A year is here!

This week has been really great here in Anthem!! We are starting to
see some of the fruit of our labors. We have been working so hard to
be good examples here and to break some barriers! In each mission,
there are "standards of excellence" which are goals for numbers that
President has decided we need to hit for each week. This area has not
hit standards in who knows how long. And this week, we were able to
hit standards!! Whoop Whoop! (If this doesn't make any sense, just
know that it was exciting for us ;)).

We have two baptisms coming up, one in each ward. One will be this
Saturday. She is so ready and excited! We have already
taught her all of the lessons, so we are just trying to figure out
what to do with her....haha. The sisters found her street contacting,
and she has taken the lessons ever since. She has had a really rough
life....I can't imagine going through the things that she has.

Our other baptism is in two weeks. He was a
referral, and really enjoyed the gospel because of the peace that it
brings. He also is having some really difficult times, so he loves
that he can find happiness through the message that we share. We have
taught him all of the lessons too....haha. The people are just too
prepared for us!! ;) We are trying to find some more people to teach;
we find them but then they drop off the face of the earth. But we have
some with potential!

We went on two exchanges this week. They are great and I love them,
but man they make you exhausted afterwards. I went to another sister's
area with a greenie. I forgot what it was like to be with one--it's
super fun! :) Funny story: we knocked on this potentials door, and a
guy about our age opened the door. I'm used to talking to people our
age (after serving in YSA), but as I turned to let the other sister
talk, she was frozen! She later told me that he was too attractive for
her to make sense of the gospel! Hahaha ;) We did have a really cool
miracle. We tried a referral, but she wasn't home. So we decided to
walk to a different road. But, the sister realized that she didn't
have any passalong cards with her. So we turned around to go back to
the car, and the referral we had tried pulled up! We offered to help
with her groceries, but she declined....but then a bag fell that she
couldn't get. ;) We were able to teach her, and she became a new
investigator!!! The Lord works in mysterious ways.

Can you all believe that I will have been out for a year this coming
Friday?? GAHHH!! It does not feel like it at all. The time has flown
by. I remember my first transfer thinking that 18 months was going to
be an eternity. But now it is almost here. A mission is amazing--it is
the highest of highs and lowest and lows. I have learned so much about
myself and my Savior. I've gained life experiences, knowledge, and
maybe a little bit of weight ;) But it has all been worth it! There is
no sacrifice too great that the Lord asks of us. Yes, you have to give
up money, time, and family, but He compensates for it all in the end.
He gave us His son, who in turn gave us His life. Any sacrifice we
make just helps us to become more like our Savior. And I hope that is
what I have become. I love you all!!

Love,

The fastest week ever!

I cannot believe that it is yet again Pday! The time is just flying by here in Vegas. Not a ton of stuff happened this week. I did leave my childhood behind and turned the big 20! It was weird not having a normal birthday with family and friends. I did enjoy being able to focus on others and I still enjoyed myself. It was a great day and start to our week.

Monday night I got a text from Sister Goddard saying that an investigator from Harmony Hills was getting baptized this Friday! An amazing member volunteered to drive us both to North Las Vegas to see his baptism.  None of his family was there, but his ward family all came to support him. It was so good to see him and everyone again. Sister Goddard and I realized that he was the very first lesson that Sister Goddard
taught on her mission! He is still the happiest kid ever, and loves the gospel. I am so happy that Heavenly Father made a way for him to get baptized.

We were teaching this sweet lady for these past two weeks. She has so much faith and just desires to do God's will. Shewill do anything to please God! Weird situation: she nannies in our area, but lives somewhere else. This week we were finally able to get her address, and she lives in the elders area. We had to pass her off :( She has a date for March 18th and went to church! The elders are super lucky :)

This area has been difficult in finding and teaching. Because we are in the richer part of Las Vegas, people don't always realize that they are lacking something in their lives. We meet wonderful people on the street that love and admire what we do, but don't want what we have. So, my goal this week to be grateful for what we have already and then be ready to do whatever Heavenly Father requires. I'm hoping to develop an "attitude of gratitude" to help me with whatever comes my way. I am optimistic for this week! Love you all!!

Love,

Hermana Erickson

Another week in the life of a misionera

This week has been filled with off-the-wall experiences. Not going to
lie, we've had a lot of people yell at us this week...which is never
fun. But you have to wade through the haystack to find the needle!
That kinda stuff use to really bother me at the beginning of my
mission. But now I've accepted that everyone has their agency, all we
have to do is offer!

We went on two exchanges this week with two different sets of sisters.
We saw a lot of miracles while we were doing that! On one of the
exchanges, we were tracting (knocking every single door on the
street), with no success. No one was answering their door, and it was
feeling a little pointless. Just when I was about to suggest that we
try somewhere else, a young mom opened her door. We shared that her
family could be together forever through our message, and she invited
us in right then! She said she had been praying for spiritual help a
few days ago.....! Pretty amazing :)

I had another great experience on exchanges! We had about 15 minutes
left before it was time to go home, and we had run out of plans. The
sister I was with suggested we inspire knock some doors. We knocked
here and there, but no answer. We then decided on this door, but then
realized that it was already open when we walked up. A dog came to the
door barking, so we were yelling that we were the missionaries. After
they got the dog to calm down, a lady in another room asks if we are
Mormons. All I can think of is "abort! Abort!", but then she says the
only people she invites in is us! She had taken the lessons years ago,
but wasn't able to get baptized. She was still interested, and
accepted to us coming back! :)

We have this amazing investigator. She was street contacted
by other sisters and has taken the gospel whole heartedly. She already
has a strong testimony of the gospel, and can't wait to raise her kids
within the church. Every time we teach her, the spirit is so strong!
It is amazing to see how Heavenly Father prepares people for the
gospel, and how he puts us directly in their path.

So our crazy experiences for the week...... We had no hot water for a
couple of days. Our toilet clogged, we had to move a baptism because
the building was already reserved, and I had to go to urgent care (in
the West Mission) for an inhaler. All of this happened with three
meetings and two exchanges. Hopefully this week will run a little
smoother.....haha.

I am excited for this week and for the things to come in this area. We
have wonderful members here, we just need to tap more into member
missionary work. For those at home, be a member missionary!!!! That is
the only way the work can get done. The members are vital to this
work, and very little progress happens without them. You don't need a
tag to preach the gospel :) I love you all! :D

Love,

Hermana Erickson

La primera semana en Anthem!

Sister Loveless and I at the temple

This week has been kinda psycho! Transfers are always insane,especially when you get DT out and DT in to an area. My week started off with losing my wallet.... :( My poor new companion must of thought I was crazy, because I could not stop crying about it one morning. Haha :) Life happens though! I'm just happy that I didn't lose something more important like a journal or an IPad....!

So my new companion is Sister Porter. She is from Pocatello, Idaho. We actually came in together, but I go home before her since I spent a transfer at the CCM. We are having a ton of fun together! She is older than me, but has five younger siblings too! She has already taught me
a lot this week, and I am excited for this transfer with her!

DT are always crazy, but because everything is online now, we didn't have an area book or any information until Thursday morning! We have two wards, Inspirada and Madeira Canyon. They both go to church at the same time.....so we have to do splits for church. It's weird not having a companion. Haha! The members are amazing here though! We have relieved so many referrals from them, and they are ready and willing to help. We realized that missionary work here is going to be very different from the areas that we have served.....so we are trying to
brainstorm as many ideas as we can!

I got to go back to Pelican Creek for a baptism. It was so good to see the ward, Sister Loveless, and our investigator again. I already
miss them! It is always hard leaving an area. You get really attached as a missionary, since you are serving constantly. You get to feel a
different kind of love for those people you teach and serve. I can't wait to visit after my mission is over. :)

That was our week! It makes me tired just thinking about it. Haha :) We have some amazing investigators here and some great plans for the
future. I am sad that I had to leave North, but I know that Heavenly Father needs me here for some special reason. I'll just have to wait and see what it is! I love you all!!!!!

Love,
Hermana Erickson

Whitewashes for all!

Sooooo. Transfers have been fun. Kinda but not really. Sister loveless
and I are both leaving Pelican Creek and Northstar.

I am getting transferred to Anthem zone, in Henderson. Honestly, I'm super sad. I
did not want to leave his area. I was sure that I was staying and I hate to leave. I feel like there was so much more that I had to do..... It's really hard leaving. The whole mission got whitewashed, so we aren't the only ones. I'm trying to be excited, but it's not working out to great. But it just helps me learn that my plan is not the best, but the Lord's is!

We again heard from Elder Corbridge on Tuesday. Something that really stuck out to me was not missing opportunities on my mission. It is crazy to me that I have been out for 11 months. I've been looking back a lot on my mission and what I have accomplished and how I have changed. It's funny because at points I don't feel like I have done much. But even if I didn't baptize anyone, just me going affects at least one person. Me! My testimony of the gospel has grown and been strengthened. A mission is an amazing experience!!

We got to go to the temple this Saturday (right before we found out our fate.. :P), and it was wonderful. I saw a lot of people from my first two wards, since they have a Spanish session on Sat mornings.
There was a family that I was working with in Los Feliz that had gone through some really hard times. We kept telling them that they needed to attend the temple. I saw them there on Saturday! It was the best feeling ever :)

So I bummed about transfers, but it's just a new experience ahead.
Can't wait to see what I learn next! Love you all!! :)

Love,
Hermana Erickson

Insane Week Full of Surprises

It has been a long week filled with all sorts of crazy out of the norm
things. It did go by fast though, which was nice. I can't believe that
we are ending the transfer next week. We will find out by this
Saturday on what is happening. I really hope that I will be staying
with Sister Loveless for another transfer. I feel like I haven't had
enough to time to serve here yet!

So we had an emergency transfer happen in a different area, so a new
sister came in on Wednesday. The only problem is that bother her and
her companion can't drive now (both are foreign), and one of the
sisters doesn't have a bike. And they live a mile away from their
area. Sooooo I went back into Harmony Hills for the weekend to help
the new sister with the area and to get rides set up. It was really
fun being back and we found a bunch of new investigators! It was
awesome :) It was the first time being in leadership that I actually
felt like I actually helped someone. It was a really good weekend for
me and for the area :)

We found a Hispanic investigator a week ago! We went to go teach the
first lesson, and she had a whole meal prepared --authentic Mexican
food. It was the BEST :) It made me miss my Spanish areas, but it was
so good. I was so stuffed afterwards. We also received a member
referral for a teenager, Trey. He is really interested and loves the
gospel! He really wants to change the path he is on and help build his
future. I love teaching teenagers and young adults--they have so many
choices going on, that they need the direction the gospel brings.

We have had two really cool opportunities as a mission recently.
First, was a worldwide broadcast for all missionaries. The quorum of
the 12 was there, and we received a lot of help and guidance to be
better missionaries. Then yesterday, we got a training from Elder
Corbridge of the seventy. He talked about not being fearful of our
leadership callings. We need to use the Lord more and trust in His
decision. I really needed to hear that as I have definitely been
struggling with understanding my calling to be a leader. But I know
that Heavenly Father called me for a reason!

It was a great week! I can't wait to see what else the Lord has in
store for me and for our area. I love you all!!

Love,

Hermana Erickson

Another baptism!

This week has been really good for me! I have had a lot of self-discovery and learning. I feel that I have grown a lot in this calling as a STL. It has pushed me to become a better missionary and has caused me to go out of my comfort zone. I am excited to see how I grow within the next couple of months.

So we had a baptism! He is 9 years old. His family went less-active during the time he turned 8, and then started coming back to church. They are a super fun family, and Danny was really easy to teach. He knew everything, and was very prepared. We have never had so many people show up to a 9 year old baptism. Even President Snow and Sister Snow showed up! It was a great baptism that was filled with the spirit. That family is one step closer to becoming an eternal family :)

We found this awesome couple this week to teach this week. We were walking around, when we saw this young guy. He had gauges and tattoos, so we totally thought he wouldn't be receptive to the gospel. But then
we started talking him, and he was really open. I was telling him about baptism and why we need it. He then says "yeah, I am probably due for one pretty soon." It was awesome! It is amazing how the Lord prepares people for the gospel. We should never judge who is ready or not.

We have this super awesome investigator, Brian. He has a Mohawk and is a punk rocker. It is pretty fun teaching him! He really loves the gospel, and is very receptive. His dad is a less-active and is
becoming active in order to baptize Brian. Brian came to institute (a church scripture class), a Why I believe activity, and to a baptism. It is amazing to see how much he loves the gospel! We really enjoy teaching him.

This week has been great and I love missionary work! I can't believe that I am on the downhill slope. It is crazy to me that I am ending my mission at the end of this year. I love the people here though and will miss them immensely. Until next week!

Love,

Hermana Erickson