Monday, June 1, 2015

This transfer is seriously flying by it's crazy!

On Tuesday, we had dinner with a family in the ward, and Pearl our investigator. After dinner, we were reviewing the Plan of Salvation with Pearl, and part way through, we stopped and asked if she had any questions so far. She said, "Well, who is it that does the baptisms?" We explained how anyone who holds the priesthood can do it and she said it was something she would like to do. We were so excited!! We felt impressed to let her pick her date, and she chose June 6th. She has to come to church 3 times before she can be baptized, so we had to move it to the 7th so she can come one more time and be baptized that night. We still have a lot to teach her this week, but it will happen and Pearl will be baptized! We are so happy for her

Then we taught a man being re-baptized, and because of the situation, we had to teach all the lessons in 2 days, so we did the first 4 in one night, and all the rest of them Thursday. It was crazy but we are thankful we got it all in and that he was able to be baptized on Saturday!

Saturday our Sister Training Leaders came to study with us! We love them so much and I am so grateful for all the incredible missionaries we get to serve with here! It's true what they say about everyone thinks they have the best mission. But seriously, Washington Everett is the very best!

Sunday was the Come See For Yourself fireside! We had a reactivated woman and Steven, our investigator with us! It was so good, and the spirit was so strong. I am so thankful for the gift of the Holy Ghost that can testify of truth to us and those around us.

It has been a week of miracles for sure!

Love, Sister Tennant
 
 
Trying to get organized after moving...what a mess!

Baptism Day!

Cleaning Dog Hair and lint out of Dryer so we can use it

House Warming Flowers after the move....yes those are paper rolls


Goodbye cute apartment!

Baptism Day
 
 

Thursday, May 28, 2015

What a week!

We had two great lessons with two of our investigators, who should both be on date by the end of the week! We are so excited for them!!

We have another investigator, Angie, who has been super sick the last few months. She actually speaks Spanish, so we're trying to pass her off to the Spanish missionaries, so they came with us to our lesson, and the elder was able to give her a priesthood blessing in Spanish. Even though I don't know a word of what was said, the spirit was so strong! Good things are in store for Angie.

Thursday was May 21st, 2015. It was my 1 year anniversary of going through the temple. I love the temple so much and I am so very thankful for the blessing that temples are. In the temple, our families can be sealed together forever, and so many more wonderful blessings are available! Even though I can't go while I'm out here, I can't wait to go again when I get back!

Friday morning we got a text saying we were moving! We got home from volunteering at the food bank at 1 and started packing everything up. We had to be out by that night, so we spent the whole day/night packing. They're getting rid of the apartment we lived in so every single thing had to be out and cleaned. It was so stressful. Our sister training leaders came and helped. We've pretty much just dumped everything into the new apartment till we can get it all organized. What a mess.

It has been a great week though. A wise sister once said to me "I believe in being happy." I believe in being happy! No matter what!
 
 Also, Abbi, a cute 8 year old we've been teaching got baptized on Saturday! Her dad isn't a member and her mom is reactivating so it was great to have the whole family there to support her!

Love, Sister Tennant

Tuesday, May 19, 2015

We had an incredible experience last Monday. One of our investigators, Pearl, has been severely depressed for a few years after losing her husband, and she liked us to come over just to talk, but she wasn't too interested in the gospel. We felt impressed to offer her a priesthood blessing, so on Monday, our zone leaders came with us and gave her a blessing and the spirit was so strong! She said she felt at peace and could feel herself getting happy again. And she practically asked if she could come to church with us. She came yesterday and loved it, and now she's really excited about learning more! She says she knows it is the gospel that will help her see her husband again and find joy in this life. We love Pearl so much!

On Thursday, we felt like we needed to stop by a family in our ward's house just to say hi and see how they're doing, even though they're fully active. So we did, and let me tell you, that was where we needed to be. She's been stressed for a long time, and we were able to help clean and de-clutter and organize some of her house with her so the spirit could be in their home more fully. We were there for 2 and a half hours and she was so thankful afterwards. It was such a great service opportunity!

Church was great on Sunday! The talks and lessons were great, and perfect for Pearl! She really seemed to enjoy it! After church, we had a meeting with our bishop, so we had to wait for a while. It was the time one of the wards after us started coming in, and I got to see the Duces!! One of our favorite families from Marysville :)
 I heard news that on Saturday, Will from Port Gardner got baptized!!! When I was there, he wanted it so bad, but they had to wait for Anjie's divorce to go through so they could be married so he could be baptized. And now they are married and he is baptized! Makes me so happy and I can't wait to see them again someday!

And as of today, Sister Wikstrom is officially on the plane, heading back home to Utah. We really did need some Sister Training Leader help Saturday night, so we called them asked our questions, and got to say goodbye. She will do great things and I'm so excited for all that life has in store for her!

It is a good life being a missionary!
Sister Tennant



Dustin our investigator

This is my joy cover for my Preach My Gospel

Beautiful rhododendrons everywhere!

Look at all those stairs we climbed yesterday! Washington is so pretty everywhere

Tuesday, May 12, 2015

Monday we had two great lessons with members present! Productive Monday nights are the best!

Then we met our sister training leaders for exchanges! Tuesday Sister Johnson went to Thomas Lake with Sister Conner and I stayed in Arlington with Sister Wikstrom! She was here a year ago before the wards split, so part of my ward now was her old ward so it was super cool for her to be back and see some of the people again. And of course us getting to be together again was so great!

We have decided that we were friends in the premortal life which is why we get along so well! I love that we get to meet some of our best friends out here while serving the Lord!  We had a couple of incredible lessons, and we even got to share John 11:35, our favorite scripture that we shared with pretty much everyone in Everett together!

Then the exchange came to an end and we had a very tearful goodbye. It was really really sad but thank goodness we will see each other again someday! We have so many plans for post missions :)

Wednesday we worked on our new apartment again. You won't even recognize it when we're done with that thing!
 
Sunday was Mother's Day! I am so grateful for my mom, and not only her, but all the Mothers who have had such a great impact on my life! And I love that we get a whole day to celebrate mothers. Every day should be Mother's Day!

Skyping was perfect. It's such a blessing that we can see our families and talk to them! I am so thankful for eternal families and that we can be together forever! I hope all those missionaries out there and all the missionary families had a great day yesterday talking to loved ones!

Sister Tennant
 
Our last goodbye. Right before we both broke down and cried for a while
 

Saturday, May 9, 2015

What a crazy week it has been!

On Tuesday, we were street contacting downtown, and we had 5 minutes left, and we thought of just leaving early, but we felt impressed to make one more half a lap around the square. We came up to this man sitting at the bus stop and we started talking to him, and we taught him the first lesson. At the end of it, we invited him to be baptized and he said yes! He came to church yesterday and we have a lesson with him tonight so great things are in store for Steven.

And what adds to that miracle is that while we were talking to him, another man came up and was just hovering around us smiling, and we couldn't tell if he was mocking us or listening in. Finally, he interrupted and said he just had to stop and tell us how inspirational we are. How great it is that there are such good people out there who teach about Christ. He even started crying because he was so touched! We got his number too so we're going to start teaching him soon!

Thursday was crazy because we have this part of our area which is a million miles away so it's hard to get to with limited miles. And it was the end of the month, so we really were running low. But we felt we needed to be there. We got part way down there, and there was a giant cement block just barely in the road, but too far to get by. So we had to go all the way out and around, using up more miles. We were pretty frustrated, and by the end of the night, we were walking since we couldn't use the car anymore. But Heavenly Father always provides a way and things worked out!

Friday was the food bank, then we taught Steven again!
We are also moving apartments, and the ones we are moving in to is owned by members of our ward, so we've been helping clean it up and get it ready for us. We're 4 packing with the Stillaguamish sisters so it will be a lot of fun! But the people who lived there before us were nasty. Layers of mold and hair covering the bathrooms, washing machine, fridge, stove, etc. Us 4, our district leader and companion, zone leaders, and other nearby missionaries have been helping clean it, so it will be great once it's already!

It has certainly been a week of adventures but I love being a missionary so much! There is no place I would rather be.

Sister Tennant
 
 
Trying to push this stumblingblock out of the road to our happiness


Working on the Apartment

Nasty Shower!

 

Tuesday, April 28, 2015

It was a great week and I am so grateful for all the members who are helping us with the work!

We have some non member friends that we tracked into when I very first got to Arlington, and they fed us dinner Monday night! It was a lot of fun! We're moving slow with them, but hopefully they will be touched by the spirit and come around eventually!

On Wednesday, our Sister Training Leaders came and studied with us! They always come for a study session with new missionaries, and since it was Wednesday, they came with us to district meeting too. That was so much fun! I love having my trainer as my sister training leader now and getting to see her so much. Sister Ludvigson was also trained by Sister Wikstrom, and we're in the same district, so we were a big happy family with all of us Mommas and Babies! (trainers and trainees)

Thursday was such a good day! We have a goal of getting 1s in all our key indicators every day so at the end of the week, we have 7s in everything. It's been hard and we've had to work super hard to make it happen, but Thursday, we got all 1s and a 2! Never has that happened on my mission. I've had super high numbers before, but never something of everything so that was super cool! And we had 5 different members come with us that day. Thank you for all the members helping us spread the gospel!

Friday we volunteered at the food bank again! Then we weekly planned, then went to work! And we had another great day teaching and finding!

Saturday we found a new investigator, Tony, and he accepted a baptism date after our first lesson! Then Sunday, he came to church! He has several addictions we're going to have to help him overcome, but great things are in store for Tony and we are excited for him!

Sunday we went up to Bellingham with our bishop and one of our investigators for a Fireside! That was the farthest north in the mission I've been, and it is so beautiful! Firesides are the best! Missions are the best. This gospel is the best!

Love, Sister Tennant
 
 
Happy family!

April 25th was a big day for the both of us
 

Thursday, April 23, 2015

 
 
Sister Wikstrom is my Sister Training Leader, and we got to go on exchanges together this week! I went to her area in Everett, and driving south, we drove right down the middle of Port Gardner, the area we served together in! It was so much fun getting to be companions again, even if only for a day. I truly have met some of my very best friends on my mission.

Wednesday was Zone Conference! Meetings with other missionaries and President and Sister Bonham are always the best and I always leave so spiritually uplifted! One of my favorite quotes with regard to being obedient: "'Why' is not a question, but a lesson learned over time." Amen to that.

And Friday was new missionary orientation! Getting to meet with all the new missionaries and trainers! What a blessing it is to get to serve with such incredible missionaries as we preach the gospel!

We had stake conference this weekend, and our Stake President talked about how If we let Satan into our homes, he will destroy our families and lives. The keyword being "If". We must protect ourselves and our families from his evil influences, and we do this by keeping the commandments. It doesn't matter what the world or even other members of the church do, in our family, we keep the commandments. It was really powerful and I invite everyone to stand up again Satan and decide now to be on Heavenly Father's side. With Heavenly Father with us, who could ever be against us?

Sister Tennant
 
 
I park where I wanna park

Sis. Hudson