“to every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under heaven…”

and it appears that the season of appleton is over :( :( :( sadsadsadsadsad. cry me a river & call it the fox <3

 

okay, that was dramatic haha. :) but yes, i am leaving appleton and now is the season of kettle moraine!! which is a teeny town that no one has heard of so i just say south milwaukee or west of waukesha. 

 

i had a feeling i would be going back down south to milwaukee.... which actually gives some nice symmetry to my mission: i started in south milwaukee, went to appleton, then green bay, then back to appleton, and now back to south milwaukee, which will mostly likely be my last stop.

 

CRAZY RIGHT????????   i'm not sure how i feel about all this.  it's weird.

 

but anyways. president cutler called to tell me i was needed down there and so down there i will go. but i will leave my heart in appleton!!! just kidding i'll bring part of it with me to kettle moraine. :)

 

perks: it's close to the TEMPLE so i can go hopefully!! aaaaaaand it's south for the winter hahaha ;) not that it makes much difference....... HEY it was -1 yesterday! withOUT the windchill! wooo-hooooo!! :) :)

 

this is what is hard: it is hard to give your whole heart to somewhere/someone/something, and then to just leave it all behind.    but.    we survive :)    okay do you wanna hear about my week now?? :) :) 

 

first of all, i love my elder friends. and it's sad because i'm getting to the point where i will probably never serve around them again. but tis okay. i can make new friends right?? :) & elder beech is coming with me to mke to be the new assistant wooooooo! party :) 

 

fact: this letter is going to be all over the place. like my brain. and my life.

 

fact 2: the lady next to me is singing along with michael jackson under her breath and it is uber distracting and i don't use that word lightly hahaha

 

fact 3: okay she's gone. i had to pause my email until she stopped hahaha bc i literally could not handle it.

 

you're welcome for this peek into actual missionary life ;) #nexttimeonthedistrict  okay sorry i'm insane.

 

ANYWAYS. :) :)  so tuesday was good. zone training meeting! i love Preach My Gospel & the Book of Mormon. seriously my two most valuable earthly possessions are my mission copies of those books. i LOST my PMG temporarily and it was the worst thing ever. but they found it in oshkosh. so i'll get it back on wednesday and hug it forever and never let it leave my sight. *yay!* :) :)

 

more facts: i love appleton

 

i love the new mormon message with the guy from kid history!! :) :) http://www.mormonchannel.org/christmas-videos?v=2919740155001

 

i love it when sister silva flooded the kitchen with soap trying to do the dishes!! (pictures to follow) 

 

i loved it when i got to tutor a s on the protestant reformation!! we went to their house just to bring them some candy and a paper chain because i love them, and sis s was like "I don't know anything about that a i can't help you study" and i was like "hey that was my major! i'll help you study!" and then she got an a because i made her say "copernicus questioned the calendar" twelve times fast and "ignatius no-questions" and dumb stuff like that hahaha and then sister s told me i was a rockstar angel. and i love her and i love helping people. and she invited me over on Christmas to skype and play PIANO DUETS but dumb, i'm leaving. depressing. oh well. :) 

 

anyways, i loved that.   also, it's cold.  9 degrees and i'm not wearing a coat! so perhaps i am acclimating? :) :)

 

another fact: I AM SO HAPPY. MISSIONS ARE THE BEST. seriously, i had this realization (again) on thursday... THIS IS THE GREATEST. i have 100% of my time to dedicate to helping my friends. no job, no school, no studies.... you need me? i'm there. nothing else to distract me. nothing else to do but serve. HOW COULD I NOT LOVE IT. i tell ya. so happy :) :) and i love my friends and i love the Appleton 2nd ward <3 <3 <3 we had a relief society white elephant gift exchange and then missionary correlation meeting thursday night and i just laughed and laughed and was SO HAPPY!!!!! these people are the greatest hahaha.

 

OOKAY. so i literally told sister silva AS WE WERE WALKING INTO CHURCH on sunday not to tell anybody that i'm being transferred because i don't like people to know. AND THEN br s  comes up to me and is like "hey i hear you're being transferred! where are you going??" and i'm like "what the...." and THEN they announce it over the pulpit during church hahaha well there goes that secret....... but anyways. in relief society sis s was like "thanks for truly being a sister to us" and that meant a lot to me. i just love this appleton 2nd ward :) :) :)

 

this email is completely out of order but i'm not even going to attempt to fix it.

 

i still haven't told you about my saturday morning panic attack.   be excited :)

 

anyways. friday was great. we went to restore funland and took pictures with friends!! and EEEEEVERYONE was asking us if we celebrate Christmas and what we're doing for Christmas and why aren't we going home and what do we do all day anyways?? welllllllll let me tell you, my friends!! :) :) so that was lovely. pictures to follow :) also my friend s from restore asked us a really interesting question.... we told her that we volunteer and pay to be here and all that and she's like "so what benefits do you get from your mission?" and we were like uhhh..... nothing really.... at least nothing monetary! we just love what we do! :) 

it was kind of cool to think about :) 

 

SATURDAY  was day of drama because it was flip-flop day (i have less time left than sis silva has been out), dad's birthday (not too much drama there), the 1st day of the 12 days of Christmas (...again, not too much drama...) and THE DAY WE FOUND OUT ABOUT TRANSFERS. (DRAMA!!!) well actually not drama. just anxiety hahaha. :) :) so i was having like a legit internal turmoil panic attack until we got the text, then i found out i was leaving, then i had MORE anxiety and sadness, so we went about our day and we're teaching my friend and i'm mostly focusing but also have a huge internal breakdown (i don't know what's wrong with me..... basically, it's just really hard to love something so much and then leave. i'm so happy i'm worried about not always being this happy hahaha dumb, right????) so after we leave i'm like sister silva. i am going to die if i do not go to starbucks right this moment and get a gingerbread steamer. and she's like "okay" so we go and i'm like "i need to go inside because i just do" and so we do and not ONE MINUTE after we sit down a woman comes up to us and is like "are you sister missionaries?" uhh... yes? "can i talk to you?" no, we're busy. OF COURSE YOU CAN!! :) :) :) turns out she's a less-active member from neenah who just reeeaally needed to talk to sister missionaries & Heavenly Father knew it so he brought us to starbucks not 5 minutes after she got there so that she could see us. and i was legit even fidling with my nametag as we walked in. yeah. revelation through internal breakdowns!! haha. basically, Heavenly Father knows all of His children and He is SO AWARE of us and totally in control and He knows our needs. He knew that she needed to talk, and He knew that I needed to forget myself and serve. I LOVE HIM. He is so great :) :) :) :) :) :) :) literally the best, not kidding, that is doctrine. :) :) 

 

so pretty much i love this missionary life and i love all of my friends and this gospel and everything. 

so how was your week? :)

 

oh, and i had a dream friday night that r n single-handedly opened neenah/ysa for sisters. by herself. because she totally could ;)   my dreams are really weird hahaha.

 

oh happy birthday daddy!! i love you!! :) :) :)   also, i love the appleton 2nd ward.

 

yesterday we went to a Christmas party at the W's house with them & their neighbors and it was THE BEST, first of all their 14 year old son teaches piano and is SO CUTE, they had a little piano concert, adorable. and then we just got to introduce ourselves and talk to all their friends and eat delicious snacks. and i got to play their NICE piano and i loved it. i've decided that i love to play the piano. :) :) 

 

also we saw the m's and i love them. turns out C  loves to pretend to be a missionary. so i gave her my nametag and she pretended to be me hahaha. hilarious, embarrassing, and wonderful. and, she actually learned a lot & bore her testimony and it was wonderful. so there :) #sistermissionarywork. :) 

 

actual temperature yesterday: -1. just in case you missed it up there in this MASSIVELY LONG EMAIL. sorry about that...... also, when you picture me this week (...do you picture me during the week? creepy....) please picture me blasting amy grant "emmanuel" with the bass all the way up and the volume as loud as it will go.

 

because that will probably be accurate.  i love you all buckets & bunches & heaps. i love this land. i love this gospel. IT MAKES ME SO SO HAPPY.  I know God lives. I know He has a plan for us to be as happy as He is. WOAH WAIT HOLD THE PHONE.  i know.  it's awesome. tell everyone :) :) :)

LOVE YOU    LOVE LOVE LOVE YOU  ps merry christmas!! i'll email you next week from kettle moraine!!

 

pray for my soul   i always pray for you <3

 

love, sister proffit :) :) :) xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo

hello family :)

the weeks are going by sooooo fast!! i hardly know what to write about this week... hm. let's see.....

well tuesday there was snow (i sent pictures) and we didn't die! i'm the driver hahaha and i typically drive approximately 15-20 mph when it is snowing. we've slid through a few intersections but haven't died yet! hooray! hahaha don't worry about us...... we'll be fine :) :) :) our district is ridiculous..... i sent more pictures..... the oneida elders sang their area accountability and elder croft called my white handbook the "slightly dirty white law of moses" and i about died laughing (#missionaryjokes) and i (surprise, surprise...) was SO HAPPY even though it was BLIZZARDING and dark and cold and i just wanted to go home and i did NOT want to knock on doors any more but we kept going and conquered the natural man a bit and ended up having a great night... people were home, and we got to shovel the walk for my dear friend sister t and talk to her family and it was all just great :) :) Heavenly Father always takes care of us when we choose His way!! :) :) :)

and apparently i look like gimli. thank you elders.

whatever. :)

hey, i have a question for ya.... what could be better than waking up at 6:30am to shovel people's driveways anonymously, eating healthy delicious hot cereal from woodmans, studying the words of Christ for two hours, and then serving and making Christmas crafts and inviting people to repent all day long????

NOTHING, i tell you. nothing :) :) :) :)

i'm starting to wonder if i have some kind of disease. i'm not sure what temperature it was on friday at 7pm in appleton but with the windchill it felt approximately 2 degrees. and i was just SO HAPPY -- like giddy skippy happy-clappy hallelujah Christ is born happy -- going up to knock on my friend t s's door. & 45 minutes later driving up Oneida jamming out to Alex Boye's "go tell it on the mountain" (look it up). & still an hour & 20 minutes later talking with S and helping her prepare to teach gospel principles on Sunday :) :)

which, btw, she totally rocked at :) :) :)

and shout-out to sister butler, who i love, who called us while we were talking to s to get a phone # to give a referral. i love her :)

also shout-out to the cannons for sending me a referral in the mail!! haha best Christmas card ever?? yesss :) :) :)

hm.

that was pretty much the week, family! lots of service, lots of snow, lots of getting ready for Christmas time...... invite the missionaries over! ask them what time is worst for proselyting and have them over for hot cocoa and a message then hahaha. and invite your friends. and have a party. a spiritual party. :) :) 

i just love everything. i love being a missionary :) i love you all. i love the Book of Mormon and the Bible and the gospel of Jesus Christ. I love Him <3

"and in Christ there should come every good thing." :) :) truer words, my friends. truer words. :) :) :)

love you all!!! choose the right :) :) :) :) & stay warm!!!!!!!!

Xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxox  sister cece proffit :) :) J

OH hahaha i almost forgot (how could i??) we thought we had carbon monoxide poisoning on friday..... (and by we i mean everybody but me thought we did.......) so we had to evacuate our house. it was very dramatic and i was very grumpy about it hahaha. it was also 9 degrees. we slept at the other sisters house. the bed was very comfortable. so it wasn't all that bad. :) :) :) i clipped my nametag to my blanket and we drove at 10:35pm. and we didn't die. and nothing was wrong. hahaha. :) :) :)  so no worries. i am safe. :)

ohhhhhhhh wait wait wait i almost forgot one other thing......... i'm not sure what happened yesterday with the program but bishop was just calling people up randomly to bear their testimonies hahaha it was totally johnny biscuit... "our next speaker will be....... you!" hahahaha. well it wasn't random it was inspired obviously, it was great, and then the high councilor spoke & that was actually really great.... bishop asked "one of our sister missionaries, sister avila" to bear her testimony & all of us missionaries were like uhhhh..... and i was like "sis silva there is no way that's supposed to be my name, that's totally you" hahah and the people on the stand could see that we were confused so bishop fixed it. still pretty funny haha :) :)  love you!!!!!!!!!!!!

oh and i meant to tell you more about the paper chain......... we read the scripture of the day every morning, and then pick a family that we want to share that promise with, and then go there and let them tear the chain off and read us the verse and it's lovely :) :) and if we have time we show them my favorite Christmas video :) :) http://www.mormonchannel.org/christmas-videos?v=2008190983001

A Christmas Advent Calendar – December 2013 Promised Blessings 1 – D&C 68:4-6 2 – D&C 39:12 3 – 2 Nephi 31:20-21 4 – D&C 100:5-8, 12 5 – D&C 17:8 6 – Alma 26:22 7 – D&C 84:80, 85, 88  8 – D&C 123:12-13, 16-17 9 – Mosiah 18:26 10 – D&C 21:9 11 – D&C 11:8-9, 20-21 12 – Alma 26:11-12, 16  13 – D&C 4:2-4  14 – D&C 42:61  15 – Helaman 10:4-5  16 – D&C 24:12 17 – D&C 62:3, 84:61  18 – 3 Nephi 12:10-12, 16  19 – D&C 19:37-38  20 – D&C 33:8-10 21 – Alma 26:35-37 22 – D&C 18:14-15 23 – D&C 76:5-10, 19-24, 40-42  Joseph Smith’s birthday 24 – D&C 31:3-5 25 – D&C 14:7-9, Isaiah 61:1, 3 

oh -- my new favorite thing!! asking for caroling referrals!! just asking EVERYONE whom they know that we can go caroling to!! :) :) it's easy and fun. and gets us to the door and making people happy, which is essentially our job anyways :) :) it's a step!! think about it -- ask the elders & sisters if they want to go caroling to your friends, with or without you haha :) :)

oh rats....... i forgot to put a subject hahahaha. oh well!

alma 17:23 #aboutme

oh family. i just love this land so much. i even love l the walgreen's boy. 

last monday we (i...) lost the phone.... so we went on a search all over appleton looking for it, culminating at the walgreens on northland. luke the walgreens boy works there most monday & tuesday evenings, so of course he was there and of course i leveled with him because we are friends (basically.) he was super nice and called his manager but they did not have our phone. alas. we chatted for a while & invited him to the ward activity (he didn't come but we can still be friends) and then on my way out i said "peace out & be well!" (they always tell you to be well at walgreens? it's weird) and the little salvation army bell worker choked and started laughing. i'm glad i made her day. :) :) 

so that was my monday. how was yours? :) 

tuesday i found the secret to happiness, that was exciting. it's in pmg! {obviously.} p. 168. cross reference it to p.121 as well. [i love preach my gospel]. 

“Do you want to be happy? Forget yourself and get lost in this great cause. Lend your efforts to helping people. … Stand higher, lift those with feeble knees, hold up the arms of those that hang down. Live the gospel of Jesus Christ.”

true story my brothers & sisters. true. story. 

also on tuesday we had dinner with my best friends the t and president t was talking about how there's just a special spirit that comes when you spend all of your time studying and serving & teaching the gospel of Jesus Christ, and it made me soooo sad to think that this time has to come to an end. but i'm trying not to think about it. i've still got like 5 months almost. :) :) :)

wednesday i got the GREATEST PACKAGE OF MY LIFE from my best friend aka mom. :) :) :) :) :) seriously though i loved it so much. best package ever!!!!!!! all my dreams came true. it was magical. the music is making me SO HAPPY all of the time; i just love it :) :) :) & sister silva wants to know where you got those tights. magical. 

wednesday was actually a pretty magical day overall, actually..... i got called "mom" for the first time.... that was fun.... "hey mom! i mean... sister proffit!" yes, primary child. i will help you make a paper bag vest and hat. you are welcome. feel free to call me mom. you are cute. :) :)

i also had a moment of just like... pure contentment & happiness. standing in the carpeted gym floor in the appleton ward building (they carpeted the gym for some reason...), watching the elders vacuum up and talk to some members while my little friend s shot baskets, i was just like..... SO HAPPY. just literally soooooo happy to be there. at that moment. i wouldn't've wanted to be anywhere else. a mission in the best place to be on thanksgiving!!! 

it only lasted like a second, but it was joyous :) :) 

thursday was thanksgiving!!!! we got the sweetest text that morning from a member saying how she knew it was hard to be away from home on holidays but that the work we are doing is so important & appreciated& well done good & faithful servants :) :) which was sooooo nice. but i wasn't even homesick hahah is that bad?????? :) :) thanksgiving was marvelous. we got to help prepare the food at one house and i made carrot pudding (which is actually like cake...) and it was just fun. this family TAPS THEIR OWN MAPLE SYRUP from the trees in their backyard. ridiculous hahaha. also, m h graduated in '80 and he has cousins named j & s who were born in '67. and he lived in the same stake as gramma & grampa when they were in trabuco canyon. rancho santa margarita. yep. connections! it was a fun fun time :) :) we sang happy birthday to their son who has down's syndrome and after the song president h quick SNATCHED the cake away so he wouldn't blow on it and get mashed potatoes everywhere hahahahah it killed me. anyways it was super fun times and i loved it. so much to be thankful for! we read alma 26:1-2 (my favorite) and had some time to ponder where we were / who we were last year and all the blessings that have come into our lives because of the Atonement.... and i loved it :) :)

friday we baked pumpkin cookies with my best friend sister c and i love her.

saturday literally all of our plans fell through but it was cool because we recieved revelation in the car (as always) about who to take cookies to. and it was lovely. and i bought a peppermint steamer in fond du lac. (exchange with west bend.... fdl's the halfway point) :) :)

sunday was wonderful. sister silva informed me that alma 26:2 & the first line of 3 is what i do all the time. so that was cool hahah. also, in relief society we read mosiah 3:8, helaman 14:12, and then mark 6:3 and it was like WOAH. you have to read them in order to get the effect, so i won't type them out here. but yeah. woah. i love Christmas!! :) :) :) i'm so excited for the Christmas season to get to go caroling with friends and share Christmas messages & just spread the joy :) Jesus Christ makes us so so so so happy!!!!! 

“Do you want to be happy? ... Live the gospel of Jesus Christ.” :) :) truth truth truth <3 <3 <3 

I love appleton 2nd land. a (the beehive president. age 13.) went looking for one of her beehives when she didn't come to class. typical appleton 2nd ward behavior. i can't get over it. i just love them all :) :) :)

mission life is the best life, y'all. preach my gospel is the best book. besides obviously the bible & book of mormon. :) :) :) those are great too. man. teachin' me about Jesus Christ. it's the way to live!!! 

i'm just very very happy and feelin' so blessed to be here now. and it hasn't even been too cold the past few days!!! wooooo-hoooo tender mercies :) :) :)

transfers are the 18th (week before Christmas). pray for me to have a good attitude about things if i get transferred hahaha. {#alma17:23) 

i love you, family. i love this gospel and i just love all of your guts. you are a treasure to me. i also love talking like an old lady / sister missionary. i am old. i am a sister missionary. it is the greatest thing ever. 

no, you know what's the ACTUAL greatest thing ever??????? the fact that our Heavenly Father loved us enough to send His Son, Jesus Christ, who ALSO loved us enough to live a perfect life and triumph over death and sin in a perfect expression of love known as the Atonement. and THEN they loved us enough to teach us how to follow them and be happy and have joy. 

WHAT EVEN IS THIS.

it makes me so so happy. :) :) :) 

everyone should know about it.

tell all your friends.

make them hot cocoa.

invite the missionaries :) :)

tell them i say hi.

i am officially rambling now.

i love your guts

xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxxo

SISTER CECE PROFFIT :) :) :) :) :)