Why Did the Speckled Gray Chickens Cross the Road?

Hello all!

I'm well on my way to seeing all three states within the boundaries of my mission! I'm in Middletown, Ohio! My companion's name is Sister Driesel, and she is a wonderful, hard-working missionary. The people here are great! ...Mind you, I still really miss Peru. But they say you'll always love your first area (especially if you spent almost 6 months there).

We're teaching a darling 84 year old man named Bill. He is so excited about his baptism on March 8th. He would have been baptized earlier if his daughter would have let him! (She wants the family to be here for it).

On my first afternoon here I met our investigator, Brenden. He's young (20's) and is so humble! He loves learning. At our last lesson with him we were talking about the Book of Mormon, and he told us that he's noticed that he's happier when he reads the Book of Mormon. He's been reading it every day. :) He's lived a pretty rough life--but it's amazing to me how quickly the Gospel of Jesus Christ changes people. There IS power in reading the Book of Mormon. If you want to experience that, give it a try--open it up every day and I PROMISE that like Brenden, you will feel happier. You'll have more strength to meet the challenges that come your way. :)

The first couple of days in Middletown were pretty rough (homesick for Peru, getting over a monster cold, etc.) So, my first night I knelt and asked my Heavenly Father to send me some help--so I could adjust more quickly and get to work.

The next day after our first teaching appointment, we were sitting in the car listening to "The Lower Lights" (awesome music, by the way) when Sister Driesel pointed out a group of speckled gray chickens crossing the street. Two or three cars were stopped so the chickens could cross the road. The sun was shining, the music was playing, and the chickens were crossing the road. I laughed. :) Then I turned to Sister Driesel and said 

"Why did the chickens cross the road?" 

"Why?" 

"To make the sister missionaries laugh!"

We laughed. :) To me, that moment was my Heavenly Father's way of brightening my day to help me adjust to an unfamiliar place. :) He knew what would make me laugh. Heavenly Father knows each of His children perfectly, and he loves to make them happy--even when it's something as little as chickens crossing the road.

I love you'ns! (That's one I've heard since being in Ohio)

Yours,

Sister Sarah Jane Lewis

NEW ADDRESS:

218 D Bavarian Dr.

Middletown, OH 45044

P.S. Maybe when I get back I can pursue a career writing Laffy Taffy jokes. What do you think?

Adieu, Adieu, to You and You and You!

If you didn't read the title to this email to the tune from The Sound of Music, you read it wrong.

 

Well folks, I'm leaving Peru! We got the call this morning during our personal study. I can honestly say that I'm sad to go. Miami County has some pretty special people. I'll miss the Wabash River, camoflauge trucks, and the little kids that shout "Mom! The church ladies are here!!"

 

This week was pretty great. This week I only taught Relief Society--instead of teaching Sunday school AND Young Women's (last week). We had our interviews with the mission president on Wednesday in Fort Wayne. :) We spent all of Friday (Valentine's Day) delivering heart-shaped sugar cookies (thanks for sending the recipe, Mom!) and we did some teaching too, of course. Sunday's lesson went well, and our investigator, Jennifer, and her daughter came to church! :) I surely will miss these Hoosiers.

 

Recently I've been reflecting on how our Heavenly Father truly knows us individually. Being in Peru, meeting the people I've met, and learning the things I've learned has shown me how involved Heavenly Father is in our personal lives. I am grateful for the privelige of having the Holy Ghost to guide me to make decisions daily. I know that my Heavely Father cares about where I go and what I do. And I'm grateful that I can turn to Him to find my direction. Just as Nephi asked "Lord, whither shall I go that I may find ore to molten, that I may make tools to construct the ship after the manner which thou hast shown unto me?" we can ask our Heavenly Father where we should go, and what we should do to accomplish our purpose in life. When we ask, He will answer. We just have to listen. I know this because I have had my prayers answered. I have had paths illuminated for me, I have also been told when certain choices and decisions are not right for me.  I know Heavenly Father loves us and answers our prayers. Psalms 145:18 The Lord is nigh unto all them that call upon him, to all that call upon him in truth.

 

Have a great week!

 

Love,

 

Sister Sarah Jane Lewis

 

P.S. Be prayerful.

This Week from Peru

Hello!

This week was great! We had a zone meeting in Huntington, and a specialized training in Marion this week. We made new goals for the mission for 2014, and learned some teaching skills. :) The best part of it all: at the end of the meeting President Porter got up and said "Elders and Sisters, on Monday when you write to your parents, tell them to send you your temple clothes." We will be able to go to the temple every 6 months! What a miracle! :)

Yesterday we had dinner with a family in the ward. The dad of the family asked each of us to tell him about something we'd learned so far on our missions. For me my mission has taught me a lot of things, but recently I've come to recognize the role of grace in the work. When we get up and do our part, God makes up the rest. I particularly love Ether 12:27:

27 And if men come unto me I will show unto them their weakness. I give unto men weakness that they may be humble; and my grace is sufficient for all men that humble themselves before me; for if they humble themselves before me, and have faith in me, then will I make weak things become strong unto them.

When I replaced the word grace with enabling power, my perspective changed.

27 And if men come unto me I will show unto them their weakness. I give unto men weakness that they may be humble; and my [enabling power] is sufficient for all men that humble themselves before me; for if they humble themselves before me, and have faith in me, then will I make weak things become strong unto them.

What a miracle the Atonement is! What a privelege we have to seek divine help from the Son of God! It is through Christ that we can do all things. I'll just finish with one of my favorite scriptures:

I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me. (Philippians 4:13)

I love you all! :)

-Sister Sarah Jane Lewis

P.S. If you were wondering... Transfers are on February 18th. I may be moving to a new area.

I attached a picture of me with Marge. She's one of the folks we do crafts with every thursday.

Sister Carlson and I visited our ward mission leader and his wife wanted us to take a picture with her "hobby tree." It's basically a Christmas tree that stays up all year round. She just changes the decorations according to the season. Sounds like a good excuse to not have to put it away every January. :)

Sarah and Sister Waite

Sister McDonald, Sarah, and Sister Leavenworth

Here's a picture of my desk. :) I thought you might like to see my little corner of the apartment. :)

"Have a Blessed Day!"

Dearest Friends and Family,

 

Hello!

 

While sitting here in the Peru Public Library I heard a man tell the librarian to "Have a blessed day!" :) It's a common phrase out here in Indiana, that and "God bless!" Both of which are salutations that I like. It's just cheerful, isn't it? It reminds me of a scripture our mission president shared with us recently."Therefore, dearly beloved brethren [and sisters], let us cheerfully do all things that lie in our power; and then may we stand still, with the utmost assurance, to see the salvation of God, and for his arm to be revealed."  As I read it, I felt that this counsel seemed to be directed to me. :) Life is much more enjoyable if we are continuously striving to be cheerful as we do the things that lie in our power and are trying our best not to worry about the things we cannot control. 3 Nephi 13:34 "Take therefore no thought for the morrow, for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself."This scripture is not saying that we shouldn't make plans, but that we should not worry about things we cannot control. :) We should seek to be agents, for "there is a God, and he hath created all things, both the heavens and the earth, and all things that in them are, both things to act and things to be acted upon." (2 Nephi 2:14) God has given us the power of agency! What a gift.  So I'll leave you with this scripture thought: "Verily I say, men should be anxiously engaged in a good cause, and do many things of their own free will, and bring to pass much righteousness;"

 

Oh! and this week was great! :) We're supposedly getting another monster storm tomorrow, so we'll be preparing for that today! Our investigator Cathy has decided to be baptized on March 22nd! I'm not sure if I'll be here, but we're very excited for her! :)

 

Love you all! :)

 

I'd love to hear from you!

 

-Sister Sarah Jane Lewis

1858 S. Business 31 Apt. 2D

Peru, Indiana 46970

A Week of Miracles

Dear friends and family!

 

I don't have much time to write, but this week was a week of miracles. We found 6 new people to teach (three of which are families!) I'm very excited for these new people. :)  We also had a wonderful zone meeting and zone conference this week.

 

Friday evening after we had finished up a teaching appointment we had 15 minutes before we had to be at our dinner appointment. We weren't sure what to do, so we decided to head in the direction of the dinner appointment. (Better to be a little early, than late, right?) Well, as we were driving down the street, the thought came to me that we should stop and visit some of the former investigators that we had a record for. I had never met them, but Sister Crosby and I had tried to contact them several times. We found the house, parked, and knocked on the door. A woman answered. When she saw who we were, she very warmly welcomed us inside. She told about how she had been praying for 3 or 4 weeks for some help with a legal issue that someone in her family going through. Just the day before, charges were dropped and her prayers were answered. She asked us "how did you know to come here? It must be an omen! (a good one)" We only visited for 10 minutes--but she expressed her desire to be baptized. :) It was neat to see how following a simple prompting can bring miracles.

 

lds.org defines a miracle as "an extraordinary event caused by the power of God."

 

I know that's true. I see miracles daily.

 

I like to ask myself at the end of the day "What was a happy surprise today?" "What was my favorite part of today?" and "When did I see the hand of God in my life today?" When I've had a hard day, reflecting on my blessings always brightens my outlook on life. Give it a try. :)

 

Well, kids, folks, and friends, I must bid you adieu. Have a lovely week and look for the miracles!

 

Love,

 

Sister Sarah Jane Lewis

1858 S. Business 31 Apt. 2D

Peru, Indiana 46970

Sing, Sing, and Remember to Check Your Fuel

Hello there!

Tuesday marks 5 months on a mission! It's flown by, I can hardly believe it. I just hope I get to stay in Peru for a little bit longer. I like it here. 

I have been reflecting on my mission experience thus far, and it is amazing to look back and realize how Heavenly Father calls each missionary to the area for a specific reason.

During my time at BYU I studied American Sign Language. When I was called to serve in an English-speaking mission in the United States I wasn't surprised. I just hoped that I would be able to use ASL on my mission. Well, Heavenly Father is so aware of all his children--when I was sent to this area I soon discovered that we have a deaf couple in our ward. :) I think the deaf sister is happy to have someone to converse with (no one else in the ward signs). On a few occasions I've been able to interpret a prayer or part of a Sunday meeting. To me, serving in Peru was an answer to my prayers. :)

So y'all know that I like to sing. Sad story: over the past 10 weeks I have been losing my voice, and I haven't been able to sing like normal. (The cold air isn't doing good things for it.) But, Friday evening we had our second lesson with a woman that we had recently started teaching. We had a member with us, and towards the end of the lesson she (the member) said something about my being a singer and the woman we are teaching, Beverly, asked to hear me sing. Well, recently when I've tried to sing my voice breaks and it just sounds awful. I have been trying my best to not sing so my voice can heal, but I felt impressed to sing "I need Thee Every Hour."  I sang three verses without any trouble. A miracle. But the real miracle came as the Spirit carried the words of the hymn into our hearts. Beverly wept as she listened.

I need thee ev'ry hour,

1. In joy or pain.
   Come quickly and abide,
   Or life is vain.
2. I need thee, oh, I need thee;

   Ev'ry hour I need thee!

   Oh, bless me now, my Savior;

   I come to thee!
3. I need thee ev'ry hour,

   Most holy One.

   Oh, make me thine indeed,

   Thou blessed Son!
4. 1. I need thee, oh, I need thee;

      Ev'ry hour I need thee!

      Oh, bless me now, my Savior;

      I come to thee!
   2. This week a friend told me "miracles are how heaven works."  It's so true.

   On a fun note: we took a trip out of the mission boundaries this week. 
5. While driving up to visit members living in the farthest reaches of our area, (our area is a whole county) we stopped at the home of a member we hadn't met yet. After visiting with them I paused to look at the sky--I saw my second sun dog! (it looks like a rainbow around the sun.) 
6. When we got in the car the fuel light blinked on. ...We were 13 miles from Peru and the nearest gas station was in Rochester, 8 miles away-- just outside our mission boundary line. We knew that if we tried to go back to Peru to get gas we would be stranded on the highway in almost sub-zero weather. So... we went to Rochester. I learned my lesson. When it's 2 degrees outside and you're driving far, far away ...check the fuel tank first.

Feel free to laugh. I did.

:) Well, I love you all. Be grateful.

Love, 

Sister Sarah Jane Lewis

1858 S. Business 31 Apt. 2D

Peru, Indiana 46970

P.S. I don't know why my email is formatted the way it is. I guess the computer doesn't like me.