Wednesday, July 27, 2016

Where Dreams Come True7.27.16

H E L L O

I'm going to apologize in advance because this is going to be forever long and I have a lot of pics/vids. This probably was one of my fav weeks of my whole mission (': Welcome to Marysville, OH...where dreams really do come true!

Speaking of dreams coming true...SISTER CLARK AND I ARE STAYING IN MARYSVILLE THIS TRANSFER.

This is going to be a LONG one....be prepared.

T got baptized yesterday, confirmed, and ordained!! He is incredible. It was really cool on Last Monday at our lesson he said to us "you know, I feel the spirit really strongly whenever you two teach." Then Friday the day before his baptism he said he just felt defeated all day (Satan obviously) and he told us he was just dying for 8 pm to come because he KNEW he would feel the spirit at our lesson and be okay. He will be an incredible missionary! We hopefully will be getting him to the temple soon. We've done some family history work with him and he already has family names to do! He also is going to a lesson with us tomorrow! He truly is going to be an incredible member.

The other day as we were walking from an apartment a girl yelled at us and walked toward us. She said she is very shy but she felt pulled by God that she needed to talk us and pray with us. She said she felt it right as we walked by. She explained her friend was a Mormon and she knows what we dedicate to missionaries. She said thank you and asked if she could pray with us. It was such a tender mercy from the Lord.

A couple weeks ago as we were meeting with a LA who is becoming active again we invited her to share the restoration pamphlet with her roommate/supervisor. She called us 20 minutes after the lesson and told us that her roommate agreed to read it that night and would be willing to meet us that coming Saturday. So yesterday we went to their place. We started talking and briefed over the restoration and plan of salvation...giving her the Book of Mormon. She had lots of questions that we answered. She said "I don't think there is one path because people are born and never hear of Christ. That's not there fault God wouldn't punish them for that." So we read the spirit world out of the plan of salvation pamphlet about how God knew some of His children wouldn't hear about Jesus Christ or accept His gospel in this life so he gives them a chance after this life to learn. She said that made sense! She also accepted soft baptism. Well, we used their bathroom and as we were walking out she explained that she couldn't put the book down...that something was drawing her to it. She told us that she feels that God put this in her life at this time for a reason. We agreed and explained it's her choice to accept or reject the message now. That night Sister Clark had a prompting to text Sister Vaugh that we would see her at church. (We didn't invite B the roommate to church...didn't even cross our minds /: ) so we text her about church.

Today B and sister Vaugh came to church!!!! Sister Vaugh said B had lots of questions (makes sense when someone goes to church for the first time) BUT that she felt like this came into her life for a reason!!!! We are excited to meet with B this week and extend a baptismal date. They are a rehab for wildlife and we had the opportunity to release some wildlife with them! Be prepared for pics and vids.

Kis progressing slowly but surely. We did a chapel tour this week because he hasn't come to church yet but is preparing for baptism on Aug 20th. He told our member at the lesson that every since we came into his life he hasn't felt depressed anymore and that reading the Book of Mormon and praying every day has taken the sadness out of his life. We were going to have him stay after for the Book of Mormon reading class but he wasn't feeling good so the member took him home.

Well today we took him a large print bible to read with the Book of Mormon on Sunday. He said that that morning he was thinking to himself that we gave up on him since he didn't chapel tour since we haven't gotten in contact and he was so sad....but then we showed up....he said that that was a sign that God was listening to him!

C is working towards August 20th. He feels like he hasn't received an answer but we feel that he has gotten one, just hasn't recognized it yet. We did a lesson in the temple waiting room Last night and it was incredible! We brought his girlfriend who is a member, Tyler, and CJ who was baptized in February. It was an incredible experience!

C a new investigator accepted baptism today for Sept 3rd which is super awesome.

E: met her, said she would read the restoration pamphlet, we followed up and got a return appointment, give her a Book of Mormon and invited her to read the intro...she text us 10 mins after and said she read it and enjoyed when the angel appeared to Joseph. She missed return appointment. We followed with her Friday and you could tell she was having a hard time. We testified of God and the Book of Mormon. Gave her Mosiah 24:14-15 to read. She texted 1 he later saying it was exactly what she needed and it wasn't a coincidence that we should up when we did. Our first real lesson was on Monday and we asked what motivated her to want to meet with us. She said "well in high school we were doing standardized testing and there was some questions on the back. One was about religion and asked what religion I was. I didn't know what to put because I didn't really believe what I was growing up in but I have been listening to the book of Mormon musical so I marked down Mormon. then you two showed up a couple years later. I told my mom all about you too and she thinks that's awesome because I marked Mormon down a couple years ago." Isn't that awesome? She sent she felt like she had no soul until she met us and started to read the Book of Mormon . She accepted baptism for September 3rd but we may be moving it up to August 27th. Yesterday in our lesson she opened her BOM and it was covered in sticky notes. We asked if she had been praying about it and she said "I read and prayed all night then this morning and as I was praying to know if it was true not a voice but a thought came to my mind that said 'it's right there in front of you, what more do you need!?' So I knew that was from God." Ah, I love her. Pray for her please.❤️

Invited the Bishop’s family to give a pamphlet to a person and Bishop was going to give it to one of his employees. Well three days later we went to contact a family that some members invited us to visit and it was the bishops employees family and we had no idea....AND we got a return appointment! The Lord really does put people in our minds of who we should share the gospel with. My testimony of member missionary work has really grown lately.

New people we met this past week:

Steffyn, Erin, Doug, Hannah, David, Don, Charles, Jess, Levi and more!

This are all super cool and really desiring to learn.

I love reading the Book of Mormon each day. I've learned a lot about conversion, broken hearts, and contrite Spirits. The Savior Jesus Christ gave us a perfect example as He walked through life with a broken heart and contrite spirit. His perfect submission to Heavenly Fathers will is the very essence of a broken heart and contrite spirit. Jesus Christ helps us to understand that a broken heart is an eternal attribute of godliness. We recognize our dependence on God for all that we have and all that we are when our hearts are broken; this is a sacrifice of pride. "Like malleable clay in the hands of a skilled potter, the broken-hearted can be molded and shaped in the hands of the master." Elder Bruce D. Porter. We will began to cease doing our way and learn to do it the Masters way. "True conversion brings a change in ones beliefs, heart, and life to accept and confirm the will of God and includes a conscious commitment to become a disciple of Christ." -Elder David A. Bednar. The purpose of the restored gospel is to help people access the healing power of the atonement. The essence of the gospel is a change in our nature....putting off the natural man and becoming a saint. We gain a testimony, or personal knowledge of spiritual truth obtained by revelation, by individual repentance, obedience, and diligence.

Conversion is an ongoing process. Line upon line, precept upon precept BUT throughout our lives the principles of the restored gospel can become an increasingly rewarding pattern of living that prepares us to live with God again. A broken heart and contrite spirit helps us to become converted to the Lord through his restored gospel.

I love this gospel so much. I know that it was restored through the prophet Joseph Smith. Jesus Christ is our Savior and He lives today.

God is good. Life is GOOD when we live the gospel. I say these things in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen. Until next Monday, thanks for all the love and support!

XOXO,

Sister Detamore

Tyler’s Baptism

Temple trip yesterday. Sis C, me, Sis Ortega, Tyler, Clement, CJ

Volleyball at ward activity...I miss that sport )':

Marysville (':

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Monday, July 18, 2016

We Are Eternal Beings 7.18.16

H E L L O ☺️

(Be prepared for lots of  pics. Sorry ✌️)

Mission life is LYFE...especially during the summer. It's been such a great week. Today we had a zone activity at a local park and had a lot of fun. This definitely has got to be one of my favorite zones.

Almost everyday I forget I'm actually serving a mission and it's been

10 months! I'm a full believer that it won't hit me until I'm home and not serving my brothers/sisters in Ohio. Boy, I love being a missionary!

We met a man this week who has had some hardship in his life. He openly said that he doesn't believe in God, Christ, or anything. He said that if Christ came up to him he would deny Him because of the things he has seen in His life. My heart shatter. He wasn't rejecting me. He was rejecting the atonement to work in his life. Our Heavenly Father gave His son to us so we could one day return to Him. As we walked away from the man I envisioned the Savior and our Father in Heaven standing together weeping over this man. I know that God lives and that Jesus Christ lives too. I'm thankful for this knowledge because it has helped me through the tough times.

Ty is incredible!!! We had his baptismal interview and he met with the bishop Sunday. He is SO ready. I am a firm believer that this a blessing from the Lord. All the hard work I've put in on my mission is totally worth it when it comes to seeing my brother enter the waters of baptism and make that special covenant with his Father in Heaven.

We hope to take him to the temple soon after his baptism. He is really excited to enter the temple. Yesterday during our lesson he said, "if you hadn't moved my baptismal date up I would have cannonballed into the font and found someone with the priesthood authority to baptize me." Hahaha. So remember when I told you that he put his two weeks in at work because it wasn't a good environment and he wanted to keep the Sabbath day holy....he said he didn't have a new job lined up but that God would provide? Well last week we were talking to some members about it and they said they had a job offer for him...so we immediately called him and with little to no excitement over the phone he said thank you for the information. Well two days later at our lesson he said "I was completely shocked when you called about a job offer....I was speechless. Even if I don't take it or they don't take me, that is a sign from God to me saying that he notices me making these changes in my life." Tyler is incredible! We are so excited for his baptism this Saturday morning!!!

We are working with C who has a baptismal date for August 20th.

He really wants to make sure this is his path but I have full faith that he will have his decision made by the 20th of August.

K is doing SO good! He is making steps of progression slowly but incredible steps for an 82 yr old! We read alma 36 with him last week and taught repentance. He didn't understand some of the verses but without asking us he dissected the verse so he would understand. It was incredible to watch the spirit teach him! He is planning on being baptized August 20th!

Last week I found out that S that Sister Birchett and I found in Powell told sister b. that we were really good at "selling our message" to her because she had this marketing book and I guess we used every trick that book tells to use. Hahahaha...little did she know the spirit guides us in contacts and our message is FREE for everyone.

We have met some new incredible people and I'm excited to teach them!

This past week I'm learned a lot and I'm grateful for the spirit that helps us to gain knowledge and understanding while we study. "For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also." 3 Nephi 13:21.

In this life, we have to be careful what we chase. Many times we are focused on getting the latest iPhone or newest car when we really should be focused on how well we study our scriptures or say our prayers. The REAL chase in life should be after spiritual things not temporal things. But often times we are more focused on the material matters. Elder Michael John U. Teh once said "There is NO end to what the world has to offer." The world is constantly advertising the newest and coolest thing. Satan tries to grab our attention on the worldly things and, many times, he succeeds. We should be laying up our treasures in heaven. Things like gaining Christ like attributes, strengthening our family bond, giving service, and strengthening our testimony. Those spiritual things are what will help us to achieve the greatest gift our Father in Heaven has to offer, eternal life. As we patiently, faithfully, and consistently, FOLLOW this path, we will qualify for eternal life. The more we follow our Savior, the more whole we fill. But if we follow Lucifer's plan, the more emptiness we will feel. We have the agency to chose who we follow. Agency is a gift giving to us from our Father in Heaven. He bestowed it upon us before we came to this earth. It is the ability to chose and act for ourselves. Many times people wondered why bad things happen in the world and why God doesn't stop it. Every individual has been given the gift of agency. If God pushed us to do something or stop us from doing something, He would then be a dictator. We would simply become pieces of a chessboard and God would be playing chess with our lives. But that isn't the way life is. We are human beings; we are eternal beings. God has given us the gift of agency because He loves us. He can prompt us to do something or to stop something but ultimately, it is our choice to follow Him or ignore Him.

We have the choice to chase after temporal or spiritual things. When we focus on spiritual things, our outlook on life, people, situations, etc. is better. We become more repentant because we are focusing on coming closer to Jesus Christ. As we access the Atonement, we can prepare ourselves to live with God again. I know that the church is true. I know it, God knows I know it, and I can't deny it because that would offend my God. I loving serving in the Great OCM. This is the path back to our Heavenly Father. I say these things in the name of my Savior Jesus Christ, amen. Thanks for all the love and support! Until next Wednesday...transfers are next week....already...

XOXO,

Sister Detamore

Love her!

Zone Activity

10 months

Random wall

Got caught in the rain

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Monday, July 11, 2016

They Will Come To Our Aid 7.11.16

Wow, WHAT A WEEK. it's been quite eventful the past week. But again, I love this area with all my heart. I would be content staying in Marysville for the rest of my life. (Okay, that's a lie. I miss Utah but still). We've been pretty busy today so this is going to be short so sorry about that!

So the past week Sister Clark has been SO sick and being someone who has been sick on the mission, I totally did it. We didn't have too much finding time this week because she was sleeping in the afternoon and then the evenings we had lessons. Wednesday she was really bad and we were booked from 4-9 with lessons. SO we had an exchange...with members! She stayed at the relief society presidents house while I went out with our ward mission leaders wife. It was crazy. An hour before the back to back lessons I was informed by President Daines that I needed ANOTHER woman to each lesson because they were male and we needed a third female. I was pretty stressed considering the night before NO ONE would answer. With 30 mins before our first lesson, I was able to find a another member for each lesson. It was incredible.

I was able to spend the evening with Sister Madsen, Sister Perry, Sister Thomas, and Sister VonNiederhausern. The Lord really does provide for your righteous desires. I was astounded by the love and support I was given that night while being the only missionary. I learned that day that ANYTHING is possible if we put our Faith in our Savior and Heavenly Father. They will NOT leave us to suffer, they WILL come to our aid. No matter what situation we are in they will be their to support, lift, and comfort.

We had 3 lessons with T this week and he is incredible!! He was suppose to be baptized on Saturday but due to his schedule he didn't receive all the lessons. THIS KID IS PREPARED. I taught baptism and confirmation with Sister Madsen and Sister Thomas...I asked him why he wanted to be baptized and he said, "Because I want to live with my Heavenly Father again and I know this is the way. I want to know that I can return to His presence without a care in the world." Throughout the lesson he proceeded to explain that he put his two weeks in at work because it wasn't a good environment and he wanted to keep the Sabbath day holy....he said he didn't have a new job lined up but that God would provide. He also explained that the members have told him about the Word of Wisdom and he is living it now....and that the also told him about repentance a couple weeks ago so he repented the night they told him and he said he never cried more in his entire life; he felt like he was so free he could fly. We extended baptism for July 30th but the rest of the night I felt a huge prompting that we needed to move it to the 23rd so the next lesson we did!! Ah, T IS GETTING BAPTIZED ON THE 23RD!!! We are so excited for him. His conversion started with his best friend continually inviting him to church and finally he went. He said it was the best decision of his life. We as members of the church have a HUGE role to play in the lives of Gods children. Because his friend continually invited him to church, he is now receiving the restored gospel of Jesus Christ. Let us all reach out to our friends and share what we know!

As I studied the stripling warriors I thought a lot about their faith in Christ and how they knew if they did not doubt, God would deliver them. As pondered on how we could strengthen our faith in God three things came to my mind....SCRIPTURES, PRAYER, AND PROPHETS. God has given them to strengthen our faith and trust in God. Pray with faith....this will help you recognize Gods influence in your lives.

Read with faith....this will help you open the door to revelation.

Follow with faith...this will lead you to your Father in Heaven. As we strengthen our faith and trust in our Savior and Father in Heaven, we will be delivered. Just like the stripling warriors.

I know the church is true. My testimony has become impeded in my heart and will remain for eternity. I know it, God knows I know it, and i can't deny. I love my mission. I love Ohio. I love this gospel. It has changed my life and will continue to change lives. Every step you take of following God is your testimony. Follow him. I saw these things in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen. Until next week, thanks for all love and support.

XOXO,

Sister Detamore

Mission Life

I wasn't the one in the docs...finally!

My companion for Wednesday

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Monday, July 4, 2016

H A P P Y 4 T H 7.4.16

HAPPY 4TH OF JULY

Ah, I can't believe it's already JULY. This is one of my favorite holidays of all times. This 4th of July is not like most I have had in the past years. If you know me really well, you know that the past 4-5 yrs the 4th of July has been spent with a crown on my head, sash over my shoulder, and full day at West Point Days. Though I don't have an actually crown on my head, I do know that I'm a daughter of a King and I have a black nametag over my heart with my Saviors name.

I have reflected a lot the past week on what Independence Day has meant to me. Because of our freedom, the restoration was able to roll forth. The freedoms and protections mentioned in the Constitution (including freedom of speech, assembly, and religion) made the Restoration possible. This has been a huge blessing in my life. The gospel has blessed my life more than I can express. Because of the restoration, we have the priesthood authority that binds families now and for the eternities. I understand my purpose here on earth and my identity as a Daughter of God. He has a plan for me and the Book of Mormon helps me to understand that plan better. Because of the restoration, I have freedom to share this message to all of Gods children in Ohio. I have the opportunity to open my mouth and testify of the truthfulness of our message.

The work is going incredible here in Marysville Ohio. Boy, do I love this cute town. We had the opportunity to have 12 member present lessons this week and I really realized how much members play a role in the work. It's incredible what their experiences, friendship and testimonies do for our investigators. I want to invite each of you to take the time to go out with the missionaries. Share your testimony with those they are working with or even go out finding with them.

Each of us play a role in sharing this message to the world.

Update on people:

Xavier: he fell off the face of the earth...): haven't heard from him since the chapel tour Kris and Tammy: probably dropping soon...): not progressing...

Ken and Dan: slow steps but steps of progress! They really have been working hard. Pray for them please!

Clement: Doing incredible..I have full faith that he will reach August 20th! Please pray that he will make that day.

This week we met a lot of new people and got a lot of new investigators. I don't have much time to update so y'all will have to wait until next week.

The Book of Mormon has changed my life and will continue to change lives for generations to come. That is the purpose of the book; it's the reason why our Father in Heaven gave it to us. I know that the Book of Mormon is true and it brings us closer to our Savior Jesus Christ. It outlines Gods plan for us and helps us to understand how to find peace now and in the eternities. Joseph Smith truly was called of God to roll out the restoration. Because of our freedom, we have the full gospel of Jesus Christ that leads us to eternal life. The temple is the House of The Lord filled with peace and direction. I am a daughter of God. We are children of God. Look to Him. Doubt Not, Fear Not. I say these things in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen. Until next Monday..thanks for all the love and support!

XOXO,

Sister Detamore

4th of July

(Third pics is at the Phillips...love them!)

When we sang at the clippers game!

Exchanges with sister Ali from Trinidad ❤️

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