April 28, 2015


Hey Everyone!

     Hope you guys have a had a good week! We've had alot of great things happen this past week. I'm so grateful to be out here in Clinton and to teach so many of our Heavenly Father's children! We had our Warrensburg Stake Conference this Saturday and Sunday. They focused alot on Family History, Temples, and some Missionary Work. The whole stake made a goal to find 10,000 'cousins' and do their work in the temple. Have you seen that video? I think it was made by Family Search. It's a little cheesy, but it has a great message. They have encouraged the youth to go onto Puzzilla.org and use that to find, if not our direct decendents, our 'cousins'. I think it was awesome!I've never felt so pumped to do Family History! It was one of the Young Woman that gave a talk on that. It reminded me about when I was asked to bear my testimony along with Zac in our Stake Conference a couple years ago. I thought I was going to pee my pants. The youth are so amazing these days! Also, our stake building couldn't hold enough people so we had the conference in Hendrick's Hall at the UCM campus. That was sweet! You guys would love it here right now. It's SO beautiful. Within a week, their is grass and flowers everywhere and the trees have leaves! I've only been here so long as a winter and I've never seen it so beautiful! I'm really excited about that. Also yesterday we had a tornado watch which is pretty sweet. In Missouri we don't have spring showers, we have spring rainstorms and floods, but the soil just soaks it all up! I'm not used to that.. anyway, the weather is awesome haha. 

      We were able to do quite a bit this week! On Tuesday we went to the Liberty Jail and Independence Visitors' Center with Sister Stock and Mia (the Elders recent convert). It was so great to see Mia enjoy the history of the early saints. She has some dissabilites, but she's a total sweetie. We are really trying to help her get enveloped by the ward. It's just so hard because she lives in Warsaw and she will NOT move. Her trailer is not nice, and she lives in a scary area, but she is determined. Well, so are we! haha She needs to move to Clinton so we can help her, but we won't give up and we will continue to help her the best that we can.

      Wanna know something awesome? We met with the Battaglia's this week and they are doing great. Sister Battaglia read a little bit out of the Book of Mormon last week, but we were able to discuss the importance of that, praying, and coming to church that we were able to commit them to doing that as a couple every day and coming to church next Sunday! Ah I'm so excited! Also, we taught her Chastity and the Word of Wisdom and she commited to living both laws. However, Brother Battaglia has a hard time with the Word of Wisdom, but I felt prompted to be a little bold and let him know, after talking to Sister Battaglia, that she is doing great, but she needs his leadership and encouargement because she wants him to baptize her. I think it really sparked something in him. He knows of his priesthood responsiblities, but it has just been awhile since he realized the importance of it. We're following up today and I can't wait!

     We also were able to teach Chuck this past week. He has been out of town in Oklahoma alot because he has a farm there and he has been working really hard on it. We taught him about Temples and Family History and invited him to set a new baptism date. We had mentioned May 3rd. However, after a second he said, "That seems like a while away, is there any way we could do it sooner?" haha. He's so prepared! We were going to do it sooner, specifically on April 25th, but he wanted to do it at 10am that Friday. And the Priesthood and members were all going to be at work! So we called him later and reset it for May 2nd at 5pm. So that is going to be great! He's going to make such a strength to the ward in Clinton. I'm just a little nervous at this point. Transfers are this week and I have no idea what is going to happen! If I leave, I would miss his baptism by a day and that would be pretty lame.. but, I have been here for 6 months. A third of my mission. Sooo people keep telling me I'm out of here. But, I know whatever happens, it is the Lord's will and I trust him. It'll be interesting to do something new :)

     Something crazy. One day last week we went to teach Amy. We were sitting on the couch with her and her adopted grandson Ashton talking about the scriptures and we were starting our lesson on the Gospel of Jesus Christ and had asked Ashton to read a verse out of the Book of Mormon when Amy's mom who is sitting on the couch, starts saying. "Don't you do this Amy!" and something else along those lines. Amy spoke quietly and told us her Mom had talked to her yesterday about meeting with us and about the Book of Mormon and how she doesn't want it in the house.. They went along talking about us.. right in front of us.. however, it was the most incredible experience. Amy went on saying such humbling things that she had been feeling and how she has needed something and she doesn't know what it is. Defending us left and right. 9 year old Ashton even pipped in and said, "Grandma! We believe it ok?!" After a minute or two we decided it would be best to reschedule for another day. We walked outside with Amy and she told us about how she was having a rough day and had been crying alot and then she went to go on her phone and the video 'Because of Him' we had shown her a couple days ago had popped up and she said that never happens. She began to weep. I am so grateful for the Spirit in leading Sister Call and I to her 4 months ago. While I was on exchanges in Warrensburg, the large print Book of Mormon I ordered her came in the mail and Sister Laycock and Christensen were able to drop it off and follow up. She told them that she told her mom that she is going to continue on having us over and that she can just leave the room if she wants to haha. She was excited to finally start reading. I'm so excited for her!

     There was alot more that had happened this week. We met with Anne and Hailey again for the first time in a while because of the holiday and such. Judy (her step-mom) told me that Anne said she NEEDS to have weekly appointments with us or she'll go crazy haha. Anne is currently praying about a baptism date in May :) They are definitely one of my favorite families! I love them so much. Also, MATT GOT BAPTIZED yesterday! He has been going to church basically every sunday for the past year and he finally did it! (I think it helped to let him know that we didn't know what was going to happen at transfers so he needed to get baptized soon) haha. It was a great service. Now he just needs to go on a mission!

      Anyway, it has been a great week. Not an average week for sure, but nonetheless awesome! Alot of missionaries have been asking me recently if I've ever felt like I wanted to go home or if I've ever had a really hard time... I think it's because I smile alot or something... but, honestly I have never been so happy in my life. Even those this is the hardest thing I have ever done, I am so grateful for this service I can render for a solid 18 months. I cannot imagine my life without this experience. I love sharing the message of the Restoration and how everything refers back to that. I'm so grateful for my Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ for constantly reaching out and loving me and chastening me to be the missionary and woman he knows I can become. Only one year left. I love you guys and I'm so grateful for your example! Have a great week! This week is up in the air. Here goes nothing!

Love,

Sister Penman 

Pictures aren't loading this week. I'll have more next week! Love you!