crap. In the suitecase, in the top part, is y’alls Christmas presents :) and "Homecoming Presents." 

This week Charlotte got an answer from God. We got a text that said, "I think God answered my prayers this morning." We asked what He said. She said she was praying to her Goddess and God answered and said everything good I have learned from my Goddess I need to keep, but that He is God and He loves me, and He wants me to follow Him now.

AWESOME!!!!! Now we get to tell the Elders about that !!!!! She is amazing! I love her so much!!!

We had a church tour with Marcus as well… he is a jokester!!! So much that when we walked into the chapel we asked him what he felt.. and he said he didn't want to talk about it. Later in the lesson he said, “You want to know what I felt???” Ummmm YES!!! He said it was the first time in 2 years he didn't feel alone. ............ Wow! That was powerful. So that is that :) The church is true.

I hate moving, however, Elder Checkettes did pretty much promise me that I would not be moving again. I can't believe how much time I have left!!! Better go tear it up down there....

Oh! And I am terrified to serve in YSA ward because it is easier not to look at attractive men when they are married... but when they are single..... lots of prayers will be needed!!!!

Love y’all! Have a Merry Christmas!  Well, not quite!

Great Things Are Happening 12.8.14

Hello Everyone,

I am so glad I get to write today!!!!

I don't know what I am going to write about, but it will be great. Mostly I just feel full of love and gratitude.

Sister Hoover and I are working so hard! Sometimes there is a trend in the mission that numbers and work decrease as the transfer ends, but NOT HERE!!!!! We are seeing great miracles. Here are a few:

Charlotte and Jason: Jason is getting a little nervous because he is seeing a lot of truth in what we teach, and he is scared to abandon what he as chosen to believe for such a long time. So he is holding back. Charlotte, on the other hand, is doing AMAZING! She is keeping all commitments this week. She prayed to know if there was a God. She was getting answers, but prayed very broad, so she needs to pray for specifics. Great things are happening!!! We had a family take them to the nativity (WITHOUT US!!!), and they are now friends. They talked about having dinner, and they are now on the Weaver’s family mission plan!! Great things are happening with them!!!!! We love them so much!

This week we were contacting, and we walked up to this big black man. He was so angry; like, his face was so emotionless... It was the most awkward contact. It felt like we were playing 20 questions. But I don't even know what broke the ice, but we ended up teaching the plan of salvation in 20 min., committed him to pray (actually he committed himself), and  we ended up leaving with all of us laughing and "Mormons are not stuck up and rude."

We also met 2 more legit guys yesterday!!!!

Great things are happening. I am so grateful for the gospel in my life. It's amazing that even though the hard times at home, or wherever, the gospel brings peace and joy. It is the truth. It is great!!!!

I love it, and I am so grateful to be a missionary!! The church it so true...

 

Have a great week...

Love, Sister Dawes

Brinne's Letter 11.24.14

Hello Everyone!

This week has been quite interesting. I bet everyone who has other missionary friends are going to hear about this, so it must be important!! The “HE IS THE GIFT” initiative.

On Friday, we were asked to come to the mission office for a random special meeting... We had no idea what it was for.... (Some of us thought iPads or that the prophet was coming.... both were very wrong.) In fact, we will not be getting iPads until maybe early next year....)  So, at the conference we were introduced to an initiative put out by the church called “HE IS THE GIFT.” It's going to be HUGE!!!!!  It's a 3 minute video about how Christ truly is the first gift of Christmas, and how important the Savior was. We were able to watch the video. I just got cold chills as soon as the music played. The spirit of it is so strong. We are using it as a proselyting technique this month, and we are going to be counting how many new investigators we get from it. We have special pass along cards and er’thing... but here is the greatest part...

Well, there are a lot of greatest parts...., The church has so much faith in this initiative that on DECEMBER 7th they are doing a "YouTube Takeover," where they have bought the big advertisement on YouTube and that video is what will show on it! 220 million people will see it!!! ALL IN ONE DAY!!! BUT THAT'S NOT EVEN THE BIGGEST THING... ON NEW YEARS--- WHEN THE BALL DROPS--- GUESS WHAT AMERICA AND OTHERS WILL SEE???..... THE “HE IS THE GIFT” BEING BROADCASTED ON THE ENORMOUS SCREENS IN NEW YORK CITY!!!!!!!!!!!

Next awesome thing: In your Ensign you'll be getting a packet talking about this initiative, and there are 9 pass-along cards!!!! YOU LIVE IN UTAH… I DON'T CARE!! TALK TO SOMEONE ABOUT THIS VIDEO AND GIVE THEM A CARD! SHARE YOUR TESTIMONEY OF CHRIST AND HOW IMPORATNT HE IS FOR YOU... FIND SOMEONE FOR YOUR MISSONARIES TO TEACH!!!!! I have so much faith in this... If it is that important for our tithing money to go towards, there must be a HUGE vision being seen! Please participate! And on Friday the video will be on Christmas.mormon.org. Look it up.

Miracles:

On Thursday we were biking around trying to talk to people. We were able to find 2 new less-active families! I LOVE LESS-ACTIVES!!!!!!!!!  We will see how things go with them!!! Pray for the NEESLIN family and brother GREEN. Both are the LA's we found...

Now NEW INVESTIGATING FAMILY!!!!! HOLLAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!  I swear I haven't taught a family in ever!!!!!!!!! So, on Thursday, we were contacting, and we contacted into Charlotte. She was walking home with her sons from school, and we just stopped and talked. She said she had talked to Mormons before, and she asked what things she wouldn't be able to do. They said drink tea and then she made a joke. Anyway, she said she was raised a Southern Baptist and they were very rude to her... Called her “Charlotte the Harlot”..... WOW CLASSY! So she doesn't like that one. Then she went to some Baptist churches, but they don't like the fact that she has pagan beliefs... 

So, anyway, she said she wanted to come to church, and we were like okay.  (We get that a lot… we don't hold our breath.) So, on Saturday, we asked if we could come over. She said yes, so we went and SHE WAS SINCERE ABOUT CHURHC!!! WOW! So we got her and her husband and 2 kids a ride!!! We talked more about what Pagans believe. And on Sunday they really came!!!!!!Aand THEY LOVED IT!!! THEY SAID THEY DIDN'T FEEL JUDGED! (and their neighbor happens to be a member.) AND THEY MADE A FEW FRIENDS! AND THEIR NEIGHBOR FRIENDS INVITED THEM OVER TO DINNER AFTER THANKSGIVING!! ALL SORTS OF GREAT STUFF.

Last night we went over and we were going though the plan of salvation… seeing where they believe we came from. (That's all we got to talk about in the 50 min we were there.) Turns out, we believe in A LOT of the same things… we just explain things different, and we believe in one God that covers all of their Gods. So, we hope that we will be able to connect dots in their minds and be able to see the truths in what we share. It'll be awesome! Pray for Charlotte, Jason, Ronnin, and Malique :) It is so great!!

We are hoping to be able to go to the temple this week, or next, to see a family in the ward be sealed!!!!!!!!!! Yippee!! Praying that will happen!!!

Anyway, have a great week! I love y’all!!

<3 Sister Dawes