Have YOU received His image in your countenance?

Hey Everyone!! Hope you all are doing well. :) We had a great, busy
week out here in Chico. Miracles are gonna start stackin up.

Sister Curtis is seriously amazing! She is so perfect for this area
and exactly what I needed. She is such a lover. Really one of the most
kind, genuine people that I have ever met. I feel so grateful to be
her companion. She is helping me become more christlike, express my
feelings more, and helping me remain positive. I really love her. I
just keep praying that I will be able to teach her as much as she is
teaching me!

I had an AMAZING birthday thanks to all of you! I was so spoiled and
felt so much loved. I was completely overwhelmed with gratitude as I
thought about each of you and the time you spent to send packages,
write emails, send letters, and wish me happy birthday! Sister Curtis
made me nutella toast for breakfast and she gave me a sweet note, blew
up balloons, and took me out to lunch at my favorite taco truck! So
nice. I got a call from Sister Byrne and Sister Giani singing Happy
Birthday, birthday wish from Sister Weston, and a nice birthday song
from one of the senior missionaries in the mission office. That night
we had dinner with the Mattsons. I knew there was going to be a cake,
but it turned out to be a whole party! They decorated their whole
house with a happy birthday banner, balloons, we all wore party hats.
It was seriously so nice of them. The Lugos joined us for chocolate
cake and ice cream. I felt so special. I am so incredibly grateful for
every single one of you! Thank you for thinking of me. Im 21!

Yesterday in singles ward we had an awesome lesson in relief society.
I felt like it was aimed at me the entire time. The sister giving the
lesson kept saying, I dont know why I feel like I should share this
talk, but I felt like it would be perfect for today. Welp, it was. It
was perfect for me. Over the past few months, my mom always tells me
that I look so happy and that I am just "glowing". Yesterday, I found
out why she thinks this. :) We discussed the talk "Remember Who You
Are!" By Elaine Dalton. The world tells us to "Live it up", "Try
everything", and "Experiment and be happy." The Lord tells us: "Walk
in the paths of virtue", "lay aside the things of this world" and
"cleave unto your covenants." Virtue and pure beauty comes from: being
well educated, enduring trials with optimism, trust, strength, and
courage, hard work, gospel knowledge, and complete devotion to our
families and The Lord. "Deep Beauty" shines from the inside out.
Spiritual attractiveness is earned from being moral and chaste. It is
earned through faith, repentance, and honoring covenants. "If you live
close to God and His infinite grace-you wont have to tell, it will
show in your face." When we are worthy of the companionship of the
Holy Ghost, you are confident and your inner beauty shines. I believe
that one of the reasons mom has noticed a difference in me, is because
I am set apart and filled with the Holy Ghost. I have received His
image in MY countenance. I am focused and dedicated to becoming like
my Savior. I thought of chapter 5 in Alma this week as I was
reflecting on how I have become more like my Savior this past year.
Alma 5 is when Alma is testifying to the people. He asks them really
thought provoking questions that are a good evaluation of where we
stand on the path to eternal life. Alma asks a lot of questions that
we can ask ourselves. "Have ye been spiritually born of God?" "Have ye
experienced this mighty change of heart?" "Do ye exercise faith in the
redemption of Him who created you?" "Can ye imagine to yourselves the
voice of The Lord, saying unto you, in that day: Come unto me...your
works have been the works of righteousness upon the face of the
earth?" "Can ye look up to God at that day with a pure heart and clean
hands? I say unto you, can you look up, having the image of God
engraven upon your countenances?" Ask yourself. Can you? Do you? Have
you been changed? Verses 26-28, 33 are also good to reflect on. I
would invite you all to read Alma 5 this week. Ask yourself if you
have received the image of His countenance. If not, change now. See
yourself as God sees you. Dont compromise your divine inheritance. I
am so grateful that I have become so converted to The Lord, that even
other people can see it in my countenance. I am so grateful for my
Savior and His perfect example.

Also, read D&C 25: 2, 10, 13, 15 and tell me you dont love those
scriptures! Awesome, right!?

Sadly, Sherry didn't make it to her baptism date this week. We pushed
it back to the 14th due to some word of wisdom issues. She is still
doing well and dedicated to be baptized. When, is the issue.

Thank you again for all the love and support! You all rock!

muchas gracias. i love you and miss you all!

Love,

Sister Allen

Birthday Week. The Big 2-1!

hello everybody. hope you had a good week and that you are enjoying your day off from school. thank goodness for Memorial Day weekend, right? Schools almost out. hold in there. 

Its my 21st Birthday Week! The party starts now. Whoop whoop. Welp, that's about as crazy as this missionary is gonna get. Haha, cause "All I want for my birtday, is to be a missionary!"

transfer calls came in last night and Sister Housley is moving up to Redding 1st ward. She will be companions with Sister Macdonald who I trained in Yuba City. I also found out that Sister Byrne, who i trained in Loomis, is going to be with my MTC companion Sister Giani. My little trainee daughters are going to be serving with some of my companions. Its awesome, but a little strange at the same time that we have all served together! They are all so great. Some of the very best, thats for sure!

Sister Curtis from Springville, Utah will be coming up here to serve with me. She is super sweet. We were in the MTC at the same time and came out to the mission field together. I even sat by her on the plane ride here. I am very excited to work with her and I think I will really enjoy her positive attitude and love for everyone. She is a really awesome missionary and exactly what this area needs. 

Sherry and Michael's baptism is scheduled for this Saturday and I am hoping and praying that they will be ready. There is one hurdle that Sherry has to get over before we can know for sure that she can get baptized, so until then we are just having faith that it will happen. And if it doesn't, its not in the Lords time. Sherry is so committed to be bapitzed so we know that if it doesnt happen now, it will happen in a few weeks when all of the kinks get worked out. She already had her baptism interview, so its really just a waiting game. 

I have been thinking a lot this week about how my mission has been unique. One of the reasons that I made the final decision to serve a mission was my patriarchal blessing. It tells me very specifically that I would recieve a "unique missionary call". I read through that part of my blessing again this week and so it has been on my mind. Friday night, we were in a lesson with Linda, (Sis Housley and I agree that the spirit is so strong during Linda's lesson, so its hard not to receive revelation) we had decided to read the most recent talk by Elder Bednar "Bear Up Your Burdens with Ease". Linda loved it and I also loved it because Sister Housley said something that really helped me understand my "unique mission". She referenced a part in the talk that said, "The unique burdens in each of our lives help us to rely upon the merits, mercy, and grace of the Holy Messiah." I thought back over the last (almost) 12 months of my mission and was reminded of all of the amazing, unique experiences I have been able to have. I have been put into circumstances that are unique to me. The things I have been able to accomplish and go through have allowed me to rely on the Atonement of Jesus Christ. The Atonement is not just to be used when we need to repent, but it is also there to strengthen us through the good days and hard days. I know that because of the unique circumstances I have been put in, I have had to more fully use the Atonement. I have had to really come to understand who my Savior is and what He did for me, so that I could understand what He can truly do for me.

 

About a month ago we were walking through our favorite trailer park (the one where Sherry lives) and there was a woman outside washing out carpets with a hose. We walked up to her house and started talking with her. Her name is Angela, she is catholic, and not super interested in the church, but agreed to a return appointment. We kept putting her on our calendar to stop by and see her, but never really found the time or when we actually went over there she was either asleep or not home. Last week we decided to head over to their house. We had made the decision before hand that we were going to drop her off our teaching list if she wasn't there the next time we saw her, but last minute we decided to drop by. Angela answered the door, we were able to talk to her and showed her the Mormon Message "Because of Him", which she loved. We asked for a return appointment and then started telling us how she was extremely busy because her four granddaughters had just moved in with her suddenly. Their mom was in a bad place, their home in Live Oak just got robbed, and so they had been moved up to Chico to stay with their grandma for the summer. (Angela already has her son, his wife, and their three young kids living with her in this small trailer) Angela decided to introduce us to her grand daughters and they were the sweetest things. Lacy is almost 12, Nevaeh is 10, Moriah turned 8 yesterday, and Autumn is 6. They came out the door and we invited them to church! They really wanted to come and immediately loved us. They were so sweet. Telling us that they wished we were their home school teachers and how pretty we are. Haha. Their grandma was hesitant about saying yes about church, so they didnt end up coming that next week. Angela agreed to having us come over the next week to teach them, so we went over on Wednesday and had an awesome lesson out in their front yard about the Godhead. 6 out of 7 of Angela's grandkids sat out there with us as we taught them about God, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Ghost. Saturday night we called Angela to see if the girls could come to church and she said YES! All four of them showed up right on time. They loved it and I seriously LOVE them. I know that there is a reason that we were supposed to talk to Angela four weeks ago as she was hanging out in her front yard. There was a reason we kept going back and there was a reason we kept her on our plans. These four girls NEED the gospel. They need to know they have a Father in Heaven who loves them and that their family can be together forever and be happy. 

I am grateful for this time I have to serve. I am grateful for the people that have been prepared for me to meet at this time. I am so eternally thankful for the experiences that I have had. 

do it to it. work hard, play hard. give it all you got. pray. love the people. etc. etc.

love you all mucho, 

Sister Allen

Why I Believe!!

Hey everybody! Monday, again?! How does that happen?

A quick quote that I love, "Progression through the gospel is unlimited, because the atonement is unlimited."

With it being Mothers Day this weekend, here's a little shout out to my number one Momma! and two amazing Grandmas! And the other lovely women in my life. First off, I love you! Second, I am so grateful for your example, support, and love. As I was thinking this week about Mothers, I was reminded of the story of the stripling warriors in Alma. These stripling warriors are young people who are leaving the house for the first time, they are going off to do something they have never done before (fighting in this big war, which sounds pretty scary), yet they have so much faith. They fight with miraculous power and courage, all because their moms taught them to have strong faith. Their mothers brought them up in the way of the Lord and they trusted that they would not need to fear if they just had faith. My favorite verses are in Alma 56:47-48 which reads, "Now they never had fought, yet they did not fear death; and they did think more upon the liberty of their fathers than they did upon their lives; yea, they had been taught by their mothers, that if they did not doubt, God would deliver them. And they rehearsed unto me the words of their mothers, saying: We do not doubt our mothers knew it." They trusted the things that their mothers said and did not doubt anything their mothers had taught them. I have definitely had times in my life where I needed the advice of my Mom. I have realized even more since coming out on my mission, how right parents are. They always have the best advice. Even though it may not be exactly what we want to hear, they know what is best and always have our best interest in mind. I am grateful for my mom and her insight. I feel so blessed to have such an amazing mom. I am grateful to have a mom with such great faith and testimony. You're dedication to the gospel is such a blessing to my life and those that we teach! Thank you for everything! I know that a lot of things in life would have been much harder if it wasn't for you. HAPPY MOTHERS DAY! see you sunday. :)

Friday we had MLC (missionary leadership council) and there were so many things said that were exactly what I needed to hear. President Weston invited us to develop more of a celestial culture. D&C 88:22 reads, "For he who is not able to abide the law of a celestial kingdom cannot abide a celestial glory." If we develop a celestial nature about us, we will be more prepared for what's in store in the eternities. "Celestial is going to require the best we have. Let us lift, build, and strengthen our desire to be celestial in all things.", wise words from P. Weston

Sherry is back on date! She has committed to be baptized on May 31st! We are really hoping that she goes through with it this time and if not, its not her time still. Sherry came to all of stake conference yesterday, which was perfect because it was basically all returning members or recent converts giving their testimonies. She is starting to get back on track with no smoking and coming to church this week. The ward is starting to step up a little more and that support will definitely make a difference in her progression.

This past weekend we had Stake Conference in Chico. The topic for the Sunday session was "Why I Believe". All of the speakers were amazing and each had a unique story of how they came to believe what they do. It was a real witness to me that the Lord is so personal. He communicates to each person differently and gives them the witness that will be most beneficial and perfect for them to experience. I was really thinking yesterday during stake conference about why I believe. Why do I believe that this is actually Christs church? How did I come to know that I believe the things I do? This morning during personal study I really thought about it and I came up with my "Why I Believe" story. So, here it goes:

I don't think i ever thought that in the year 2014, I would be in California serving a full time mission for the church. When the age change was announced, I was in no position to go out and serve. I was nowhere near being ready, but I knew right when I heard, it was where I needed and wanted to be. I kept pushing away those feelings and just wanted to carry on with life and school. But that thought of going on a mission kept coming into my mind. So I decided to at least ask if going on a mission was something I should do. It was hard, because at that time I was just going back to church every week, finally praying again, and this was a big answer I needed. A friend urged me to get my patriarchal blessing. Knowing that would give me some direction, I worked with my Bishop to get that going. Heavenly Father answered my prayer in the most perfect way possible. He answered me through specific words and as the patriarch told me that The Lord was pleased with my desire to serve a mission, I knew that's where I was going. I also believe, because Heavenly Father has loved me enough to answer my prayers. Whether it comes to finding our lost phone, knowing if the Book of Mormon is true, etc. he has answered. 

I BELIEVE, because I went from being full of guilt and regret to being filled with love and happiness. Two years ago, I remember thinking to myself that I was so deep down in the pit of guilt, that there would be no way to rid those feelings of guilt and shame that I experienced daily for a long time. But here I am serving as a full time missionary for the church of Jesus Christ. I represent my Savior. I am the Lords servant. I am worthy to do His work. The spirit can work through me to testify and I stand clean from my past mistakes. There is no other explanation to the change that has taken place in my life over the past two years, except that the Atonement of Jesus Christ is real. I never thought i would ever have this experience, but because of Christs atonement, I am here. I believe, because I have used the atonement of Jesus Christ. I have witnessed its miraculous healing power and can say with all surety that my Savior Jesus Christ lived and died for me.  One person did everything for me, even gave his life, and all he asks me to do is follow Him and believe.

I BELIEVE, because I have witnessed so many of Gods tender mercies. So many of us could just push those things away and say they were just coincidence, but my mission has taught me that there are truly no such things as coincidences. I only believe in miracles. From the experience with Margaret in the Yuba City hospital, knocking on the street of red doors to find Kendra, Katie, and Clayton, the priesthood blessing that helped Denise quit smoking, Gerald getting baptized after two and a half years of visits with the missionaries, guessing the right gate code and finding Dacoda at home, Brads testimony and strong recognition of the spirit, reactivating David Castleton, being at the right place to meet Christopher and setting up our skype calls
to England, finding one long lost less active every week since being in Chico, every last door we knocked on that was interested in the gospel, etc. Honestly, the list could go on and on. There is no way I couldn't believe after witnessing the many change of hearts/habits, the spirit filled lessons, and the countless unplanned, but perfect situations I have been in. The many times he has filled my mind with words to say. There is no way I can deny my belief when you have seen what I have. There is no other explanation for this, besides the fact that God loves all of His children and prepares them for the gospel.

I BELIEVE, because the need for the Restoration makes sense. God has called prophets from the beginning of time because he loves us and wants us to know his will. Prophets receive revelation to guide us and hold the priesthood in order to bless our lives through ordinances of the gospel. This has always been one pattern of God's love since the beginning of time. After Jesus Christ and His apostles were killed, people were searching for answers and truth. Over time a lot of the doctrine and ordinances Christ had established were lost or changed. This period of time called the Apostasy was so vital to allowing the Restoration to come to pass. At a time of religious freedom, God reached out in love and just as He had done in the past, called a prophet of God to restore (not reform) the gospel/doctrine of Jesus Christ. This is why the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints is Christ's true church on the earth today. This is why we boldly declare what we do. I know without a doubt that these things are true. I BELIEVE it with all my heart. I have prayed and through the Holy Ghost have felt multiple times that this is Christ's church restored to the earth in its fullest form.

Because of the Lords help in my life, I want to give him everything in return. I believe, because He has worked through my life and been there for me even when I wasn't there for him. 

I would invite all of you to think about why you believe? Take the time to think about why it is that you know and believe what you do. I promise your testimony will grow and it will become solidified. Knowing these things firmly, will help us develop Savior-like obedience. As Robert D. Hales talked about in his most recent conference address, "At times members may participate in “selective obedience,” claiming to love God and honor God while picking and choosing which of His commandments and teachings—and the teachings and counsel of His prophets—they will fully follow. Some obey selectively because they cannot perceive all the reasons for a commandment, just as children do not always understand the reasons for their parents’ counsel and rules. But we always know the reason we follow the prophets, for this is the Church of Jesus Christ, and it is the Savior who directs His prophets in all dispensations." If we can develop a strong testimony and figure out why we believe, obedience to the Lord will come to us so much more naturally. 

Love you all so much! I'll see some of you on Sunday for my call home. :) Can't wait! 

Read. Pray. Study. Ask. Love. Serve. Learn. 

Love,

Sister Allen

HEY people of America!

Hey everyone! How was your week? Hope you guys are doing well and I can't believe its already finals week. Dreading the fact that this time next year I will be sitting at a desk taking a final...ugh...

The last couple weeks here in Chico have been tough. I am still  trying to figure out why I am supposed to be here...but have come to the realization that I may not know now. I may find out after I leave the area or even after my mission. I just have to trust that the Lord knows what's going on. Words of Mormon 1:7, "...And now I do not know all things which are to come; but the Lord knoweth all things which are to come; wherefore, he worketh in me to do according to his will." 

Sherry is still slowly progressing forward. She has got a lot on her plate dealing with Michael's behavior and things have been extra hard since the kid's dad got out of rehab. He feeds their minds with Anti Mormon stuff and now Michael won't even wear his CTR ring...ugh...keep her in your prayers. Even though things have been tough, I know that the Lord is on our side. He will buoy us up. I did have a lot of good studies this week though, which is positive. 

1 Nephi 16: 1-5 reads, "And now it came to pass after I, Nephi, had made an end of speaking to my brethren, behold they said unto me: Thou hast declared unto us hard things, more than we are able to bear. And it came to pass that I said unto them that I knew that I had spoken hard things against the wicked, according to the truth; and the righteous have I justified, and testified that they should be lifted up at the last day; wherefore, the guilty taketh the truth to be hard, for it cutteth them to the very center. And now my brethren, if ye were righteous and were willing to hearken to the truth, and give heed unto it, that ye might walk uprightly before God, then ye would not murmur because of the truth, and say: Thou speakest hard things against us. And it came to pass that I, Nephi, did exhort my brethren, with all diligence, to keep the commandments of the Lord. And it came to pass that they did humble themselves before the Lord; insomuch that I had joy and great hopes of them, that they would walk in the paths of righteousness."

These scriptures really stuck out to me this week. Sister Housley and I talked a lot this week about how we all know that God is going to win in the end, yet we still choose not to be on his side. We all know that if we want to be happy that we need to stick it out with God. With God, we can win. Its one side or the other. We can't tiptoe between right and wrong. In these scriptures, Nephi is talking with Laman and Lemuel. They think that the commandments are hard and are hindering their ability to be happy. Yet we all know that commandments do just the opposite. They enable us. They allow us to receive endless, eternal blessings from our Father in Heaven. The choice is ours. We can choose to follow the commandments and "walk in the paths of righteousness" OR we can sit there and complain that the commandments are too hard to follow. I promise that if you look forward in to the eternities, you will be grateful you made the decision to "walk in the paths of righteousness."

Saturday morning, the Chico Stake got together and did a Mormon Helping Hands service project down in Chapmantown. We were assigned to work over at the Chico Children Community Center clearing out a garden. After 45 minutes of running up and down Elm Street, we finally found where we were supposed to  be working...It was a lot of work. There was a giant area that had been grown over with bermuda grass and we had to clear it all out for their preschools garden. There was a good group of us over there and it looked 10x better than before. After everyone had left, it was just us and Jen, the preschool supervisor. She is super nice. We started talking and answered her questions that she had about missionaries from our church. She was very open with us and told us how she had come back to church only a couple years prior, when her husband had his first heart attack at age 40...so young! She is catholic, but attends different churches. Her husband is constantly in and out of the hospital and has been there for the past two months with pneumonia. Her daughter is 14 and is in and out of the psych ward. She is struggling with some bullies at school and is really depressed to the point of attempted suicide. Jen is so sweet and has all this on her plate. I felt very strongly that we should show her a Mormon message and so as she went to lock up the preschool, I ran to the car and grabbed my iPad. I showed her the Mormon Message "Mountains to Climb" and she was completely in tears the whole time. She loved it and was super grateful afterwards. She even said that it was another little miracle that was an answer to her prayers that she was not alone through all this. We exchanged phone numbers and are hoping to go back to the school this weekend to help plant the garden. I really hope something will come of this.

This morning during studies, Sister Housley found this really awesome passage from Jesus the Christ that I loved. We are both reading it and loving it. I was actually thinking about the following concept earlier this morning and it was perfect that she came across it this morning. I was thinking a lot about what people think makes them happy. A lot of things in the world just make us temporarily happy. The true lasting happiness is what comes from keeping the commandments, but the world would tell us otherwise. Pleasure is temporary and comes with guilt, repentance, etc.  The following is an excerpt from Jesus the Christ Chapter 17- The Sermon on the Mount. You can find the full explanation in the footnotes, but I just included a part that I really loved. 

Enjoy the following comparison by Talmage of Pleasure and Happiness...I absolutely loved the part that I underlined and bolded! "Pleasure Versus Happiness.--"The present is an age of pleasure-seeking, and men are losing their sanity in the mad rush for sensations that do but excite and disappoint. In this day of counterfeits, adulteration's, and base imitations, the devil is busier than he has ever been in the course of human history, in the manufacture of pleasures, both old and new; and these he offers for sale in most attractive fashion, falsely labeled, Happiness. In this soul-destroying craft he is without a peer; he has had centuries of experience and practice, and by his skill he controls the market. He has learned the tricks of the trade, and knows well how to catch the eye and arouse the desire of his customers. He puts up the stuff in bright-colored packages, tied with tinsel string and tassel; and crowds flock to his bargain counters, hustling and crushing one another in their frenzy to buy. 

"Follow one of the purchasers as he goes off gloatingly with his gaudy packet, and watch him as he opens it. What finds he inside the gilded wrapping? He has expected fragrant happiness, but uncovers only an inferior brand of pleasure, the stench of which is nauseating. 

"Happiness includes all that is really desirable and of true worth in pleasure, and much besides. Happiness is genuine gold, pleasure but gilded brass, which corrodes in the hand, and is soon converted into poisonous verdigris. Happiness is as the genuine diamond, which, rough or polished, shines with its own inimitable luster; pleasure is as the paste imitation that glows only when artificially embellished. Happiness is as the ruby, red as the heart's blood, hard and enduring; pleasure, as stained glass, soft, brittle, and of but transitory beauty. 

"Happiness is true food, wholesome, nutritious and sweet; it builds up the body and generates energy for action, physical, mental and spiritual; pleasure is but a deceiving stimulant which, like spiritous drink, makes one think he is strong when in reality enfeebled; makes him fancy he is well when in fact stricken with deadly malady. 

"Happiness leaves no bad after-taste, it is followed by no depressing reaction; it calls for no repentance, brings no regret, entails no remorse; pleasure too often makes necessary repentance, contrition, and suffering; and, if indulged to the extreme, it brings degradation and destruction. 

"True happiness is lived over and over again in memory, always with a renewal of the original good; a moment of unholy pleasure may leave a barbed sting, which, like a thorn in the flesh, is an ever-present source of anguish."

My mission has taught me a lot about how important it is to follow the promptings of the Spirit. As a missionary, we are set apart to have the Spirit with us always. I think it won't be until after I am released as a missionary that I will realize how strong the Spirit is with me as a missionary. It is an amazing blessing and a witness to me that God wants us to succeed. Through the Holy Ghost, we can know God's will. We can know what he needs us to do. He keeps us safe, testifies of truth, and helps us know what to say to pierce the hearts of "those who know not God." I am grateful for the gift of the Holy Ghost and I hope you all really work on following the spirit this week. "He knows the way!" (oh, so does the prophet...ha)

Decisions Determine Destiny. Remember that fo life.

Love you all so much!

xoxo,

Sister Allen

#BecauseofHim

Hello everyone!

Happy Easter yesterday! Shout out to the Easter Bunny for the package. 

I hope each of you took the time to really think about what you have because of Him. We got to watch the #BecauseofHim video about fifty times this week and I could watch it fifty more. Every time I realize one more thing that Christ has done for me. I realized how important and vital his sacrifice was for us. None of us would be able to progress or make it back to Heavenly Father without Him. Not a single one of us. He has made everything possible. Everything is possible because of Him. #BecauseofHim I am on a mission. I can forgive myself and other people. I can live with my family for eternity. There is life after death. I can be happy. I can progress and reach my full potential. I can overcome temptation, adversity, and disappointment. I can enjoy the blessings of the temple. Sins can be erased. One day I will be perfected. We have the gospel and restored church. I am a member of His true church. #BecauseofHim we have a perfect example to follow. 

Yesterday one of the Elders investigators sat down in front of us in church. Last week he was a little disruptive and was wearing a t shirt and jeans. This week he walked in reverently with a white shirt and tie. I started pondering and realized how much I love watching the transition of people as they commit themselves to the gospel. First visit they usually are nervous, don't know what to wear (anything is fine, of course), adn are somewhat confused. A few visits later we see them come in wearing a dress or white shirt and tie. They sit reverently. Their composure has changed. This is such a strong witness to me that the gospel of Jesus Christ is truly the gospel of CHANGE. All we do as missionaries is invite them to act and they feel the spirit testify to them and WANT to change. It is one of the most beautiful things to witness. There is a scripture I found in Helaman 15 that I love. It describes this change of heart that takes place in someone as they feel the spirit testify. Verses 7 and 8 read, "And behold, ye do know of yourselves, for ye have witnessed it, that as many of them as are brought to the knowledge of the truth...and are led to believe the holy scriptures, yea, the prophecies of the holy prophets, which are written, which leadeth them to faith on the Lord, and unto repentance, which faith and repentance bringeth a ^achange of heart unto them—Therefore, as many as have come to this, ye know of yourselves are ^afirm and steadfast in the faith, and in the thing wherewith they have been made free." I love the last part of this scripture, "they have been made free". Too may people see the church as a place of restrictions, but we know that the gospel of Jesus Christ is freeing. It allows us to be the happiest we can and helps us reach our full potential. 

Thursday we decided to ride bikes. All of our planned lessons fell through for the day and so we were on the hunt for miracles. As we were riding down East Lassen, I saw this man standing on the corner of the road pacing back and forth. I kept having this thought that we should stop, but then got this feeling of nervousness as I didn't know what the heck I was going to say if I stopped. As we got closer and closer, I just made the decision that I was going to stop and told Heavenly Father that I was about to stop and I needed help knowing what to say. We got closer to the corner and I felt my hand pushing on the brake slowly and all i thought to say was, "hey sir, how's it going?" He turns around startled and says "wait, are you from the church?" We told him that we were indeed missionaries. He looked relieved and started telling us that this guy had just put a bad "curse" on him and he was feeling so bad and could not find relief. He asked if we would say a prayer with him and of course did so. So there on the corner of the road, I said a prayer to help Craig feel more at peace. He told us he felt a little better and was grateful. We showed him the "Because of Him" video and he loved it. We asked of he attended a church and he said that he used to go to the Catholic Church, but thought it might be a good idea to try out the Mormon church...(just what we like to hear) Of course at the end of our conversation, we asked if he would be interested in talking to some missionaries. The Elders went over a few days later and had an awesome follow up lesson and are starting to teach him. Imagine what might have never happened if we weren't at the right place at the right time.

The church put out this awesome post on Facebook called the 40 Days challenge that I have been using every morning in my personal study. Each day they give you a different talk to read from the most recent conference and even though conference was just a couple weeks ago, it has been a wonderful reminder of how amazing the talks at conference were. I have loved the constant message of standing up for our beliefs. I read President Monson's talk from priesthood session and absolutely loved it. I would invite you all to read it, if you haven't yet. There were two things that really stood out to me. One, "Courage, not compromise, brings the smile of God's approval." Two, he quoted Jabari Parker's dad's advice "Just be the same person you are in the dark that you are in the light." Such powerful statements. We need to have the courage to stand up for our faith. We will be greatly blessed as we strive to be faithful to the gospel.

I also had the opportunity to read "The Prophet Joseph Smith" conference talk by Elder Lawrence Corbridge. I loved the way that he simply outlines the need and blessings that came from the revelation that Joseph Smith received through those few short years he was alive. I loved this quote, "There is no dispute about what Joseph Smith accomplished, only how he did what he did and why. And there are not many options. He was either pretender or prophet. Either he did what he did alone, or he had the help of heaven. Look at the evidence, but look at all of the evidence, the entire mosaic of his life, not any single piece. Most importantly, do as young Joseph and “ask … God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given [you].” This is not only how you may learn the truth about the Book of Mormon and Joseph Smith, it is also the pattern to know the truth of all things." Its simple. Its either true or its not. There is no inbetween. God has made it that simple. He doesn't make it hard for us to know the truth. If you haven't received an answer for yourself yet if the Book of Mormon is true, if Joseph Smith was a prophet, or if the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints is true, ASK! Take time this week and ask Heavenly Father. I promise that He will answer you.

Sherry is doing better this week. We were able to go over and visit her a couple times and she came to church with the kids yesterday. She feels super overwhelmed because her relationship with Jesus is in the pits and Michael's behavior is really hard to deal with. The stress has caused her to break the commandments and her commitments that she has made with us, such as she is smoking again...so, thats too bad, because now she will have to wait to be baptized. Anyways, we are slowly getting back on track with her and had a really awesome lesson this week that helped her realize that her life has drastically gone down hill ever since she stopped meeting with us. Keeping the commandments and the gospel truly blesses lives. When we stop doing what we are asked, God holds back on the blessings. I know that when we are obedient, we are blessed more than we could ever imagine. 

I am grateful for this past week I have had to reflect on all that my Savior has done for me. I know He lives. I know He loved me enough to die for me. I am grateful to be a missionary. Things get really hard sometimes, but I know it will all be worth it. "Thine adversity and thine afflictions shall be but a small moment..."

Have a great week! Try a little harder to be a little better this week. It's never too late to come back. One of my favorite pictures is the one of Christ standing at the door knocking, yet there is no door knob on his side. The door knob is on our side of the door. He will always be there knocking. Come back and let Him in. You are never too far gone.

love,

sister Allen

Roller Coaster Investigators

Have you all heard about the Easter blast the church is doing? It's going to be super awesome and WE (the missionaries) need your help. All of you go on to easter.mormon.org! There are videos, banners, pictures, etc. that you can all share on your Facebook, Twitter, Blogs, etc. The church has put a lot of money and time into this Easter campaign. They have even bought a banner on the front page of YouTube where they will advertise the video and website all day Easter Sunday. so cool. I hope we will see a lot of success and interest. So share the videos. Change your Facebook banners and use this tool as a great way to share the gospel. Pay attention to who "likes" your posts and pictures this week and I would challenge you to message one of the nonmembers who like your post and invite them to learn more about the gospel. Let's hasten the work! 

Sherry took us on a straight roller coaster ride this week. We went over and had two really good lessons this week. Then on Thursday night we received the text that no missionary wants to receive. "Hey girls, I think I just need time to do this on my own. Thanks for all your support, but I am going to take a break for a while." Oh man, was I sad or what? It was pretty devastating. We didn't end up seeing her the rest of the week and only texted her on Saturday only to get a few texts back...We told our ward mission leader, Brother Lugo, what had happened and he decided that he would go over and see what was going on. Him and Bro Sorenson both went over last night and had a really good meeting with her. Sherry didn't say much about how she had texted us and was actually happy to see them. When they walked in, they saw an Anti mormon DVD on her table. She said that Jesus was bringing over all of these videos and things to read about mormons. (ughh...jesus...:/) Bro Sorenson took the DVD with him, so he could watch it and help her answer any of her questions. Danget satan...people are so uneducated about Mormonism. It is so annoying. Anyways, Brother Lugo asked her if we could go over and see her that week and she was not hesitant at all. We just want to be able to answer any questions that she might have. We'll find out if she will still get baptized on the 26th. Pray she does!! It really is annoying that all this Anti stuff gets around and is out there. Made me think this week....Why would people work SO hard to disprove the LDS church, if it wasn't true? You don't hear anything really about the Methodist church or Buddhism. Its always Anti Mormonism. Makes me realize that this church has to be true. Satan wouldn't work so hard to prove it wrong, if it wasn't. There would be no point for him to do that. I know this church is true with all my heart. No matter what people say or try to prove, I will never deny that. 

Thursday morning we tabled over at Butte College. It was semi-successful. We met a lot of long lost less actives...they just kept showing up. We would stop people and start telling them about the church and they would be like "uhh, yeah...I was already baptized..." So now we have all these new less actives. Two of them actually showed up at church yesterday. Pretty cool, huh? 

More change is coming this next week in the YSA ward. The stake announced yesterday at church that we are going to have a new bishopric starting next week. We also got a new relief society presidency in the YSA ward. Something great is beginning! 

We received a referral from the Sisters in Chico 5th ward this week for a YSA age girl named Tarah. She is super cute and from Sac. Her best friend just got baptized last month down at Sac State and told Tarah that she needed to at least give it a try. The other sisters taught her the restoration and we taught her the plan of salvation. She said that she believes in reincarnation, but was really accepting of what we believe. She is a little confused as to exactly what she believes in...but definitely agrees with things that we taught. Tarah said that she might not ever join the church because she likes to "drink and party", but she really likes learning more. We are going to continue to meet with her and hopefully she will feel the spirit testify to her that what we say is true. 

There is a family in our ward who I love so much! The Midlings are super awesome. Brother Midling is a convert of 4 years and Sister Midling returned to the church a couple years before that. Brother Midling's mom, Shirley, lives with them and is not a member. Last week we had dinner with them and Sister Midling invited us over to "practice teach" a lesson to her. So basically Shirley is hearing all the lessons without knowing they are actually aimed at her. We taught them the Restoration last night and the spirit was so strong. We gave Shirley a copy of the Book of Mormon nonchalantly and are praying that she reads. She is catholic, but never attends church. All her friends are members of the ward, she watched all of general conference, loves President Monson, but is just too stubborn to actually admit the catholic church is wrong. But its a great opportunity for us to "teach" her and who knows, she could actually get baptized from this. 

I am grateful for this Easter season that we have to remember what our Savior did for us. Because of him we can be made clean. We can overcome death. We can live with God again. Through Jesus Christ we can become who God needs us to become. I know He Lives. I know He loves us. I can not express in words how grateful I am for Him. I hope everyone enjoys their Easter and takes the time to remember what He has done for us. 

Love you all. Keep it real.

Love you long time,

Sister Allen