Christmas Week

Hello! Hope everyone had a great Christmas!

 

We began our Christmas with exercise at 6:30. That was a first (I've never woken up at 6:30 on Christmas to exercise before.) But, missionaries have a schedule to keep! :) After our morning study I whipped up my mom's apple cake to take to The Carroll's for Christmas dinner #1. It just isn't Christmas without my mother's apple cake. I

 

Sister Carlson and I went to the Waite's an hour or so before Christmas dinner and I got to call home. :) My family was having our traditional Christmas breakfast. My Sister, Cecily, said the blessing on  the food, I made sure to tell my brothers to save me a cinnamon roll, my siblings told me about their new dogs, their children, mission stories, and all the "what's happening at home". I was a part of it all. :) I felt as if I were right there with them. It was my favorite part of Christmas.

 

Dinner (lunch) at the Carroll's was nice. Afterwards we visited a couple of potential investigators and headed over to Christmas dinner #2 at Sister Sullivan's. That was nice, too.  It was great to be around family, the ward here takes good care of their missionaries.

 

This whole week has been full! :) We see miracles weekly!  we're teaching a new family--we went to the first appointment and they weren't home, but we decided to walk around the block for a bit and we met Jade and Brayden. They were getting ready to go for a walk, but we were ale to talk with them for a few minutes and were able to teach them about the restoration. We're hoping to meet with them again soon. It is so rewarding to teach people that they can have a personal relationship with their Heavenly Father, and that they can receive personal revelation and direction for their own lives. I know that Heavenly Father cares about what we do and he wants us to counsel with him as we make important decisions. He knows us better than we know ourselves, and he can see which path will make us happiest in the long run. His work and His glory is "to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man" (Moses 1:39) and "men are that they might have joy" (2 Nephi 2:27) So, don't forget to include Heavenly Father in your plans. (See: Doctrine and Covenants 9:7)

 

Much love,

 

Sister Sarah Jane Lewis

 

1858 S. Business 31 Apt 2D

Peru, Indiana 46970

 

P.S. Be smart.

Merry Christmas AGAIN!

Merry Christmas!

I bet you didn't think you'd be getting two emails from me this week, did you? Well, it's Christmas and I just wanted to let you all know that I love you and I know that your Heavenly Father loves you. He knows you personally and he wants you to be happy. He sent his Son, Jesus Christ, so that you can return to live with Them one day. Jesus Christ performed an infinite Atonement so you can have lasting peace. I know that Christ lives. I know He is our Savior and that without Him we are lost. He loves you and is reaching out for you to turn to Him. He wants you to take all your pain, worries, trials, and sorrows to Him so your burdens may be lightened. 

Come Unto Me

This is my testimony on this Christmas day. 

I love you, Merry Christmas, and God bless.

Yours,

Sister Sarah Jane Lewis

Merry Christmas!

This week has been a busy one!

One of the highlights was definitely the mission Christmas conference in Muncie. It was fun to be able to see 1/2 of the mission there (my last companion, Sister Crosby was there). And Sister Benjamin and I had the opportunity to sing "Greater Love" by Kenneth Cope during the program. (If you haven't heard it before, give it a listen. It's a pretty song, the lyrics are wonderful.) Link to listen to 'Greater Love'

Yesterday, during Sacrament Meeting was our ward's Christmas Program. Our tiny ward choir (accompanied by angels, I'm sure) sang some Christmas hymns. Music has a special power to bring the Spirit in a way that mere words cannot.

I have no more time, preparation day has been shortened today because they're giving us preparation day on Wednesday.

Merry Christmas, I love you all!

Sister Sarah Jane Lewis

The Reason Behind Christmas

:)The Spirit of Christmas

Just a Quick Email

I may be "kicked off" any second now, so bear with me if I don't get to finish my letter. And forgive any typos.

Hello all!

This week was wonderful. we found two new investigators! :) This week we had a zone conference and Elder Anthony D. Perkins of the Quorum of the Seventy came to train us. It was a wonderful and uplifting "revelatory experience" (revelatory experience sounds so much nicer than "meeting" so we use that, here).

We have been having lots of fun, getting stuck in snow banks and trudging through the fluffy stuff that seems to be everywhere. But we are about the Lord's work, and we have definitely been blessed for our hard work.

This week we have a Christmas conference coming up! They asked me to sing, and I'm hoping that my laryngitis clears up before then. If you can pray...I'd appreciate it. Teaching and singing is a little difficult when you don't have a voice. ha.

Things are just bustling here! I love this work, and I'm happy.

I've been thinking about the small things. President Monson reminds us:

The ancient Roman philosopher Horace admonished, “Whatever hour God has blessed you with, take it with grateful hand, nor postpone your joys from year to year, so that in whatever place you have been, you may say that you have lived happily.”

http://www.lds.org/general-conference/2008/10/finding-joy-in-the-journey

If you have a minute, give this a look. ^ It' will be well worth your time.

 “Do … human beings ever realize life while they live it—every, every minute?” -Our Town

I love you all! I'm grateful for all your support, emails, love, prayers, and most of all... I'm grateful for YOU! :)

Have a lovely week. Read the little blue book. It changed my life, it can change yours too.

Love,

Sister Sarah Jane Lewis

1858 S. Business 31 Apt 2D

Peru, Indiana 46970

P.S. Be happy.

December Is Here!

Hello all!

 

December is here! Last night we had snow, and everything is covered with a thin layer of snow. The town looks like a gingerbread village dusted with powdered sugar. :) It's a cheery (Dad: "cherry") sight.

 

We had a miracle this week, Brother S. will be getting baptized this month after all! :) I'll keep you updated on the details as they come. I will just say, it was a miracle to have Brother S. back on track for baptism, and I can tell you with conviction that Heavenly Father answers prayers.

 

Last night Sister Carlson and I went to the McDonald's home to watch the annual First Presidency Christmas Devotional. It was wonderful. If you haven't had the opportunity to watch it, take some time to do that this week.

http://www.lds.org/broadcasts/archive/christmas-devotional/2013/12?lang=eng

It was fun to see familiar faces in the choir, and I got to participate in my family's Christmas tradition, even hundreds of miles away.

 

This week I've been thinking about how Christmas will be different for me this year, but how really it will be the same. Just as President Monson said last night, the spirit of Christmas is truly the spirit of Christ. Each of us has so many blessings! Jobs, families, homes, food, health, school, toys, education, talents, etc. Heavenly Father has blessed each of us, richly. But, as it says in Mosiah 2:23-24 "Of what have ye to boast?" None of it is really ours. "And now, in the first place, he hath created you, and granted unto you your lives, for which ye are indebted unto him." My hope for each of you this season is that you remember where all your blessings come from, and do all you can to show your gratitude to "Him from whom all blessings flow."

 

Merry Christmas,

 

Sister Sarah Jane Lewis

Thanksgiving Week

Hello all!

 

I don't have much time, but I thought I should let you know that my new companion is lovely. Her name is Sister Carlson, and guess what?? She's a redhead (just like my last companion!) from Oregon, but her family recently moved to Midway, UT. :) She's super sweet. I'll have to send a picture of us on transfer day.

 

We've seen miracles this week!  We went tracting Saturday morning. We picked a road and started walking. We talked to a couple of people, one man gave us a referral (his next-door neighbor). For some reason we had decided to skip that house, but Heavenly Father didn't want us to miss it I guess. We met a sweet lady, Alice. She gave us a couple of her paintings and said she'd join us for church! :)

 

Later that day we visited with our investigator who was scheduled for baptism this weekend. He's going through a rough patch and we're not sure he'll make it this week. We're praying that he'll pull through and still be baptized this month.

 

Thanksgiving morning we set out to visit some people, but I took a wrong turn and set us driving in the wrong direction. After 20 minutes of driving in the scenic country of Indiana (tornado-devastated homes, cute black cows lounging in the field, and some small frozen waterfalls), we decided to turn around. We had Thanksgiving dinner in a member's home. The sister who invited us is from Ukraine and fed us perogis (sp?) (they're a lot like ravioli--a pasta filled with mashed potatoes,  blueberries, meat, or cherries, etc). The whole family was there and the house was filled with people! It was good to be around a big family, it reminded me of the cousins' dinners we used to have at my Grandma Carr's house.

 

We came home and hung up some colored Christmas lights that we dug out of the closet.

 

All in all, it's been a good week.

 

With love,

 

Sister Sarah Jane Lewis

Sarah Jane, Sister Crosby, and an investigator.

Sarah Jane and her new companion, Sister Carlson:)