Transfers in Taber Town!

Hey there fam!

So ya, transfers were this week. Sad news cause Sister Taylor got sent up to Calgary... but happy news cause now I am with Sister Sims!! Holy smokes, she's the cutest! She's from a little town in Wyoming called La Barge, and she grew up on a cattle ranch-- ha so she fits in so well here! She's been out on her mission for about 6 months and now she's an STL. So that should show you just how awesome she is! But ya, she's awesome and we've had lots of fun so far. Oh and I forgot to mention that she plays ball... PRAYERS ARE ANSWERED!!! Ha so that's been fun too :)

SISTER SIMS!!

Sister Taylor had a really bad cold...

after transfer calls  :(

Anywayyy, this week has been kinda crazy with transfers and all. We had some really good lessons on Tuesday but that night was transfer calls.  Sister Taylor found out that she would be going to Willowpark in Southeast Calgary (President and Sister Miles' ward-- I guess they wanted to keep a close eye on her ;) And I found out that Sister Sims would be coming. She has been in the Northwest part of Calgary her whole mission so far! 

We went curling last pday! it was awesome!

Sister Taylor gave me some socks to remember her by...

Climbed this big ice mound in the church parking lot and lived to tell the tale.

Bro. Anderson's wood horses

Breakfast with the Anderson's

Tying her up so she won't leave

Left me a cute little note before she left

Dean Heggie (from Lethbridge) came to see me at transfers :) best surprise ever!

Saw Sister Barlow at transfers

Last Good byes

Making stuffed meatballs... Taber style.

We spent the rest of the time on Wednesday going and saying bye to everyone for Sister Taylor. Sad sad day. It is really cool though that on your mission you make such good friends, I love it! But it makes saying goodbye that much harder... On Thursday we had a bye-bye breakfast with the Anderson's where Brother Anderson tied Sister Taylor to her chair so she couldn't go, that was pretty funny! Then we headed to transfers. 

I feel bad cause since Sister Sims has been here we've really just had to do some of the boring stuff. We've done lots of planning and driving!

On Friday we had MLC! Ha so I got to see all of my people again!  That was real fun! Plus it was such a good meeting. There were a few things that really stood out to me. We talked a LOT about planning an effective day-- so that's really what we're going to focus on. Making sure that we have effective planning sessions. Then Sister Miles talked a lot about the Area book- ha another "behind the scenes" of missionary work. That was really good. A thought kept coming to me that was like "when you keep the area book updated it shows the Lord that you are grateful for the people that he is blessing us to teach." So that was pretty fun. Then P. Miles gave a little training about loving the people, and I just loved that! We talked about the importance of ordinances and it just made me that much more excited to be a missionary! It really is just the best thing in the entire world!

The weather here has been REAL chilly lately... yesterday there was a wind chill of -26 and it's supposed to be pretty cold today too, but I can handle it :) 

This upcoming week is going to be real fun! Lots and LOTS of driving. We're heading out to Med Hat tomorrow and then Lethbridge on Wednesday and Thursday... racking up the kms. But it's great :)

Anyway, life is good!! Since school starts up today lots of our people that we're working with came home this past weekend, so it'll be good to see them again! We really are doing awesome out here in Taber Town... I just am amazed at how sweet everybody is to us-- it's ridiculous how spoiled we are out here. Wish us luck as we drive this week :)

Quote of the week: "Even at the times when you don't have confidence in yourself, the Savior does. And that's all that matters." -Pres. Miles

another one: "when we come to Him with humble and teachable hearts-- even if our hearts are heavy with mistakes, sins and transgressions-- He can change us, for He is mighty to save." -Carole M. Stephens

Scripture of the week: @ Nephi 1:15-- But behold, the Lord hath redeemed my soul from hell; I have beheld his glory, and I am encircled about eternally in the arms of his love. #lehiforthewin

Love you all and hope that you have a great week!!

Sister King :)

2K17

Hello friends,

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!! Am I the only one that feels like 2016 just flew by? So weird! So happy for this upcoming year though, so many things to look forward to. I love that I get to start out the new year with just being a missionary. Best thing of my life.

Anywayyy, this week has been really good. I have loved the holidays but honestly ready to just get back into the normal swing of things. On Monday we were supposed to just hang out with members cause #boxingday so that was super fun. We went over to the Andersons. They are honestly just some of the best people in the entire world. Then we went and hung out with Don and Shawna Tanner. Ha we went to the church and played dodgeball. That was a party!

On Tuesday we found ourselves in Brooks with some of our sisters. We talked a lot about seeing miracles and then we challenged them and ourselves to pray for a miracle and then to text it to each other by the end of the day. So we were driving home from Brooks-- like a little more than an hour drive, and we decided that we should stop in Vauxhall. So we did. We drove around and were stopping by a couple potentials houses and a few less actives and while we were driving around we saw this lady like 3 times... and I have this little personal rule where if I see the same person twice I have to go and talk to them. I told Sister Taylor that and she pulls the car over and rolls down the window.... ha so that was cool. I started talking to this girl and said that we had seen her a couple times and that we felt like we should give her a Book of Mormon. She went on to say that she actually already had one and that when she is going through something hard she reads the Book of Mormon and finds a lot of comfort... WHAT?!?! So we got to talk about the Book of Mormon with her and she completely opened up to us and told us some hard things that she is going through, then she gave us her address and said that we could stop by. #MIRACLE!!! Seriously it was so cool! So we texted that to our sisters and they texted us with a miracle as well. They were out by their mailbox and a guy came up to them and said that he wanted them to teach him... #SERIOUSMIRACLES!!!! So that was pretty cool.

We did exchanges with some other sisters this week and that was super fun! Seriously there are just some amazing missionaries out here. I went with Sister Rumbolt, who is finishing up her training and I was just amazed by her. Seriously just learning so much from going on exchanges!

On Saturday we did some service and met with a couple old ladies and just talked with them. Again, President told us to spend Saturday and Sunday with members... so that's what we did.

It's been a really good couple of days for us. Lots of our investigators and people we are working with are coming back from holiday this week, so we're pretty pumped for that. Also, transfers are coming up this Thursday and we're just hoping that Sister Taylor can stay for another one, but we'll see what happens!

Anyway, love you lots and HAPPY NEW YEAR! About to make 2017 the best year of my life :)

Quote of the week: "It is the doctrine of Christ that allows us to access the spiritual power that will lift us from our current spiritual state to a state where we can become perfected like the Savior." -- Pres. Uchtdorf

So our mission started reading the Book of Mormon on Christmas and we're reading roughly 4.6 pages a day so that we can finish on Easter. We're going through and highlighting anything that refers to the doctrine of Christ: faith, repentance, baptism, receiving the gift of the holy ghost and enduring to the end. It's amazing how much is packed in there!!

Scripture of the week: John 16:33 These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.

Love you all and have a great week!!

Sister King

Chris-MISSING YOU GUYS ALREADY!

Man it feels like I was talking to you guys just yesterday :)

It really was so good to see you all! Just made me that much more grateful for the awesome family that I have. Love you guys.

Anywayyyy, this week has been awesome. On Tuesday we had a Christmas devotional with lots of the zones down here in the South. That was really good! They fed us lunch then we did a white elephant gift exchange. Ha I got a thing of sardines and some playdough. So pretty successful. After the gift exchange we had a devotional. President and Sister Miles talked to us and someone read the story out of Luke and we had a bunch of musical numbers from some very talented missionaries. Seriously it was so dang good!!

The live Nativity-- donkey and all

We were in charge of the mics at the Nativity, Sister Taylor only messed up twice.... :)

Elder from Czech Republic-- stayed with Ryan and family

The wind has been super crazy lately, hence the choppage of my hair

KEN AND LINDA!!!!!! They are doing so well!!!!!

Elizabeth-- one of my favorites in Lethbridge

Exchanges with Sister Messick :)

After that we did exchanges. I was able to go with Sister Messick in the Chinook and London Road Wards (my old area) That was seriously just the best thing of my entire life. It was really fun to go see my people! I miss my family in Lethbridge so I was able to see lots of them. And we had some really good lessons! We actually put one of their investigators on date for baptism! It was awesome!

We were also able to meet with our investigator Jen- she lives out in Vauxhall. And then she took us to her son's christmas performances. That was really fun! They put on this kind of play about Christmas and it was adorable! Her kids did awesome! And they really like us-- so that's awesome!

 We've been able to see lots of members because lots of the people that we are working with are gone for the holidays. So we got to have a ton of fun. On Christmas Eve we went over to Vera Jensen's house-- she's this super cute old lady in our ward. (Reminds me of Cynthia Dayton in like 20 years) She's super awesome! A family in our ward gave us this ginger bread village and we decided that if we're going to make it we might as well make it with Sister Jensen :) so we did. 

We also were able to go to the Andersons "Little House on the Prairie". Brother Anderson bought this land then built a cute little cabin out in the middle of nowhere! They invited us over there will their whole family, and that was really fun. There was a TON of snow!!!! It was awesome. He took us on a little carriage ride behind his truck. After the Andersons we headed out to be with the Torrie's. They invited us over for their Christmas Eve with their family. That was really fun! 

When we gave Pres. Miles some BYU stuff for Christmas.... best text of my life!

 Leif and Helen Erikson took us out for lunch this week :)

Got a flat tire on Christmas Eve-- a super nice member fixed it for us. #perksofbeinginSouthernAlberta

Vera Jensen's first ginger bread house decorating party!

Out at the Little House on the Prairie

 Out at the Little House on the Prairie

Little House on the Prairie

We did the Nativity-- me and Sister Taylor made for the best sheep ever :) Then we had a little christmas song thing. I was at the piano, Brother Torrie was at the organ, they had 2 grandkids playing the saxophone and the trombone, Elder Austin was at the drum, Elder Rodriguez had the bells and Sister Taylor had the cowbell. Ha it was so much fun!! Reminded me a little of our thing that we do, it wasn't the same but still really fun! Man these members are so great to us!!!

PJ's Sister Zuidhof got us... Ninja Turtle and Pizza. It's awesome.

Pj's from the fam :)

Anxious to skype

​best Christmas present... ever....

Opening our presents-- we did move our beds out to the living room and slept under the tree :)

Christmas Devotional 3 zones

Wasn't having Christmas on a Sunday so awesome?!? It was great to really remember what Christmas is really about. I'm so thankful for this time that I have had to be a missionary around this Christmas season. It has made me that much more grateful for the Savior and for the fact that I get to bear my testimony of Him every single day! 

Love you all lots, hope that you all have an awesome rest of Christmas break! And happy Boxing Day!!!

Quote of the week: "God's love is there for you whether or not you feel you deserve love, it is simply always there." 

-Pres. Monson

Scripture of the week: D&C 6:34, 36-37  Fear not, little flock; do good; let earth and hell combine against you, for if ye are built upon my rock, they cannot prevail.

Look unto me in every thought; doubt not, fear not. Behold the wounds which pierced my side, and also the prints of the nails in my hands and feet; be faithful, keep my commandments, and ye shall inherit the kingdom of heaven. Amen.

Wind-ter Wonderland

Hey Hey Hey!!

So we're going to start out this email with an embarrassing Sister King moment. So last Monday we went to this Christmas concert out in Vauxhall. The whole town was there and our ward was singing in it. So we got up and sang then sat down. As soon as I sat down I got a real weird feeling.... I got up and tried to make my way to the bathroom... didn't quite get there but I did make it to a garbage can. I almost threw up on this group of Hutterites... Not one of my better days. So ya, I got the flu once again this week. But the good thing about it was that even though I felt completely awful me and Sister Taylor were still laughing and having a good time. It's the happiest I've been while being completely miserable. Ha hope that makes sense.

Vauxhall Ice Castles 

Anywayyyy... It has been so dang cold you don't even understand! And the weird thing is that the temperature is actually getting warmer but the wind is starting to really pick up and that makes it even colder. The other day we had a wind chill of negative 40... AWESOME. Let me just say that tights are not sufficient in that kind of weather. Ha but we are staying warm-ish.

So Taber takes Christmas very seriously. Last night and tonight the church puts on this live nativity for the whole town. They asked me and Sister Taylor to be in charge of the mics. HA that was fun! WE had lots of fun! There was a live donkey and sheep, it was awesome. Even though it was absolutely frigid! 

We did pick up a new investigator this week! So that was awesome! She's this older lady out in Vauxhall and she is really interested in family history. So we went over and taught her all about family history and then we ended up talked about the temple and eternal families, she loved it! She said that she would love to have us back again! So that was pretty exciting! 

Shawna took us out to feed her chickens, cows and horses :)

-29 with a -40 wind chill... awesome

Yesterday we were asked to speak in church-- everything with that went really well. We got to talk about the Savior's earthly ministry and just tie that into Christmas. Easiest talk I have ever written-- we just got to talk about Christ and Christmas! It went really well.

I can't get over how kind the people here are! We have had soooo many invitations for Christmas, boxing day, new years eve and new years day. Seriously I just love these people so much!

With the holidays just right around the corner everyone is really busy and doesn't really have time to meet with us, so we're doing our best to stay busy-- even with the weather being so cold you still gotta do missionary work.

One of our favorite people-- Amber Jensen

I lost a bet so Sister Taylor got to smash an egg on my head

Anyway, just getting so excited for Christmas and being able to talk to you all! Can't wait to see your faces!

Sorry this email is probs super boring but I promise we're having lots of fun and keeping busy :)

Love you all!

Scripture of the week: Colossians 3:16 

 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.

Quote of the week: "It seems to be human nature: as we become more familiar with something, even something miraculous and awe-inspiring, we lose our sense of awe and treat it as common place... we are surrounded by such an astonishing wealth of light and truth that I wonder if we truly appreciate what we have." -Pres. Uchtdorf

Talk to ya on Sunday :)

Sister King