February 24, 2014

Hey Friends and Fam!

     These dates are starting to freak me out. I'm still in denial it's 2014 and that I've been graduated from high school for 2 years. And I'm on a mission... and I turn 20 this year.. Ok I'll stop. This week was a miracle week! Honestly. The district leader (Elder Simonsen) and his companion Elder Nielson called us last night to account for our week. And he went on to tell us "You did a great job this week Sisters, really". We hit all of the 'standards of excellence' for our key indicators this week. Including 7 new investigators! It's ridiculous how blessed we are. I love it here in Clinton. We truly have been blessed with people to teach. I'll give you some updates for our investigators. 

     Megan K has been doing great! For a while, she was planning on her husband baptizing her, but now she says that when her baby is born in April that she will want her husband's dad to baptize her because she knows that he won't be ready to do that by then. We keep encouraging her that as she strives to keep the commandments and to start making covenants, the first being baptism, that Allen will follow her example and will see the difference in her. In the last 2 months we've had two ladies nonmembers husbands be baptized. Miracles are happening. She committed to living the Word of Wisdom this week like it was no big deal because she knows that that commandment is inspired. How cool! She's solid. We love her.

     Kye has been progressing so well! She has come to church for the past 3 weeks. Twice to the Singles Branch and yesterday to the ward in Clinton. We have been teaching her with her friend Sister Quinnlley and we know that she is going to be baptized, but she is taking it slow and steady, but I know her testimony is increasing and that soon she's just going to have to take a leap of faith! I can apply that into my life alot.. Anyone taken a leap of faith recently?

     This week Sister Laycock and I decided to go contact someone that we had tracted into in November. We haven't been able to meet because of the weather and the holidays, but we knocked on her door again and she said that she wanted to learn more about the Book of Mormon so we set a return appointment for this past week. What a miracle. We brought cute Sister Jensen with us to help us as we taught the Restoration. She really was engulfed in the doctrine, especially when we taught about how the gospel blesses our families (she has a husband and a 6 year old girl named Nila). We invited her to be baptized and she said yes for March 22nd! How incredible. We are so excited to teach her more. She's so prepared.

     We also contacted a referral we had received from the MTC and her name was Jill Smith and she had asked for a Book of Mormon. We didn't think of it as much. We thought she was probably just curious... However, we knocked on her door and we introduced ourselves and asked if Jill lived there and she told us to 'come in, come in!' We sat down with her and her sister Jodi and we talked for a minute, but it didn't take long until Jill just bursts into tears and tells us that she has always been seeking for truth and has been waiting for us to come! She talked about her experiences and her son's experience about how her son when he was 6 told her he saw an angel named Joseph. Ummm whaaaaaat. All I know is that the Spirit was so strong in the room. Sister Laycock and I taught little bits of truth and bore testimony of the truth of our message. At some points, I hardly knew why I was saying the things I was saying, but it didn't matter, because I knew they were inspired by the Spirit. And after a few minutes, Jodi, her sister, asked "can I have one of those books too?" ummmm YES YOU CAN. We set up an appointment this week to teach them more. Afterwards, as Sister Laycock and I got in the car, we just looked at each other like 'what just happened?' We are so excited to teach them. MIRACLE. 

     It was a great week filled with teaching our investigators and finding those that have been prepared. However, this last Saturday we just kept striking out. So don't think we don't have to struggle a little. We went to Calhoun when it was overcast and dark and no one was outside and there were no cars driving around. We literally thought we had just missed a zombie appoclypse. It was horribly creepy. We didn't stay there long.

    Funny facts this week? I got pulled over in Windsor while driving to an appointment. I didn't notice the speed limit and I think I was going 15 over... haha don't tell anyone!! I learned my lesson!! I just about peed myself. He asked for our licences and took a few minutes to get back to us. The police officer looked about mid 20's and I continued to say that I was so sorry and that I wasn't from around here and he's like 'I noticed that!" We told him where we were from and that we were missionaries and he went on to say "it's no problem! I was going to come up to you say that we had a warrant our for your arrest, but I decided not to. Don't worry I used to drive like 60 down that road when I was younger! Have a great day!"..... hahahah I love being a sister missionary. Also, a boy from our ward, Ryan James, just got his call and I guessed right!!! That never happens!!! Sister James said she's going to buy me a pie!! Life is so great! He's going to the Phoenix, AZ mission. And the Camden's fed us dinner the other night and I had canned beets and deer meat soup! It was delicious. They're hardcore country folk. Everything we ate that meal came out of things she canned. Luckily, she said we didn't have to drink the goat milk. Maybe I'll try it soon. What the heck!

     Anyway, this has really been such a great week. I could go on forever, but I'm so grateful to be out here serving the Lord in such a sacred area. Alpha and Omega. I'm so grateful for church leaders and the examples they are to us. I have been listening to talks on my ipod on Sunday mornings and it really does set the tone for the rest of my Sabbath. I love our Prophet Thomas S. Monson and his divine calling. I'm grateful for the men that are by his side to help lead and guide us. I love my family and the example they are to me. Being on a mission is truly shaping who I will be for the rest of my life. I have never felt a stronger desire to serve and lift the lives of the others. I love my Savior and my Heavenly Father. I love you. Have a great week!

Love, 

Sister Penman

Sister Laycock and I trying to take a video of us dancing and singing to The Morning Breaks by the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, and the picture that I took looks like 'The Notebook'.. sorry I still love movies. Missouri is beautiful!

February 17, 2014

Dear Everyone,

     Happy Monday! Don't you just love P-days? Or is it just me? This week has been great. It was Sister Laycock and I's fist solid week working together and it went so good. I'm going to start off by answering a few questions my mom asked. Training is going pretty good I think :) I was honestly really scared. I didn't lack the faith; however, I knew that my training call was inspired because our Mission President, President Keyes is inspired. I knew that this was part of the plan. Missions aren't suppose to be easy. You are put into situations where you can learn and grow just like in normal life! I knew that I just needed to rely on the Lord to do what I know He knew I could do. And now, here I am. I'm gaining more confidence every week and I'm so grateful to be able to serve my fellow missionaries! My mom also wanted to know if I am the one driving and if I've killed anyone in the snow yet.. Yes Mom, I passed off all my lessons/memorizations so I'm the one driving and I haven't wrecked yet so I'm doing well! We did go on a really snowy sketchy backroad on accident because the GPS told us to go the wrong way! My heart was beating so fast!! Sister Laycock was laughing at me because she grew up in Lehi, Utah so she knows how to drive in the snow and I'm over here like I'm going to die!!!! But don't worry, I got out of it haha. Sister Laycock is a spanish speaking sister, she's 19, graduated in 2013; however, I'm only about 3 months older than her... it feels wierd to be the old one! But I like it :) There isn't a whole lot of spanish speaking people here in Clinton, but we know she's here for a reason. 

      This week has been awesome.On Valentine's Day BROTHER ERIC SCHWEITZER got baptized!!!!! It was so much fun. Sister Laycock, Elder Simonsen, Elder Nielson, Judy Scott (Anne Scott's step mom who is one of my favorites) and I sang 'In the Garden' for his baptism. It was so sweet to see how happy he was. The Elders said that it one was one of the best baptisms they had been to. It was probably the best Valentine's day I have ever had. Sounds pathetic right? Well it's not!! My mom and my Sister Jessica sent me packages filled with skittles (which I carry in my wool coat when we go tracting) caramel popcorn, chocolates, and a UNLV t-shirt. It was perfect. One day when we went tracting this past week, we were knocking on some homes and right when we knocked on this one door we heard a lady yell "Ah crap, it's the girls from the paper!!!!" Apparently us two blonde girls are scary to some people haha. 

      We had a Relief Society Activity this week and Sister Laycock and I went because there were going to be some less active ladies that were going to attend. During one of the lessons on 'Love', Sister Cooper was giving an analogy on the X-Men character who has special powers with metal and she asked if anyone could remember his name. I proceeded to quietly say between my hands, "Magneto!". The crowd looked at me in astonishment and they started to laugh haha. My face was probably a tomato at that point. I guess my love for movies isn't a secret here anymore. Oh well!

      Our investigators have been doing great. We weren't able to meet with Kye this week (we are teaching her Tuesday), but she went to the Singles ward activity and went to the Singles Ward on Sunday, and she's coming over to the Stock's with us today for P-day! So she is getting fellowshipped right in. She's doing awesome. Megan Mcguire is on baptismal date for March 15th!! We had a great lesson with her this week when we taught the Gospel of Jesus Christ. You couldn't deny the spirit that was in that living room. We invited her to be baptized and she said she would work towards that date. She knows that it's true. She just has a hard time going to church with all the people. She's really shy. So we're going to work on that with her this week. 

     We finally met with Jessica Scott this week :) She also came to church yesterday with her husband and little 3 year old Alexis. She is progressing again and we are so excited to help her with the things that she is trying to overcome. It's going to be a process, but she is coming along and we love her. We had dinner and a lesson with 13 year old Ann Scott and her sisters this week. We taught the commandment of obedience this week. As I shared my testimony of the importance of sticking to the straight and narrow path and keeping the commandments with love and gratitude in our hearts, my testimony became stronger. I know that as we share our testimony more often that we can not only gain a stronger testimony, but that we can be truly converted to the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I'm so grateful to be out here serving the Lord and undergoing my own conversion. Have a great week everyone! I love you muy mucho!

Love, 

Sister Penman

February 10, 2014

Dear Amigos and Familia,

     I officially have a new companion! My cute new trainee is Hermana Laycock! The reason why I decided to put amigos and familia is because she's a spanish speaking sister! Man I'm witty... jk haha She  has a huge personality. I always thought I had a big personality, but compared to my past two sisters, I'm pretty laid back haha. Who would have thought! She just got back from the CCM (the Mexico MTC) after 6 weeks of being there. She came up to me during transfers and was like 'I'm your new companion'. I think I might have squeaked/screamed a little.. Sister Laycock is from Lehi, Utah and graduated with her associates right out of high school. Any one that knows me, knows I had that opportunity, but I didn't want to take winter and summer courses haha. She's super dilligent. She even passed off lesson 1 today! She's a rock star.  However, when she arrived here in Missouri there was about 5 inches of snow on the ground. You should have seen her shoes! They were cute oxford looking shoes with HOLES in them!!! I was like, girl, we need to go get you some boots and leggings. So we proceeded to go to the best high-end store/only store in town. Walmart.. Anyway, we got that squared off and now she's very warm! We are doing great. We are having fun working together and the ward is so welcoming so that's great!

     This week was another interesting week. It was filled with Sister Call packing, freaking out a little, transfers, a few more 'grounded' days because of the snow, and now working with Sister Laycock. It was a little wierd, but I'm definitely excited for the work to get back to normal. Do you think my friends in Nevada would care if I picked up the snow here in Clinton and dropped it over to you? Normally I'm all for snow, but this stuff is hindering my missionary work! haha 

      Earlier last week before Sister Call left, we taught Kye. We had the impression to teach her about temples this week and you could tell that it was different for her, but the Spirit was really working on her. As we taught, Chastity got brought up. Without being over bearing we discussed it with her and Sister Quinnlley. I won't give you all the details obviously, but I could tell that her old opinion on the commandment was changing... Her heart was literally being softened. We are soooo excited for her. She also went to church this Sunday at the Singles ward in Warrensburg! We were unable to go with, but Sister Quinn said it went great. We're calling Kye today about it. We'll keep you updated.

     As for Brother Schweitzer, he also went to church this past Sunday! He wore khakis with a nice suit coat and some bright white tennis shoes. It was so sweet! We have been teaching him the commandments and he has been working so hard to be prepared. His health always gets in the way of our appointments, but I know that he will be prepared if the Lord wills it! We're so excited!

      Honestly the rest of the days are a blur because of the snow! I just want you guys to know how grateful I am to be out here in Missouri and especially in Clinton with Sister Laycock. I know there are no coincidences in missionary work! I love to be out in my sorrel snow boots knocking on doors and teaching our investigators about our Savior and His Atonement. No one shares a sweeter message. I love My Savior and my Father in Heaven. I have a testimony that agency is one of the greatest gifts our Father has given us. I know that having that ability to choose between good and evil or right or wrong, has given me the assurity of where I want to go, what I want to do, and who I want to be. Because I know that as I choose my Savior over the silly things of the world, I can have that confidence that I can undergo any trial and overcome it and feel true peace and joy. There isn't a better feeling.. Have a great week everyone. Love you lots!!

Love,

Sister Penman

February 3, 2014

Dear Family and Friends,

     Another week down, and it's been great. Not as successful numbers wise as past weeks, but we've seen some serious miracles! I'll tell you in a second... I just wanted to tell you that last p-day we got to go to Warrensburg and spend the day with the elders and sisters in my zone and it was AWESOME. We played black light volleyball, the game 'Bang", and finally.. soccer!!!! Halelujah. I had so much fun. I can't wait until it gets warmer so I can go running outside in the morning instead of doing "stretches" and a few leg lifts and squats here and there... haha. I don't know if you've noticed, but it gets kind of chilly here in the midwest. But point is, last p-day got me super pumped for the week. 

      We have been so blessed recently with appointments, we hardly have time to find new investigators! However, we had a solid 10-20 minutes to spare inbetween our appointment and dinner. So instead of finding random stuff to do, we decided to 'thrust in our sickle' and tract a little. It was actually pretty funny. The first four houses pretty much slammed the door in our face.. One man said he was a preacher at the southern baptist church and said that he reads the bible everyday and that we should read it. As he proceeded to slam the door, Sister Call said, "I read the Bible this morning!" haha people just have no idea. But, Sister Call and I were a little distraught. Isn't that pathetic? The Elders always get doors slammed!! I have to admit, being a Sister is quite glorious. However, we didn't let it get to us. So we decided on another house. There we met this couple named Brittanny and Nathan (probably 19 or 20) and they said they would like us to come back and teach their kids... miracle! I have such a testimony in not getting discouraged. Sometimes I feel inadequate in my knowledge of the Gospel compared to others. But you know what? That's just Satan trying to get in my mind and tell me that I'm not good enough! No. I know that I can help people come unto Christ. My knowledge will come with study and time, but I know I have an unwavering testimony and I love people. And I know the Spirit will help me remember the doctrine. I'm so grateful for that promise.

      Guess what? Eric Schweitzer is getting baptized on February 14th!!!!! I'll make sure to send pictures. It's crazy. We haven't been able to get ahold of him and his wife (who is a member) for about 2 weeks, but when we finally caught them at home, Sister Schweitzer said that he's been planning on it. So know we're just buckling down to get his lessons done so he can be ready. He's investigated the church for yearssss so he already knows it all and has a really solid testimony. I'm so excited! 

      Kye is also doing great. We watched the Restoration with her and talked about how Joseph received an answer through church, scripture study, and prayer and how that is central to gaining a testimony. Sister Quinnlley (her fellowship) was really surprised to see our plans for the lesson because she said that Kye had been asking alot of questions about prayer. I know that the Spirit really inspires missionaries to know what to teach and how we can meet their needs! I love it. Kye was planning on coming to church yesterday, but of course, it was cancelled. Saturday and Sunday were another set of 'ice days'. Saturday we were 'grounded' inside; however, Sunday the Bishop's family came and picked us up and we had sacrament with their 7 kids in their home and had a testimony meeting. I had never experienced that before. I felt like I was a pioneer! I'm so grateful for the sacrament. As well, that night we had a breakfast dinner with the Wood's and the Jensen's. I love those families so much! They made us a billion crepes and different fillings for Sister Call's last Sunday. Yeah. Wierd. And I forgot to mention, I'm training... Ahhh!!! Transfers are on Thursday so by next Monday I'll let you know who my new companion is! On Saturday, when we were inside, we were updating records while watching the pioneer movie Legacy. The couple in that movie proabably kisses like 5 times!!! It was so awkward... haha nooooo it's the missionary curse!!! Sister Call has been freaking out a little about boys... bless her heart. 

       This week really has been a week filled with miracles. Working hard, but having fun while we do it. I'm so grateful to have had Sister Call as my trainer. Everyone in the mission likes to remind me haha cause I know she is one of the best missionaries. I've been blessed. I love my Savior and I'm so grateful for His Atonement for me. We recite D&C 4 every morning and I'm so grateful to be a missionary at the time when the work is being hastened. Don't forget, 'If ye have a desire to serve God, ye are called to the work' and I know the Lord will help us in our shortcomings because I've experienced it. I love you all and I hope you have a great week!

Love, 

Sister Penman

Sister Call and I; Kathy and Paul (We're trying to think of a sitcom name to go with that picture)