Week 26 - With Faith in Jesus Christ you can overcome anything

Hey Yall,  

When trying to escape the wind,
think small:)

First, I just want to announce that our investigator Stephanie is a “non-smoker”!!!  I am so excited for her.  Thru a lot of fasting, prayer and so much faith, she was able to quit smoking, quit coffee, and quit tea.  AND she has a baptism date for January 6! We are so excited for her.  She wants this so badly. We met with her for dinner tonight and she taught her kids the Proclamation on the Family and explained to them how important it was to them. The light in her eyes is shining brighter and brighter every day and we just love seeing her grow in the gospel. Every time we go over she has a new question and it just makes us so happy that she is deciding to come closer to Christ. She has made this decision and we were talking with her bishop and he said something to the point, that baptism is one of the most essential things that you will ever do in your lifetime, because that is the first promise you will make with Heavenly Father. It’s going to lead to more and greater promises and Stephanie is on that path right now.

Another investigator, Lazara, is just hungry for the gospel right now. She is feasting on everything we talk to her about and wants to know more and she has been staying awake in class which is amazing because when we first brought her to church she was falling asleep. We were watching the Restoration video the other day and she was falling asleep during it too. We kept telling her, “No, no, no, this is like the good part. You can’t fall asleep.” It was when Jesus Christ and Heavenly Father appeared to Joseph Smith and we told her she needed to stay awake for this. She’s staying awake now and she’s engaged and wants to learn and we’re just excited for her because she’s progressing, and she’s been to church almost every single Sunday in the last month. She is reading the Book of Mormon or as she calls it, ‘a whole nother bible’.  This is like new information and she is so excited about that.  Lazara is doing awesome right now.

"Christmas Time Is Here!"

We are also teaching Marilyn, who has gone through many changes in her life, which she is willing to do to come unto Christ and be baptized.  Sis. Kresge and I have loved seeing the change in her. She just glows every time we meet with her. The elders will meet with her and us too because she is in another ward but wanted to be taught by Sisters, so we both teach her.  All four of us can attest that she has the light of Christ in her eyes and wants to be baptized. We had a fast for her today and know that she’s going to be able to accomplish all that the Lord has in store for her. If she is to do the things the Lord has commanded, then blessings will follow and she will be baptized. So we’re really excited . . . not sure the exact date still but we know it’s going to happen and we’re still praying for her because she has the faith that it will.

The last OU game was on, dinner was at 5,
 and when the member texts you to say they
are only at half time, they get you Dominos!
Living by Campus life:D

When this is a daily thing...lol

I had a pretty humbling experience last Tuesday. We have a less active member that lives in a disabled home and my companion didn’t exactly tell me the whole situation, so we went and there were all these people living in horrible conditions. I was a little shocked and heartbroken that they live like this. I was hearing about some of the situations there and I felt for them. A lot of us have grown up in supportive homes with supportive parents.  We are fed and we’re taken care of. I didn’t know there was another side to this, plus these people have disabilities and they can’t live on their own and have to have support. So to see all these people as we were meeting with our investigator, was very humbling. We go and read the Book of Mormon with him because he likes us to explain what it is talking about because he has a hard time understanding. I was sitting there and looking at him as he was reading, and felt ‘This a child of God.  Every single person in this building is a child of God, just having a rough time right now.” I had this overwhelming feeling of love and peace, and even though I was pretty upset about the living situation and how poor it was, I felt comforted that these people are not alone and that they are special in God’s eyes. One day we are all going to be resurrected and we will be perfect and that is a promise to every single person that has ever been on the earth, that is on the earth now, and that will be on the earth later. We will all be resurrected and that gave me so much comfort and peace. We have to look at every one through the eyes of our Savior. On a mission you are put in so many different situations, so different than I experienced back home.  You never know the whole situation.   You just have to look through the eyes of our Savior and not think any differently about them.

We were able to go on exchanges this week. I love exchanges with the OU Sisters. They’re awesome and I learn so much from them. They always have something to teach us. I was with Sister Williams and since it was Thanksgiving break the campus was dead so we split the Noble area and Sis. Williams and I biked to one of the neighborhoods. We had the feeling we needed to go to this one neighborhood where one of the ladies in our ward is going through some health problems and we wanted to go visit her and see how she was doing.  In the neighborhood were two boys, one on a bike and one on roller blades and they see us and challenge us to a race. So we raced to the end of the block. I can’t believe how out of shape I am! I haven’t ridden my bike a whole lot on my mission because this transfer, my companion can’t bike. Elder Bednar told us to have joy in our mission.  It’s fun to find people, and it’s fun to go teach, but you also have to make the extra effort and make every day fun, even an adventure. We ended up going to the wrong house and a man answered the door. The first door knock of the day is always so awkward and once you get done with that then you’re solid for the rest of the door knocks that you do for that day. So we were talking to the guy who wasn’t super interested but then it was like a miracle because Sister Williams and him were able to make a connection through the army, her dad was in the army and this man was in the air force and we were able to have a real good conversation with him. We were finally able to visit the lady we wanted to and I was able to see some of the things that I could improve as a missionary and see what Sis. Williams did, not to compare myself to her, but to grow and ask her for advice.  As missionaries we can’t be stuck in our own bubble, and think “this is the way I do things.” We have to be willing to grow and change, because this is the purpose of this earth life.  We can’t just be on our own personal “straight and narrow” and not allow ourselves to be something greater.  We have to be able to change some things that we do to become more like our Savior and be more perfect one day. I’m grateful for the things that she’s taught me as well as my companion Sis. Kresge.

Thanksgiving with the Gowan Family

Love my Sistas!

We, 6 missionaries, had Thanksgiving with the whole Gowan family. I think one of the biggest things I miss right now is being with my family for thanksgiving. So I was grateful to be with another family having a similar experience of that family bond, big group thanksgiving meal. That was really fun, but I have to admit I wish I hadn’t taken too much. You just can’t take a bunch of food and have room for the next dinner. So, the next dinner we went to the institute building and there was so much good food there too. We loaded our plates up while the other sisters, who’ve done this before, tried to warn us to not take too much, but we were sure we’d be OK. Nope, I couldn’t even finish that dinner. I couldn’t even get to the pie. What the heck?  It was kind of a crazy amazing awesome Thanksgiving. We were reminded that when we pray we just need to be thankful for all those things the Lord has given us, instead of asking Him for things. Prayer is more effective when we are thankful for all the things He’s already given us. I know Thanksgiving is over but we can always in our prayers be thankful for all those blessings. I hope all of you had a wonderful Thanksgiving and were able to spend time with family.

My comps my favorite<3

I gave a talk in church today about having faith in Jesus Christ. In Ether 12:6, it says, “And now, I, Moroni, would speak somewhat concerning these things; I would show unto the world that faith is things which are hoped for and not seen; wherefore, dispute not because ye see not, for ye receive no witness until after the trial of your faith.” I love that last part because sometimes in life, it’s like you are blindfolded, and have no idea which way to turn. We have the Spirit, but we will also be tempted by Satan, yet we will always have the freedom to choose. So what are we going to do show our faith? We have to take one step, one leap, one jump. Remember, you receive no witness until after the trial of your faith. Sometimes we will be tried, and it won’t be easy, but we will never get so far off the path that we can’t come back. Elder Holland spoke of this in his last conference address. He said, “Be ye therefore perfect….eventually”.  It was such a good talk. Another point is faith and repentance. When we fall off the path, and can’t see in front of us, do we have the faith that we can overcome those trials and tribulations? It is only possible because of our Savior.  If it wasn’t for Him, we would feel sorrow every day, and we would never feel comfort. I love teaching about the atonement, especially to see people light up to know that there is hope and there is a way. The way to get there is through faith. We have to have faith and then nourish and strengthen it. We do this by praying, reading our scriptures, going to church, and following the commandments. So, this week’s challenge, and I know I’ve given this challenge before, is to find something that you are trying to overcome, and have the faith to overcome it. Put all of your trust and faith in Christ, and His atonement, and believe that through Him, you can overcome it. I know you can do it. I love you all, and hope you all have a fantastic week. 

Love,

Sister Walker

Week 25 You Can Do Anything with the Lord's Help

Hey Yall,

Sister Walker & Sister Kresge

This week was pretty fantastic!  It was another bike week meaning we can’t use our car. We have to try really really hard not to use our car, so pretty much not use our car. Here in Noble the situation is a little different because Sis. Kresge can’t bike, so we were either walking or getting rides from members. It was so cool. We had members calling us and signing up like crazy. They were so willing to help us. This ward, the Noble Ward is incredible!  I just love it.  We saw several miracles from bike week. The purpose isn’t just to make us suffer in the weather or whatever, even though it was super nice this week, but is to get out and be seen. You could totally just be in your car all day and not get anything out of anything. There were times this week when we had to be in our car but it all worked out because we were doing what we could. I just love the concept of bike week and it was inspiration from our Mission President.

Molly (Stephanie's dog)
She loves the missionaries. If you're
not petting her she yelps at you

One really cool miracle took place with our investigator Stephanie. She is so diligent in her reading and praying, and is so faithful. Sis Kresge and I went over and had a lesson with her and were ready to ask her to set a date for baptism. Then she told us that she struggled with something that’s super hard to overcome, smoking. She’s been smoking since she was 13 years old and said she wouldn’t commit to anything until she stopped her addictions. There are a few others like coffee and tea. She wanted to be completely done with all of it. There’s an amazing Stop Smoking workshop that a lot of the missionaries use. We decided to use this with her and we told her about it and her face just lit up. I wish you were there to see her face. It was like, “There’s something else?” Because she had tried other things and they just didn’t work for her. But the difference with this workshop is that it focuses on the atonement of Jesus Christ and how we can change. We can repent and be different because He experienced everything that we have gone through. Explaining this to investigators and seeing their faces when we tell them about the atonement is just incredible. When we told her about it she wanted to start right then. 

Such beautiful Sunsets here!

We met at one of the member’s homes, the Homen’s, and introduced the program to her. I love the Homen’s. They are perfect for Stephanie. Stephanie brought her three girls who are so cute!  I love her girls. You can see the light in their eyes and they just want to know more and want to go to church. We began telling Stephanie about the program and how you have to read word for word this script. It supposed to help them feel motivated. You could go off the script if you want to help explain but there are 15 steps that you have to follow and if you break one of those steps, it’s like taking a short cut and you don’t get the full benefits from it. Stephanie was on the edge of her seat the whole time that we were going through this program with her. It’s a 7-day program and you follow these 15 steps for 7 days and she was so excited to do this. I can tell you that the Spirit was felt so strongly as we looked into her eyes and saw the desire and the want to change.

We love the fall! (Sisters Walker, Williams, Kresge)

 Her whole family is rooting her on. Her husband wants her to quit. Her kids want her to quit. She is ready and she was just willing to just give it up right then and there. There is a part in the program where you have to take your cigarettes and crush them and throw all of your lighters away. She was so excited she ran to her car, grabbed the pack of cigarettes and crushed them right there.  We could feel the presence of the Spirit of our Heavenly Father because she was making the decision to come closer to Christ. I just think that is amazing because addiction is such a hard thing. We see this in a lot of our investigators. They have to overcome addictions and that is one of the hardest steps towards conversion. So to see them want to change that badly so that they can be baptized makes us so happy and it makes us want to be better. Oh my goodness, I have so many little faults that I need to change. I just want to change. We’re all human, we’re going to make mistakes and we’re going to be dumb sometimes but the most important thing is that you are willing to bury that weapon. We talked to her about burying your weapons of rebellion. It can be different for everyone. You can’t just throw them on the ground and throw some dirt on it. You have to bury them deep in the earth so you can’t get to them anymore. You can’t even think about them. If you are going over to where you buried them, you won’t even remember them.  And then you have to keep them there, you can’t dig them back up. That’s why they are deep.
We were explaining this to Stephanie and she loved it. “That’s what I’m going to do!”  The Spirit was just overwhelming and we were bearing our testimonies, and her girls were participating and saying how much they wanted their mom to quit and how much they were going to help. She started the 7 days and through this she’s having constant support. We’re calling her, and going over there to check on her. The Homen family was calling her and checking on her too. She is on day 4 and came to church today with her 3 girls. It was super cool to see that whole family there. It was just amazing!  She’s getting through it. She’s had some hard days but that is just Satan wanting to ruin this, yet she has been so strong and so faithful. She knows that she can do this.  We are keeping her in our prayers every day and then she will be a non-smoker and we are so excited. 

Norman YSA Face to face thank you Ruth McDougall:)

Today was the face to face with Elder Oaks and Elder Ballard. It was so good and one of the things that really stood out to me was that Satan’s desire and want for you, is for you to label yourself, and to feel defeated and different. Elder Oaks explained how Satan wants you to put these labels on yourself and get down on yourself, like  “I’m so different, I’m not like my roommate or my best friend.  I need to be better. They’re so spiritual. I’m not spiritual”. When we label ourselves with all these different things, then we are not realizing who we truly are.  We’re putting ourselves down and that is not what Heavenly Father wants for us. That’s not what our Savior would want for us. Then Elder Oaks said, “You are a child of God.” Sister Sarah Walker is a child of God (put your name in there too).  We have differences because God created us to be different, to have different abilities and talents and great things about us. But it doesn’t mean that God looks at us differently than other people.  In His eyes we are all sons and daughters of our Heavenly Parents. We can’t look at ourselves as lesser than or better than another, because God doesn’t look at you that way.  He says, “all of you are unique in your own special way and I love you for that.”

The challenge for this week is to not label yourself or other people. Sometimes we label other people but instead we need to think of ourselves as special and of other people as sons and daughters of our Heavenly Parents. So if you ever have that bad thought or begin doubting or thinking, like “Why am I so dumb sometimes? STOP. We’re human. I challenge you to open your scriptures and to pray to be reassured that you are a child of God. Today that was just a reminder for me and probably for a lot of other people.

Sister Walker

I’ll just bear my testimony that I know that the Lord loves each and every one of us and that we can be different. People could label Stephanie as a “smoker” and have no idea of what she is going through, but she knows that she is a child of God. Heavenly Father knows that she is His daughter and nothing is going to change that.  He is so proud of her.  He is so proud of everyone who is willing to change and to be better. I know that there is an atonement of Jesus Christ and if we use it we can be better and we can change. I know this gospel is true and I am so happy I get to share it with all of these people in Oklahoma. It just makes me so happy. I love every single one of you guys and I hope you have a wonderful week. Don’t forget to smile, and don’t forget to remember that you are a son or daughter of God.

Love you guys!
Sister Sarah Walker

Rose Stone - Noble is the "Rose Rock Capital of the World."

Week 24 Exchanges & Lots of Fun

Hey Ya'll!!! 

Can I just say that the weather here has a Bi-polar issue. It will be 80 one day and then drop to 40 the next! Sister Kresge and I have to go outside before we get ready every morning to try and predict how cold its gonna be. We are so off sometimes, lol!  But unlike Canada (Shout out to Sister Fullmer!) Its not snowing:) 

Sister Lewis & Sister Walker

Sister Kresge and I went on exchanges this last week with the OU (Oklahoma University) sisters! Sister Lewis and I had a party in Noble while sister Williams and Kresge lived it up on campus. I think tomorrow we get to experience doing a booth on campus! I am so excited!! But Sister Lewis got to go door knocking for the first time! That was so much fun, and it made me remember when Sister Karauria

took me to my first door knock. What a memory haha:) We had success though and saw miracles!

Sister Williams

So I had to lend Sister Williams my bike this week because last Monday hers was stolen:(! and when they asked the institute to see the camera footage, they told them they are default cameras...haha yeah she wasn't too thrilled to hear that, but she got a new bike out of it!

Ok so the other day Sister Kresge and I were making lunch and she put a potato in one of those fabric potato bags and put it in the microwave. Next thing we know something was burning so we were frantically searching in the kitchen for whatever it might have been...lol it was obviously the potato. We took the bag out and a corner of it was burned and smoking really bad so we stuck it out side, not even thinking that it was windy. We went back inside and cracked the door open to let the smell out. Sister Kresge went outside and said, "Oh, its on fire!" She was so calm and collected I thought she was joking. Sure enough the whole bag was chard and on fire! We quickly set it out with water and threw it away like nothing happened. We are so lucky we didn't burn the apartment down!

"Oh, its on fire!" Sister Kresge

One of our investigators wants to get baptized but she wants to overcome all her addictions first. We are going to do the Stop smoking workshop with her starting this week, and we are all so excited!! It will even help her not drink Coffee and tea!! This workshop is so cool! It relies a lot upon the faith of the investigator, and especially their Savior Jesus Christ. With Him all things are possible. My testimony has been strengthened so much when it comes to using my Saviors Atonement. This gift we have can help us overcome any addiction. I just wish everyone in the world could understand the blessing and power it has. This is definitely one of the reasons I am on a mission:)

Zone Conference - My district

We had Zone Conference this week!!! I love ZC so much!! It just got Sister Kresge and I so pumped and motivated for a great week! We talked alot about conversion versus testimony. We all can strengthen our testimonies in the gospel, but its another thing to be fully converted to the gospel. Are we just changing our behavior for a brief moment, or are we changing our nature and becoming more converted? These are questions we have to ask ourselves daily.

This is your weekly challenge. Sorry if I have given this one already, but its so important:) What is one thing that you can give up or change to be more fully converted to the gospel. Make this change (whether it be reading the scriptures more, praying more sincerely, etc.) and strive to be better everyday. You will see Christ in your life if you will use his Atonement. 

I love you all and have an awesome week! 

Sister Walker 

Week 23 - Miracles

Hey,

I hope that everyone’s had a wonderful week. I definitely have. Sister Kresge and I have been on a roll this week and it has been quite the adventure. There have been so many miracles, that is literally my theme every single time, miracles.  Miracles happen! Today we had Stake Broadcast and I think Sister Marriott said something about Idaho being a part of it. I loved the theme, service, and reading the Book of Mormon, and also coming closer to Christ through love. That was so cool because that’s what it’s all about. It’s about our Savior Jesus Christ and how to come closer to Him every single day, and we look at his example in the scriptures of how He loved every one. We have to look at ourselves and decide if we are going to follow Him, are we going to open the door and shut it because we don’t like what we see or are we going to think, what if that was the Savior standing there?  I loved that Sister Marriott said that.

Sister Walker & Sister Kresge

One thing I’ve been working on this transfer is having faith in my Heavenly Father. Even if it takes doing something really hard and really stressful and something I do not like to do. Sometimes you just have to get on your feet and do it because sacrifice brings miracles., and faith brings miracles. I love in 2 Nephi 28:13  “And that He manifest himself unto all those who believe Him by the power of the Holy Ghost unto every nation, kindred, tongue, and people, working mighty miracles, signs and wonders among the children of men according to their faith.” It is literally faith and we have seen so many miracles through that faith. Sister Kresge and I have prayed to see those tender mercies and have prayed to see the miracles the Lord needs us to see. The people we need to find, the people we touch that the Spirit touches.  

So right now we are teaching 5 investigators that are progressing really, really well. The one in the picture is Lazara and I just absolutely love her.Oh, my goodness, she is hilarious and just makes you laugh.She has this fun awesome personality and you just laugh every time you are around her.She is a truth seeker, she loves truth, and she loves to know for herself and as we’ve been able to talk to her today we talked about faith and how we have seen her faith grow. We told her about the Book of Mormon the other day and she said, “I have to learn about a whole nother bible?  That’s so cool.” And we said yah it is, the amazing book that we have that talks about Jesus Christ.  She got so excited about it and said “let’s do this”, and we said “yes!” Every time we see her the light in her eyes shines brighter and brighter because she is progressing.She’s been coming to church and she’s been praying and you can tell that she wants the truth.

Sister Walker, Lazara Gonzales, Sister Kresge
Thank you Sister Spencer for the text!

One of our other investigators, Stephanie, is also progressing. She came to church today and loved what they talked about in Regional Stake Conference. She’s been texting us and saying that she has been receiving so many personal revelations that this gospel is true. She’s testified to us that it is true and it makes us so happy.  She’s amazing. You can definitely also see the light in her eyes as it grows and as she reads and as she finds that she is drawing closer to her Savior, Jesus Christ.

We just met this guy, one of our newer/former investigators. He met with missionaries about 6 months ago and he was progressing and on the verge of baptism and then said he was moving to Costa Rica and the Sisters couldn’t get hold of him. So Sis Kresge and I were flipping through our former list and saw his name and had a feeling we needed to stop by. While we were talking to him he said we could definitely come back so we scheduled an appointment, came over with our ward Mission Leader and he told us he was going through a hard time and that’s why the missionaries couldn’t get hold of him. He had to come back from Costa Rica, and as he was telling us these things, all of a sudden he started testifying that the Gospel was true, and that he was supposed to come back from Costa Rica for a reason and that reason was why we were at his door.  He was just grinning from ear to ear and telling us that this gospel is true and that he needs this gospel and that it brings him happiness. We just sat there wide eyed and smiling as the Spirit was there and it was making us all so happy. He wants missionaries again and he wants to get back on the road to progression. We are so excited to teach him!

One thing that I’ve learned to notice in the investigators that we teach, is that you can definitely see when they are progressing because you see them get happy, you see them become less worried about things, and you see them relying on their Father in Heaven to help them with their trials. Stephanie and Lazara are our other investigators and were having a rough time the other week and didn’t want to come to church. Then Stephanie was like, that is Satan. I can not listen to Satan. I’m comin to church. I will be there. And Lazara did the exact same thing. It just shows their faith in their Father in Heaven and their Savior.

Sister Walker & Aunt Jodi
Jodi had work in Oklahoma so go to take the sisters
to lunch and deliver some cold weather gear for us.
(yes mom & dad are just a little jealous😊)

We have exciting news.  We have a baptism date for a sister that has been meeting with missionaries for 2 years and I had never met her before.  Today at Stake Conference we saw her and scheduled an appointment and had a lesson right then with her.  She said, “I need to be baptized.  I know that this is the right thing but I need to prepare more.  We testified to her that if she was to set a date, that she would be ready for baptism and she said yes and she will be baptized Dec 3. We are so excited for her!  She is so ready for this and she already has this light about her.  I had never met her before but I just knew she was ready.  Sister Kresge and I are just so happy and have been talking about it all day.

The work here in Noble is doing so great and I’m loving it here. One light hearted note happened the other day. We were having dinner with a family and their kids are all kind of little and they are very clingy. So they all kept trying to climb on us and wanted us to hold them, but we can’t. So we let them hold our hands and they gave us like a million hugs that night, and they were so cute. One of their daughters was holding my hand and she looked up at me with her big blue eyes and said, “Will you tuck me in tonight?” It was so cute and it reminded me of some of my little cousins back home. It was a precious moment that reminded me a little bit of home.

So your challenge for this week is to remember when you were baptized.  For some of you it will be a little farther back than others but remember what it felt like to be baptized and remember the promise that you have made with Heavenly Father. If you’ve gone through the temple remember the promise that you’ve made with Heavenly Father in the temple and write in your journal the feelings that you’ve had and how you’ve been able to come closer to Jesus Christ. Something that we’ve told one of our investigators that just set a date to be baptized, that there’s a never ending progression as we go through life and it’s called enduring to the end. Ponder in your hearts the things that you’ve been able to do to endure to the end. You’ve made those promises with God, you’ve been baptized, some of you have gone through the temple, but remember those things that you’ve done to show God that you’re following first your Savior Jesus Christ and you’re following the things the Lord’s asked you to do. Write them in your journal and write about how your testimony has been strengthened. Then look over this throughout the week  to remind yourself that the Lord is aware and these things are what will help you become stronger and closer to Christ. He is the center of it all, He loves us and He’s given us this amazing gift, His atonement, and we need to use it.

I hope you all have a fabulous week and let me know about the miracles you see and about how the challenge goes. I want to hear about what happened with last week’s challenge. Bye.

Love Sister Walker