glorious miracles

Happy Monday! 

This week was another full of tender mercies from The Lord. It's been so wonderful really. I love The Lord and what he is allowing me to experience out here. I feel so blessed to be in this area at this time.

Let me just tell you about the Whitmores. They are the part member family we picked up as investigators last week. Bro Whitmore nonmember. Sis Whitmore's semi active. Hey had us over on Wednesday afternoon and we were able to teach them the restoration. Sister Lyman and I taught so well together and the lesson just flowed. Brother Whitmore just sat there nodding his head, agreeing with everything we said. He testified himself of the truthfulness of Joseph Smith and
when we asked him to be baptized, he said "Yes, I'm going to get dunked by my grandson!" At the end of the lesson we asked him to say a prayer out loud and he told us that it was the first time he had ever prayed out loud in his life. Can you imagine living over half a century and never ever speaking to your Heavenly Father out loud? It was such a beautiful prayer and I was beaming the entire time. We also showed him how to get online to listen to the Book of Mormon and by the time we had gone over again on Friday, he had all sorts of questions about what he had read. Friday we taught them the Plan of Salvation. He loved every part of it and told us that he had never heard the story of Adam and Eve make so much sense. He knew there had to be a reason for their transgression. The Elders in the Redding 3rd ward, where there daughters attend, texted us over the weekend and told us that the family is so excited and looking forward to their dad's baptism! Brother and Sister Whitmore ended our lesson on Friday on the topic of being sealed in the temple. Sis Whitmore has been asking him for years to get baptized, so that they could be sealed and they made the decision together that they will be sealed in the temple together within the next year or so! How amazing is that? This whole situation seems too good to be true, but I just love it. Bro Whitmore is eager to have us over again. His heart has been so prepared to accept the gospel! 

Wednesday a member took us over to Burrito Bandito for dinner. After dinner Sister Lyman had a sudden craving for some frozen yogurt, so we went next door. We were the only ones in the store and when we got closer to the cash register, the girl at the front asked us if we were missionaries. We told her we were and then started asking her about her experience with missionaries. A bunch of her friends are in our ward and she met with the Elders about three years ago. She is 17 years old and attends a christian university in Redding. She told us that she is searching for truth. We were able to give her a Book of Mormon and after we explained to her what the Book of Mormon is, she told us to contact her anytime to meet! She told us that she thought the Book of Mormon had a totally different purpose, but after we told her what it really was, her interest was sparked. I know that we were supposed to be there to meet her and God doesn't produce accidents...or accidental froyo cravings. 

Saturday afternoon we went over to read with our investigator Laura and her less active, recent convert neighbor Sister Ward. After we read with them, we were driving back to the freeway when Sister Lyman had a feeling that we should go check on this less active woman named Sister Shepherd. We drove over to her house and before we were even to her driveway, we could see her outside in the 105 degree blazing sun trying to sweep up debris in front of her house. Sister Shepherd had literally just gotten out of the hospital the night before for some brain tests and was not supposed to be out there alone in the heat. We sent her inside for some water and to cool down and finished up sweeping in the front. I am so grateful that Sister Lyman listened to the spirit and followed that prompting because Sister Shepherd wouldv'e been in worse shape if we would have never gone over there. It was such a sweet miracle. God is looking out for his children! 

I am so grateful to have such a wonderful companion who is so in tune with the spirit. I learn so much from her example and I know that we were meant to serve here together. We are doing so much good work! And did I tell you about our lessons? Talk about some of the most spiritual and flowing ones I have had on my mission yet. The Lord is on our side!

We had interviews with President Marston this week and as much as I love the Marston's, I miss President and Sister Weston. He talked to me about the scripture in Ether 12:30 that talked about moving mountains with our faith. It reads, "For the brother of Jared said unto the mountain Zerin, Remove---and it was removed. And if he had not faith it would not have moved; wherefore thou workest after men have faith." P. Marston invited us to share this with those we teach and to have them pick one "mountain" in their life that was preventing them from reaching their full potential. Then we invite them to combine their faith with ours to move that mountain. Let us remember it only took a mustard seed of faith to move the mountain. Matthew 17:20 reads, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you." Let us all identify a "mountain" in our path that may be in our way of reaching our fullest potential. I know that God will allow us to move the mountains in our lives if we just have faith and trust in Him. Even if it is just small faith, mustard seed faith. 

love you all! 

xoxo,

sister allen

An email from Sister Allen

i'm melttiinnnnnnnnng. p.s. sorry this is so short.

Hello everyone, I am loving Anderson! It has been so great already. We are so busy and there is so much work to be done! I love it and it is exactly what I have been hoping for. 

Holy moly, it is hot as heck out here! Its literally 106 degrees outside right now and going to be in the hundreds all week. Plus its more humid here than Utah, so its really just so incredibly hot. Im basically melting.

My new companion is Sister Lyman and she is seriously wonderful! We get along so well. She is from Payson, Utah and 22 years old. You can tell a difference between companions who are older and companions who are coming out with the age change at 19. We have a very similar background. Both less active for a while, parents divorced, and we enjoy a lot of the same things. It has been so awesome! She just gets me. We are able to relate so well with one another and our lessons have been BOMB.

A lot of the work here in Anderson is being done with Less Active's. Our ward list is decades long, but only a handful of them are active. It is so different than Chico wards which are huge. The ward barely fills up the chapel without the overflow. It was a bit shocking really. But there is a lot of promising work with the Less Actives. A lot of them will commit and come to church, our ward is just not that great at fellow-shipping, so its hard to keep them coming. Time for another ward makeover.

Anderson is a lot more humble. It reminds me of Yuba City, just more ghetto. Tuesday we were walking down Silver Street trying to contact a less active and there were these two thug boys in their 20s walking down the street. They saw us and one of them yelled out to me, "Hey, can I get your number?" And I yelled back, "Only if you want to talk about Jesus." He looked down with an "oh shoot." and we walked over to talk to them. One of the kids was hyped up on something and told us he wanted to be a famous rapper. He asked us if we could say a prayer with them and of course said yes. We stood there on the side of the road, holding hands, in a circle, and had Jojo pray for us. "Dear God, please help me be a famous rapper. I know I can be a famous rapper some day. And please bless my homie with a fat bag of week in his pocket by the end of the day. Amen." Yep, that happened. I thought I was going to bust up in the middle of his prayer. Welcome to Anderson, Sister Allen. Welcome to Anderson...

Shay is one of the less actives that we work with and I am determined to get Shay to the temple. Shay is gorgeous and is all tatted up. A lot of the older ladies at church have been pretty judgmental of her because of it, but Shay just keeps coming to church because she knows how important it is to be an example. She is raising her three grand kids right now because her daughter is on the streets and she is such an amazing person. Shay is our main focus right now and I can not even tell you how much I love her. She WILL go to the temple and both sister lyman and I will be there. 

We had four less actives this week tell us that they wanted to quit smoking. 2 of them showed up at the Addiction Recovery Program last night and it was so good for them. All of them have goals to get to the temple within the next year.

I love you all! I am so grateful for this opportunity I have to serve the Lord. I have felt very overwhelmed with gratitude to be out here learning and experiencing the things that I am. 

ps. im praying that sarah's mission call gets here this week!! woohoo!

xoxo,

Sister Allen

goodbye chico... hello anderson.

Whats up? I'm getting transfered.

 

We got transfer calls last night and I am being transfered to Anderson! I for sure thought that I was getting transfered down south to Antelope, but looks like Heavenly Father had somewhere else in mind. Anderson is up north and I live on a street called "Shady Lane", so that gives you a quick idea of what its going to be like. hah. I am really not ready to leave Chico. I guess I really haven't been ready for any of the transfers I've had, but I always feel like I am going to leave. I am excited for another new area and all that I am going to learn here. Who knows? this might be my last area. I only have 4-6 week transfers left on my mission and so it is more than likely that I could end my mission in Anderson!

 

This week I had an overwhelming desire to share the gospel with everyone that we passed. I just really felt strongly that I needed to give everyone an invitation to hear the gospel. Tuesday morning we were out visiting some less active members. We were getting back in to the car, but I felt really uneasy and knew that is not where we needed to be going. I told Sister Curtis that we should go and knock a couple of doors. We ended up having two awesome conversations with two different people. One YSA who was super interested in coming to activities and a woman named Dorhonda. We have a return appointment with her tomorrow (that im missing) and I can't wait to hear how it goes. Everything that she was saying was exactly what we believe. She is so great! I just think to myself, what if we wouldn't have knocked on those doors? those two people would have never had the invitation to hear the gospel. Invite, invite, invite!

 

A couple of weeks ago I told a story about meeting the Watson family. They are a part member family. The wife is a less active member and the husband and 21 year old son are not members. We have had a really hard time finding a time to meet with them, as they kept canceling our appointments. We finally were able to get ahold of them on Thursday night and had a really awesome conversation with both the dad and son. The dad told us that his son had been asking and asking if he could go to church. We invited them to come to church on Sunday and they said that they might be able to make it. We reminded them again on Saturday night and they both showed up to church. Brother Watson literally LOVED church. He was so impressed by everything. It was his first time at church and he called us afterwards. He left us a voicemail saying how grateful he was that we invited him to church and how amazing it was. We recieved another call this morning from Sister Watson, she wants us to come over tomorrow to start doing "home studies" (as she calls them) with her family! How much of a miracle could we ask for! I'm sad this is happening as I am leaving, but so excited to see what will come of it! This family is so ready to be members of this church.

 

Monday afternoon, President and Sister Marston arrived to our mission. We were able to meet them Friday at our Missionary Leadership Council and I already love them. They talked about "Begin with the End in Mind." We are focusing on the end goal, which is to get people to the temple to take out thier endowments. President Marston really stressed the principle of Enduring to the End. We all need to understand that when we are baptized, we are commiting to serve the Lord all of our days. Baptism is the entrance on to the path, but enduring is how we stay on the path back to God. Just as D&C 20:37 says, we must have a "determination to serve him to the end." Are you determined to serve God to the very end? Are you doing all you can to be committed to your covenants? If not, change. Do what you need to do to live up to your covenants you have made.

 

I am so grateful for the time I have had to serve in Chico. I know that this is exactly where the Lord needed me at this time. I have learned so much about myself. I have an even stronger testimony and know what kind of person I want to be. I have loved every second here in Chico. It wasn't easy here, but I wouldn't change anything about my time spent here.

 

I love you all! Sorry this is short. I have so much to get done before tomorrow morning.

 

Sister Allen 

An email from Sister Allen

Heyooo. Happy 12 months to me! 

I hit my year mark this week! 6 months from today I will be home! December 16th. Time is unreal. It is flying by. Thursday we went with Daydre, our favorite person in the YSA ward, and got some frozen yogurt at Jon and Bons, a local favorite. 

I know I've said this before, but Sherry and Michael are looking good for this Saturday! All of the kinks have been worked out and if everything goes as planned, Saturday will be the big day. PRAY for them. Saturday night we got a text from Sherry telling us that not only would her, Michael, and Emily be joining us at church, but also her ex husband Troy. It went about as well as we could have hoped. I ended up teaching him the whole restoration on my own after sacrament meeting in the pews. I saw Sister Curtis look over and there I was just rolling out the first vision. I wanted him to know what this church is really about and that it is a good thing for Michael. He seemed to like it, but still has some misconceptions. He'll just have to get over it, because Michael is getting baptiiizzeddd! 

Last night we were over at Margo's house. She is our new investigator that has a baptism date for July 19th. Her fiancé is named Sunny and is a total gangster/skater guy...but he's 50. Ex tattoo artist, soul patch on his bottom lip, shaved head, walks like a thug, yet skinny as a twig. I love it. They're all talking about their wedding and hanging out at the local park with their homeless friends who they pray with. We are going to the park Thursday to meet up with them and their
"crew". That's literally what she calls it...."my crew". You would think Margo is a little under the influence because she has a slur/southern accent. Plus her eyes are half closed a bunch of the
time due to a seizure problem. But I am literally obsessed with her. She just loves Jesus. She
loves mormons and has wanted to be one for years. She came to church today and thinks this is the best ward she has been to. Oh, and I can't forget that they have a hawk living in the spare bedroom. Yes, a hawk.

Sister Curtis and I are pleading with the Lord to find new people to teach. Every time we get out of the car, we have made a goal to not get back into the car until we find one person to talk to. Friday night we went to contact a referral. Sadly the referral wasn't home. Sister Curtis started walking back towards the car and just as she was hitting the unlock button on the keys, I remembered that we needed to find someone to talk to before we even thought about getting back in that car. We walked down one of the driveways and knocked on the first door we saw. The screen was open and a man named Chris came to the door. He was shirtless and across his chest was a big tattoo that said, "Disciple". We talked to him for a while and taught him a snippit of the Restoration as his dog was peeing on Sister Curtis' foot...haha. He is super awesome and has three kids. We asked him if we could come back and he was totally open to us coming around again. I know that because we have committed to Heavenly Father that we are going to talk to someone every time we get out of the car, that he will bless us with someone to find. I am so grateful that we followed the spirit and were able to talk with Chris.

Every second week of the month we have zone meeting. The Zone Leaders and us prepare topics on a certain subject from Missionary Leadership Council. This week we had the topic of Faith Filled Finding. We found this awesome story in Alma 31 that was a great story of faith! This is when Alma and his brethren are going to convert the Apostate Zoramites. The Zoramites are really wicked, prideful people.They deny Christ and only pray to God when they are up on their Rameumptom. Alma is so distraught because of the wickedness of these people and PLEADS with God for strength to convert them. Alma 31:34-38 reads, "O Lord, wilt thou grant unto us that we may have success in bringing them again unto thee in Christ. Behold, O Lord, their souls are precious, and many of them are our brethren; therefore, give unto us, O Lord, power and wisdom that we may bring these, our brethren, again unto thee. Now it came to pass that when Alma had said these words, that he clapped his hands upon all them who were with him. And behold, as he clapped his hands upon them, they were filled with the Holy Spirit. And after that they did separate themselves one from another, taking no thought for themselves what they should eat, or what they should drink, or what they should put on. And the Lord provided for them that they should hunger not, neither should they thirst; yea, and he also gave them strength, that they should suffer no manner of afflictions, save it were swallowed up in the joy of Christ. Now this was according to the prayer of Alma; and this because he prayed in faith." I feel like Alma. I recognize the worldly ways of the people here in Chico and know that if I plead enough with the Lord that anything is possible. 

"Some blessings come soon, some come late, and some dont come until heaven; but for those who embrace the gospel of Jesus Christ, they come." -Elder Holland

"Miracles are to build your faith, not for your faith to be built upon." -Sister Curtis

Love you all! Have a great week. :)

xoxo

Sister Allen

ps. shout out to Ciera who is hopefully getting her mission call this week!! Woohooo!! ill keep my eyes peeled on Facebook for the big announcement. :)

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