23 January 2013 hello family!!!

hello! it was wonderful to get your letter! i got one hard copy a few days ago and i just read your email, hurrah :) also, lds.org has some AWESOME stuff on it these days. i really love the new youth curriculum, i think i would be going crazy with it if i was still home and had the free time haha ;) & mom i love how you're modeling your primary lessons after it. you're so great! :) :) [also, logistics-wise.... can you take down my racine address? it's easier if people just write to the mission one (in case i get transferred) and i realize it might not be best to have my living address on the internet. just to be safe :)]

SO scriptures for this week. well first of all, we had Zone Conference yesterday! which was really really great. we got to ride in the "fun bus" up to the north milwaukee stake center, about an hour and a half with a bunch of missionaries and a figurine of ammon wearing a sombrero haha so you can imagine that was great :) and zone conference was really really great. i'll write more about that later. i'm not sure why i said "first things first" haha it's like the most recent thing. ANYWAYS. some great scriptures:

1 Peter 4:12-16 - life is going to be hard, it might as well be hard for the right reasons haha

Alma 17:31/matt 10:6/John 10:11/John4:10,13-14. "My brethren, be of good cheer and let us go in search of the flocks, and we will gather them together and bring them back unto the place of water; and thus we will preserve the flocks unto the King"

:) sometimes 100+ square miles of scattered flock can be pretty overwhelming. we drive around and i see all these people and they ALL need the gospel!!!!! but this verse gives me comfort. i wrote it on our whiteboard :) "the place of water" can be baptism / the Living Water (Jesus Christ), which is a cool symbol for baptism anyways!! come and be completely immersed in the Living Waters, your Savior Jesus Christ and His Atonement!! :) :) and thus we will preserve the flocks unto the King :) and Jesus taught that there should be one fold, and one Shepherd (He is the Good Shepherd). we get to be part of that! :)

Enos 1:4 & Ether 6:9. one phrase in both of those scriptures - "and when the night came." :)

oh here's a fun bus story. so basically br j** j*** says "the bible and the book of mormon tell the same gospel right?" "right!" "okay so i'll just read the bible." "wait........ uh.............." basically he thinks the bible is like a john denver cd and the book of mormon is like bonus tracks. they're great but you don't need them to know john denver was a great singer. uh................... no. so on the fun bus i asked one of the zone leaders what he thought and he reminded me that BESIDES testifying of Christ, the Book of Mormon is the convincing evidence that the message of the Restoration is true. it does double duty :) :) which i knew, but i forgot! so hooray for zone leaders and riding the fun bus! haha :)

 when you invite the missionaries over for dinner, help them fulfill their purpose! ask them about the work and how you can help :) and if you can't think of any friends who are ready to meet with the missionaries right now, well the missionaries go out every day and meet people that you can become friends with! haha. we talked at zone conference about how to help members who say "all my friends are already members" and inviting them to make new friends hahaha

OKAY this is so cute. so basically Brother R***’s LOVES the Gospel and cannot wait to be baptized. and the other day when we were talking about it he got this big old grin on his face and even DID A HAPPY OLD MAN BAPTISM DANCE. he just scooted around in his chair a bit and lifted his hands in the air... shoot. i wish you guys could've seen it hahaha it was the cutest old man dance ever yay baptism!! :) :) he's SO happy to be baptized. LOVES the gospel. :) :) :)

 also - people here found out i love peppermint and keep giving me candy canes hahaha so nice :) :)

 Sister D**** finished the Book of Mormon in 6 weeks!! with two young kids and a full-time job!! we've had some really great lessons about likening the scriptures and she's coming to church next week! hooray!

 okay THIS is cool. we read with Sister D*** in Ether 2 & 3 about the shiny rocks and how we take our best idea to the Lord and He makes it work, which i think she really connected with, and then at the next lesson we read from Ether 2:6-7, 13-14, 16-17 about how we've crossed "many waters" but we can't stop now - God has bigger plans for us! He wants us to make it to the promised land! so don't get comfortable and camp for 4 years at the edge of a great sea! yes it is scary but the Lord will lead us, as He's always done. so go to work and build your barge! and Sister D says, "i'll bring the rocks" :) :) :) i loved it!! she's really connecting with the scriptures and her faith is increasing!!

{ which reminds me -- PMG ch 1. so good. especially page 2 and page 6. read it read it read it! :) :) also it makes me happy you're doing the little schedule thing. i definitely want to hear what you're learning & what goals you're setting!! also read the missionary handbook. the stuff on missionary leadership is especially good :)}

 AND THEN yesterday at Zone Conference Sister J*** shared that exact story from Ether 2!!! also chapter 6, which is so good!!! it was really really cool. "coincidence? i think NOT!" :) zion - one heart & one mind. (who's heart & mind? the Savior's!) when we're all united with the Savior & teaching by the Spirit, "coincidences" happen :) anyways it was a really great lesson & i learned (again) that these barges were basically football-shaped and you can't really steer those. so the Jaredites did all they could to prepare and then "commended themselves to the Lord." also how the furious wind and all that is sent from the Lord and never ceases to move them closer to the Promised Land!! also, I bet they were really grateful for their EXACT obedience in building those barges when they were so deep underwater. if they hadn't been EXACTLY obedient and had just been like "eh that's good enough" when they were following the Lord's commandments on how to build their barges..... well, just read Ether 6:7. :) and pay attention to the word "THEREFORE" :) :) so so good!! anyways i just love that story. Ether 6. super great.

 ALSO mom, speaking of "going to the rescue," i was thinking the other night as we were driving around seeking out those "lost sheep" and inviting them IN PERSON to come back to church how unique that is. i don't know of anyone else who goes out and knocks on people's doors and says we want you to come back. and gas is expensive! our car is expensive! our food, housing, etc - it's expensive! it's worth it to the Lord. He wants His children, His sheep, to come back into the fold. and so we don't make phone calls. we don't even send letters. we go out, in person, in below-freezing weather, and we bring His children Home. amen, the end. to the rescue!! just like the pioneers. that was my favourite part of 17 miracles when we watched it in the MTC. that and realizing that the reason they did all that was to have the blessings of the temple. and now we get to go take the blessings of the temple to all the world!! :) :) speaking of which -- Nathan. GO AS OFTEN AS YOU CAN. i'm seriously dying to get back to the temple & we can only go every 6 months here. go go go go go!!! & go with mom & dad while you can :) :) so so great. love it. :)

 so basically i love being a representative of Jesus Christ and getting to make promises to people in His name prompted by His Spirit. and it's totally real. we invite people to make changes (ie to repent), then when they commit to do it we promise them blessings. and it's not scripted at all. and we were teaching a less-active Sister the other night and i promised her that if she would be faithful in reading the Book of Mormon daily, her family would be blessed. and you can just feel the Spirit confirm the truth of what you're saying and it's so so so so cool i just love it :) :) :) power & authority! (alma 17:3)

SPEAKING OF ALMA 17:3. so i think i told you a while back how Sister Casdorph pointed out in District Meeting that it says "they had given themselves" and we talked about how it means total consecration? so yesterday at zone conference we watched a talk from Elder Holland given at the MTC a while back that was basically a longer version of his talk "the first great commandment" from last conference. YEAH. so so so so good. if there's any way for you to get a copy of that, get it. but i don't know what it's called or anything. i just know it was like his conference talk, BUT MORE. AH. so basically, re-read that talk. Elder Holland was talking about when Jesus Christ asked Peter "lovest thou me more than these?" and he was essentially asking him, "do you love me more than these? more than what you do? more even than who you are?" "Yea Lord, I do love Thee." and THAT was the moment Peter became the Great Apostle. when we decide that we love Jesus Christ and are committed to following Him and serving Him and loving Him even more than we love ourselves, then we become truly converted unto the Lord. then He can use us as instruments in His Hands. !!!!!!!!! "you need to decide TONIGHT whether you're on a course committed to your love for God." basically MTC devotionals are the greatest because they hold nothing back :) :) :) "YOU CANNOT GO BACK [to your old life.] it's over. this mission marks the end of an old life and the beginning of a new. & it's never ever ever over. You've left your nets, and you're going to feed sheep." !!!!!! :) :) it was so great. i think i'd been kind of subconsciously still thinking about when i go back home, but if i go back home then what was even the point of coming out? ("go forward and not backward!" d&c 128:22) that old life is over. i'm committed to moving forward and following Jesus forever. :) :) hooray for being a missionary!! hymn 270 verse 3.

 okay and here's a great story. so basically, once you understand the gospel & the doctrine of Christ you know why we invite people to be baptized in the first lesson. it just makes sense, like why would you not. so we've invited Sister H**** to be baptized a few times but she's SUPER afraid & unwilling to commit and afraid of belonging and wants to "diversify" and find out everything about every church and basically was just dragging her feet. also i'm using the word basically a lot, don't know why. sorry haha. anyways so we planned to invite her to be baptized on a specific date. even though she still didn't want to commit to baptism haha. so we get in there and are teaching the lesson, and read 2 Ne 31:10-11 with her and she starts CRYING. and we ask what she's feeling and she says she knows she needs to repent and she wants to repent (she's been through a LOT) and we bring up baptism and all her fears come up and i'm thinking "okay, we mentioned baptism, but she's clearly not ready to commit to a date so lets just go" but Sister Casdorph (!!!) invites her to be baptized on Feb 23rd. and she says no i can't do that i can't be baptized for at least a year i've got all these chemical dependencies & addictions to work out first, but Sister Casdorph says we know she can be ready and that God will help her. Sister H says what about March 23rd and we say great, will you pray about it? right now, right here, with us? and when you find out that this is true and that God wants you to follow Jesus Christ and be baptized, will you do that? and Sister H says yes so we all kneel down and she says "dear Heavenly Father" then stops and says "i can't pray." and i'm like shoot. satan is stopping this prayer from happening. but then i look up and she just has tears running down her face and she keeps praying and asks if she can be baptized March 23rd and says how much she wants to follow Jesus and make her life right and she'll even be baptized February 23rd if that's what He wants. and she closes in the name of Jesus Christ and then says "that's my answer. i feel Unity." and it was AWESOME. and what if sister casdorph hadn't been bold in inviting her to be baptized on a specific date? and what if we hadn't prayed with her right then right there?? SO SO AWESOME :) :) :) SO she came to church on Sunday and cried during Sacrament Meeting because she felt the Spirit tell her again that what she was doing what right, cried during Gospel Principles (lesson on families) because she knows she needs to be there for her mom (only member in the family) and she's committed to that, AND THEN GUESS WHAT THE RELIEF SOCIETY LESSON WAS ON OH JUST BAPTISM YEAH THAT'S A COINCIDENCE. so so so amazing!!! great great day at church. wonderful wonderful wonderful spirit :) :)

 oh and HAHA guess who the gospel principles' teachers were - us! haha the regular teachers' kid was sick so we found out as class was starting that we'd be teaching. BUT GUESS WHAT THE SPIRIT IS AWESOME BECAUSE GOD LOVES HIS CHILDREN SO HE HELPS US TO KNOW WHAT TO TEACH OBVIOUSLY AWESOME. :))))))))))))))))) so so good!!!

 SO basically it was a really great week. OH it is cold. how cold? well.

apparently milk can freeze if you leave it outside over night.

our store of water we keep in the car is frozen.

i got a paper towel wet to wipe down the mats in the car today and the paper towel froze. (this was all inside the garage)

we went to culvers (yum custard!) and i got some piping hot wisconsin cheese curds, then right after we got gas and i took my hot melty cheese curds out with me to pump the gas and when i got back into the car i popped one in my mouth and it was no longer melty hahaha. SO COLD!!

BUT we are surviving just fine so no need to worry about us at all, uncle josh sent me a great hat and gramma some great finger-less gloves from north dakota and we have our warm car that we keep full of gas and we bring extra blankets etc etc so we're great :) and we just layer up!! and try not to freeze! haha it's awesome :) "it's the penguin's Christmas skating party!" {muppet's Christmas carol} is what i say to myself every day as we slip and slide around on the ice in our long black coats hahaha :) :)

 also frozen jello is weird.

 also, something that is great to do is to sing hymns or recite scriptures while you're waiting on the doorstep for someone to answer. it boosts your morale and lets you know when enough time has passed so you can knock again haha. i like to use "the standard of truth." ;) ;)

 so here's the thing - missionary work is GOD'S work. the salvation of His children is His work and His glory. so i'm not sure why I'm ever surprised when He gets involved hahaha this is His thing! it's what He spends 100% of His time doing. what an honor that we get to participate in that :) :) :)

 you know that scene from Aladdin where Aladdin is underwater and the Genie comes out of the lamp and is like "i can't help you unless you wish for it!!" but then like fanagles everything to make it so that he can help Aladdin? not to be irreverent but I think that's how God works with us sometimes. we're just trying our best & messing things up but He loves us so much He makes the best out of our best efforts :) :) hooray, God!! :) :)

 also, modern-day prophets are a real thing. living apostles? yep. real. :) :)

 something i've been trying to find the balance in is being on time to appointments and not wasting time [sometimes people tell us REALLY long irrelevant stories, or go off on huge tangents], and what President Uchtdorf said last conference -

"I think of our Lord and Exemplar, Jesus Christ, and His short life among the people of Galilee and Jerusalem. I have tried to imagine Him bustling between meetings or multitasking to get a list of urgent things accomplished. I can’t see it. Instead I see the compassionate and caring Son of God purposefully living each day. When He interacted with those around Him, they felt important and loved. He knew the infinite value of the people He met. He blessed them, ministered to them. He lifted them up, healed them. He gave them the precious gift of His time."

 :) that Jesus. I just love Him :)

 also back to Sister H - she did that thing where you flip open the Bible and point, and she said every single time she did it she landed on the same verse, one about not eating at the Lord's table and the devil's table - you've got to choose. and that really impacted her. believe it or not i'd never heard of that verse hahaha but i looked it up and it's 1 Cor 10:21. so now you all are smarter than i was :)

 the stars here are AMAZINGLY bright. Ps. 147:4 :)

 Brother Rs has changed his facebook religion and KNOWS that there are living prophets and apostles and that Joseph Smith was a prophet. "positive. period. end of sentence. i declare it!" :) :) :) :) love love love it. also guess what hymns he picked for his baptism? "on this day of joy and gladness" and "the happy day at last has come" :) :) :) doesn't that just make your heart happy????? :) :) :) :) :) :) :)

 nathan - read d&c 88:73-81. also d&c 31:3. :)

 we're getting 23 new missionaries next transfer!!!!!! aaaaaahhh!!! THE LORD IS HASTENING HIS WORK.

 dear family, i love you all so very much. your examples mean more and more to me every day, and you're influencing people here that you've never even heard of or met. you are amazing!!! i'm so grateful that families are forever :) :) i pray for you every single prayer :) {and that's a LOT!!! hahaha}

 oh and SPEAKING of "ring out wild bells" hahaha it's one of the Assistant's favourites!!! so he asked me to play it at a new missionary training meeting and i was like you've GOT to be kidding me hahaha and i told him i thought that was a weird song and he was like yeah President Jones thinks so too, i guess Elder Haertel got to pick the song for a meeting with President once and he picked that song was President was like "I don't even know what that song is in the hymn book" hahahahahaha :) :) :) :) :)

 WELL this is a super long letter (surprise surprise) and i commend anyone who's made it this far. ps thank you for the letters!!!! i love hearing from you & i promise to write back soon :) :) i love letters and i LOVE pictures!! light of my life :) i LOVE being a missionary and i LOVE all of you! and most of all i LOVE LOVE LOVE Jesus Christ :) :) He really is the Savior & Redeemer of the world!! He is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. I know it and I declare it with everything that I am. Jesus is the Christ, the eternal Son of God. amen, amen, amen & hallelujah :) :) :)

 love, love, love, love, love, love, LOVE

 sister cecelia proffit :)

 big hug, little kiss :) :)

 xoxoxoxoxoxxoxxxxxxx

 ps remind me next week to write about some great member lessons we've had :) AND HEY WE'RE HAVING A BAPTISM THIS SATURDAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :)))))))))))))))))))))) 10am Wisconsin time :) :) :)

 love love love love love you --------------

 xoxoxoxoxoxx

one more thought from Elder Holland -------- "the Lord is hastening His work. are we?"

:))))))))))