Week 18-The one where the grass is greener in January

Friends!!

Holy smokes this week has gone by so fast! We have seen so many miracles this week it's been amazing! 

Our friend Floranna is progressing so much and it makes me so excited and happy to see her draw closer to her Heavenly Father! We do have to take it slow but this week she has been been able to see the difference with the Gospel in her life! On Tuesday we had a lesson with her about the Gospel of Jesus Christ and we asked how she has been able to see her faith grow through doing the little things to nourish her faith? She told us that her prayers have been more consistent and that she has been able to feel more peaceful.  Then the coolest thing happened!! She said "now that I think about it, my anxiety hasn't been bad, like at all! My toes still twitch but my fingers haven't twitched at all this week!!"  Floranna has bad anxiety and depression so for her to not feel anxious at all this week was a huge blessing for her! It was cool to see daily prayer working in her life!
We also got to have a lesson with Crystal. We taught about prophets and obeying them. 

This week I was able to sing in Sacrament Meeting so we used that to help invite our friends to church haha! AND.....we got CRYSTAL AND FLORANNA TO CHURCH!! It was so nice to see them there, especially Crystal since she hasn't come for the last few months! 
It was an amazing experience to get to sing in church! Singing is another way that I bare my testimony, so it was pretty special to do that in front of the ward and our two friends who we are teaching! 

We have been able to get into a lot of less active members homes and it has been fun to get to know and teach them. We also got to have breakfast with Cecilia who we helped with the Farmers Market, way back in October!! She invited us over for brunch and it was do nice to talk to her.  We could tell that we have definitely gained her trust but also her love which is something that is even more important to us. Sister Hair and I have talked about that quiet a lot this week. When we develop relationships through love, the lessons and discussions are even more impactful! While being at her house I  invited her to come to church and hear me sing. I was so hoping she'd come but in the end the 9 am time was just too early for her. 

I have felt an overflowing of gratitude this week!
I am so grateful for my Father in Heaven and the Plan that he has for me and his children. The things that I have been taught through the teachings of the Book of Mormon has helped me to be humble and keep working. 
I am so grateful for his plan and what we can receive when we follow his commandments. Dieter F. Uchtdorf said it perfectly, "He loves you not only for who you are this very day but also for the person of glory and light you have the potential and the desire to become.More than you could ever imagine, He wants you to achieve your destiny—to return to your heavenly home in honor.I testify that the way to accomplish this is to place selfish desires and unworthy ambitions on the altar of sacrifice and service. Sisters, trust in the saving power of Jesus Christ; keep His laws and commandments. In other words—live the gospel joyful" 
We have so much potential and we will be able to receive the blessings He wants to give us!

I love you guys so much! Have a wonderful week!

Love,
Sister Fillmore

IT'S SO GREEN FOR JANUARY!
We love Floranna and her cat, Potato!

This is Hazel. :)

First time riding in a Mini-Cooper

Carhartt Girls - Thanks mom & dad!

Waffle Love brunch.

P-Day bowling with our District.

Week 17- The one where prayer works!

Friends!!!

It's been a gooooood week!
We have had many many miracles and I thank my Heavenly Father for them all! We have been working hard and have had some awesome lessons. 

Crystal has been doing great! We had an over the phone lesson with her and what's awesome is that even though she had a migraine she still wanted to talk and hear the lesson. We did the "Come Follow Me" lesson with her on 1 Nephi chapters 1-3 and we talked about ways Christ shows his love to us and the tender mercies of each day. We talked about the importance of going and doing the things that God has asked of us. It was amazing! We made a commitment to have her listen to the youth theme song and later the next day she said the song was amazing! She has been KEEPING HER COMMITMENTS! 

Floranna also had an amazing lesson and it was particularly special for me! The lesson was on prayer and we asked her about her past experiences with praying. She said that she didn't have the best experience while growing up. We told her that prayer is a beautiful thing, it's a communication with our Father and he wants to hear from us. We read in Enos the whole time because he is an amazing example of prayer! It talked about how prayers are heard and it's all by faith. We asked if there was a time that God did answer her prayers and she said he did when her newborn was in a critical condition. We told her that was a testament of God hearing her and that she had faith to ask! We told her that when we have faith we will receive an answer. We talked about what a prayer is and how it is said and then asked if we could write a prayer that she would be comfortable saying. We wrote out a prayer with her and then sent it to her. We both bore testimony of prayer and shared experience where we knew God was listening to us. We then asked her to say the closing prayer and she read the prayer we sent her to help her get started. When she said it, it was so beautiful! We asked how we could helped her remember to say her prayers and I mentioned that we could text her at 8pm and she was so excited and thought it was a awesome! After it I just started crying because God was working through us to teach his daughter how to pray and talk to him. It was an amazing experience!! 

News: TRACTING WORKS!!!
We have seen so many wonderful miracles from it! For example one night this week we were tracting a street and after knocking on doors where no one was answering we knocked on one last door and this lady answered and immediately let us in. After getting to know her she started telling us how her sister recently past away and then she told us some more stuff and then more and more.  She couldn't stop. Because she has been bottling it up all this time it was nice for her to tell someone and she had to let it all out. I am so happy it was to us! After she was done telling us everything I asked if I could give her a hug! Her name is Alanna and she definitely needed a hug after all she has been through. We told her that she will be able to be with her sister again. She got emotional and said that we were sent by God because this was one of her hardest nights. We read our Hope scriptures and gave her a Book of Mormon. We read some of the intro with her and challenged her to read the rest of it herself. She loved everything we had to say. We said prayers with her and she said we can totally come back. She got our number and we invited her to church and she wants to come. Sweetest lady who is ready and needs to hear this message. :) 

So like I said, so many miracles came this week and I am so grateful for Gods trust in us! My district has been really putting an emphasis on getting the Book of Mormon introduced in every contact.  It's been a cool thing to do and see peoples reactions and a lot of them has been positive! I have also been reading conference talks with the topic on the Book of Mormon and man they are amazing! I would definitely recommend reading them. Ezra Taft Benson talks are so amazing and inspiring.  We need to be flooding the earth with this wonderful message of the Book of Mormon!! One thing that I loved that he said was "My beloved brothers and sisters, we hardly fathom the power of the Book of Mormon, nor the divine role it must play, nor the extent to which it must be moved.
“Few men on earth,” said Elder Bruce R. McConkie, “either in or out of the Church, have caught the vision of what the Book of Mormon is all about. Few are they among men who know the part it has played and will yet play in preparing the way for the coming of Him of whom it is a new witness. … The Book of Mormon shall so affect men that the whole earth and all its peoples will have been influenced and governed by it. … There is no greater issue ever to confront mankind in modern times than this: Is the Book of Mormon the mind and will and voice of God to all men?” (Millennial Messiah pp. 159, 170, 179.)"
"Now, my good Saints, we have a great work to perform in a very short time. We must flood the earth with the Book of Mormon—and get out from under God’s condemnation for having treated it lightly"
(Talk: Flooding the earth with the Book of Mormon, by Ezra Taft Benson)

Please please pray for those experiences to share the book and also know for your self the power that the Book has for you and all of human kind! It is so important to listen to the promptings God has given us and act on them. It will be scary, it always is, but if I can do it you can too!  Put a picture of Jesus Christ on your office desk or a background photo of Christ on your phone so when people can see it, it might spark a conversation! You never know!! 

Sister Hair and I also watched the YSA fireside with Elder Christoferson, MAN IT WAS AMAZING! He talks about being committed to God and so many other things.  Please please go watch if!! 
How about this, since I am a missionary and I give out commitments all the time....and many don't keep them, you guys should be the ones who make me OH SO HAPPY and watch the video and email me something you like.  You can do it right now or during the week but I want to hear what you liked and how you are going to use his counsel in your life! 
We have to hold fast on to the iron rode! So WHOS WITH ME?!?! ;)
But please watch it, it's for everyone not just YSA! 

Well that is pretty much it, have a wonderful week!

Love you all!
Sister Fillmore 

We love to cook!

It snowed!

We got a blender! Thank you Watson Family!!

We love you Rusty!

I love my companion!

SUSHI!!

Right after our lesson with Florana!

Mirror Selfies

I don't even know what to say about this picture....it's awesome!


Week 16: The one with Fire & Ice

Friends!!!

Another week has slowly but surely passed - haha!
This week I got my new cutie companion! Her name is Sister Hair and she is my TWIN in every aspect of the word! She arrived Tuesday and we hit the ground running. I have already seen so much progress in this area, I am so excited for these next 5 weeks! 

Floranna came to CHURCH!!!!!!!!! 
Guys I was so happy when we picked her up yesterday morning and she was ready to go with no doubts or feeling anxious, she just came! When we sat in the sacrament meeting she was looking all around. I asked if she had any questions and she was like "nope, just observing" she smiled at all the little kids that walked by and after we sang "I Stand All Amazed" she read over the lyrics again. It made my heart so so happy! I could definitely tell that God was teaching and touching her heart! We had to leave to to to the Young women's class but she went to relief society with two sisters from our ward. When church was over Floranna said that she really liked it! So so happy and grateful for this ward, they are so missionary minded and totally enveloped Floranna! 

We had a lesson with Crystal saturday! It's been a long time since we last had one. We started the first week in Come Follow Me with her and Crystal was socking it all up! We also had Sister Watson come with us and boy oh boy that was the cherry on top! They are two peas in a pod! Sister Watson is already so easy to become friends with but I think Crystal understood a lot more of the lesson because of the things Sister Watson shared. 
I love this GOSPEL!!

We have done a lot of tracking and talking to people on the streets this week. It's been so so fun talking to people and also so scary! I have learned that God doesn't like comfort zones because comfort zones don't mix with learning and growing!
 
So the title of my email kind of goes with pictures...I was wearing a white shirt and Sister Hair was wearing a red shirt and I said "oh my gosh we are partners in crime, fire and ice!" So now we are fire and ice...watch out ;)

I love this area and I couldn't be more excited to be here in Forest Grove!
Well that's pretty much it for this week. Read your scriptures, do come follow me you won't regret it! Trust in God and his servants!

Love you all!

Sister Fillmore 

I love my new companion, Sister Hair!
FIRE & ICE
I love exchanges with Sister Mecham!

Week 15- The one with the TRIO!


Friends!

My oh my, has it been a CRAZY week! A lot has happened and changed since the last report: 
Some sad but exciting news all at once...my cutie trainer went home this week. BUT good news, she is doing a service mission in Utah sooo she is basically getting transferred to one of the best areas in my opinion. I am going to miss her dearly! This week I have seen the pure love of Christ for Gods children especially for my trainer, Sister Burton. Man saying goodbye was so so so hard but I know its God's plan for her and she is going where God needs her!

Since she left before transfers I've been staying with the Pumpkinridge and David Hill sisters and it's been a BLAST! These sisters are amazing in every way, I am so grateful I got to spend time hearing their testimonies this weekend before we all get transferred. 

Heavenly Father's plan is so personal and full of love. I see this when I read the Book of Mormon and study Come Follow Me. Another way that I have seen his plan for me is by reading my Patriarchal Blessing recently! Sadly I couldn't find my blessing before I left for my mission so when I finally got a copy printed and read read it this week I found it to be such a source of strength! Please please read your Patriarchal Blessings if you have one and if you don't, start praying and preparing to receive one!

They are a wonderful thing to have that will help you through this crazy rollercoaster called LIFE!
Friday night I was in a trio with the Pumpkinridge sisters and got to teach a recently confirmed member lesson and it was so amazing! Man this guy is a stellar new member! Hearing a little bit of his past and the man that he has become was amazing. You could see that God truly worked through him to help him come closer to Christ. 
Saturday I got to be in a trio with the David Hill sisters and that was a PARTY! We studied laughed, worked, laughed, talked to people and...laughed! Gosh I love these sisters! We had 2 member lesson and it was so fun to see how other sisters teach and hearing their testimonies. I have definitely come to know my Savior more closely throughout this weekend and I am so grateful! 

Transfers!!
I will rip the bandaid off fast....I am staying!! Yep I am staying in Forest Grove and I am so happy! I have come to love these people and the ward here. I get my new companion tomorrow (Monday, Jan 7) and I can't wait to meet her! 

Well I love you all! Keep on keeping on!! God loves you and is cheering you on! 
Love,
Sister Fillmore 

I love these Sisters so much!!

My new friend, Rocky.

Saying goodbye to my trainer and dear friend, Sister Burton.

I will miss Sister Jun!

Having a little fun at Walmart! ;)

Love these Sisters!

Getting started on Christmas 2020 a little early!

Week 14 - The one with The Game

Friends!

Another week in Oregon come and gone.

Christmas was awesome! Wednesday was my 3 month mark as a missionary and it's crazy to think how fast it's gone by. On Christmas day we shared the morning with the Watson family that live upstairs. Then we went over to the Wilson's to play some games with the elders and the family.  One game was a game that the elders renamed. It's normally called, "Idiot" but they changed it, its called...The Game.  We didn't know how to play and the elders didn't tell us but once we got the hang of it Sister Burton totally creamed them in their own game! Their faces were priceless!!
We then had dinner with the Steele Family with the Pumpkinridge sisters.  The Steeles gave both of us mini waffle makers for Christmas. We love the Steeles!!

Sister Burton hasn't been well so we've spent a lot of time indoors. One thing that I have been taught through this time has been charity and patience. I am still working on it hehe but I am grateful for this time God has given me to see how I can be more like my Savior!

I have been able to focus a lot on my scripture reading! Guys I love the BOOK OF MORMON! PLEASE GO READ IT!  This is a great week to start with the Come Follow Me for 2020, so do it people! 

The Book of Mormon is a wonderful gift from God that has been given to us so we need to read it. When you read it have a PRAYER in your heart, an OPEN mind a HUMBLE heart and mind, and God will show you the truths of the Book of Mormon. 
I was reading this talk called, "Gods compelling  witness, the Book of Mormon" from Tad R. Callister and it talks a lot about how the Book of Mormon is true and how it's the keystone of our religion. 

Anyways I hope you all have a wonderful week this week! 
Love ya
Sister Fillmore

President & Sister Wilde