Sister Abby Fillmore - Oregon, Salem Mission: January 2021

Week 70 - The one with being consecrated!

Friends!

I hope you have had a good week :) I did and it was weird! Probably the best week emotionally since Maddie's passing. It's a blessing and also hard - but I will take it!

This week was good and full of setting up lessons and having them cancel. You know- the usual. But we made good plans and are excited for this next week!

Our people are doing good but we are having a hard time getting consistent lessons with them so that's what we have been trying to figure out.

Angel is an angel like I say all the time! She is doing so good and came to church this Sunday!! Yvonne, her grandma, said that she really wants this and it's her choice. That made us super duper happy!

It was so sunny this week which also made me so happy! Its weird because we will be driving and it's so sunny and it looks warm but it's very deceiving because as soon as you step outside it's real cold! But I would rather take the sun and it be cold than gloomy gray.

On Monday we were able to have a special lesson with my family about the Plan of Salvation. Since Paisley has been asking those kinds of questions since Maddie's passing, my parents thought it would be good to have US teach them. It was definitely a privilege to teach what I have such a strong testimony of to them. The Spirit was so strong and helped us make this lesson personal.

We also got to teach the same lesson again to a member who I served around in my first area. We got permission to teach her and it was amazing!! Again, the spirit personalized it so well for her.

I have been learning a lot about consecration and that's been a focus here in the mission and I am so glad. It's been really cool to figure out what consecration means and what it means for me and how I can change to become a more consecrated missionary.

We had MLC this week and to prepare us they sent the MTC talk by Tad R. Callister "becoming a consecrated missionary". Something that was really sweet that I will add is Jake, Maddie's boyfriend sent this talk to me the Monday before their accident. So this talk means more to me in many ways - but back to the story. I re-read it and man am I glad I did! I learned so many things and God has suggested to me ways I can improve. Some thoughts from the talk:
☆ "I do not think the Lord expects immediate perfection of us, but I do believe He expects immediate progress."
☆There is only 1 thing that is more important than missions. That's repentance.
☆Think of others before yourself.
☆Positive and optimistic attitudes will get you through good and hard days.
☆There is no time to think about other things other than the mission. You were set apart as a missionary for 18 months to be a disciple. You gave up that life to be here.

I am grateful for the things I learn and I am excited to put them into action. Change is good, Allowing God to help you see where you need to improve is good! So I am going to continue to progress and ask for help when I make mistakes.

I love this work. I love that it's God's work and that it can't be frustrated. Thank heavens because I definitely make mistakes ;) I am grateful for how merciful God is to me and also to His other children when they don't accept the massage.

Sinning and not repenting is not worth it. It's worth it to repent. I always think that if I make a mistake then I don't want to have that mistake stand between me and living with my family forever. So daily repentance is so sweet. I invite you all to do it. It's very freeing!!

I love you all!
Have a wonderful week :)

We love having Sister Hinkle with us! Dropping her off to her new area though.

Chick-fil-a is BACK!

I am not a dog person but this cutie stole my heart!

Week 69- The one where we get stuck in the mud.

Friends!!

This week was really good and full of miracles and funny moments.

We had zone conference this week and it was so good! Zone conference is basically mini missionary general conference. So now that you a reference of what it's like you can imagine I much I love zone conference!!

We got to train with the Hermanas and it went super well. It was our second time training this transfer and we were in charge of half of it this time and it was very spirit led which I love! It's the best when you get done and think, "Wow I don't really remember what I said but I feel so so happy right now". We were also invited to work hard and promised us if we prayed for finding opportunities and specifically through families we would find someone. WE DID! WE FOUND SOMEONE! We were on exchanged and we got a call from the Portland elders saying they have a reactivation referral for us. We called her and she was so excited to get back into church and we found out she has grandkids and they aren't members. We had a lesson Saturday and the 14 year old granddaughter was interested and sat in on the lesson too. Promises are real, prayers are heard and God is a God of miracles. The end, period, AMEN exclamation point!

We had transfer calls...I am staying! Yay for 6 months in each area haha :)

I only have 1 more transfer after this one and I don't know how I feel about it.

We had 2 of the same experiences that happened in the same day. We were going to somewhere to teach someone and they both said they couldn't at that moment and so we kept walking and we ran into two really awesome people who gave us their numbers. While we were talking with the first man our discussion because very spirit led. The unity between me, the Spirit and Sister Porter was on point! I love being a missionary!

Maddie knows me. She knows that this week was great for the work but also rough emotionally. It washes over me in those moments when I realize, wow my best friend is gone. I can't talk to her the same way I used to any more. Then it hits me like a ton of bricks and it's exhausting. But since she knows me so well she also knows I love to laugh! So what does she do? Creates an experience to make me laugh and enjoy life in the moment. This is where the title of my email comes into play. Yes, we got stuck in the mud...our car got stuck in the mud...by the one and only Sister Fillmore. Yes, yes, I was the one who got the car stuck. Funny Maddie, really funny! I can only imagine how Maddie looked. She was probably rolling on the floor laughing. Like the kind when you can't breath or make sounds, so you're basically silent laughing. We did that together all the time so I have no doubt that's how she was laughing looking at us all stuck in deep sticky mud. :)

So how I got stuck is weird and annoying. Google maps is sometimes my friend or my enemy and yesterday night it was my enemy. We were going to a members the opposite way I am used to but I was still trusting it until Sister Porter told me to turn right a little earlier then I thought but again I still trusted google maps and so I turned right. Well then she said ok turn left and we should be there. Well we were but behind these rocks that wouldn't let me turn. It led us BEHING the house we were going to. So I looked ahead and I saw a little dirt path and grass field and thought "cool I will just turn around up there". Well it's dark and I didn't anticipate how muddy the grass was because it looked fine. Well I started to realize that it wasn't fine when we got deeper and slower until I couldn't get the car to move forward. Sister Porter and I looked at each other in shock and started to panic laugh.

BUT there are MIRACLES even at times like these! We were smack dab right in the middle of two members, one was 2 seconds away. So we called him, he came over and said we will need a truck to pull us out. So we called the other member and he has had his fair share of cars stuck in mud so he came over and pulled us free from the mud! The whole time we were laughing, taking pics and filming it. Just having so much fun!! God helped me see the silver lining that day and laugh about it. Laughter is still the best medicine!

AFTER our mud situation we had a great dinner and met some amazing people including their pet rat, yes you heard that right- pet rat. It was actually kind of cute - yes I said it, cute! Don't think I am weird you would probably think so too.

God knows how much we all struggle but He also isn't going to leave us in misery forever. He will put a little sunshine in our soul - you just have to make the decision to see it and feel it.

I love you all so so much!

Thank you for your constant support and messages. I truly treasure them!

Love,

Sister Fillmore

Stuck in mud!

Yep - stuck!

Exchanges with Sister "Yorgasoon" - inside joke!

Last District Pic!

Mother Nature's remedy...

Hiking Silver Falls

My parents know how to make one Sister missionary very happy! Thanks mom and dad!

Week 68- The one with all the exchanges.

Friends!!

This week was really good and really busy. :)

We had 2 exchanges this week and it was super fun. We also had a few meetings. Since Sister Porter and I have only been comps for 2 1/2 weeks we have had to push all of our exchanges to this month and its been a party.

I had Sister Robertson from Lincoln City and she is so cute! Then I went to Monmouth to be in a trio for 8 hrs. These sisters are so fun to be with. Sister Dalton is so sweet and painted a portrait of Maddie. Man, everything makes me cry. ;) In truth it made my heart so happy and grateful for all the love and support I have been given out here on the mission.

I thought I was doing pretty good with things, and I am, but God has also shown me some things I need to do to heal more. It's ok to feel all the feelings that come with mourning and I need to be ok with feeling them. I thought I was but i actually think I am bottling it up more than I thought I was. So I made a goal that each day I will watch a video of Maddie and look at pictures of her. Writing my feelings down and talking about her to people actually really helps more that I thought it would. So I am writing this to help keep my self more accountable! ;)

I am so grateful for Sister Porter. She is definitely who I need to be my companion right now. She listens, she help me see what I can do to actually heal and help me not get to consumed and go outside and work. I love her!! Her compassionate, full of kindness and humor and that is definitely what I need.

We have been making a lot of videos and doing a lot with our Facebook page. If you haven't followed our page, please do! Its "Come unto Christ in Woodburn Keizer area". We need all the support, likes, comments and shares because it helps us find people. Crazy right?! It works trust me.

Nicole is someone we just started teaching and we found her over Facebook. God knows his children and this is a witness. Her grandma died this week and she is really close to her. So I have been able to help her out in a way. I asked if I could share my experience with her family and she said maybe not yet but she would like to hear. So I am excited to see how that goes!! Pray, because I know I am here to teach her because of our similar circumstances.

Like I said, the support has continued and I am so so grateful for it. My OSM family made my family and I a video of encouraging words from a lot of missionaries and members who I have served with. It gives me strength and comfort during the hard days.

I am a living witness of the power of Christs atonement. He has given me physical strength to keep going. Crying takes a lot out of you ;) but he helps me and shows me why I am needed in this work. I love my Savior and I love being a disciple with a missionary purpose. It's the best way to know who you are as a child of God and how I can become a greater person.

This week we have transfer calls. It's been a quick, weird and hard transfer. Happy to see it end to be honest! Over all I have learned so much and even though I am glad it's done, I wouldn't trade the things God has given me to come closer to Him and His Son.

I love you all so so much ♡

Love,

Sister Fillmore

I love this painting of Maddie that Sister Dalton painted for me. I feel so loved out here!

Sister Robertson on exchanges. She is darling!

My beautiful friend, Rachel, sent me this sweet Willow Tree "Sisters Mine" sculpture.
It couldn't be more perfect.

More exchanges in Monmouth!

Week 67 - The one with car lessons!

Friends!!

This week was good and crazy and miracle filled and I am happy its over, haha! My weeks blur together but the work is moving really well in North Marion.

First off I'd love to invite you to pray for these wonderful people we are working with:

Tami

Ray

Nicole and her family

Sister Hinkle & Sister Yorgason (to find people)

Josiah

Maureen and David

The Pace family

Thank you so much for adding these people to your prayers!

We moved into our new place and I love it! I definitely miss the other set of Sisters but it's nice being back with just the two of us. It's an extra 5 minutes to our driving time so I am still working on trying to be on time...pray for me! ;)

A lot of healing of my heart has been happening this week and I am grateful but at the same time I wish I could just be healed already because it's exhausting. It's hard to explain but overall God knows what He is doing so I am trusting Him.

We taught this girl in person that Sister Porter has been talking to on Facebook. The best part is, she is in our area so we can keep her!! She is going through a lot right now with family things so please pray for her! Because of the experience that God has given me I have been able to connect to other people a lot more and that's exactly what has happened with Nicole.

Ray is another girl we just started teaching and she is 12 years old. She is so spiritually intuned for a 12-year-old and I LOVE IT!

We also had 2 lessons with Tami and because it's getting so freaking cold here we have been having our lessons in the fellowshipper's car. Haha its been great and she is moving a long well!

I love you all so so much!

Have a wonderful week!

Love,

Sister Fillmore

P-days are hard for me because I miss talking with my Sis. This last week my mom and dad had pizza delivered and it was just what we needed after a long day of moving in!